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Rose Garden at Nam Phong
Rugged facilities at a Marine Airbase in Nam Phong, Thailand – 1972. The airfield was carved out of the jungle by US Navy Seabees where it hosted a variety of Marine fighter and transport squadrons, and Marine security forces. Missions were flown out of here into nearby Laos and Cambodia, as well as Vietnam. Sarcastically called the “Rose Garden” the base was not long lived as most of the US personnel were sent home not long after. The red dust was everywhere including inside the 10-man tents that served the airfield in and around the aircraft parking area. The photo clearly shows this was not a pretty place to be, but well equipped with guard shacks, and plenty of concertina wire and barbed wire fences. Like all the inland bases in Thailand it was wicked, wicked hot. Fortunately we only flew in here once.
My brother in law was a photographer with the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion FIVE,who constructed the Rose Garden. He's now 78 and speaks of his time spent there. When he arrived it was solid jungle. When they were finished it was the Rose Garden'!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if your brother-in-law was there in June 1972? Maybe he got a shot of an aircraft returning crippled from a sortie and had to hit the arresting gear? I was running point to get the aircraft out of the gear, but I guess he hit it so hard it caused a tape tuck and all I saw was tape and cable coming at me with no time or pit to jump in. I blacked out when I went down and hit hard causing some injuries that have followed me to this point in my life. That was the first aircraft that we had hit the gear since installing it. Needless to say, this was my last time running point, but I did manage a team after I returned to Beaufort S.C, MCAS.
DeleteSqt. Larry Hatcher
John DeMoss, CPL, USMC, Task Force Delta Spring '72 Nam Phong Thailand [& very briefly in Danang, S.V]...Damn, have you EVER seen "weed killer" this effective?!
ReplyDeleteSemper Fi ! And a shoutout & thanks to those Navy Seabees who helped us out and to some of those USAF fly boys who also helped us out...JSLD
2nd plt squad leader, Maj Zike commanding officer. Spent 06 months in Okinawa-camp Hansen. Left the Corps in 06-1976 /Bravo Co. 2nd Blt. 2nd plt.2n Marine Regt. Camp Gieger, Camp Lejeune,N.C.-My cell number 864 775 0904 all anytime.
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