Date

Action

Source

CHERRY HILL

Radar and original team travel to Da Nang on the USS Gordon

Bruce

Original team travels from Da Nang to Chu Lai via LST

Bruce

11/08/67

Radar Arrives at San Hill in Chu Lai

Bruce

12/01/67

Oakland Army Base, Oakland CA

12/01/67

12/05/67

90th Repl, Bien Hoa

12/06/67

12/07/67

Americal Repl, Chu Lai

12/07/67

12/09/67

HHB Americal Divarty

12/11/67

12/19/67

Bob Hope Show

12/21/67

01/05/68

Cherry Hill becomes Artillery Hill - mortared for the first time - 5 rounds hit hill - 2 on front and rear slopes; 1 on chopper pad. My letter says the 3/16^th Arty was on the hill at the time.

01/12/68

01/21/68

I visited Radar Site on Cherry Hill

01/22/68

01/22/68

My orders cut to 1/14 Radar

01/22/68

01/26/68

On Duty on Cherry Hill - not first day - Mr T, Day, Boyd, Trent, Dickinson and me on site; Abby still in hospital; no Section Chief; Nolan still here; operating 6PM to 7AM - 4 days on 5th day off; 2 man team for 1/2 night - 1/2 hour on scope at a time - I was 24 years old at the time and T was 28. Bradshaw was already gone and Nolan left a few days later.

01/29/68

Sp5 Nolan left for the 101st Airborne. If my memory is correct, Day moved into Nolan's spot in the Hootch and I got Day's spot.

01/30/68

Operating 24 hours per day - 12 hours/day on duty as op - 6 as mechanic - 6 to sleep - Airbase Rocketed; Cherry Hill Mortared; Divarty - Ground attack; others mortared too - We got several mortar locations; Slept in bunker for a few days

01/31/68

02/01/68

Confirmed Kill - 1 mortar and 2 VC-Later intelligence report indicated that there were 5 mortars and that a ground attack was about to start - artillery called in because of our location stopped the ground attack; Report from hospital that Abby is not coming back and will be sent back to the USA because he did serious damage to his ankle. I guess that he disagreed with that!

02/25/68

02/05/68

Day is on R&R; Sandbag wall around radar completed prior to this date

02/06/68

02/06/68

Abby returns from the hospital; we paid 6 Viets $6 to fill 1400 sandbags; 3 Rockets hit near divarty

02/06/68

02/08/68

Naval Guns firing over us

02/10/68

02/17/68

Improved fortifications of Ops Bunker completed

02/10/68

02/23/68

Power Cable problems - Water in receptacle; Also replaced scanner motor on Radar

02/23/68

02/25/68

3 people sick with flu; construction on hold for awhile; T and I went to 3/82 Radar Section at LZ Gator?? (Airborne from Ft Bragg) - Trained them and fixed computer - their section was poor (attitude, equipment, training, etc.)

02/25/68

03/02/68

Al promoted to Spec 5; Someone accidentally set off a Claymore and scared everyone; a lot of activity about 8km out but quiet at Chu Lai. Weather moderate - not so hot

03/02/68

03/07/68

Binh Son hit - We got confirmed kills; heavy secondary explosions too; Chu Lai still quiet

03/08/68

03/08/68

Trip to beach - Weather extremely hot

03/12/68

03/??/68

Someone returned from Hawaii R&R with his wife - Trent??

03/17/68

03/16/68

Trip to beach - Grilled steaks afterwards

03/17/68

03/17/68

Bomb Dump blown up, Cherry Hill 20 mortar rounds down hootch row, CLDC 12 rockets and about 50 mortar rounds.

03/18/68

03/20/68

Switched to taking slides. Swapped cameras with someone for awhile

03/26/68

03/25/68

VC terrorists went thru An Tan and injured or killed 22 people; also burned buildings; Local people caught them and killed 1/2 of them

03/26/68

03/25/68

9^th Marine Engineer Group 20 mortar rounds; about 1km from us; they did not report it until it was over. ANYONE KNOW WHERE THEY WERE? Tick Tay road maybe?

03/26/68

03/30/68

Someone from the section on R&R; WHO? Also weather getting very hot. Nearby unit reported getting mortared. They were not - one of our own units was registering H&Is. We gave them weapon impact locations within 5 meters accuracy!

