The best meal from Uncle Sam

[seabee12]

I don't recall there being a messhall at the Rock Pile. I was in and out of there several times in 1968 and ate C-Rations whenever we were there. Did some more permanent units there have a messhall?

In later 69, one of the Army Artillery units set up what they said was a mess hall, most of the time it was "Cs" or what we could roost out of LZ Stud. We worked the road, RT9, most of the year. Was a small world, ran into a Staff Sgt. that I was on shore duty with in Gulfport

[cplbullet]

I would say the best meal I ever had in my time in the Marines was aboard ship on the Marine Corps Birthday (November 10th, 1986) they served us steak, baked potatoes, green beans and Crab legs. I loved those Navy cooks. It was a great treat after being in the field for 45 days in the Philippians
Semper Fi

[Garden Valley]

In later 69, one of the Army Artillery units set up what they said was a mess hall, most of the time it was "Cs" or what we could roost out of LZ Stud. We worked the road, RT9, most of the year. Was a small world, ran into a Staff Sgt. that I was on shore duty with in Gulfport

LZ Stud was renamed Vandegrift Combat Base when the Cav left in spring 1968. We Marines took it over after leaving Khe Sanh. I wouldn't have thought there was anyone around in late 1969 that would ever have known it as LZ Stud.

Sometime around September 1968 while we were at VCB for a couple days there was a group of five us who were to go back to our rear area at Quang Tri. Supply convoys came to VCB almost daily, all down Route 9 from Dong Ha and Cua Viet. We were supposed to take a jeep and trailer, join the convoy, and go on to Quang Tri after the convoy terminated at Dong Ha. We had been given a time the convoy would depart and we were planning on being there at the appointed time, but the convoy left early so we all jumped in the jeep thinking we would quickly catch up with the convoy. I don't know how fast the convoy was driving but not only did we never catch up but we never even saw a glimpse of them. We drove the entire trip from VCB to Quang Tri by ourselves. Some of those hills around the Rockpile and Camp Carroll come right down to the road and provide excellent ambush sites. It was a very exciting trip! Thankfully, nothing happened.

[Vern Humphrey]

In later 69, one of the Army Artillery units set up what they said was a mess hall, most of the time it was "Cs" or what we could roost out of LZ Stud. We worked the road, RT9, most of the year. Was a small world, ran into a Staff Sgt. that I was on shore duty with in Gulfport

That would have been our brigade artillery -- I was with the First Brigade, 5th Infantry Division in '68 and '69. The brigade was OPCON to 3rd MarDiv.

[Garden Valley]

That would have been our brigade artillery -- I was with the First Brigade, 5th Infantry Division in '68 and '69. The brigade was OPCON to 3rd MarDiv.

Was that you guys at the Rockpile that had the self-propelled 105's? They looked like an older model and I never saw them anywhere but at the Rockpile. They all had army markings.

[JohnPeeff]

My best meal was around Thanksgiving of 68 somewhere on Hwy 20 in 3 Corps near the 2 Corps border. I was with an ARVN Cav troop guarding miles of road that was being repaired.It was a 2 week operation that stretched out to 45 with nothing but C rats and Vietnamese rice. I stopped a Vietnamese truck loaded with cabbages at gunpoint, he wasn't going to stop, and grabbed a cabbage. Got some vinegar in the nearby ville cut up the cabbage in my steel pot and had a cole slaw salad! I guess to most of you it doesn'tsound good but it was pure heaven! I still love cole slaw with oil/vinegar a little salt and pepper.

[Vern Humphrey]

No, our artillery was SP 155s, standard for mechanized units.

[JohnPeeff]

Vern, what ARVN unit/units in the 18th Div were you with? I was with them 67-68.

[Vern Humphrey]

Vern, what ARVN unit/units in the 18th Div were you with? I was with them 67-68.

Mostly 4/48 at Ap Dung Dap, Regimental HQ at Tan Yuen, and Division HQ at Xuan Loc.

[JohnPeeff]

I was with 3/48 at Tan Uyen Dec67-June 68 then the Div Recon Co out of Xuan Loc for 3 months and finally 2/5 Cav

[Vern Humphrey]

How about that? You got there about four or five months after I left. As I recall, 3/48 was in that old triangular French fort (at least when I was there.)

When I first got there, the division was the 10th, but people got to calling it "Numbah Ten!" and they changed the number to 18.

[JohnPeeff]

We had one company in the old French fort and the rest of the Bn was about a mile or two away Khanh Van(?) The French fort was overrun, I stepped on a booby-trapped 105mm shell there that initially didn't go off. During TET we got in a 2 day fight on the island across the Dong Nai river from the 48th Hq we had about 20 KIA as I remember but killed at least 50 NVA. One of the Air Force FACs has an excellent web site on Xuan Loc, he was stationed there from 66-68 . Look up "Xuan Loc Flying Association" on Google.

[Vern Humphrey]

We had one company in the old French fort and the rest of the Bn was about a mile or two away Khanh Van(?) The French fort was overrun, I stepped on a booby-trapped 105mm shell there that initially didn't go off. During TET we got in a 2 day fight on the island across the Dong Nai river from the 48th Hq we had about 20 KIA as I remember but killed at least 50 NVA. One of the Air Force FACs has an excellent web site on Xuan Loc, he was stationed there from 66-68 . Look up "Xuan Loc Flying Association" on Google.

Ah, yes, Khanh Van -- local VC headquarters. We operated with the 1st Infantry Division (US) there -- Operation Huntsville. We had a US platoon leader fall down a well there and was hung up aboutb 10 feet down by his PRC-25. We only found him when a radio operator wandered over that way close enough to accidentally pick up a signal.

I flew several times with the FACS when I was up at Division -- we played with peanut butter bombs.

[Doug Douglass]

1966 USCG Air Station mess hall, Floyd Bennet NAS NY, Friday fish frys, at least 6 types of fresh fish including crab and lobster for .45 cents.

[noslack327]

I remember this one it was the best.

Best was the last. Just returned from Nam and going thru out-processing at Oakland. 2am, steak and french fries.