Vietnam vehicles

[AceHigh]

This all makes sense. I needed a complete rebuild when I came home.

 

[papabear]

Thank you Sir!!

This all makes sense. I needed a complete rebuild when I came home.

I guess the most important thing is that you did come home.

And thank you for your service Sir!!!

 

[fasttruck]

disposition of vehicles: ARVNS were very particular and wanted new stuff. ROKS took a lot of salvage equipment back to Korea. At the end various US units were reluctant to turn in certain equipment as they did not want to explain how they got it or nobody wanted to do the paperwork for "found on post." Losts of this just buried. Literally. Other vehicles were carefully cleaned so no RVN pathogens would be exported and sent out of countrry for rehabilitation. There was an article on this in the Army's house mag "Soldiers" at the time.

 

[fasttruck]

attached pics show Vietnamese day laborers and low ranking grunts such as myself cleaning vehicles in Camp Eagle, RVN in December, 1971.

 

[fasttruck]

More pics

 

[bratpackdad]

One of the Vietnam era Huey pilots that used to fly us around said they would fly stuff out over Cam Ranh Bay and drop it into the ocean to keep from giving it to the ARVN.

Everything from refrigerators to trucks......it went in the drink...supposedly this was with the approval of the head brass.

When they evacuated Siagon they were pushing choppers over the side of aircraft carriers because they had no room to store them.

I can confirm that...

 

[papabear]

Thanks for serving...and for the pics fasttruck.

But....er....did ya REALLY have to roll that poor little M151 to clean it??

 

[M-37Bruce]

Good Question

I always thought we left in somewhat of a hurry, took what we could carry, or fly outta' there? I'm sure some of the good/better stuff did make it to Korea.
JMHO,

 

[jimk]

I also read somewhere that most V-100's were brought back regardless of condition. I was told most were pretty 'used up'. Some ended up on the receiving end of target practice. Some (incl mine) was to be re-powered w/diesel but the plan fell thru, probably because the 100's rear axle was a weak link and upgrading the hull for the 5 ton axles would be very difficult. The V-150 came along soon afterwards and addressed these issues.

Mine carries a rather crudely marked - 1 CAV 1/9 on the glacis. This puts it with the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, Troop D (the ground troop of air cavalry's troops A,B,C.) 1/9 is part of the 1st Cavalry Division. It was probably a hand-me-down.

Wish I could find that kind of info on the E2s.

Jeff

I think member Rickv100 has a list of V ship-out dates. Drop him a PM see if he has info which may give you some clues.

 

[gunboy1656]

I met a veteran last year at a car show who worked at MSA. He told me some stories. Then said he never wanted to see another truck again in his life, but never stopped checking out my truck He starred at mine for a good hour then walked off in silence. I was honored when he said I had a great looking truck.

 

[vtdeucedriver]

Wow a thread about history on SS. Guess I need to come out of my hole more often.

Yes we left ALOT of stuff after our departure when it comes to trucks. I know that the bulk of our stuff shipped out for rebuild eventually would return state side and what was still active in RVN, would remain there after the last american stepped on the chopper.
"Eve" was mentioned in the thread and she was a rare case in that she was all cleaned up and overhauled by the 523'rd motor pool, her guns were crated and she was shipped DIRECT from Vietnam to the Museum at Ft Eustes by the unit commander. He had the vision to send her home to represent what she was built to do. Its sad that her reasoning had been forgotten when it came to us going back to war in Iraq.

Helicopters and aircraft were also left but when we pulled out, lots of aircraft that were still active returned home. Most aircraft like our L-19's, F-5's and A-37, T-28's and AD skyraiders were considered obsolete so they were left with the ARVN units. But the bulk of our helicopter force would return home and the bulk of your UH-1's that you will see today at VFW's and Legion posts have a VERY GOOD chance that they were in RVN. So when you see that airframe sitting by the road and looking a bit tired. Go pat her on the nose and say "Job well done" she deserves it.

 

[VT34]

m51a2

Dit any trucks (M51a2, m52a2, or M54a2) shipped from Vietnam to Germany?

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Wow a thread about history on SS. Guess I need to come out of my hole more often.

Yes we left ALOT of stuff after our departure when it comes to trucks. I know that the bulk of our stuff shipped out for rebuild eventually would return state side and what was still active in RVN, would remain there after the last american stepped on the chopper.
"Eve" was mentioned in the thread and she was a rare case in that she was all cleaned up and overhauled by the 523'rd motor pool, her guns were crated and she was shipped DIRECT from Vietnam to the Museum at Ft Eustes by the unit commander. He had the vision to send her home to represent what she was built to do. Its sad that her reasoning had been forgotten when it came to us going back to war in Iraq.

Helicopters and aircraft were also left but when we pulled out, lots of aircraft that were still active returned home. Most aircraft like our L-19's, F-5's and A-37, T-28's and AD skyraiders were considered obsolete so they were left with the ARVN units. But the bulk of our helicopter force would return home and the bulk of your UH-1's that you will see today at VFW's and Legion posts have a VERY GOOD chance that they were in RVN. So when you see that airframe sitting by the road and looking a bit tired. Go pat her on the nose and say "Job well done" she deserves it.

