Who Remembers Dog Patch?

[Robert Browell]

Aah yes,"Dogpatch",Passed through there many times on the way to ASP 1.I was incountry(A-1-11)for a while before I knew you could get to Danang Without goin through it!Hell,if the gooks hadn't blown the bridge we normally used(67) I might have lived all these years thinkin Danang only had one street!!

[Williamwfh]

I was in Danang from May 65 till July 66. I remember the building in Dog Patch that was sided and roofed with Falstaff beer cans. I was with 7th CommBn MOS:2541. We passed through Dog Patch when we dilivered messages to the line elements North of Danang (3rd and 9th Marines).

During the first three months we were in country, we were allowed to wear civies off base and go and come as we pleased. When the rest of III MEF arrived we were restricted to base, officially.

Awwwww the fond memories this thread brings to mind.

I was thinking Hill 327 was a little South and West of Danang. Highway 1 ran North/South through Dog Patch. Or am I all turned around?

I was a 2543 with 1st LAAMs and ran messages all over the area, where did you pick up your message from? I was not restricted and worked alone in my trusted jeep.

[anthony bower]

I was in Da Nang from67 to 69 with the 1 MAW Motor Transport, dog patch was just outside our main gate.If anybody out there was there about the same time I would like to here from you. Butch Bower

[JackMapes]

William,
We picked up our burnbags full of messages at the III MEF (I think the MEF turned into MAF later) comm center, which was located in an old French building situated on the outskirts of Dog Patch. I delivered messages to many other places from Hue to Camron Bay.

I had a jeep w/driver for local runs and flew when I delivered to Chu Li and south.

[OLE SARG]

I was in Vietnam for the big attack in July, 1967, when the ammo dump was hit. I didn't think that damn thing would ever quit exploding!!!!! Made for some nice fireworks. One of those damn rockets damn near hit our area. We couldn't get to the bunkers fast enough!!!!
Oh yeh, I too remember Dog Patch - a very scenic little vill HE HE

SEMPER FI,

[Kwiz]

I was in Da Nang 1967-68 as a 6511 in the Mag 11 bomb dump at this time. Do you remember when ASP1 blew up destroying hill 327? It happened agter the tet offensive in 68 as far as I can remember. I lost my hearing from the incident but it never went into my medical records. "(The incident NEVER Happened)" I am having trouble proving this to the VA, since 1970 when I was discharged.

I am looking for fellow Marines who were there at that time that may be able to help me with this problem.

It really did happen you know. Our own govt. covers too much up when it can hurt our image at home. Same same as Bushes war in Iraq.

[Dave Coup]

That Ammo Dump had one hell of a life. It blew in '69 and could be seen from a long azz way off. I was in the field on Op Oklahoma Hills, probably 40 miles away and could see it and see the bushes move from the shock waves. A friend of mine was with 1st Tanks at the time, he said all kinds of unexploded ordinance was landing on them.

[Williamwfh]

William,
We picked up our burnbags full of messages at the III MEF (I think the MEF turned into MAF later) comm center, which was located in an old French building situated on the outskirts of Dog Patch. I delivered messages to many other places from Hue to Camron Bay.

I had a jeep w/driver for local runs and flew when I delivered to Chu Li and south.

Jack, the location from which I picked up my messages daily was at the far end of the Airfield and Dog Patch was next to my location at the other end of the field in an old French compound, and next to the "famous" Bomb dump. in Christmas time of 1966 when I arrived at my pick up point for messages I enquired about the Vietnamese on the road between my compund and mid airfield, there was about 2 dozen, and I was informed they were cleaning the road, I recall saying I do not believe that is what they are doing. By the time I completed my runs that afternoon I learned those were VC taking stepped off measurements of our locations, which included the bomb dump, but that they had gotton away when the troops came in force to check them out more closely they then simply scattered back into Dog Patch. Later in January we received our first motor attack of less than 12 rounds. I would look at those pyramids of bombs next to our location and think, one day ...