03/30/68

04/01/68

Trip to beach - Weekly cookout afterwards; Almost zero VC activity near us

04/02/68

04/10/68

Temperature 106; VC activity non-existent; bombing of North Vietnam stopped; riots in USA

04/02/68

04/17/68

First mention of SSG McHugo; recently promo to E6; his first overseas tour

04/17/68

04/20/68

Serious Computer Problems; 18 separate problems; took 8 hours to fix and recalibrate

04/20/68

04/22/68

Rocket Attack - 16 hit open ground in CLDC; a number of contact missions 6 to 8 km out; over 100 rounds of 155 and 8" fired based on locations we got; We picked up first rounds fired on an infantry unit 6km out and called them in before the rounds hit the ground. We got 20 confirmed VC personnel kills.

04/23/68

04/23/68

Computer and Power supply problems four times during past week

04/23/68

05/04/68

Rocket Attack - Bakery, fuel tank and parked fighter jet hit; I got location - about 50 meters off

05/05/68

05/08/68

Rocket Attack - 2 rockets at 5:30PM - nothing hit; pictures of retaliation on top of a hill location 2.5km west of us; first by helicopters, then fighter jets; Artillery fired on it sporadically all night

05/10/68

05/11/68

Rocket Attack - 4 rockets - one hit fuel tanks, one on beach and 2 duds; mortar attack on infantry 6.5km out; we got locations for both

05/12/68

05/12/68

Monday move to Kham Duc cancelled because it got overrun the night before we were to go

05/12/68

05/12/68

Trip to beach; cookout; weather great! All major site projects are complete!

05/12/68

05/14/68

Rocket Attack - 2 rockets hit open ground

05/16/68

05/16/68

Alert - expected attack that did not come

05/17/68

05/16/68

Trip to beach; cookout; Weather extremely hot; 199 days left in Nam for me

05/17/68

05/19/68

Rocket Attack - 15 seen in flight; did not explode. No one knows where they went. Into the ocean?

05/20/68

05/20/68

VC activity at Binh Son. Out of our range but we are on alert anyway

05/20/68

05/22/68

Rocket Attack at 3 AM - 1 Mag 13 PX, 1 Americal NCO club, 8 open ground and roads, 4 Duds - I got rocket location dead center of the firing pit - I won a fifth of Liquor from Mr.T He had promised a fifth to anyone getting an exact rocket location and McHugo had promised a case of beer for an exact mortar location. Binh son and 6 other base camps also hit. . I also got a mortar location. We also got credit for a number of personnel kills.

05/23/68

05/23/68

Mortar attack - We got confirmed kills - Someone got a case of beer from McHugo

05/26/68

05/25/68

Rocket Attack (8 rockets) from 2 locations - I got both. We picked up the first rocket when it took off and gave CLDC a location as it hit. 2 minutes later we gave them the second location. This time they trusted us and fired HE on them immediately. We were finally convincing them that Radar works. Or at least that ours does!

05/26/68

06/03/68

Advance notice of a move to the field.

06/03/68

06/04/68

T goes out to recon the area we are moving to; we begin packing up stuff

06/03/68

LZ CLIFFORD

06/05/68

LZ Clifford - McHugo was with us (Abby's pix and mine too) - moved out in the morning. Plan is to stay two days so we have fanny packs and combat gear only. Did not even take razors. Water scarce. Very hot here. My comment in big letters was that it was NUMBER F…ING 10!

06/06/68

06/06/68

Watched jets bomb and strafe a nearby hill. Operated Radar in canvas shelter last night. Slept last night between stacked timbers that we brought with a tarp over them. Began building a simple bunker - 8'x12'x7' tall in the saddle just before the rise to the Artillery side. Radar is half way up the slope on a flattened area. Living quarters and generator are in the saddle between the Artillery hill and infantry hill.

06/06/68

06/07/68

My 25^th Birthday - Not a fun one!

06/08/68

Packed up to move back to Cherry Hill. About the time the helicopter arrived to pick us up, we were notified that we would be staying longer. Unpacked and re-setup everything. Dug hole in ground to sleep in. May have started that sooner than this.

06/09/68

06/08/68

Mortar attack on unit about 5km out. I got mortar location

06/09/68

06/09/68

24 B52 Airstrikes on NVA regimental HQ 3.5km away over the last couple of days. Sent someone back to Chu Lai to get clothes, razors, cigs, etc. One hot meal a day - Cs the rest of the time.

06/09/68

06/12/68

Still on LZ Clifford - All have had enough of this "sh.." - supposed to move back to Cherry Hill in the morning. We are ready! Had a lot of trouble with radar, probably because of it's location just 20 feet below one of the 105s. We were not attacked while on LZ Clifford.

