Page Updated 02/16/11
Road to/from Barracks at Chu Lai
Photo's courtesy of Thomas Dawson AE2 VW-1 67-69 TE-9.... Unless noted otherwise.
These are pictures, taken at various times, of the long trip between the barracks and the flight line at Chu Lai.
Click on picture to see larger version, Stretch or enlarge as your browser permits.
- 1st picture from left: I just hung off the side of the 6x6 hauling us back to the air base and got this
picture.
2nd picture from left: Often seen scene at Chu Lai when going between the VW-1 flight line and the barracks.
Lots of bombs piled up, waiting to be delivered. 7/68
3rd picture from left: If you look closely at the center of the enlarged picture you can see "locals" filling
sand bags
4th picture from left: We would drive close to the dock area where some of Chu Lai air base supplies would come
in. The Navy patrol boats also operated from here.
- 1st picture from left: Chu Lai base entrance was here, we stayed away from the airbase, don't know exactly
where but we were taken there in a 6x6.
2nd picture from left: TE-00 parked at the end of Chu Lai's runway with two of VW-1's EC121's nearby. TE-00 was
usually kept quite busy flying in people, spare parts and engines to Chu Lai. circa 9/68
3rd picture from left: A Huey helicopter either coming in for a landing or taking off... I've forgotten, they
were a frequent sight at Chu Lai.
4th picture from left: There were several bunkers along the road to the barracks, I guess they were there to
protect against an assault on the base.
- 1st picture from left: These are some more of the sights we'd see from the back of our 6x6 on the way to
the barracks.
3rd picture from left: Navy patrol boats at the docks.
3rd and 4th picture from left: On the road back and forth from the barracks we would pass the USO beaches.
- On one of our trips to the VW-1 barracks I got these 4 pictures of the operations area for the helicopters
that flew from Chu Lai. Circa 7/68.
- 1st picture from left: The dog was our mascot. I don't know the guy's name, or the dog's name either. Maybe
somebody will remember and send us the names. circa 4/68
2nd picture from left: In the morning the sampans would go out fishing, they had one cylinder motors that just
chugged along. I can still hear them in my mind. They would come back in mid-day. If they went out in the
evening before dark, you knew that there was going to be an attack that night. circa 7/68
3rd picture from left: This is a sunset behind the barracks, between the barracks and the water were the
bunkers that we would have to get into during an attack.
4th picture from left: Another sunset seen from behind the barracks. circa 2/68
- 1st. picture from left: Another picture of the bunkers near the VW-1 barracks. circa 7/68
2nd picture from left: The Vietnamese didn't like their photos taken as they believed their souls would go into
the black box, (cameras). circa 7/68. Once back in our barracks we would spend some of our time as shown
next.
3rd picture from left: AG2 Gilbert Gay, we used to play guitar to pass time, songs like "sitting on the dock of
the bay". circa 6/69
4th picture from left: Ralph Overton (facing the camera), Joe Reilly (curly hair and side shot) playing cards
in the barracks. Can't remember the name of the other guy.
- 1st picture from left: Just an ambulance on a gedunk run... no emergency this time. circa 1/69
2nd picture from left: The third photo is barbed wire around the perimeter of the bunkers. They were lit up at
night. Driving by these at night would leave you feeling uneasy. circa 7/68
