Boot Camp, Camp Pendleton, Okinawa, & Phillipines
Family Day I’m a MARINE now! Richard Ross joined with me Lina Co ITR ITR Camp Pendelton WOW! I found the Cover Machine Gun School Jim Cooper, Me, & Ken Burkitt My mom’s 3 Marines Ken and I going to Church Green Skivies Junck on Bumk 1st Airplane Ride Headed. to NAM Okinawa Clouds Camp Schwab View at the Club 1 arm Bandit the GANG Jim Bradford, me, Ken, & Frank Bilbao Our FLAG Realized I could die for IT! WOW! Ken, my cousin Mike Triplett, & me at Camp Hansen Snake Lady Where’s the Snake? Surfside Club Camp Schwab Theater Church PX Playing Hearts The Gang Ken Ken Formation bt Billet area Frank Bilbao Jim Cooper Ken, Jim and Me Fall Out! Break Time! Falling In Break Time Me in MY Green Skivies Bradford Writing a letter home! Jim and Frank Me with Singapore Sling In a Six-Bye Cpl Sanders KIA May 10, 1967 Postumously Awarded Navy Cross Jack Milligan w/M-14 Going to NTA Nature Call Going to NTA Piss Call To NTA NTA Area NTA Jack Milligan NTA Training Bradford and Baden Ken, Frank, and Bradford Gerald Kelly NTA NTA NTA SKI NTA Range NTA Area Lean and working on Mean NTA Area NTA Area NTA Area Me it Rained Mike Triplett Camp Hansen Snake Lady again NTA NTA 2-rope and 3-rope Bridges across ravine NTA I’m on the 2-rope Bridge taking picture of 3-rope Bridge NTA Repelling NTA Me again Repel Rope looking up Example of Punji Pit in Nam what NOT TO DO! Bar Kelly Ski Rifle Range Range Range Range Doc EASTMAN Range Range Me and Thompson John Hughes in front Helecopter Training CH-34 Helecopter Flying in Formation Rainy Day Rain M-16 and Gear Me with our new M-16’s Mike Triplette again Church at Camp Schwab Gunny Williamson Wpns Plt on right Baseball Homerun! Could have been! Ken and Jim Jim Cooper Bradford Ken trying to talk to Bradford Rifle Range M-16 Training Range Range B-52 I Think Back side of Range area NTA Again Me in Old Utes Tug of War I think at Beach Jungle Boot Jungle Utes CH-34 Helicopter Helicopter Training Training Amtrak Training Training Training Training for SLF-A Loading the CH-34 Training Training Camp Schwab from Helicopter Okinawa Okinawa Training Net Training Jim Me and Mike like my Civie’s me 29 x34 slim fits! All of 165 lbs! Mike Triplett Mike had Guard Duty NO! Don’t hit ME! Mike at work Camp Hansen Mike again Ken Weapons Platoon Weapons 60MM Mortar Cpl Hatcher Hatcher w/ Doc Eastman Doc Eastman w/Cpl Durazo NTA NTA Packing Gear Ready! Smile! Loading USS Okinawa Harbor at Okinawa USS Okinawa w/Helicopters on deck Burthing area USS Okinawa USS Okinawa from Helicopter In Flight! Sunset at Okinawa Bringing Arty in training exercise at Okinawa Training Helicopter w/a Mule Thaining Okinawa from the air Okinawa again Okinawa Harbor area Looking off USS Okinawa USS Okinawa Deck on the USS Okinawa In Jungle Utes on Deck USS Okinawa Flight Deck Helicopters for secured for travel Flight Deck USS Okinawa Flight Deck Looking out to Sea Kelly Roger Bacon Westfall in middle Sobie Sobranski or Sobie Ken and Jim Berthing area 4 -Bunks high Doc Eastman Mail from Home Subic Bay Hurry Up and WAIT! Ready for NAM Martinez Training Subic Bay Cooling off Subic Bay Waiting for Trucks USS Enterprise USS Enterprise USS SANTUARY Subic Bay
Vietnam Operation Beaver Cage April 28th till May 12th, 1967
Going ashore Operation Beaver Cage Out Helicopter window Viethan On the move Moving Dusk Kodak Instamatic 104 camera Water Buffalo Water Buffalo Closer Farmers working in Rice Paddies Working in the Rice Paddies Bombed out Church Kids by a Ville Vietnamese Kids Me and Ken Me and Ken Night Accommodations Next day Sun Up. Resting out of Sun Landing at LZ Setting Perimeter for LZ Dusk Hootch Mortar set up Sunset Getting water by Hootch Air Strike in distance Kelly May 2nd, 1967 before being Ambushed Sunset again On move End of Operation Beaver Cage w/ Mortar Tube and Base Plate w/M-16 Vietnam from Helicopter View from Helicopter End of Operation Vietnam from the air Vietnam Headed back to the USS Okinawa Vietnam Vietnam Door Gunners Boot Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam Coastline of Vietnam Me after 15 day Operation Navy guys said we stunk! Frank, Me, and Ken again CLEAN again! Ken and Me Me and Frank John Hughes again