06/12/68

CHERRY HILL

06/13/68

Cherry Hill - Moved back in the morning - Spent a lot of time on arrival repairing and recalibrating the Radar. Showers and clean clothes were enjoyed by all. Weather great - temp in the 90s only

06/15/68

06/18/68

06/18/68

06/19/68

More problems with the radar

06/19/68

06/??/68

SSG McHugo leaves for ?? episode (Al & Bill)

Memory

06/20/68

SSG Donald Jerrold Parks joins us - He arrived in-country on 4/5/68

Official

06/28/68

Everyone except Parks and me hit 99 days today. Everyone, including T got drunk. Some started at 7AM when they got up. Quart of Bourbon, fifth of Rum, fifth of Scotch, fifth of Bourbon and many cases of beer. Construction of Lanai and barbecue is underway

06/28/68

07/02/68

Preparing for move to LZ Bowman in the morning. This time we will be prepared to stay awhile.

07/03/68

LZ BOWMAN

07/03/68

LZ Bowman - arrived at 10AM - Radar control unit was slammed against a car sized rock when it was set down. We had a very short bunker given to us. We took the top off, mad the walls higher and tried to make it more light tight when we reassembled it. Radar was functional but not accurate

07/07/68

07/04/68

No action but a lot of fireworks. Tracers, hand flares, arty illum rounds and all sorts of stuff all night. Ate my first LRRPS rations here.

07/15/68

07/05/68

We were supposed to be picked up for a move back to Cherry Hill in the morning, right after the guns left but were left alone for a few hours. Scary!!

Memory

CHERRY HILL

07/05/68

The Radar was dropped about 3 feet when we arrived on Cherry Hill. It stayed upright but bounced all over the place. We were supposed to go to LZ young tomorrow but the problems caused by the rough landing will prevent us from doing so.

07/07/68

07/11/68

Still working on computer and transmitter problems caused by the landing. We are operational after a fashion but it is neither reliable or accurate. We have an engineer from GE helping us. Also having problems with the generator.

07/16/68

LZ YOUNG - first trip

07/22/68

Arrived on LZ Young - Tracker mount is on the peak of the hill; ops bunker is on the side of the hill nearest the main road and is across the road from the mess bunker. The Delta Battery mess bunker is open 24 hours a day to anyone who is hungry. Beer, soda, milk and do-it-yourself sandwiches available. Delta Battery is the best! Weather is much cooler.

07/23/68

07/24/68

LZ Bayonet (198^th Bde area) mortared for the first time - We are too far away to help. They have moved another Radar into our site on Cherry Hill. Tim Reuter, who was in my Ft.Sill class, is the Radar mechanic.

07/25/68

08/01/68

10 Mortar Rounds at 5:30PM. Also small arms fire on the hill and a major attack on a road crew working on the highway. Abby and Gary both wounded by shrapnel. Gary was on the scope and got a location for the mortar. Two holes through the antenna, numerous pock marks on other parts of it, and a couple of pieces of shrapnel in the cable - Did not affect our operation. Artillery fired on the locations that we gave and then the infantry went after and caught the VC

LZ PROFESSIONAL

08/08/68

We landed on LZ Professional, set up the Radar and I departed for R&R

Memory

08/19/68

I hope that some of you will help me fill in events that happened here

Request

LZ GATOR

08/19/68

Section moved to LZ Gator while I was on R&R; There were 105, 155 and 8" howitzer batteries there plus mortars. From time to time there was also a Quad 50 and various APC sporting 20 and 40mm cannons. We built operations center from 2 conaxes welded together while here.

08/23/68

08/22/68

CLDC rocketed in the daytime; Binh son, LZ Young, LZ Bowman and others also hit. Gator not hit. We could see some of the action because of our vantage point on a hill in the middle of a flat plain. We provided radar coverage for some.

08/23/68

08/24/68

6 to 8 Rockets hit CLDC - no damage

08/27/68

08/25/68

6 to 8 Rockets hit CLDC - no damage

08/27/68

08/26/68

6 to 8 Rockets hit CLDC - no damage

08/27/68

08/27/68

Binh Son hit; we provided coverage

08/27/68

09/03/68

Radar on LZ O'conner going back to USA. We will canebalize the computer from it.

09/03/68

LZ YOUNG - second trip

09/05/68

Moved to LZ Young in the rain; very muddy - no artillery battery - just infantry and engineers

09/06/68

09/09/68

No mortars have been fired within our range since we got here. Was hitting the hill daily before we arrived. Very quiet in area around LZ Young

09/09/68

09/13/68

5 oclock charlie fires at a gunship. Big mistake. They strafed the whole area with miniguns

09/13/68

09/17/68

Convoy and engineers working on the road nearby hit with mortars and then small arms. We got the mortar and helicopters and jets went after the enemy troops on the ground. Charlie also fired three mortar rounds and small arms at us. Another infantry company and a Quad 50 arrive. Also are some recoiless rifles here as well as the engineers.

