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Photo Gallery - Quan Loi, Song Be & Nui Ba Rah 1969-70

Many thanks to Ralph Constantine who recently sent his photos. He wrote, "I arrived in Vietnam on the 4th of July 1969. Shortly after I was sent to HHB 6/27th Arty at Quan Loi. I was part of the Commo platoon and worked directly for E-7 Garrett and mostly with E-5 Caldwell. I pulled guard duty and worked as a switchboard operator (Hay Maker). When E-4 Tucker went home I got his job on the water truck an did that for quite awhile - maybe six months. I worked for a short time in the "TALK" which led me to the job as a radioman at the relay station on Nui Ba Rah. I remember very little of our move to Phu Loi and shortly after I went home." I think you will enjoy his photos. Click Here to view

Historic Quan Loi Vietnam Videos Added to Website

In 1966 Michael Chalifoux, assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, was only in Quan Loi for a month when his aunt in Pennsylvania sent him a Super-8 movie camera. Over the next 7+ months Mike shot film in and around Quan Loi, including the Frenchmen's Swimming Pool, the airstrip with all types of aircraft, the nearby Montangard Village, and An Loc to list just a few. His film shows Quan Loi (L Z Andy) in its early days as an airstrip.

The 40+ minutes of film was copied to DVD. For ease of viewing on the website the video was edited into six smaller videos. Mike was interviewed during a Skype call and his comments were added to the videos. All six videos were uploaded to youtube.com and then embedded on pages on the website. You can view them all by clicking here. Thank you Mike for sharing your film with us.

Vietnam in the News

New Vietnam Documents & History Now Online

As the years go by more and more previously "secret" or "restricted" documents are being made available. As we become aware of them we will make them available to you.

Records Show Doubts on ’64 Vietnam Crisis By ELISABETH BUMILLER
NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — In an echo of the debates over the discredited intelligence that helped make the case for the war in Iraq, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday released more than 1,100 pages of previously classified Vietnam-era transcripts that show senators of the time sharply questioning whether they had been deceived by the White House and the Pentagon over the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. Read Article Click Here to download Copies in PDF File

The Vietnam Collection
Vietnam: A Television History was a landmark documentary series produced by WGBH. This collection contains most of the materials gathered and created for the 1983 series, as well as additional Vietnam-related materials from the WGBH archive. Vietnam: A Television History was one of the last WGBH series produced entirely on film. Starting in 2008, materials were reconstructed, transferred, and digitized for preservation and access.
Visit the WGBH Open Vault

OTHER VIETNAM NEWS

AFTER ACTION REPORT - General Barry R. McCaffrey USA )Ret) VISIT TO VIETNAM 9 - 17 January 2010 Click Here to View as PDF Thanks to Don Albers for passing this link along. I think anyone who served in Vietnam will be interested in the report.

VA Extends 'Agent Orange' Benefits to More Veterans
Parkinson's Disease, Two Other Illnesses Recognized

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Relying on an independent study
by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki decided to establish a service-connection for Vietnam Veterans with
three specific illnesses based on the latest evidence of an association with
the herbicides referred to as Agent Orange. Read Complete Press Release at Reuters

AND THEN THERE'S THIS:

Vietnam Vets Take Notice - Here Are Some Interesting Statistics...
In case you haven't been paying attention these past few decades after you returned from Vietnam, the clock has been ticking. The following are some statistics that are at once depressing yet, in a larger sense, should give one a sense of pride.

Many Thanks to Don Albers, former Battery Commander, Alpha Battery, 6/27th Artillery Vietnam - 1969 for sending these statistics to us. Don received them from friends at West Point Academy. We are not sure who to attribute this original compilation of statistics to (It can be found at other sites on the web), but whoever you are - thanks for doing it. Even if they are a little mind-blowing.

"Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam; less than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran's age approximated to be 54 years old."

So, if you're alive and reading this, how does it feel to be among the last 1/3rd of all the U.S. Vets who served in Vietnam? We Don't know about you, but kinda gives me the chills, considering this is the kind of information we are used to reading about WWII and Korean War vets.

Click Here See them All:

Charlie Battery Medic Remembers His Vietnam Service
David Hastings was an accountant with a Master's Degree when he was drafted in June,1965. Naturally, the Army took his extensive education into account when they decided to send him to the Medic Training Center, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas to train be be a medic. David recalls in this new addition to the website his days with Charlie Battery 6/27th Artillery in Vietnam and includes a number of photos of Charlie Battery at Phouc Vinh. Click here to read "Doc Hastings Remembers."

Alpha Battery - Lai Khe to Quan Loi - 1966 - 1967
In this fine addition to the website Leonard Mulholland provides us with his memories and photos of Alpha Battery while located at Lai Khe in late 1966; the move to Quan Loi in January 1967, as well as photos of life at Quan Loi . In all there are 109 excellent photos to view. Leonard would have had many more photos to include except a fire in his home destroyed them in 1983. With the help of a good friend he was able to save these photos included here. Many thanks for sharing them with us, Leonard! Click here to view.

