| 154th Transportation Company (Terminal Service) |
| The 154th Transportation Company (Terminal Service), commonly referred to as the Anchor Team, joined the 4th Transportation Command (TML C) from Okinawa during December 1966. It was initially assigned to the 71st Transportation Battalion, Newport, and operated a portion of the terminal facilities. On 25 May 1969, the unit was assigned to the US Army Transportation Battalion, Saigon (Provisional). It was charged with the mission of operating three deep draft berths in the commercial port of Saigon, discharging, backloading and clearing general and refrigerated cargo, as well as operating the consolidated MHE maintenance facility and a dunnage yard. On December 31, 1969, United States Army operations in the port of Saigon were curtailed and on 31 January, after phase-out of the Provisional Battalion, the Anchor Team was again assigned to the 71st Transportation Battalion, Newport. The 154th Transportation Company is now operating a river barge site at Tay Ninh in support of the 25th Division, supplying personnel as necessary to supervise discharge of USAID cargo and transfer of MASF cargo in the commercial port of Saigon, as well as operating the retrograde yard and vehicle wash facilities at Newport |
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| Members of the 154th Transportation Company in Vietnam |
| Frank Carletta Allan Furtado Wally Peregrine Authur Poulin Larry Letterman William Smith Donald Dillman Danny Robinson Barry Moreland James Borowski Ronald Melton David Chapman Jr Don Chambers Chuck Hurst Tom Brown Gordon Paul James L. Lake ***** R. Dale Taylor Klim Nesmith Robert Batz Phil Wright Ruben Mora Gregory Farris David Carpenter Samuel Cutlip Ronald Chavez James R. Krupa Van Woody Jr Thomas Gardner Dean Thome Ivy R. Willis Jr. Charles T. Schultheis Larry Sheffey Michael C. Walser Jack Rhodes John Edward Smith Gary G. Tabor Frank Hunter Joe Drinon Dan Ireland |
| May June Oct Dec Dec Dec Dec Jan NA NA NA Oct NA NA NA Mar July Feb Dec Dec Sept Jan Oct Oct Jan May Dec N/A Oct Dec Jan Oct Aug April Sept Jan May Dec Sept June |
| Rome, NY Plymouth, MA No Info Unicoi, TN No Info No Info No Info Portsmouth, OH No Info No Info No Info Blaine, WA No Info CA No Info LA No Info Gainesville, TX Aurora, IL Logan, WV Nashville, GA Middletown, NJ No Info Midland,TX San Jose, CA Kansas City, MO Blair, West Virginia Fresno, CA N/A Pembroke, NH No Info Stacyville, IA Spring, TX N/A Vallejo, CA Naples, FL N/A Athens, GA Wilmington, DE N/A NH Lakeside, AZ |
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| **James Lee (Jimmy) Lake was KIA during a rocket and mortar attack at Newport Terminal on May 12, 1968** |
| Full Speed Ahead |
| Greg Farris Allan Furtado David Carpenter David Chapman Frank Carletta Van Woody Ronald Chavez James Krupa Larry Sheffey Joe Drinon |
| 1967 1967 1967 1966 1966 1966 1966 1967 NA NA NA 1967 NA NA NA 1968 1967 1969 1966 1967 1968 1967 1967 1967 1967 1968 1966 1970 1967 1966 1968 1966 1966 1967 1967 1967 1967 1966 1968 1967 |
| May June Oct Sept June July June Nov NA NA NA Oct NA NA NA Mar *** Feb NA July Sept Jan Dec Nov Jan May N/A N/A Oct Mar Oct Sept Aug April Sept Jan May Dec Sept June |
| 1968 1968 1968 1967 1967 1967 1967 1967 NA NA NA 1968 NA NA NA 1969 *** 1970 NA 1967 1969 1968 1969 1968 1968 1969 1968 1970 1968 1967 1968 1967 1967 1968 1968 1968 1968 1967 1969 1968 |
| Campaign Participation Credits Vietnam Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, PhaseII Counteroffensive, Phase III Tet Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase IV Counteroffensive, Phase V Counteroffensive, Pahse VI Tet 69/Counteroffensive Summer-Fall 1969 Winter-Spring 1970 Sanctuary Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase VII Consolidation I Decorations Meritorious Unit Commendation- 1 July 68 - 31 Mar 69 |
| MHE Maintenance Newport MHE Maintenance Newport NA Stevedore/Fuel Handler NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Mess Cook NA NCO 1st Ship Platoon NA NA Newport Barge Site Operations Security Guard Newport Stevedore Hatch 5 Mess Cook N/A Camelot Security Newport Stevedore Longshoreman LST Site Longshoreman Newport Staging Ops Truck Driver R/T Maintenance Cargo Handler / Longshoreman Jeep Driver for 1sg 1sgt OIC Newport LST / Barge Operations Stevedore / Documentation Clerk |
