Left for Vietnam September 66 on Troop ship from Tacoma Washington. 4th division C company 1/8th infantry spent 6 months in Tuy Hoa and 6 months in Pleiku returned to RI September 67.

Tuy Hoa 68 - 69 with the 39th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS).

I joined the Navy Sea bee program in 1968 and trained in Gulfport MS. First assignment with MCB12 as a builder 3rd class in Viet Nam camp Adnir 68 to 69. then assigned to MCB 121 and return to Nam Oct 69 to June 70. based again at Camp Adnir north of Marble Mt. and deployed to Dien Ban, Tien Phouc and lots of elsewhere.

Got to Vietnam 9/15/1968. Assigned to HHB 5/42 Field Artillery in Bearcat. We were a Battalion of 155 towed. MOS was fire direction 13E20. Spent a little time with C Battery in Thu Thua. Nha Be was my last place to be assigned. Flew home on 9/14/1969.

I arrived in country in time for the 1968 Tet Offensive. Don’t have much to say about my tour but remember if something came at you it was fast and furious. It didn’t come everyday like you seen in the movies. I always thought that the biggest fear was the boredom. Lot of guys won’t agree with me but just giving my opinion of my experience.

As I write about my experiences in Vietnam as a Military Policeman in the Army after all these years, I realize that I was always on the move in a Jeep, working with different groups at various locations, and doing various duties such as guard duty, guarding prisoners, escorting convoys, village outpost liaison duty, river patrols, city security patrols, and maintaining route security.
The war was going full-bore around me in 1967-68. Wherever I had duty, nobody shot at me directly, although with TET in Nha Trang starting on January 30, 1968, several rounds hit the buildings we occupied. The camps I stayed in such as Camp Evans and Camp Barnes received periodic mortar fire, but they always missed our tent or building, although a mortar round damaged our outdoor urinal and shower (See photo in Camp Evans Chapter). When in a war zone, you are focused on your current duty and vaguely aware of the events surrounding you. This was especially true when most of my military police duty assignments, which seemed to be made daily, and 95% of the duty such as convoys and security patrols were completed in a Jeep. Thus, I have added some historical text that occurred at the time and locations when I was on duty. Basically, our unit was on duty 24/7 and we worked each day until the duty assignment was completed.
The status and missions of the MPs changed in Vietnam. In the initial attack on the U.S. Embassy in Saigon during the Tet Offensive of 1968, the first two casualties were MPs killed defending the embassy. Two more MPs were killed when responding to the fire fight taking place there. Twenty-seven MPs lost their lives and forty-five were wounded fighting in and around Saigon during the battle that raged for control of the city. The traditional duties of town patrol, base security, and POW security had been augmented with armed river patrols and convoy escorts, etc. Many MPs names appear on The Wall in Washington, D.C.
By the end of 1967, U.S. troop levels reached 463,000 with 16,000 combat deaths. By that time, over a million American soldiers were rotated through Vietnam, with length of service for draftees being one year, and most Americans serving in support units. An estimated 90,000 soldiers from North Vietnam infiltrated into the South via the Ho Chi Minh trail in 1967. Overall Viet Cong/NVA troop strength throughout South Vietnam during that time was estimated to be up to 300,000 men.

Served in Vietnam at Danang Base from 69-70. Assigned to the 20th Tass as an aircraft mechanic on the O2's.

Entered army basic at Fort Bragg Nov 67.Did advance tng. at Fort Jackson then to Vietnam in May 68.Assigned to First Cavalry Div up in I Corp at Camp Evans with Hq 2/7 until the division moved to III Corp and operations out of Phouc Vinh , Bien Hoa and to finally end up at Quan Loi. Extended stay and transferred to Hq 3rd Bde 1st Cav aviation plt as a scout observer gunner on an OH6A LOH.Went home on special leave in Jun 69 and returned to Quan Loi and did operations out of there until Dec 69. Went home to Maryland and from there did the rest of my army obligation at Fort Hood, Tx until Dec 70. End of army obligation.

chu lei 1965-66 usmc , deck house 1, deck house 2 was the strart of my 13 months

Sep 1969-
My best friend Eudell Leo Kotrous from Nebraska, and I were drafted and boarded a train in Holdrege Neb., traveled to Omaha, Neb. for physicals and induction, from Omaha to Ft. Polk, La. we arrived at dark met with several drill instructors, together we attended Basic, AIT, and Nam.
• Was given an award by basic training CO for being only one that had a perfect score and maxed the proficiency test, and cognitive test for graduation.
• Was nominated and graduated top of class LPC Academy
• Attended AIT at Fort Polk Tiger land was made Platoon Guide
Travel orders were for Vietnam reported to
• C-3-22, 25th infantry arrived in country June 1970
• Eudell Leo Kotrous and I shared a last cigarette together before traveling in country to our assigned units, learned he was KIA Apr 26, 1970
First week of assignment took choppers to hot LZ, we had combat with 6 Vietcong, chased them across rice paddy, being new, gung-ho, I took lead as still under impression and mindset I was invincible.
Landed in hot LZ to engage NVA / Vietcong training area, we quickly moved to support and assist the battle already going on with another 25th unit. Numerous battles and stories until rotation.

86th Maintenance Bn. 98th Light Equipment Maintenance Company (LEM). Cha Rang Valley October 1969 to November 1970.

Served in CBMU-302 3/70 - 5/71 in Hon Khoi then Saigon Block Mfg plant. We were next to an MRKJRB rock-crushing plant. Best duty station. Worked nights adjacent to an ARVN training camp. Long Binh USA base was down the road a bit.

Thanks and Semper Fi 2 yours 2/1 south of Danang tour2 Quang Tri. 1371 combat Engineer. 1st Engineer Bn. 🇺🇸

Served in Qui Nhon, Cheo Reo, Ben Tre and Saigon 1967-68