Very well stated, Sir.

May I also add....

Many trucks, aircraft, etc. never made it to RVN, but stayed stateside and elsewhere equally performing training and other duties. Their role was just as important, although not directly in the line of fire.

So, any historic former military vehicles deserve our salute or "a pat on the nose" in appreciation for the OD Steel (or Aluminum) and especially for those who operated and maintained them.

 

[maddawg308]

For those who are military history buffs, remember that the Vietnam War was important during the 1960s and early 1970s, but the Cold War against the USSR was more important from a strategic perspective. Even if your vehicle wasn't in SE Asia, it might have served in Alaska, Europe, or elsewhere in our war against the Communist threat.

 

[chupa]

Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard M. Nixon administration, as a result of Tet, to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnam's forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops." This referred to U.S. combat troops specifically in the ground combat role, but did not reject combat by U.S. air forces, as well as the support to South Vietnam, consistent with the policies of U.S. foreign military assistance organizations.

 

[emr]

OH Thanks maddawg, the truth behind Vietnam still is as true today as it was in Dwight D Eisenhower's day, this was a mission to STOP the expansion of the soviet threat, the outcome of the actual conflict can be debated by those who were there, but one main truth is and always be the same, Eisenhower did it for a reason, and the reason worked stopped the ruskys in there tracks, many had to die and suffer for this, but the truth is it was all worth it, the winning of the country was NOT what was this was about, BUT winning every battle sure put the ruskys and Chinese in there place, and never tried to do it again, it was actually a win win for the world. and the great insight if D Eisenhower, now the stupid pres's after that sure made it alot tougher than it needed to be, but still all in all the true spirit of the amazing American fighting man and equipment we cherish so much kicked ass and stopped world aggression in its tracks, sorry for the soap box but so many see it in a much smaller view, it was/is much bigger than that, god Bless ALL who served u did it and did it BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!Oh yea actually we won , vietnam was only a pawn,

 

[Capt Pat]

You might be surprised at what was actually left behind. There was a report out from a retired General who served as part of the delegation to Viet Nam when we "normalized" relations with them. The general and delegation was met by younger Vietnamese, and the general interoduce to his Viet counterpart when he was commander of the base at Cahm Rahn Bay. They then asked if he would like to see his old base, and took him there, the supply depot was locked and the jungle was trying to reclaim the tarmac. There were lines of equipment inside the wire, M-123's M-88's tanks howitzers etc. They only took the small stuff into their activities, they new parts would be a problem.
They opened a warehouse and turned on the lights, they blinked a few times and came on, there were cases and cases of weaponry etc. They told the General to choose a case and they opened it. Brand New M-16's, original ones issued to the ARVN still in paper and cosmoline. They wanted the general to tell Mr. Clinton they wanted to sell these back to us at $100 some dollars each. Before leaving, they asked the general to please have the master plans for the deep water pier in the harbor sent to them, they were not in the plans they recovered when the installation fell to them, and they wanted to know if the pilings went to bedrock or just resistance as they wished to put a container crane on the pier now.
We left alot of stuff behind. Though their larger Navy ships that escaped were turned over to the Philippine Navy outside Subic Bay, they were not allowed to enter wearing their own colors. Most of the LARC-s the 60's 15' and 5's were taken out and machine-gunned to sink them rather than allow them to be captured, though several did turn up in Soviet hands.

 

[vtdeucedriver]

Dit any trucks (M51a2, m52a2, or M54a2) shipped from Vietnam to Germany?

Well my thought is to say yes that its possible. If a truck was damaged in action that required rebuild. It could have been shipped to one of the overhaul facilities and remained there at wars end. Since the war was over, its possible that it would have been shipped to other locations for contuned service and I would think that Germany would be a higher percentage then lets say the US as they were produced here and if a stateside unit needed one, they would get a factory one. (but that the thought of the govt using rational thinking and not wanting to spend taxpayers money) I do know for a FACT that we pulled from europe stockpiles to support the war in Vietnam as the europe theater Yellow Headlights were shipped to Vietnam to help with a parts shortage. Not to mention there was a thought that it might help the lack of visiblility on dusty roads.

 

[emr]

although one might be surprised to see how much was left behind, , i am not, the standing army got alot, when we bugged out alot was dumped, BUT ...BUT this was a very very very long conflict and ALOT more was returned. and like a guy asked above, hey did any go to germany, I say read the above posts i wrote and your question will be answered, yes many places depending on the where the unit was from A. and B. were the trucks ready to re deploy or sent to one of a over 100 places to be refurbished, AND depending on how much they needed work depended on the type of depot they went to, so the next question is hey did any of them get rebuilt >>.

 

[VT34]

So the best way to check the history of the truck is by its hood number?
Got 35 h.n. from M52a2 who are still existing today. all build from 1964 till 1969, all served in Germany and almost all of them overhauled in 1970.