Dong Ha is Leveled

I was stationed at Dong Ha with 620 TCS, det 1 from nov 67 to dec 68. Great pix. -Submitted by: Mervin Evans [evansnc@bellsouth.net] 2006-04-19

Iwas serving in MATCU 62 at DONG Ha on the day of the ammo dump explosion and was in an above ground bunker adjacent to the dump and spent hours of terror under piles of burning hootches thinking the whole time that this was it for me. I had on 2 flack jackets,one on normal and one draped over my legs staring at a hot smoking gernade that was blown into the bunker. I have never experienced any greater fear. The photo is a good physical picture that leaves to the imigination what all of us were experiencing that were so close to the dump. -Submitted by: WILLIAM L MEYER [WLMEYER1@AOL.COM] 2007-02-20

I was a crewcheif with HMM-361 from July - Sept, 67. I sustained 1st, 2nd & 3rd degree burns the day the ammo dump went up. Spent four months in several hospitals recovering from my wounds. I've never forgotten the fear I felt during that days shelling. We were luck not to lose any men. -Submitted by: Leonard (Marty) Martinez [gd4one2@sbcglobal.net] 2008-02-06

I was with the 298th Signal in Quang Tri `70-`71 and used to go through Dong Ha all the time and never knew about this. You guys were lucky to live through this. It was, I felt,always a dangerous place up there in Red Devil country. The road out to Khe Sahn with the infamous Rockpile comes to mind. So many dangerous places,like I said,dangerous country . -Submitted by: George [alvin.savely@comcast.net] 2008-02-24

I was there when the ammo dump got hit with Det 1 620TCS, had two months left in Nam thought we were under an air attack at first could hear our planes flying over for a look see at what was going on, worked in the Comm Van receiving FRAGS. I will never forget Vietnam and the things I witnessed while on the DMZ. -Submitted by: Arnold R. LaMotte [arlamotte@austin.rr.com] 2009-11-17

I was there with the 11th EngBn. Watched the whole mess as we were hit by rockets walking in. Started in the monrning and off and on through the day. You talk about the world coming to an end. The explosion shook everything, just the sound it self alone was terrible. I'll never forget that day. -Submitted by: Ray Galindo [rcg92672@yahoo.com] 2010-08-23

I served with the 11th EngBn. Looking for a few friends that were there also with the 11th EngBn. -Submitted by: Raymond Galindo [rcg92672@yahoo.com] 2010-08-23

I was at marble mountain air facility where the squadron was evacuated to. I remember how bad they looked. Their utilities looked like rags. -Submitted by: Richard W. McGuire [richard@rwmcpa.com] 2010-11-22

I was there, recall wary well, to well as amatter of fact. YN-18 w/HMM-361 CC. -Submitted by: Russell J. Cope [rcope6322@yahoo.com] 2011-01-24

I was at Dong Ha, Det1, 620 TCS 66-67. Sgt. LaMotte worked for me (I was a 1st Lt). I remember LaMotte as being one cool dude. We were frequently the target of rocket and artillery attacks due to our antennas sticking in the air. Plus we had an old French bunker on the site which was located on every local North Vietnamese map captured. Anyway, LaMotte was going to work when a round went off near him and a piece of shrapnel cut his scalp. The medic patched him, and he calmly went on to work, commenting he was late. -Submitted by: Peter T. Bledsoe [tsbledsoe@aol.com] 2011-02-05

I was in the galley that day when the $#$$ hit the fan.. was in alpha company mcb5. I drove the base water tanker which was full of holes w/18 flat tires... what a memory! -Submitted by: Bob Hassett [vaughan@hawaii.rr.com] 2011-07-02

Iwas there as the armorer for hmm-361, remember Doc Yancey coming to our bunker for help to get the men out of the burning hootches. flack jacket and skivvies with boots is all i had. -Submitted by: Rick Leone [leone308@aol.com] 2011-10-26