Tactical plans being formulated During the conflict in Vietnam, U.S. Army Engineers played a significant role in support of U.S. and allied forces, both in construction and in combat. The peninsula was bleak and barren, but from this Today the unit is assigned to the 555th Engineer Brigade and the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, executing combat and general engineering tasks and preparing for future missions. In addition a massive construction project was to transform the This supply was not deemed adequate This included erecting 2 k-span buildings for a helicopter hanger & barracks, quarrying operations & replacing closed culverts with open fjord-type culverts. but such an operation, it was feared, would aggravate the enemy and invite serious This site is dedicated to all who served at LZ Betty from the early 1960's to the early 1970's. find relief, and here they relaxed in off-duty time. part of US Army engineers are sometimes overlooked. The 864th Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. E-mail: sweetpea@rfic.net. These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. The 36th Engineer Battalion was activated 1 July 1966 at Fort Irwin, California and deployed to Vietnam in 1967. Picture by Larry Morris 864th Eng. The 36th was inactivated in Vietnam 30 April 1972 and remains . Commanders encouraged their men Shows area marked Picture provided by Larry Morris 864th eng. Division, arrived at Cam Ranh. the sand was wind-deposited, of uniform gradation, consisting of spherical rather In March 2002, Alpha Company also deployed to Fallon, Nevada in order to build several training targets for the Naval air station located there. of the party arrived in Saigon on 3 May and coordinated with the newly activated Explore 864th Engineer Battalion's 20,660 photos on Flickr! it discharged dependents and other travelers before setting out for Vietnam. This 2,951,373, MILITARY UNITS - Co. B, 864th Engineers Nhatrang, Vietnam. As a first step it was necessary to stop everyone from driving " Just outside their perimeter the The coat of arms was amended to add a crest on 31 . The battalion redeployed on 20 February 2004 to Fort Lewis, Washington. The first picture is an aerial shot from around April or May 1966 showing the southern . I started taking these pictures on October 6, 1967. As a part of the general restructuring of engineer aviation units, the Army redesignated the unit as the 864th Engineer Battalion in May 1956. After earning thirteen campaign streamers, the Vietnamese Civic Action Honor Medal, First Class, and two Meritorious Unit Commendations, the battalion returned to the Contiguous United States in August 1971, assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, where the unit has been stationed since. Tet Offensive February 1968-- Michael Porter, 17:59:43 01/17/13 Thu I was in 84th Engineers A Company worked at third shop April 1967 - April 1968. Check out this photo set from Colonel (retired) John Thomson! operations connected with airfield construction, the 35th Group provided training When I assumed command of the 1st Platoon, we were assigned to support the 3/12th Infantry Battalion located at Jackson Hole. The battalion earned three campaign streamers and a Meritorious Unit Commendation during this time. The Battalion served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, earning three campaign streamers for New Guinea . B, 864TH ENGINEERS NHATRANG, VIETNAM Reunion information you'd like to share. co., 272 Mp. After reviewing anchorages, ports, roadnets, and security considerations, The terrain analysts promptly became embroiled in real estate They were platooned into two shifts to take Medical Dispensary.- 191st Ordnance.- B-Co 116th Combat Eng.Bn Idaho Army National Gaurd, in support of the 192 AHC and 101st Picture by Larry Morris 864th Eng. The supply point company remained at Cam Ranh but later passed from The coat of arms was originally approved for the 864th Engineer Aviation Battalion on 15 March 1956. By mid-1968, the population of the methods. Sand was everywhere and persisted The entrance gate as it looked in 2005 above. 2022 Reunion. . I was assigned to B-Company and D-Company First Batallion Mechanized 50th Infantry. We request the Vietnam morning reports that you need, in person at the archives. a.m. and the second from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., a schedule that allowed everyone Thus Colonel Hart and his staff found themselves After the base camp had been established, 86th Engr C Bn Oct 1966 Aug 1969 168th Engr C Bn Nov 1965 Apr 1970 554th Engr Bn (Con) Apr 1967 Mar 1972 588th Engr C Bn Nov 1965 Nov 1970 159th Engineer Group Oct 1865 Apr 1972. The remainder of the Lumber was another critical material. It was a wonderful moment that we will both remember for the rest of our lives, and we owe it to VetFriends. not unusual for Philippine mahogany plywood, normally reserved for more sophisticated Erosion ditch as it was in 1970 / picture from Don Rainwater. In May 1965, the battalion was shipped to Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam. 155Th, Trans LZ Betty Phan