Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation®
Marine Corps Tankers Have Made History. Your Foundation is Making it Known.
1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 3rd Tank Battalion.
Photos from Bob Haller, via Joe Tyson and Col. Ev Tunget USMC (Ret.)
These are pictures one of my former Bravo Company
tank crewmen sent to me from our crossing of the Song Thu Bon river
during Operation Macon in the summer of 1966. Hope you can bring up
the pics by clicking on the attachments. In the platoon picture back
row, I still have regular contact with the second man, GySgt (then
Sgt) Tom Shirey, and the fifth man, LtCol (then 1st Lt) Bill
Lochridge, who was my 2nd platoon commander.
Bill Lochridge and I waded across the Song Thu
Bon a short while prior to the tank crossing to verify that we could
"swim" our tanks across the river without drowning them. I had been
asked by the 9th Marines Regimental CO, Col D.J. Barrett, if we
could get tanks across the river to suppport the upcoming operation
and could leave some to operate out of the An Hoa Fire Base
afterward. I had noticed from our maps, which were made from old
aerial photos the French had made of the area, that there were
"light areas" on opposing banks of the river. On a previous
reconnaisance, I found that the "light areas" were heavy sand and
gravel deposits which had been washed down from the mountains during
the monsoons and had apparently built up at high points of the river
bottom.
To check out this possible fording site, Bill
Lochridge and I started out ffrom the north bank of the river,
spaced ourselves the width of a tank apart and started out poking
the bottom with tank bars to see if the gravel bed held up all the
way across. At this point, the river was
about 200 meters wide during the dry season and we also needed to
know how deep it became so that, as I mentioned before, we wouldn't
"drown" our tanks in the process of crossing.
We had a rifle platoon from 1/9 to provide fire
support deployed on the north bank and had artillery firing smoke
rounds over the south bank to cover us while we waded across the
river. (This was VC controlled country known as the "Arizona
Territory".) When we reached the south bank, we knew we had a good
fording site. As we started back across the river, the artillery
smoke stopped for some unkown reason and about mid-way across we
started receiving small arms fire from the south bank. Our infantry
support opened up and Bill and me made like turtles with only our
steel helmets showing above the water!
After Operation Macon, I left Bill's 2nd Platoon
on the south side to support 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines out of the
An Hoa Fire Base. I later recommended Bill for the Silver Star Medal
which was awarded him for a subsequent action where he distinguished
himself.
Obviously, some memories fade but some remain
vivid.
Semper Fi,
Ev Tunget
Hello LT or should I say Col
SEMPER FI
Long time ago .
I saw the article you wrote for the latest mcvta newsletter
magazine. I had been assigned to Shireys tank at that time as
driver. Had lost a tank just prior to that from a mine incident
and was waiting to be reassigned another one if my mind
recollects correctly. Remember Sgt Shirey well, good man and
Marine. He knew I loved to drive and was the best (not bragging)
but didn't want to interfere with his crew.
Sent six pictures attached. 1st pic is that heavy section picture with me standing far right, Sgt Joe Tyson. Other five I thought they might be of that river crossing related to the article . They were sent to me by then Sgt Bob Haller a tanker in our platoon. Let me know what you think. Bob seems to think they were from opp. Macon. Me I got CRS, spent so many years trying to forget, but now my grandchildren want to know. Take care and always Semper Fi
Joe Tyson
|