Da Nang (Marble Mountain)

[benny rutledge]

I want to put this out there; who can say,YES or NO there really were "Rock Apes" around Da Nang ?Stories of Huge Tigers and Monsterous Snakes were pretty common and believable.Are the stories of Rock Apes just an Urban Legend passed around by the Grunts?I was "in country" 69/70 south at Chu Lai and heard the story more than once.Semper Fi :marine: :marine:

[TopE-8]

I'm with you Benny all I ever heard about rock apes was workd of mouth, I never seen one or even came close to seeing one. I think it was a grunt story and I am sure to this date they will try and convince us there were rock apes. I was in country the same time you were. Feb 69 to Apr 70

[benny rutledge]

Good Morning Top,Gotta admit some stories were real Whoppers!The stories were best heard at the club!I saw photos of a tiger or two,never saw a snake.Well heres another then;Did the tigers wait untill it got quiet after a firefight and chow down?

[adolphbell]

I also heard about the rock apes when I was there (Chu Lai 66-67). We just thought someone confused a bunch of Marines leaving the e-club for other types of wildlife.

[MillRatUSMC]

If there was an NVA hospital build into Marble Mountain, there might have been some Rock Apes or monkeys.

Semper Fidelis
Ricardo

PS we never found that hospital in the ten years, we were there!

[radio relay]

Rock apes existed on Monkey Mountain. I saw them with my own two eyes when I was up there now and then, on a TRC-97 shot that 5th comm maintained. They were a bit of a pain in the rear, because occasionally they would get up in the antennas and screw up alignment. They were called rock apes, because they threw rocks. Not because they lived in or on rocks.

As a radio relay tech, I was on several other hills around I Corps, and never saw monkeys, or apes, anywhere else. So, don't know if they ever existed on Marble Mountain. I doubt it. I was around Marble Mountain frequently, because 5th Comm HQ, was just down the beach (China Beach) from Marble Mountain, right next to MAG 16.

For a lot of reasons, I find it very hard to believe that the stinking gooks (particulalrly the NVA) had a hospital in the mountain, while the U.S. had troops there. I think it's just one of their bullsh!t stories to make themselves look good after the fact. How the hell did they keep themselves from being noticed carrying wounded in and out, when several hundred chopper flights a day passed right over them? Not to mention all the jeep and foot traffic around there. Trust me, they were not that good! No matter how the pinko leftwingers like to spin it today!

SF :marine:

[yellowwing]

Our SNCOIC in Albany would tell Viet Nam sea stories about 'The Bad Luck Platoon'. I guess he kind of made them the composite of all the outlandish tales he saw and heard about.

Rock Apes throwing WP grenades back at grunts. Tigers twice eating members of this unfortunate platoon. Illumination round cannisters hitting them on the head and splitting their skulls. Marines falling out of the back of jeeps on their way out of country. The unlucky Annapolis platoon leader donning his gas mask, only to find out it was still factory fresh with cardboard inserts and plastic wraps.

I can't remember them all, but he'd alway start by raising his right hand and saying, "Swear to God, one time in Nam..."

[radio relay]

Lots of good sea stories, fur shur...

Rock apes were real, but a brand new gas mask?!?!? Geesh, mine had to be WWII vintage. I never used it. Was glad I didn't have too, 'cause I think I would have just been huffing CS, if it ever came down to needing it.

My favorite "no sh!t" story is the one about the gung ho boot lewy, who has to be first out on a hot LZ. So, he doesn't even give the chopper time to settle, and jumps into a nest of cobra snakes. Dies on the spot from multiple bites, and never sees combat. I saw plenty of Cobras... The flying kind that spit streams of lead, and instant death. Never saw any that crawl, though.

"Rat" stories were a favorite bs topic, too.

SF :marine:

[Sparrowhawk]

Rock apes existed, heard them mostly up in the high mountains away from the coast near Da Nang. <br />
<br />
They didn't like us going or setting up in their area. They threw back what ever you threw at them....

[jinelson]

I served with MASS-3 Motor T and we had a ASRT on Monkey Mountain above China Beach and also on Hill-327 above Freedom Hill I trucked up and down both beau coup times and never saw any kind of monkey. I did however hear the sea stories many times through out the war.

Semper Fi
Jim FMFPAC WESPAC RVN 70-71

[greybeard]

Monkees on Monkey Mtn? Yes. Saw them several times as we flew from MMAF daily. On the Marble Mtns? Never saw any apes of anykind. I was with HMH-463, located on the extreme south end on MMAF. The helo boneyard was between our covered revetments and the mountains. When going south, we flew right by the mountains, and sometimes flew around them just for sheets & giggles I guess. There were several caves in the mountains, and all I ever saw was the Buddhist shrines or whaterever religion they were. I flew days, worked nights. Some unit-Army or Marines- had a big searchlight and a recoiless rifle up on top of one of the mts. The light would snap on in the middle of the night, sweep west out toward ROK country and then that rifle would open up. The Vietnamese use 463's revetments now, to keep artillery in. Just north of the Marble Mts now, is a luxury resort hotel called Furama. Hard to believe.

The tigers-I've seen several pictures of them, dead, at some firebase. And elephants I know about for sure. HMH-463 had an op that was the basis for the movie 'Dumbo Drop'.

[greybeard]

The Furama Resort

[greybeard]

Was gonna paste it, but this is quicker.

tigerlink (http://www.3rdmarines.net/Vietnam_tiger_bite_tale.htm)

[benny rutledge]

I see I opened a big can of "No S***" stories! My personal favorite was the Chu Lai rats,They WERE as BIG as all That!Our "sidewalks" were metal pallets laid end-to-end.The Rats had there own paths,roads,and little Rat Hi-ways running right under your feet as you walked to the Head or mess hall.Just before MAG 12 was sent away to Japan,Mess duty caught up with me.The last thing before I secured was to go around the outside of the Mess Hut and set all the Rat traps.Sure enough,first thing in the AM I collected all the Rats.The locals had the trash business and would stop their raggedy truck outside the "O" Mess(where I was in "pot Shack") and pick up yhe mornings harvest of Chu Lai Rats.These Rats probably went 3 to 5 pounds each.Often I didn't have to bait the trap,just leave it in the middle of the Rat path.The rats were so used to no interference they would just walk right into it. Me and my Hooch mates would also Race our Cockroach's (Another time,another post) Semper Fi ! you guys....