| When I was in the company we built the Tech Supply Buildings, installed
compressed air in the maintenance shops(the first and only one facility
like it in country), built the battery reclamation shop (the first and
only one in Vietnam at the time), the electronics repair shop, the
quartermaster repair shops, the mess hall, two barracks and the first
sergeants hooch. We paved the main streets with oil, built a septic system
for the mess hall and all the sidewalks and stonework and the chapel.
Main Support had the best mess hall in Vietnam (the general used to dream
up excuses to come out for a visit just to have lunch). It was the only mess hall outside a
command headquarters with a septic system( we built it out of two conex
containers and a bunch of pipe we stole. We built the most accurate tech supply
system, and the best maintenance shops in the country.The rule in the automotive maintenance shop the entire year I was there
was in and out on the same day. Any vehicle brought in one day was ready
for pickup the next morning. The only time in the entire year I can
remember not meeting that goal was on a ten ton that needed a new rear
axle.
All of the sedans in the Qui Nhon Support Command were painted in our paint shop. We built the jeeps for the General |
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and the Command Sergeant Major. In 1968 we supported
every non-divisional unit between Tuy Hoa in the south, almost to Duc Pho
in the north, Qui Nhon on the east and almost to An Khe on the west. The
counter mortar rader teams were responsible for all of I Corps, which
extended from Nha Trang on the south to the DMZ on the north and from the
coast to Cambodia and Laos.
We had forward support detachements at LZ English, Quang Tri on the DMZ, and Duc Pho. When the 1st Cav made their famous landing at Quang Tri to rescue the marines on the DMZ in the fall of 1968, Main Support Company greeted them on the beach. We set up shop there a week before they arrived. When the Americal Division deployed to Vietnam in mid- 1968 they landed at Qui Nhon. It was Main Support Company that got them to Chu Lai. Every day a welding truck, a duece and a half full of repair parts and a wrecker made the round trip. At the tail end of the convoy rescuing everything that broke down and a mad dash by themselves to get back to Phu Tai before dark. Main Support crews spent a week on the docks before convoying north just repairing the junk the division brought over from Hawaii so they could make the trip. In April the ROKs and an American tank company were engaged in the only mechanized infantry and tank battle in the Vietnam War on the Bong Song plain northeast of Phu Cat. They were engaged with the 7th NVA Division and were having a difficult time. I was detailed to go up there to see what we could do to assist as they were having a lot of commo problems (all their antennas had been shot off) and numerous maintenance problems with their tanks. An NCO, a Pfc and myself drove up there after dark. I have never forgotten the feeling I got when we drove over a bridge right at dusk and came up on a half dozen VC walking along the road carrying ChiCom machine guns. We found out real quick how fast my jeep would go. Anyway, we spent two days there yanking disabled tanks out of the firefights with an M88, replacing antennas and putting new track on the tanks. The rule in the automotive maintenance shop the entire year I was there was in and out on the same day. Any vehicle brought in one day was ready for pickup the next morning. The only time in the entire year I can remember not meeting that goal was on a ten ton that needed a new rear axle. |