Philip Milio - Det A 10/68 - 10/69 Repro

MIBARS Quips, Follies & Memoirs

Please add or edit … recollections are imprecise after 40 years.

1968, October, departed from Ft. Lewis Washington.

Stopped in Honolulu & Manila to refuel. Landed in Cam Ranh Bay.

A day later on a C130 to HHC 1st MI Bn (ARS) in Saigon.

Met one other new guy whose name I never learned. Met a hooch maid whose name I think was Ba.

After several days was picked up by jeep and driven to Detachment A in Bien Hoa. Residence: the Saw Mill. And that it was. Leased to the US Army and utilized as living quarters for the detachment.

An “L” shaped structure. The side facing the street was two stories high with a balcony. A 10 foot wall with barbed wire, and netting from the top of the wall to the roof protected troops from grenades being lobbed over. A steel gate manned by an indigenous man we called Papa San. The gate was large enough for a duce & a half or a 4,000 gallon water truck to pass through.

There was an office right inside the gate for the CO, XO, Company Clerk & staff. A local woman worked in the office. Her name escapes me. I recall she was educated in Paris and spoke English with a French accent.

A mascot dog named Sgt. Mike roamed freely. A couple of sand bagged bunkers were located in the front for troops during an attack.

Downstairs was a day room, a library and a bar (I think). The structure at right angles to the front of the building was a latrine with showers. Usually only cold water. Past that another one story building as NCO & Officer billets.

Upstairs is where enlisted men bunked.

In the back yard there was a water tank, clothes lines and off to the side a small building as a Motor Pool.

Out back the Saw Mill was up to the Dong Nai River aka Song Dong Nai. There was a small dock. We were located next to an RVN river boat crew. They were our local protectors as well as a MACV unit that protected the Bien Hoa Bridge. It was a subject of many attacks.

We had a heliport in the middle of the back yard that was never used as such and coincidently had basketball backboards & hoops.

At the rear was a watch tower where one might serve on guard duty. We also had a small boat with a small outboard motor.

One day I was asked to ride shotgun while a few others were pulled on water skis. Everyone took turns skiing, driving & riding shotgun. That’s where I learned to water ski … in the middle of a war zone with a 30 cal. carbine as protection.

On peaceful days sometimes guys would just lay out back & bask in the sun.

On a regular basis members of a Special Forces “C” Team out of Bien Hoa air Base would pay us a visit. Staff Sgt. Beech was one of the troops. It was common for these guys to go to the barrel marked “Clear Your Weapons Here” and lock & load then let a 20 round clip off into the sand bucket. They liked their booze too.

We worked in III Corps Headquarters Compound. An RVN Hospital and Prisoner of War Compound were housed there (I think).

We ate at a MACV chow hall & shopped at their PX and went to a Vietnamese barber in that compound.

Mike Drotning delivered our water & our mail!

Lt. Rollins was the head of Repro.

George Thompson sang - he had a voice like Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Charlie Gaskins had the greatest sense of humor.

Minnie was the sexy bar maid.

Mama San took care of all our cleaning & laundry.

We were not allowed to walk around town.

We uses MPC's Military Payment Certificates - looked like play money - instead of US currency (only US pennies were used).

One night someone (who knows who?) threw firecrackers on the tin roof of the officer's quarters & Maj. Gonzales came running out fully armed & in a flak jacket.

there's much more but right now I have to dust off some brain cells to find the old data in my head.

Were you there at Detachment "A"? Join us! Please add some memories of your own.

See Philip Milio's Return Trip to Vietnam:

http://www.vietvet.org/pmilio.htm

New York City Vietnam Veteran's Memorial:

http://www.nyvietnamveteransmemorial.org

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