I'm not sure what happened to this vehicle, I'm not even sure of the vehicles identity. The truck looks to be an M39 5-ton. Judging by the damage, the driver and passenger (if any) had a run-in with a Viet Cong RPG-7. The fifth wheel of a 5-ton truck was one of Charlie's favourite targets. Convoy protocol calls for recovery of the cab unit then the trailer. Usually, there was only one tow truck per convoy, so the trailer would be left behind for a separate recovery operation. Needless to say, the trailer would be empty upon recovery.
A rainy monday morning gives me the chance to post some more pictures. I'm not sure who or what is in this picture and am open to suggestions. On the left could me a Vietnamese MP. They wore white hats and we called them "White Mice.' I have no idea of the nationality or uniform of the person on the right.
US Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker visiting damage made to the US Embassy during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Ambassador Bunker is in the centre behind the man carrying an automatic weapon.
Your mention of our loving term for Quan Cahn (Vietnamese MP) reminds me of an incident in Saigon. Travelling from the Cholon District of Saigon to Long Binh is harrowing enough, especially when you are travelling alone in a 3/4-ton or jeep and without escort. In the days before Tet '68, the policy was to stop immediately if you got into an accident and wait for the local police to sort it out. Some guys couldn't wait, so paid a few MPC to the victim and split the scene. Enterprising Vietnamese locals soon caught on and would target us solo travellers, riding in groups of two on 50cc Honda motorbikes. As they approached the vehicle, the pillion passenger would kick the rear fender, causing the bike to dump. At that point, one or the other of the "offended party" would roll on the roadway cradling a leg while shouting "You hurt me! GI, I sue!!" (I think the going rate was $20 per incident.) One particular morning, I got involved in one of those drive-by robberies and dutifully stopped. As soon as I stepped out of the vehicle, I was greeted with "GI, I sue." As luck would have it, the incident occurred in one of the busier intersections and Vietnamese police were close by. Seeing, the "white mice" approach, I shouted at the "victim", saying "Didi mau, or I call Quan Cahn". The victim and his buddy immediately ran off, as well as the white mice (in the opposite direction). I just shook my head, got back into the truck and drove on.
Hi David, Thank you for sharing the photos, they are great. Not sure exactly what the vehicle is but I believe it may be the trail of an artillery piece. Happy to be proven wrong though! Is he loading bags of powder into those rounds and what is the vehicle to the left?
This next series of photographs have no descriptions. My thought are that the women are Red Cross workers. Can anyone identify the badge?
This last series of pictures features boats in Vietnam. This is an LCM (Landing Craft Mechanized) and was operated by the Army in harbors and inland waterways. In Army jargon it was called a "Mike Boat."