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The 45th Surgical Hospital Tay Ninh Base Camp Vietnam
I was in country from around Aug. 1968 - Aug. 1969.The first 3 months in country on Tay Ninh Base Camp we got Hit with rockets and mortor fire every hour
on the hour, so you looked at you watch alot, when
it got close to the hour you laid down on the ground
and about 5-6 rockets came in, then when it got quiet, you could get up and continue to work.
The only problem I had is that I filled the Water
tanks for the Drinking water and the Showers, and
the Water Tanks were up high...so I had to dive
off the platforms to get close to the ground where
it was safe. You see the Shrapnel flies up and out
away from where it hits so if your close to the ground the rocket can hit near you, and all you loose is alittle hearing...
The Last Convoy
The last convoy that Barnie and I went on was to Cu Chi base camp for a beer and soda run for Tay Ninh base camp's PX. We had 3 days left in country. On the way back near a small temple on the right side of the road where the rubber trees were cut back about 50 feet from the road, we had a fire fight, there were the 25th infantry in apc's firing into the trees, and Barnie opened up with his M-14 in full auto, and I was driving... about that time we hered real loud rocket fire, and we both looked at each other, and in that instant of time my whole life flashed before my eyes, I mean every thing that I ever did good and bad, then we saw the Cobra helicopter after he passed directly over our truck. We waited til we got back to the base camp, after unloading our truck, and back at the hooch, we discussed it, and it turns out that his whole life flashed before his eyes too. That Cobra Helicopter opened up with 5 rockets one after the other over our truck into the trees and back, we thought that charlie had fired an Rocket Powered Grenades (RPGs) at us.
Tay Ninh Base Camp, and our Hospital Area
One Night, we got hit with 144 Rockets, and we looked in the stars and strips new paper, and we sawSiagon got hit with 5 rockets, and we were no whereto be found, no mention of Tay Ninh Base Camp...
IN 1969 THE 1ST CAV MOVED INTO TAY NINH BASE CAMP.
They occupied 6 newly built hooches, that night
4 B40 soviet made, 100 lb war head rockets, hit
and leveled all 6 newly built hooches.
We ran with all the water trucks on the base camp
to put all the fires out, then we started looking
for wounded.
All we found was WEB GEAR. Seems there was a good
movie accross the street, Bonnie and Clide was playing and everone was there.
So You tell me, Miracle....?
One Night we got hit with 144 Rockets
A Miracle, Maybe, GOD was watching over the 1st CAV
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