River Patrol (Restored Color) US Navy Mekong Delta Operations 1967

it is June 1967 the place is the South China Sea near the coast of Vietnam the USS Harnet county has sailed 10,000 mi from the western shore of the United States and has arrived at the co-chair River in the Mong Delta the war that lies ahead for these men will be on the rivers and rice patties of this ancient land for the next 12 months they will launch Patrol boats and armed helicopters against the enemy they will search from the skies and Patrol a thousand miles of waterways to fight the vietcom this is their story it begins here on the land amid the lace-like structure of canal and Waterway this is the heartland of South Vietnam the Mong Delta here where the mangrove forests stretch as far as the eye can see where Lush farms and rice patties dot the land the yet Kong exercise a shadow tyranny over the people using the age-old tactics of force and Terror head are you coming in this time Roger green de wind 035 Port N9 kns over Yanke ech Yanke Hotel these men and others like them have come here to Aid this small nation caught in the midst of war and in an age that boasts of Science and Technology what they accomplish here will still depend on the courage and skill of each of them the ship is 2 mi from the mouth of the Coen River 2 mi from the place her real work begins navigation here is dangerous there is a possibility of running ground on the treacherous shs and sandb bars created by the mud and silt of the river added to this danger is the fact that the Viet Kong are entrenched in this area and up until now have roamed the waters almost at will for the 278 men that compris this ship this is the last leg of a long journey it is a lonely time San Francisco and Seattle are far behind the sights and sounds of a once familiar world have given way to the ominous quiet of the nearby jungle Shore the first patrols leave the ship at dawn and the men fall into the routine that will govern their lives in the months to come words like Patrol and reconnaissance words that were once part of their training here on on the river become part of their lives far below the unfamiliar stretches from Horizon to Horizon beneath them lies another world one of uncertainty and danger the job has begun also CH Hut report a war does not depend on ceremony yet even in this place a few short yards from Viet Kong territory there is time for morning Quarters here on the ship you get up to Revy and stand in line to get your food you live and work with other men in the crowded space of an iron hole and you adjust to the formalities of shipboard life but for many the formalities end when their work begins their job is on the river and for the next 16 hours their home will be a small armed fiberglass boat which will carry them far from the safety and Comforts of the ship their mission is to search to patrol the waterways and canals of the Delta to keep the enemy off the river in the meong Delta the river is the key to the land to the Vietnamese who live here and use it every day it is the heart of their existence it nourishes their crops provides a root to the marketplace and sustains their families these waters are the highways of Commerce and there are over 5,000 m of natural and man-made canals that wander past cities Villages and hamlets but if these Waters provide a way of life for the people they also provide a means of transportation to their enemy the Viet Kong used the rivers to carry arms ammunition and supplies and to extort taxes from the people the Viet Kong have used innocent looking sampans and even children to lure the patrol boats into Ambush and the men have learned from bitter experience that they cannot relax for a moment a Hidden Hand Grenade a concealed rifle these are the Hallmark of the enemy and the stamp of gorilla Warfare until boats are thoroughly searched everyone must be suspect you cannot always tell of the yet Kong by looking or even talking to him they wear no uniforms only the black clothes of the peasants so all boats on the river must be stopped and searched it's a tedious and dangerous job 200 300 Sans are checked every day you talk with the people listen to their gossip and try to get information that may lead to the enemy it's like a puzzle a man with an identity card from a two distant Province or a woman with too large a load of rice for just her family you may not speak their language very well but you see things find Clues and try to put them together yeah out on patrol you tell time by counting the hours since you left the ship 16 18 hours a day far from home and far from the sea you cover endless miles of water accompanied only by the constant drone of diesel engine far from the ports of call the men labor at the task of keeping a ship fit and our weapons ready technology has provided the tools and the training but men provide the work equipment must be cared for and maintained each hour of Patrol means additional hours of teaches backbreaking work there is no room for error in the days that follow the lives of others will