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Đông Hà Air Base
1966-1968

Photos by Dennis Vaudell,
MCB 5 (5th. Mobile Construction Battalion (SeaBee's)
attached to the 3rd Marine Division


I Spent 65' and part of 66' at Đà Nàng Air Base, and 66'-68' in around Đông Hà AB.

Đông Hà: Mortar vs. PSP Runway. 1966.
1) Late 1966, a mortar hit on the aircraft parking area on the north side of runway. The Seabees of my detachment performed the repairs to Đông Hà's aluminum / magnesium runway matting and the PSP parking area.

Đông Hà: Mortar vs. PSP Runway.
2) When a mortar hits in the runway, the magnesium in the matting burns, so the effected planks have to be removed before the fire spreads to adjacent planks. An F4 tried to land here during an emergency but still had flying speed and left the end of the runway and flew another 1000 feet before ending up in a gully to the west.

Đông Hà: US Army twin 40 MM gun.
3) A US Army twin 40 MM gun located near the southeast end of the runway near the POL farm.

Đông Hà: US Army twin 40 MM gun. Close Up.
4) (Close up)

Cow Palace card, Đông Hà Vietnam
5) This is my Cow Palace card. My friend Paul Sullivan helped a USAF FAC pilot (Capt. Clark ?), so he arranged this card. On X-mas Eve the base was attacked. The Capt. took off to spot what he could. He was at a party and was rather loaded at the time. He landed with minor wounds and Sully and I was there to help him from his O1 Bird dog. We thought that he was badly injured, but merely drunk and with only slight wounds.

Ration dump located between mid-runway and the Air Force compound
6) The Ration dump located between mid-runway and the Air Force compound, guarded by the USAF Security Police Squadron.
You can see the mortar damage.

 

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