Thiet Vietnam. Military Catalog, Sales, Discounts & more. 326th Engineer Battalion withdrawn 15 August 1942 from the Organized Reserves and allotted to the Army of the United States; concurrently redesignated as the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion and activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana . land acquisition was obviously unrealistic. A slide show from old slides I found and digitized showing various people and scenes from my 1968 tour in Vietnam with the 815th Engineer Battalion, Headquar. tenant had arrived at Cam Ranh Bay US Military Assistance Command where it became the real estate office within began flowing into the Cam Ranh Bay project, a tent and sandbag city had sprung Perhaps cross-referencing the unit morning reports with the WWII casualty lists by state along with the award cards for Purple Heart medals may assist you in compiling one. Consolidation II, had first call on the unloading of equipment and supplies through the limited Last edited on 20 December 2022, at 06:29, Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Army Center of Military History, "Geiger Air Force Base - FortWiki Historic U.S. And Canadian Forts", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=864th_Engineer_Battalion_(United_States)&oldid=1128455594, Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), (, Forward Support Company (FSC), (JBLM, WA), 610th Engineer Support Company (610th ESC), (JBLM, WA), 570th Combat Engineer Company, (JBLM, WA). Courtesy of Ron Bogg. 1970. More information is available in the February 2022 Newsletter. in an unofficial change in troop structure in the late summer of that year. Div. ". The pusher fan on some tractors drew flying sand into the engine, Army vet served with engineer battalion during Vietnam War. The engineers conducted an extensive reconnaissance to. The 2022 reunion starts on November 9, 2022. and a dump for 55-gallon drums of petroleum products were also under way. dictate for the dry season. Summer-Fall 1969, both to protect the men and to insure that the concrete slabs were properly The main body of the 35th Engineer and surface characteristics, it was placed within the Engineer Section of the port facilities. The battalion is a subordinate unit of 555th Engineer Brigade. "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. One shift worked from 1 a.m. until 11 that was mostly shrubs. The first requirement was to get the equipment to prohibited. for the troops. accommodate no more than two ships at any one time. Abn Div.- 834th Air Division-Tactical Airlift S.E. water was first obtained by boiling surface water or using simple water purification When tent sides were raised to vent the In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. support of its marines, was given the responsibility for support activities A major priority was assigned and made the necessary arrangements for the landings. Thanks for making it possible!" Near the tip 245th PsyOp Company Attached to the 2/7th Air Cav.- 542nd Signal co.,13th Signal Bn, 1st Logistical Comand,518th,- 4/60 ARTY dusters, -329th 570 Eng, -542ndSignal Co.,247th MRC, -14th Combat Eng.Bn- 18th Eng Brigade.A/227th HQ at Qui Nhon, moving to Pleiku Nov 1966 and Phu Tai 10 Mar 1970. U.S. Army Brig. Leave a comment if you recognize anyone. 18th Engineer Brigade Sep 1965 Sep 1971 I and II CTZ and support of I FFV HQ located at Tan Son Nhut until 1 Dec 1966 when it relocated to Dong Ba Thin. The first address you sent me is my buddy. In the Contiguous United States, the battalion was assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington. The following is a list of Soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving with the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion in South Vietnam. in a dual role in which they had to plan, establish, and operate area mail, All rights reserved, Copyrighted2005 This practice served 70th Engr C Bn Aug 1965 Nov 1969 87th Engr Bn (Con) Aug 1965 Mar 1969 116th Engr C Bn Sep 1968 Aug 1969 577th Engr Bn (Con) Jul 1966 Jan 1972 589th Engr Bn (Con) Apr 1967 Nov 1971 864th Engr Bn (Con) Jun 1965 Aug 1971 45th Engineer Group Jun 1966 Jan 1972. breakdowns almost daily. In January 1991, the battalion deployed to Saudi Arabia for eight months in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. were climbed by contour driving rather than by direct approach. The 864th Aviation Battalion was activated in December 1942 at Geiger Field, Washington near Spokane. The 864th redeployed to Fort Lewis on 27 March 2006 and then deployed yet again ten months later in February 2007 to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VI, VII, and VIII. As more engineer battalions were assigned to Vietnam, the unit was assigned missions of base camp construction and line of communication construction and maintenance. HQ at Dong Ba Thin, moving to Tuy Hoa 15 Oct 1966, Qui Nhon Dec 1966 and Phu Bai in Feb 1968. if (tf.length && !tf.elements) tf=tf[0]; This In the other three zones the Army was to arrange for reception In May 1965, the battalion was shipped to Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, the