HISTORY OF THE BEGINNING OF SOLID ANCHOR
1967-1969
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CONSTRUCTION OF SOLID ANCHOR
INFO FROM STEVE SLUKA
EMAIL: ssluka[ at ]nac.net
I was part of MCB 1. We were the Sea Bee Battalion that started to build the
base known as Solid Anchor in 1969.
We came in by Chinook and when we landed, we
were in shock.
I'll never forget the day I landed there. The landscape is burned in my memory.
Nothing but dead trees from Agent Orange and bomb craters.
I have pictures of the "Zippo" burning the brush along the banks so we had a better view if attacked.
We slept in tents until we could build our huts.
Our equipment came by barge about 2 days after we landed. When we started to
unload our equipment, we lost a D8 dozer completely in the muck and mud and
our shovel was sinking but we rigged it with Mats Matting and pulled it to
safety.
Because of the loss of the D8, civilian construction workers were
brought in to help fill in the entire area with gravel. What a job, I'll
never forget that place.
Steve Sluka CS3 - MCB 1
Camp Hurt
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CONSTRUCTION OF SOLID ANCHOR
INFO FROM JIM ALLEN
EMAIL: moodo[ at ]ctllc.com
Yes Zumwalts son was at Nam Cam. I was there as part of the Seabees constructing the base. I was a heavy equipment operator and we built the runway from scratch.
Nam Can as we always called it was the pits. We got mortored one week straight, every night around tet of 70. rumor had it, we were surrounded by some 2500 VC.
No ground attack. Too well protected. They would have been in the open and travel in the mud to get to us.
I have many slides of the base camp.
I and a small crew were at the East end of camp by the canal when the seal team left in a swifty.
They had just turned South in the first canal when all hell broke out.
The only seal not wounded brought the boat back right where we were and we tried reviving the Lt. I ran for the corpman, by the time we got back he was already dead.
There was also a captured VC in the boat and he was killed also.
A B-40 rocket hit the side of the boat.
I could go on and on but don't want to.
I
think your site is very good to just plain outstanding. sorry to ramble on. see ya
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MUD AT SOLID ANCHOR
INFO FROM DON CALLISON
EMAIL: warwgn14[ at ]totcon.com
We had landed our Air CAV Troop at a Navy base that was ashore near Sea Float.
We ate in the dining facility.
It rained like hell while we were at lunch
and when we returned to our Helo ships, mine had sunk to the belly in the mud.
Someone snapped a pic of us digging it out.
WARWAGON 14 AEROSCOUTS D TROOP 3/5TH AIR CAV"LIGHTHORSE"
For when they absolutely, positively, have to be found and killed today
VINH LONG VN 5/67-5/71
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CONSTRUCTION OF SOLID ANCHOR
INFO FROM BOB HOLLINGER
EMAIL: RHollin277[ at ]aol.com
I was an E-5 Builder squad leader at your base in the time
frame you are speaking about.
My battalion was Mobile Construction Battalion #1.
We were out of Davisville, Rhode Island and in country supporting the
Brown Water Navy all over the place. Besides this base we were in the Rung
Sat Zone, Binh Thuy, An Thoi, Rach Gia, Hi Tien, Phu Cuong, Can Tho, and so
on.
I remember well all you guy's and the seals. I remember one terrible
morning when the boats were coming back from night ops and an electronic
controlled bow gun on one of the boats malfunctioned and lit off, by the time
they got it under control it had tore up quite a few boats running in front
of it causing casualties among the crews.
I remember how foul the water was there and even cool aid couldn't improve
it. Everything they cooked on the mess barge with which they used water
tasted just like the water.
We were treated well there by everyone, seals
included. We built barracks, fueling and fuel facilities, all kinds of stuff.
The seals brought us a goat we named Zelda, she ate us out of house and home
and after putting on about 25 pounds, the owner showed up at the main gate
with some white mice and a picture of the goat. Zelda probably became lunch.
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CONSTRUCTION OF SOLID ANCHOR
INFO FROM KIRBY F WEEKS
EMAIL: shepdog49[ at ]juno.com
I was a Seabee in the nav cat team 20 and was there June or July of 1970
to January 1972.
We built the ammunition bunker at corner of helo pad where
the sea wolfs were. We built all the dependent housing for the
dependents plus other projects.
I was there the
night all !!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELL BROKE LOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I must say
your uniform was a little more formal than mine, pants were same ,but I
only wore t -shirts , and that was just at chow hall (frozen milk) .
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