depend on the performance and patience of these men away from the main deck men pass their rare free time by playing cards answering a long overdue letter or reading an outdated magazine but the vigil continues a modern Naval vessel is more than guns and bullets steel and black oil the men aboard her have been trained to perform all the services of a small town the Navy Corman is the doctor here and drugs and Medicine are the tools of his profession but to a people like the Vietnamese a people who live in the shadow of poverty and disease medicine and men like the Corman offer hope for a better life for the men have come 30 miles to the Village of hungi on the Coen River most Vietnamese live in a village like this one a community of 2,000 who work the land raise livestock and ply their local trades but they otherwise simple lives are Complicated by disease and infection the Corman has set up a clinic in the playground of the local school where patients have already gathered us the soap and rain water then you have him spread this on the areas that are hitchy so that he'll many how about twice a day two every hours something you did she have a bottle did she have a bottle of there are no monuments to what is accomplished here there is no glory but in this War the work done here has become as important as any battle days become weeks weeks give way to long months on the river a new season comes to the Mong Delta monsoons begin in the East move Westward and cloak the land in torrential rains Wind and Rain intrude into the life of every man soaking everything wearing away at the nerves pumps Clogg Motors fail ammunition corrodes and guns rust for days there is no pause only the constant sound of rain against metal but the work of War goes on the enemy has used the Reigns to his advantage two companies of Viet Kong have been discovered on the shores of the balai canal digging bunkers for an ambush give us give us the word within the next few plan is made Patrol boats will Transit the canal and act as decoys to force an encounter with the Enemy the ship's helicopters will remain on board fueled and armed ready for action Charlie will expend a little more energy than he has been so I want you people to be extremely cautious on the rivers the risks of entering a narrow Canal are great these shallow zones of water are the Haven of the vietcom boats are forced to move slowly becoming easy targets for enemy fire unforeseen circumstances often dictate strategy despite all their preparation and planning the men must turn back the water has become too shallow they are forced to find another route turn for 1 180 iron hat two iron hat two this is jingle Gil yet jingle Gilette over jingle Juliet jingle Juliet an iron hat too go ahead iron 2 Jingles Julet we're drawing fires from the beach coordinates x-ray Sierra 54 210 Juliet this is Iron Head 2 Roger out bridge this is Radio scramble the Hilo go the other one come out on this go the other way okay Bill check the fuel boost pump are we clear coming hot turn for 180 43 uh This is 43 reing what's the story uh This is 43 uh interrogative your attentions this time we're still receiving automatic weapons fire from that beach there uh This is 43 do you have the Smoke on the beach Roger that's the target area there K this is kilo we'll make a far R over uh K This is 43 uh let me know when you commence your run and uh we'll comeing in from behind you there4 guys had a pretty good P location is towards fire uh This is 43 Roger uh you have my smoke in sight there uh we received automatic weapons fire from the Bas side and also from the tree line on either side of the smoke uh running from north to south over also this 43 be advised uh they have a one 57 recoil in there over the ordeal of this battle is over but the victory has not yet been won there is no rest now for these men the enemy has shown himself they must act quickly decisively to deny him his Sanctuary new targets Out Of Reach of the pbrs have been located by the Vietnamese Command Center enemy gun imp placements bunkers and Supply San 8 I see what's in this engagement one of the helicopters was shot down by a sniper in a San this is the price a few will pay in any War the cost of involvement and for the remainder of their tour in Vietnam Nam these men will pay this price time and again they have faced the enemy they have endured the ordeal of battle they have won their Badge of Courage a wounded man comes in on a stretcher another call to battle tracers cutting the Stillness of a twilight sky stabbing at the fleeting shadow of a faceless enemy the smoke and Flame of burning cordite and the Darkness of men at War the fight Will Go On but these Sailors these worn and weary men have kept the faith

Channel: ZenosWarbirds

Views: 2,055,024

Keywords: USS Harnett County (LST-821, Swift Boats, Mekong Delta (Location), Vietnam War, Viet Cong, United States Navy (Organization), Vietnam War film footage for licensing

Id: zbyqS5pk9GY

Length: 28min 35sec (1715 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 28 2014