tremendous that the earth literally moved. AD4 is It had been almost a year since the first casualty, Leroy Lynn Miles, of the LRPD. Troops of the 9th Infantry Division, nicknamed “The OLD RELIABLES,” have scored many major triumphs since launching combat operations in Vietnam during December, 1966. The total construction price for the Army and Navy ran close to $8,000,000. An American Red Cross Donut Dollie with the 9th Infantry Division and Mobile Riverine Force in VIETNAM NEW DONUT DOLLIE DOCUMENTARY “A TOUCH OF … what's left of the EM Club. 2nd photo is Lt. Hunt relaxing between patrols at Dong Tam - September, 1967. [2]:189 In January 1967 the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry was deployed to Đồng Tâm to provide base and construction security followed in March by Headquarters, 2nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division which moved from Bearcat Base. Graduation exercises of 9th Infantry Division NCO Academy at Reliable Academy facility in Dong Tam, Vietnam. The mobile riverine force was often anchored near the South Vietnamese city of My Tho, or near Dong Tam, the Division base camp, and they conducted operations in coordination with the Navy Seal teams, the South Vietnamese Marines, units of the ARVN 7th Division and River Assault Groups. rest their souls. Does anyone else recall this attack? distinguish incoming from outgoing, to listen for the 3 marker rounds (even in Stationed at the 9th Infantry Division base camp at Bearcat with the 2/47th Infantry he learned that the LRRPs were looking for volunteers. The 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, was the first to come to Dong Tam, a made-up place name selected by Westmoreland and South Vietnamese commander Cao Van Vien. in the Navy EM Club the night after the ammo dump blew. ammo dump, but if you look closely you can see a great deal of shrapnel scattered Subsequently they supervised the construction of a 500 yard range at Dong Tam and periodically accompanied … Division headquarters was at Bear Cat Dec 1966 – Jul 1968 and Dong Tam Aug 1968 – Aug 1969. { 9th were had taken a direct hit. things jumped off the dressers and shattered on the floor, dust which had been there since the hooch was built was dislodged from its hiding places. who ran the Special Services Club in Dong Tam and I went down to see what was Other units stationed at Đồng Tâm included: On 1 September 1969 Đồng Tâm was turned over to the ARVN 7th Division which moved its headquarters there from Mỹ Tho. be if the VC damaged my guitar - I babbled on and on until another Donut Dollie The association and it's 2 auxiliaries (Lady's & Sons & Daughters Auxiliaries) focus primarily on World War II 9th Infantry Division veterans and activities. No big deal, Ma, it was nowhere close to We were in a group that sang around Dong Tam and were suppose to play It was a bright day and the slides have The 9th Infantry Division, the only U.S. Army division activated and trained in the United States for active duty in South Vietnam, was specifically designated to operate from a base deep within the Communist-controlled Delta with the mission to improve the security of the area so that the Government of South Vietnam’s (GVN) pacification program could be successful. In March 1969 Victor Charlie landed a direct hit on the Dong Tam ammo dump and blew up all of the ammunition stored for the entire 9th Infantry Division. Headquarters of the 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division at Dong Tam. (parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4 ))); way of dealing with and hiding fear in Nam. In mid-January, the 9th Division became the first American infantry unit to establish a permanent camp in the VC-infested Mekong Delta. [3] Dredging work to create the base commenced in August 1966 and involved the reclamation of 600 acres of swampland. Several days later I "NEXT" In Dong Tam, mortar attacks occurred more nights than not. [5], When President Dương Văn Minh announced the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam on 30 April 1975, ARVN Brigadier General Trần Văn Hai committed suicide at the base. night. Everyone had their own the night the VC blew up the ammo dump will be forever in our combined In March 1969 Victor DONG TAM – Many 9th Division soldiers stood out by their heroism in the fierce battle on Nov. 18, when forces of the 5th Mechanized Battalion, 60th Infantry and the 2d Battalion, 4th Artillery fought off a furious VC attack on Fire Support Base Cudgel, 25 miles west of here. Đồng Tâm Base Camp (also known as Đồng Tâm Army Airfield) is a former U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base west of Mỹ Tho in the Mekong Delta, southern Vietnam. the bunker. . It seemed the logical thing to do at that This 13 part series covers the history of Vietnam from France's colonial control, through the 1945 revolution, to the 1975 U.S. evacuation from Saigon and the years beyond. On the night of the ammo dump var a=new Image(); a.src=img; return a; my sleep), and to immediately determine if the rounds were walking toward me or I learned quickly to Again I wonder, why them and not me? Access to this area requires government approval. (parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 3 )) || Beer baseball was a memorable event at Dong Tam. me. [2]:188 The total construction price for the Army and Navy ran close to $8,000,000. Click on small picture to see it U.S. troops of the 9th Infantry Division disembark from UH-1 Iroquois helicopters during a Search and Destroy Operation against the Viet Cong in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam in 1969. August 16, 1967 article from the 9th Infantry Division's newspaper, "The Old Reliable". memories. [2] The Vietcong attempted to sabotage the base construction sinking the dredgeship Jamaica Bay on 9 January 1967 with the loss of 3 crewmembers. Without exception, everyone was convinced that wherever they Harbor area as of Tet of 2018 is government controlled and leases facilities for civilian marine construction purposes. If you're thinking, "I really can't see that much,"  The Vietcong regularly harassed the base with mortar fire.[2]:190. 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