If the USMC wants to know why I was suddenly transfered from B btry to H&S as a field messenger please contact by proper means because that event might have become classified. I did not ask for or seek that duty assignment, once I received it I did the best I could to improve it, and did with the help others.

[JackMapes]

When I was there the old French compound was occupied by Headquarters elements for the Marines in I Corps. Before I left, III MAF Headquarters moved over accross the river from the airstrip.

[Sarge05]

Yes i remember Dog Patch wery well. You might say too well lol, but that's a private matter. I was with EgnrMaintCom,Maint.Bn.1stFSR/FLC and the company made monthly runs to the dump. The ncoic said that there was another way but today they were going another route. I found out that it was through Dog Patch. A ville of clumped shanties. LOL Brings back fund memories. OOOOORah Semper fi.

[Williamwfh]

When I was there the old French compound was occupied by Headquarters elements for the Marines in I Corps. Before I left, III MAF Headquarters moved over accross the river from the airstrip.

The 1^st LAAM Bn was at the French Compound located about 3/4^th down the runway on the Dog Patch side and next to the bomb dump, 1/ 2 way down was A btry.; C btry way on top of hill 327; and B btry was a top Monkey mountain.. Dog Patch was accessed at four corners about 3/4^th mile from our location and at the four corners location where the road would go straight up to either Freedom Hill, or C btry. Just behind 327 was hill 268, and to the left was the flat land where we had our rifle range, and to the right was general Walt’s hill and his bunker until he moved, and this of course was Freedom hill. I left Vietnam on or about July 20^th, and on or about July 12^th I was assigned generator/guard on hill 268 and that night the “Tango” a machine gunner and myself fired on targets advancing on the hill hitting at least one, and mostly many more. I fired at least 12 flares to keep the those on the advancement party pinned down until we could get a firing advantage on them and fired on them as they entered the wire. That machine gunner was a terrific partner and I am most thankful for his cooperation with me that night. After I rotated out of Vietnam I was informed that there was an reorganization of the units after to the Ten Sha area because of the dangers of the region we were in and the difficulties in protecting those areas. For a period of time until maybe the Spring of 1966 a Army unit of Special Forces was stationed next to us by the French Compound, and then they were moved I think to Ten Sha. I have read some accounts of the layout for our battalion and they are wrong, but I suppose who cares. From many marines point-of-view they cannot recall correctly the layouts, names, dates and so forth of the events that we went through. In the year 2000 or so I asked some of my fellow HAWKers about an incident and none could recall it, now they all recall after their memory is being jogged a little, one of our best liked sergeants was killed by the QC in May of 1965. Well I am now just rambling along. One last thought, at the French Compound we were informed that during the French Viet Mihn conflict in 1955 a group of Vietnamese came into the compound one night and successfully slit the throat of every other person sleeping.

[EDMcknight]

Yea I found dog patch by initiation my first week they took me there and I met my first ninety year old virgin momma San it was over in seconds and then we ran not to get caught. and I was a regular at the aid station for a month afraid I caught something. I had just turned 17 and they thought it was funny as I did later when new guys got there initiation. Such Fun times

[wayne1991]

my barracks faced dogpatch used to some fire once in a while from there
we were in the old french barracks.it was during shufly in 1964-65 no mpc greenbacks used to change for p,s at cheap charlies in danang
brought back many memories

[Piper007]

First let me say that I salute you all. I was recently looking for information on Dogpatch in Vietnam due to a travel article my wife sent me. That search led me to this site containing your personal experiences there in the past. I wanted to leave you with some pictures of Dogpatch as it exists today. The pictures were taken during the return tour of former POWs. Just hope the link works. http://www.tourvacationstogo.com/tri...m?source=vtgmm

[EDMcknight]

That old lady looked youngerforty years ago I think I remember her ha ha
Going back in June next year I have photos of then and I am going back to the same places and do the now.