"Jan Maclaga's Vietnam Photos 1969 - 1970"
If you served in Alpha Battery at Quan Loi you should enjoy seeing Jan's photos from October 1969 of the Battery at Quan Loi. In four galleries, Jan provides us with 97 photos including a special section on one of the USO shows at 1st Cav Hqtrs Quan Loi. Also included are 37 photos taken at FSB Burkett in 1970 and a gallery of "Friends and Comrades" - a few of which we could use your help in identifying. Click here to see them.

The Saga of the Quan Loi Queen
Chances are, if you were at Quan Loi on November 17-18, 1969, and you had a camera, you took photos of a C-130 that was hit by a rocket on the Quan Loi Airstrip. I took several photos as did Jan Maclaga, Dennis Camp, Glen Russell and Jim McLain of that damaged aircraft. I'm sure there are many more squirreled away in closets and attics of Quan Loi Veterans. That battered C-130 was a "curiosity" of the war. All of us knew that the plane was severely damaged from that rocket and it would remain on the side of the airstrip for several months until a crew was finally sent in with a new wing and other parts to repair her. I doubt that any of us knew that the twenty-one year old USAF Loadmaster of the Queen, Norm Thomas, was killed that day from rocket shrapnel. It is time we honor his memory.

All of us at Quan Loi relied on the crews of the C-130s, C-7A Caribous and choppers who flew in mail, supplies and provided us safe transportation. Quan Loi would have been a whole lot worse without them. Thanks to the pilot of the Quan Loi Queen that November day, Lou Hari, we can now learn the complete story of that sad incident and what eventually happened to the Quan Loi Queen. I think you will find it one of the most interesting stories to be added to the site. Click Here to read it.

Present at the End - Photos of Bravo & Charlie Btrys and the Stand Down
Roger Garner had the "pleasure" to serve in two 6/27th Batteries - Bravo and Charlie - in 1971. His photo collection brings us snaps of FSB Wade, Snuffy, Haymaker and a number of FSBs whose names he does not recall. Roger was present at the end of the 6/27th Battalion's time in Vietnam when they stood down at Phu Loi in late October 1971. Click here to view his photo collection and read his memory of his tour.

Who We Are This website was started in October 2002 by John Wavra with much assistance from Jim Hynes and Reed McDonald. It has since grown to what you see on your screen today. It would be but a few pages if not for all of the comrades who helped. I thank each and every one of them for their contributions of photos and/or stories, etc., which have helped to began to tell the story of the 6/27th Artillery in Vietnam. It is long past time that credit is given to all those who helped. See them all at Who We Are. There is still much to tell. Come, join us! Add your photo or name to those listed on the Who We Are Page by sending your memories and stories to me. Email Conjuncti Stamus John Wavra

Quan Loi - August 12, 1969 Ground Attack - A Grunt's Perspective
Thomas Mathis was with the A Troop 1/4 Cav on the night of August 12, 1969. His memory of that night brings a new perspective to what took place when the NVA attacked Quan Loi that night. It is worth your time. Click Here to read his account from the new August 12 Start Page.

Were you in Quan Loi on August 12-13, 1969?
If your answer is yes, you don't have to be reminded of the ground attack that was repulsed that night. Many thanks to former SSGT Robert W. Smith for providing us with a copy of the August 14, 1969 Stars and Stripes. If you would like to learn about that night or refresh your memory click here to read it.

If you have a memory, photos or video of the August 12-13, 1969 Quan Loi ground attack you would like to share with the site, please drop me an email. (JWavra)

Book Published on Quan Loi

I was very pleased to recently receive a promotional copy of David Bedard's memoir of his Vietnam service in the Artillery Ballistic Meteorology Unit of the 1st Air Cavalry Division from February 1969 to February 1970. I don't receive many promotional book copies so I was tickled to get this one, but I was even more pleased to see the title, "I Remember Quan Loi - Annus Horribilis - The Horrible Year". David had served his entire Vietnam service tour in one of our "favorite" places - Quan Loi. His unit was located right next to Alpha Btry 6/27th Arty.....(Continued).

Iraq: The Path to War
Can you believe it has been six years since the United States invaded Iraq, with over 4247 soldiers killed (as of the date shown above) and $613 billion later. If you would like to go back to the beginning and refresh your memory just how we got there visit npr.org for a fine short historical refresher course. Visit this link from 2006 and listen to a concise report titled "Iraq Three Years Later: The Path to War", by NPR Morning Edition's Mike Shuster which aired March 20, 2006, the third anniversary of the war. Discover if what you originally thought at the beginning still holds true today.

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WHO WILL IF YOU DON'T?

Records Show Doubts on ’64 Vietnam Crisis By ELISABETH BUMILLER NYTimes.com

Records Show Doubts on ’64 Vietnam Crisis By ELISABETH BUMILLER
NYTimes.com