War Stories From Vietnam

me

[leadpenny]

Good golly, Miss Molly!

I was stationed at Marble Mountain on my 2nd tour (Nov69-Nov-70). For the last few months I worked in the 212 Avn Bn's S-1 shop. In my files I had a 8 X 10 B&W photo of that DC-8 sitting on the MM runway. The story I heard was that the pilot just barely got it stopped. They took all the seats out, put minimum fuel on it, and took off in half the runway to get over to Danang Air Base.

[leadpenny]

BTW, you should have a rule that all War Stories begin, not with, "Good golly, Miss Molly!," rather, "This is no "$h!t, there I was!"

[Professional Engineer]

ping

[MarcoPolo]

That may be the case, but by the time they did that my dad and all the Air Force boys had been transported to DaNang via Air Force bus.

BTW, you don't still have a copy of the photo of that DC-8 do you? Oh, please say you do! My dad would LOVE to have a copy of that picture.

[Fierce Allegiance]

My dad was an "advisor" -That's all he will say.

My uncle was a highly decorated huey pilot. Now sick w/ non-hodgkins lymphoma.

[MarcoPolo]

Oh my! I will pray for your uncle. God bless him.

Incidentally, my uncle (my dad's brother) was awarded a Purple Heart medal for a gunshot wound that he received as a helicopter gunner in a mission over Laos. He was stationed at Dang Ha at the time.

[leadpenny]

I heard they spent a few days getting it ready to bounce over to Danang.

Here is a link I just found w/pic.

http://www.hmm-364.org/sneaked.html

[leadpenny]

I was a huey driver. FReep mail coming at ya.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks PE.

557th Enger Co. (Phuoc Vinh, RVN - Apr 1969 - Nov 1970)

[Paradox]

Found another Here.Do a search for DC- "marble mountain" and you will find a bunch of stuff. SOunds like quite a ride!

[Paradox]

err, I mean, a search on DC-8 "marble mountain". gEts alot of hits on google

[Professional Engineer]

What are the Medals Sam?

[MarcoPolo]

Bump

[Getsmart64]

Hmmm...strange. My dad served at DaNang in '69-'70. He was in CE running the Rapid Runway Repair shop. He never really would tell us about his experiences in Vietnam. One day, I guess I was in my early 20's, I was bugging him for a story and this is the only story I've ever heard from him about Vietnam. He didn't say much, dad was a man of few words, but he described a damaged C-130 coming in for an Inflight Emergency landing. They were all out on the flight line waiting for the plane and as it was coming in, somehow the plane started cartwheeling and burst into flames. The only thing he said about it as it came to a stop, was the screaming voices of the people inside. His eyes teared up and he walked away from me. He never mentioned Vietnam again and I never prodded him for another story.

[leadpenny]

The "Been there" or "The Two Dollar Assortment."

National Defense - Vietnam Service -Vietnam Campaign.

[WL-law]

My father (now deceased) flew (for Seaboard) the flights over to Da Nang, including in 1969, carrying the soldiers into (and out of) the war zone.

BTW, he was a WWII Air Force vet as well -- unusual for service to cover such a spread of war-time periods, I think.

[WL-law]

My father (now deceased) flew (for Seaboard) the flights over to Da Nang, including in 1969, carrying the soldiers into (and out of) the war zone.

BTW, he was a WWII Air Force vet as well -- unusual for service to cover such a spread of war-time periods, I think.

[SAMWolf]

Those are the three everyone who spent time in Vietnam received. The first one is (L to R) National Defense, 2nd -Vietnam Service, 3rd - Vietnam Campaign)

[Professional Engineer]

Thanks for the info.