The first year on Tien Sha was 16 to 20 hour days, 7 days a week. Was there 10 months before I got a hot shower. Lots of C- Rats. First chow hall was powdered this & powdered that and really not as good as the C-Rats. I was with Camp Security. If we wern't on perimeter watch or on occasional patrols including Monkey Mt. which was just a path to follow on it. We would be filling sandbags , building bunkers, helping with construction of towers & re stringing wire as the old French fence could be kicked over almost anywhere.

Frank Rodgers and Darwin McKee

Corner Post 13 Near Village

McKee .50 cal and Tucker

Camp in the beginning was no more than a fire camp as a buffer for Danang. New barracks were being built at the end of 66 for to house Navy Hatch teams. We had no Marines on the Camp as they were needed elsewhere at this time. No Vietnamese on camp after daylight working hours. Most of the old French buildings on the camp were not occupied for a long time and all needed to be repaired or torn down. Beer & pop was free and was drank warm as there was no ice or refrigeration.

Bill Davis and Mckee 66 by abandon Buddhist Temple

Post 15 and .50 cal.

Going on roving patrol

Cau aka Jimmy's family's old house in village. We built them a new one.

Jimmy in the Village

House was built by McKee, Frank Rodgers & Dale Hagner, for Cau Van Tran  aka Jimmy and his Mother & sisters.

One family in Village

China Beach and Village

A kid we called "Tony"

My tour of Duty on Camp Tien Sha Vietnam 1965-66

Darwin McKee (aka) Mac

We spent a few weeks in Coronado Ca. getting indoctrinated to going in country (Vietnam) Then several weeks at Camp Pendleton Marine Base for weapons training and grenade chunking.  Loaded on to C-130 troop transport to fly to Nam. Flew in to Wake Island. Was supposed to be there 17 hours but had to stay for 3 1/2 days. Nothing on Wake except air strip, chow hall, barracks and the Drifters Club which was opened 20 hours a day. Beer was .15 cents & mixed drinks were .25cents. I spent $80.00 while we were there. Club closed from 4 am to 8 am to swab it out. At 4 am we would crawl out on the beach and sleep till sunrise. Head to the chow hall for breakfast, shower & back to the Drifters club. Flew out of wake to Clark AFB in Philippines. Chow & fuel and back in the air. Flew in to Danang & circled the air strip a few times. The pilot then informed us that would be landing as soon as they got the burning chopper off the runway. My first thought was if they can hit that chopper how in the hellare they going to miss this big ass tub. Landed without incidence. First thing you notice when we unloaded out the back of the plane was the smell. Hard to describe it butafter a few days in country you get used to it stinking like crap. Spent the first day at the White Elephant (HQ for NSA) spent the first night on the USS Navarro a troop transport anchored in the harbor. Next day got orders to Tien Sha back in the bush from Danang and next to Monkey Mountain,  Son Sa village and China Beach. We were the first ones in there to start the rebuilding process of the camp. I was assigned to Camp Security.

Mac with M-1 carbine w/ bayonet on perimeter defense at dusk.

Most fire fights took place at night.   Mostly took sniper fire. I had  a VC open up on me with an automatic weapon from an abandoned Buddhist temple once while I was running to my red alert bunker and he sprayed around 10 rounds that hit right in front of my feet. I dove to the ground and crawled in behind a stack of plywood and commenced to empty two 20 round clips from my M-14 into the old temple. Also had a grenade bounced off my bunker one night with the pin left in it

Mac with M-14 w/.50 cal. mount ready for sniper suppression.

Camp came under siege just once. There was a report of a very large group of VC & NVA moving towards Camp Tien Sha from the other side of Monkey mountain. There was only about a hundred on the Camp at this time. Camp CO called for Naval call fire. A Cruiser and a couple Destroyers opened up from the Danang harbor. They were lobbing ordinance unto the other side of the. mountain. Jet fighters from Danang then came in and commenced to give Charlie what for. Bunkers would shake when the Navy was shelling the enemy.  Long story short, they never made it to Camps side of the mountain. Camp Tien Sha was latter a huge facility. Was being built up to house Navy hatch teams. (aka) Cargo handlers.

Mac w/M-1 carbine against an old French bunker for cover.

Son Sa Village was a small fishing village off of China Beach. Camp Tien Sha was right beside the village.

We did swim out to a few gun boats anchored off China Beach a couple times. Climbed up on board and shot the bull with the guys on the Gun boats. Sand sharks would swim up right along side of you and you could reach out and stroke their dorsal fin.

I once was at the Danang hospital to visit a friend when a dust off full of wounded Marines came in. I helped haul  stretchers in to the ER. They were all in critical shape. Don't know how many of them made it.

  Vietnam & Camp Tien Sha during my tour was Long days & nights,  insects, snakes, hard work, bad chow, cold showers, hot & humid days, cold & wet monsoons, sometimes a little female companionship, fear , laughter, sadness, anger, regret, but a lifetime of memories & brotherhood with those you served with and even those other veterans that you didn't serve with.  

China Beach

Main Gate to Tien Sha

Our movie screen full of holes thanks to snipers.

Mustering for mid day watch.

Post 16 aka suicide post

4 star VN style restaurant near Monkey Mt.

Doc, Cutshall, Mckee & Wilhelm

Danang River

Mckee '66

As you can see Ann Margaret was wearing skin tight like panty hose. What that picture doesn't show is the loose fitting blouse and no bra. That's right, when she bent over while we were dancing I had a front row seat to hootersville. As Lou Gehrig said once, I'm the luckiest guy in the world .

Laundry folks. Better than scrubbing them on wood table. Check out my Bowie knife.

Darwin McKee and Ann Margaret boogie! 1966

The White Elephant

Mckee drinking from the water bag.

USS Loyalty MSO457

Mckee on the 40mm USS Loyalty MSO457 '67