Saturday, August 30, 2008

Friday, August 29, 2008

Club Time



Dan Gyllenskog (back to camera scratching his chin), facing camera left to right, Rich Shelhamer, Guiterrez, Tom Bahnsen

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Another from Da Nang (the old spelling)
On the far left Sgt. Santiago, center with Mustache Cpl. Evans
Happy Valley, where the deer and the antelope played
Sgt.?

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Coke, Cards and a little bourbon

Left to right Butch Rutherford, unknown, Daryl Chrismon, Tom Bahnsen
Cpl. J.B.Evans-Chatanooga, Tenn. Sgt. Darwin Ogden
Standing "Chief", sitting facing camera, Bruce Didier, back to camera unknown (Notice Rebel Flag, nothing was ever said about it)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Marble Mountain
In the city of Danang

Monday, August 25, 2008

OV-10 Bronco, I was told he was dropping off surveillance film
The handler told me that due to regulations the dog would not be returning to the states.
The band heading out for a night on "the hill"
On the left, Cpl. Ted Copella, North Hollywood FLA, looking forward to the night ahead.
I need names if anyone can help.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

1st Marine Division Band

As I have said before I was a grunt, a ground pounder, an 0331 machine gunner but when I arrived in Nam they assigned me to the band. When I told my family they couldn't believe it so I had to send them a picture and of course my dads reaction was, "You can't play the radio let alone an instrument."

But myself and the other 15 to 20 grunts were not there to play but to work security on Hill 327 Alpha line. About three weeks before I arrived on Feb 23 1969 the band was doing their duty on the hill when they were attacked wounding many and killing three Cpl. Paul J. Mitchell, L/Cpl Victor A. Rabel, and Cpl. John P. Ziegler.

I have decided to dedicate this site to those three who gave all and will work on a sidebar to this blog in their honor.

Me about 40 years and 150 pounds ago.
FMD Band
TOP getting his Purple Heart

Friday, August 22, 2008

Just some notes.....

Many of the religous pictures were taken in and around Marble Mountain and when I say in, the Monastery was inside the mountain.

As far as film and processing, I used what I could get at the time, later on I switched to slide film and of course got better processing, I think some of the processing over there B&W and color was done in the Phillipines in an outhouse.

The camera I used a Yashica TL Super was great, never a problem. The only lens I had was the 50mm 1.7 that came with it.
Barmaid

Laundry girl



Bokes
Latrineman
Gonzalez (note the little reel to reel) this is how we corresponded to home
West (correct name)?


Thursday, August 21, 2008

Mama-san
Deep thought
Sgt. Richard K. Shelhamer USMC Viet Nam 68-69
I found his lighter after he left country buried in the dirt of a bunker, I would love to get it back to him, he was from New Jersey.


Girls working at the orphanage
Pfc. Crooks
Larry
Yeah I know I cut the top of his head off but I wanted to catch him at the moment

Hill 327


Sunrise on Hill 327
Nightfall over Danang


Wednesday, August 20, 2008

This was my one of my hoochmates, "Gook" Gutierezz, we had a fist fight in September 1969 and he broke my nose, the next month I was on my way to Hawaii for R&R and as I am walking through the Danang airport, here comes Gook running holding something in the air, it was my wallet. He found it on my bunk and hitched rides all the way to the airport from the 1st Marine Division to get it to me.
Thats the way the brotherhood worked in Nam.










Yes, there are rainbows in hell