Vietnam May, June, July, August, September, and October 1967
Operation Beau Charger In the DMZ Moving Out Hooych w/ Kids under table Getting water from Mama son On the Move End of Operation Camp Evans Camp Evans Camp Evans Camp Evans Weapons Guys drinking Beer Weapons again Guns and Mortars Camp Evans Operation on the Move Going towards Phu Bia Helicopter spoted VC in a hole, S/Sgt Malloy took a Fire Team and got HIM. On the Move again By river w/ Hootches on other side of river Vietnamese in Boats! Walking through a Ville possibly Phu Bia Even Trucks on the road. Me Resting I thought I was losing weight like everyone else. Prisoner Bosley and Blessinger Onos ob rege highway At Phu Bia G/2/26 area. Moore, Richard Ross me and Ken. Ken and I from the Field Dirty, Others Clean! At Dong Ha Harbor for the night. Small Boy Saluting Me! Dong Ha Harbor the next morning Dong Ha Harbor Dong Ha Harbor me, Ken, Frank, and Bill Caughey D/1/3 on Deck Frank taking my picture Frank, Ken, and Bill Flight Deck by tower Bridge Ken Frank and Me Operation Dusk Storm Clouds Tank at Camp Evans Camp Evans again Camp Evans Camp Evans Looking towards mountains Camp Evans Mountains again Church in distance Lots of WAR damage to the Church Helicopter in LZ New Operation On the Move River Crossing River Crossing River Crossing Camp Evans Blessinger w/boot sole coming off Ken and Me again Operation Buffalo LZ Landing Charlie Co 1st in Bosley and Me on Buffalo Dusk again Leaving Buffalo area On the Move Storm Clouds Rain is on the way Dusk again Think at Dong Ha got Beer again my first. Vietnamese in boat Harbor area Vietnam from the air Vietnam Beach Party Ken w/Beer Ken with USO Gal Da Nang Harbor- China Beach Beach Party Superman and Me Beach Party New Op Amphibious Landing, Kalwara in picture Landing Craft “Duck” On the Move Sunset Sunset Water Buffalo Water Buffalo On the move WP Strike Mortar set up to fire a mission Napalm Strike Napalm Strike writing Home! two Prisoners Kid sold me a frozen ice deal River On the Move Out of Mountains Out of mountains Down the mountain Moving out of mountains On the Move Me on the Move In the mountains Mountain stream Over looking LZ area LZ CH-46’s Inland Op Cochise 60 MM Mortar Crew Johnson, Westfall, Sobie, Hatcher, Bosley, Bless, and me Prisoner being taken to Helicopter Vietnam from Helicopter Napalm Air Strike Napalm Air Strike On the Move On the Move Bath Time! River Bathing Air Strike in Distance On the Move On the Move On move out of mountains On the Move Me at Chu Lia end of Op Cochise me Ken and Frank Chu Lia Chu Lia area Chu Lia area Chu Lia end Op Cochise Chu Kia Troopers Tavern CH-34 Helicopter Deck of USS OkinawaOn the Move! On the Move Hootch on Fire Burning Hootch Hootch again On the Move! Couple Hootches on Fire! Hootches ablaze Hootches in the distance M-60 aiming at sniper Hawkins said it was him. Down for sniper fire Possibly Camp Evans Camp Evans again Storm is coming Clouds in distance Ken “We had Beer Call” Dong Ha Harbor Dong Ha Harbor Patrol Boat Me on a Landing Craft USS Okinawa USS Okinawa Bosley and Sgt Avalos Cpl Bosley and Sgt Avalos again Pot Belly Pig Pot Belly Pig Pig again! On Move! On Move! On Move! Tank with us! Tomb Stone Tank My 20th Birthday Eating my Cake Good stuff too! Prisoner Vietnamese people On the move! On the move! Me following someone Good Looking Marine! Storm a brewing! River Crossing Village Family On the Move! Truck Convoy through Da Nang Da Nang area Da Nang area Da Nang area Da Nang area Da Nang area Convoy ahead of us Da Nang Air Port Cementary Da Nang area NVA Prisoners Op Medina NVA Weapons Op Medina George Angilan “Bird” Modified “one holer” Sunset Me, Ken and Frank River Bomb Crater Mountain area Mountains Op Granite On the Move! Mountains Op Granite On move out of mountains Phu Bia me, Frank, Mike Touche, and Ken Frank and Mike joined together from Idaho Richard Ross Joined with me at Phi Bia Richard G/2/26 Richard and me, second time we had met in Nam
R&R Penang, Malaysia Nov 1967 (Ken and I went there together)
Going on R&R Penang,Malaysia Ken and me at the Golden Pagota Being Blessed Me and Ken Our “TOUR GUIDES” Our Hotel Back to Vietnam well rested!
