84th Engineer Battalion (Construction)
Association Viet Nam

Area of Operation 5

The main part of the 35th Group left Ft Polk on 12 May 1965.
With the 84th and 864th Battalions, the 513th Co (Dump Truck), the 584th Co
(Light Equip.), 178th Co (Maint), & 53rd Engr Co (Supply Point), the 35th boarded the
USNS Eltinge and left San Francisco, CA on 13 May. While enroute the old WWII Liberty
ship, (just out of mothballs) had a lot of mechanical problems - including multiple pump failures
in the mid-Pacific. The ship was towed 500 miles to Midway Island, where all the troops and
cargo were transferred to the USNS Barrett.
   The Barrett sailed to Vietnam via the Philippines, where dependents wereoff-loaded. At this
unscheduled stop Colonel Haskins, the leader of the 35th Group advanced party,  was able
to fly in from Saigon and brief the staff officers who were aboard
the ship - immediately thereafter returning to Saigon. On 9 June 1965, just 27 days after leaving
S.F. CA ,the USNS Barrett dropped anchor in Cam Ranh Bay.

                       These Engineers represented the First major contingent of US
                                    Army Engineers landing in Vietnam.

Photos 1 through 5 provided by Bob Korte of A Co. 1965

The USNS Eltinge being towed to Midway Island

Escort ship

Aboard the Eltinge

U.S. Naval Station Midway Island

Camp Williams Qui Nhon In honor of SP/5 Sherman Williams
 Company C. killed 9 July 1965

The next pictures provided by Tiny Freeman of B Co 84th 1965

The R.O.K. Compound Qui Nhon 1965

Bars set up just outside of camp

Rail Road station Hwy 19

Grass huts

Road side business

Along Hwy 19 1965   (Pleiku)

Saigon

Vietnamese  Taxi (VC. APC.)

 

 

Street vendors