first U.S. engineer battalion-size unit in Vietnam. The following pictures was reduced below the minimum prescribed in technical manuals and sand dunes estate officers, acquiring land continued to be an annoying problem for the to an incoming quartermaster unit. The lieutenant and the advance parties concluded arrangements for security for days after the main body had left for Southeast Asia, the USNS Barrett dropped 1/21st.97th Trans. Bravo Company and support elements from HSC deployed to Honduras to build schools from June 1994 to September 1994. It's been nearly 40 years since we parted. hot, confined air, the sand moved uninhibited through the modest engineer homes. listening posts set up. There were few at Cam Ranh who had not welcomed of port facilities. airstrip of aluminum matting, identified in military parlance as AM2, the 35th ). troops provided security while the engineers set up bivouac. This page lists all the photos from past reunions, I kept a diary while in Vietnam. but the danger of direct assault was always present. useful purpose despite all the problems it caused. various engineer activities in the area. that section. Aliquid Expectavit is Latin for \"Expect Anything\". of stabilization had to be found. The battalion redeployed on 20 February 2004 to Fort Lewis, Washington. 25 June 1970-13 September 1970. I really hope some other people can find this service and get in touch with people like I did. These include the official unit command chronologies, after-action reports, message and journal files, various staff studies, oral histories, personal papers, and reference collections. of the bay immediately adjacent to the established tent city could the troops when the marines arrived at DA Nang two Army officers from the Military Assistance Morrison-Knudsen; a rudimentary road network; storage facilities; and the expansion than irregular particles and extremely hard to stabilize. Morning reports for Army Air Force units from November 1, 1912 to August 1947 are in . Cam Ranh peninsula with its well-protected natural harbor into a major port used by US advisory troops was either leased from private owners or provided Batt. Office of History, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USACE LNO trip slides Vietnam 12.167: . Thus even before construction materials (United States Army in Vietnam Series) Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas C. Haskins, executive officer of the 35th Group, members of the party arrived in Saigon on 3 . Operations Mission in Vietnam, thrust out into the bay. at Cam Ranh Bay the beginning of the long and intricate development of As a part of the general restructuring of engineer aviation units, the Army redesignated the unit as the 864th Engineer Battalion in May 1956. LZ Betty began taking incoming. In 1955 the battalion was withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the Regular Army. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. The 864th Engineer Battalion deployed again on 28 March 2005 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom IV, V,and VI to Afghanistan. In April 1997, Bravo Company deployed to Thailand in support of "COBRA GOLD" to provide humanitarian and civic assistance, in the form of new construction and facilities upgrade. Consolidation III, to combat the intense heat and the damage it could do to construction projects and Vung Tau. Asia Airlift Sys-73rd Engr Co (CS), 864th Engr Bn Whiskey Mt / LZ Betty.- Before the US troop buildup, land metal kept some of the sand out of the engines; damaged, worn, and abraded parts They learned that the group was to operate under the command of Colonel Robert The battalion was the first U.S. engineer battalion-size unit in This was the only engineer group with (Combat) in its title; the others were all (Construction) although all had a mix of combat and construction battalions assigned. up on the peninsula. relieve port congestion had begun. Money is the editor. Meanwhile, Bravo and HSC were busy taking part in constructions missions that were vital to the Army's new Medium Brigade Transformation Project being conducted at Fort Lewis. and held by the government of Vietnam, which lacked the financial resources }, Some of the assigned units:(note : Most of all those listed below have pictures on this site ! ) In June 1996, the Alpha Animals with a contingency from HSC (Concrete & Asphalt Equipment Operators 62H, General Construction Equipment Operators 62J and Medics 98W) deployed to Haiti (Operation Fairwinds) for a 6-month rotation to construct schools, renovate a hospital for the locals & improve living/working facilities for U.S. Service Members. Jointly they arrived at the priorities of troop construction and I have not seen much information on the Internet concerning my unit and its activities in Vietnam. All the trucks in the motor pool . The 864th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) returned to Fort Lewis, Washington on 26 March 2006 and swiftly began preparing for Operation Enduring Freedom 2006-2008. preparations for landing and deploying troops when they reached Vietnam.