November, going to A-3 till mid December 19675
On the Move On the Move Moving along Beach On Move again Moving up the Beach On Landing Craft Dong Ha area Landing Craft again 1st day at A-3 A-3 My Mortar Pit at A-3 Me at A-3 Truck in the MUD at A-3 Cold and Rainy Mortars Bunker-Hole in ground Command Bunker at A-3 Rains a Lot! Dusk Angilan and Cpl Ewings Our Mortar Bunker Me on the 60MM Mortar Me again Truck in Mud Looking North Blessinger Sobranski-“Sobie” Kaufman and Irgens Unknown unk, Hosey, and Hank Our Bunker again Me in Our Bunker Our Bunker again
Charlie-4 Area Dec 17th, 1967 till After TET end February 1968
NVA Prisoner at C-4 NVA Prisoner again NVA Prisoner again Prisoner 3 sets of clothes Capt Osgood(passed 2011-RIP SIR) interviewing Prisoner Burkitt with Monkey Me with Monkey Monkey and me again Monkey on Burkitt (True Love) Crane Helicopter with Watch Tower USMC Huey Gunship Tower again Setting the Tower at C-4 Tower Tower Done, and away Me at C-4 Roger Henry (CIA) Hayes and Cpl Daughtery Ken and I Christmas Day 1967 NVA Head Patrol north Christmas Day 1967 Luke smiling again Me Christmas Day Patrol north K=9 Handler and his Dog Sot Bacon Me with Mortar guys John Kaufman Unknot Sand Bag Detail Finished Bunker Entrance Bunker Me where are my Jungle Boots Mortar Pit and Ammo Tent 60 MM Mortar in Gun Pit Mortar s again Amtrak at C–4 C-4 area Bosley and Sgt Art Sgt Adams w/ 81MM Mortar WP Memorial Service after Jan 19th Memorial Service again Bless shaving Me Ron Lawrence Unknown Sand Bag filling detail Day Job Sgt Bacon in middle! Mail Call Sgt Bacon passing out! C-4 Sobie Sgt Adams and Sgt Avalos Mess Hall at C-4 for those that knew about it! Messhall dedicated to Cpl Marvin Smith KIA C-4 Sobie Bird! with Illumination rounds Cpl Ewing Chaplain at C-4 Memorial Bill Taylor 3rd Purple Heart at C-4 Home now Gunny Boskovich Watch tower at C-4 Irgens One BAD Marine! Armed and Dangerous! Mortars crew 4.2 MM Mortar 4. Duce again Me with 4.2 Round ready to Fire! Dale Northcutt Radioman AKA LURCH Bozo Haircut 81 MM Mortar 81MM again Me w/ 81MM Round and Bless Gunner Doc SKI Airplane above C=4 Taylor again 3rd Purple Heart Mortars making a “Rocket” Bath Time! Who I don’t remember. Mortars “Boat” Sgt Bacon Rambo! Buzz (Hosey) Unknown Prisoners at C-4 Monkey Bites Marine- Lock Down Ron Asher (RIP Ron) Sports! Anyone! Amtrak Bless’s 21st birthday cake from Home! Eating and sharing his Cake! Thanks Bless! C-4 Cooks Cooks again Roger Henry AKA “CIA” From Tower C-4 area From Tower C-4 C-4 from Tower Looking North! Looking up at Tower C-4 area C-4 again Tank at C-4 MY Short Round! WOW! Scary! Yes me and Bless jumped out of pit! Fast! Dusk by Bunker Sgt Bonnie w/ Swedish MG
Cua Viet, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Okinawa, and Home!
Amtrak sign at Cua Viet At Quang Tri Operation Jeb Stuart w/ 1st Air Can US Army View from the air View from the air Quang Tri Quang Tri Quang Tri area