09/17/68

09/21/68

Daily B52 and Phantom F4 airstrikes about 3km from LZ Young on NVA regimental HQ . Another infantry company arrives in the rain. Artillery Battery has arrived.

09/22/68

Armored unit arrives - about 25 tanks and APCs; ARVNs are on an adjacent hill

09/23/68

09/22/68

5 mortar locations - not firing on us though

09/23/68

09/23/68

Mortars, Recoiless Rifles and small arms attack at 6-6:30PM (30 minutes long); Small arms from 300-400meters away. 105 howitzer blown up by recoiless rifle. Counterattack all night and then jets attacked him in the morning. We got Six mortar and recoiless rifle locations.

09/25/68

09/24/68

More recoiless rifle fire tonight. Howitzers returned fire after the fourth round. Front wall of bunker collapses from all of the rain. Rebuilding it today.

09/25/68

09/26/68

Ground attack - small arms, machine guns and mortars; NVA Suicide squad penetrates perimeter. 106 recoiless rifle blown up by one. Five more killed "in the wire". 11 mortar and recoiless rifle locations with the Radar. Took a dud round (American illum?) through the roof of the Ops Bunker; Mr. T, Bruce, Abby and JB left for home in the morning. No replacements - SSG Parks, Lee Lee Lawson, Jerry Emmel and I are the only ones in the section now.

09/27/68

Phantom shot down nearby. 5 jets "work over entire valley

09/28/68

09/28/68

2 Mortar rounds during the day

10/02/68

09/29/68

CWO Jimmie Dee Cook arrives

10/02/68

10/02/68

Radar Out - Generator dead

10/02/68

10/03/68

Radar Still Out - Now we have shrapnel deep in the cables too from a mortar round last night

10/04/68

10/06/68

SSG Parks killed while bringing generator

Official

10/12/68

Monsoons underway; Bunker leaking badly and about to collapse; Construct of new bunker begun

10/16/68

10/20/68

SSG Crawford and PFC Green arrive. Also have very small cat as pet now

10/20/68

10/29/68

New bunker nearly completed. Using it now

10/29/68

11/03/68

Bunker is complete. Totally dry - no leaks and even has a floor

11/03/68

11/04/68

Got a replacement - PFC with no Radar training and 19 months in the Army; 2 AWOLS on his record - 2 days later he complained of pains in his side when he found out we were going to do some hard work. Without permission he got on the first helicopter back to base camp. Doc told him there was nothing wrong and sent him back to us. Next day same thing happened. Not sure what happened to him but he is gone now.

11/04/68

11/08/68

Daily sniper fire at us

11/08/68

11/12/68

My Orders to Ft Sill arrived today; no port call yet.

11/12/68

11/16/68

Extremely quiet - no action at all; Our bunker is still totally dry and is the envy of everyone

11/16/68

11/20/68

My replacement has arrived. Harry L. Hudson Jr., a black guy from Georgia. Nice guy and everyone seems to like him. Came by same route as I - assigned to Americal Divarty with no radar, etc. Seems competent as mechanic; I am training him to operate also.

11/20/68

11/24/68

Propaganda leaflets found in perimeter. Printed in English in North Vietnam

11/24/68

12/02/68

I DEROSED!

orders

LZ PROFESSIONAL

03/05/69

Mr Cook Killed, SSG Crawford and Jerry Emmel wounded on LZ Professional by Mortar shrapnel

Official

LZ BAYONET

03/??/70

The warrent officer is wounded and sent to Japan.

R W Bingham

05/??/70

CW4 Richard W Bingham takes over as Radar Warrant. The section is now located at LZ Bayonet and was being run by a SP4. Bing immediately institutes guard duty in addition to the normal Radar surveillence.

R W Bingham

05/??/70

Shortly after CW4 Bingham's arrival there was a mortar and sapper attack. The Radar, generator and truck(our 3/4 ton Huldy?) were destroyed and the Ops Bunker was set on fire. One man was injured in the bunker. After that attack they aquired a searchlight and on 2 future sapper attacks they got the sappers before they got to the Radar.

R W Bingham

??/??/70

The section is still using for a shower the same napalm tank that we used in 1968; they have added a heater to it. They have also aquired a wringer washing machine and of all things, a couple of air conditioners! They even dug a privy - no more burning shit!

R W Bingham

FAT CITY

04/??/71

CW4 Richard W Bingham's replacement arrives and the section moves to Fat City. Bing spends his last month at the battalion HQ at Chu Lai. On a road trip to Fat City during that month he was shot at while crossing a bridge.

R W Bingham

05/??/71

CW4 Bingham DEROSES.

R W Bingham