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| Photo Courtesy Of United States Army Transportation Museum At Fort Eustis, Virginia |
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| The Formation Of The 154th Transportation Company By Larry Sheffey The 154th Transportation Company (Terminal Service) was formed in July 1966 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Its’ initial members came from other U.S. Army units from all over the world. At Ft. Meade the 154th was on casual duty awaiting unit PCS. In August 1966 the entire 154th TC boarded a commercial airliner in Maryland and flew to San Diego, California, where they boarded a U.S. Navy Troop Ship. The troop ship carried a few thousand U.S. Army soldiers, there were allot of other military units on board also, including about a thousand U.S. Marines, and a couple hundred U.S. Navy sailors who ran the ship. Life aboard ship was very casual for the army but the marines were up early every morning doing physical training and drill. We slept in hammocks stacked three high and lots of guys got seasick. We were housed according to our unit, and it took 28-days to cross the pacific ocean. No women on board, no entertainment, not even television, and no sight of land for 28-days. This was a unique experience for army guys. The food onboard ship was similar to what you would eat in the field, and the Marines were somewhat upset that the Army was on casual duty, walking around with their shirts open and not tucked in, etc. while they, the Marines, had to go through inspections, etc. Most of the army guys were draftees on their way to Vietnam. The troop ship arrived in Okinawa in September 1966; the 154th TC was the only unit to disembark. The ship left port while we were still standing on the docks waiting for ground transportation. It is rumored that the ship went on to Vietnam. In Okinawa the 154th TC was again placed on casual duty. We had formations, etc. but we were not working in our MOS. During the approximately three months that we were in Okinawa we inventoried our unit supplies and prepared for deployment to Vietnam. The 154th TC was located at Naha, Okinawa under the 2nd Logistical Command. On New Years Eve 1966 the 154th TC was transported by U.S. Army trucks to Kadena Airbase, Okinawa, and loaded onto C-141 aircraft for deployment to Vietnam. Everyone aboard the plane was in full combat dress; fatigues, helmets, M-14 rifles, and duffle bags. It was very quiet aboard the plane. At about 5 minutes after midnight someone said “Happy New Year 1967” and we landed at Ben Hoa Airbase, Vietnam. We unloaded from the plane, it was about 2:AM New Years Day, January 1, 1967. We got into company formation on the tarmac with our duffle bags in tow. There were bombs going off in a distance, tracers in the night sky, and a U.S. Air force Sergeant came over and said “Happy New Year and Welcome to Vietnam, the trucks will be here to pick you up shortly.” We were taken to a big wide open muddy field called “Long Bien.” We worked through the night and into the morning putting up a tent city with GP Large tents. After a few hours sleep we got back at it; building wooden walkways, setting up showers, outhouse, mess hall, orderly room, and building wooden floors for our GP large tents which we sleep in. Building perimeter defenses around the camp, filling sandbags, building bunkers, and putting up gates for road traffic. We did this for about our first week in Vietnam. Our second week in Vietnam we were introduced to the Saigon Docks (Newport), people were assigned jobs and we went to work, commuting back and forth in shifts. When I left Vietnam they were just putting up “Adams Huts” aluminum type barracks with concrete floors. The operation at Newport had become somewhat more streamline than it was in the beginning. I did not mention anything about the cave-in, and how we first thought it was and attack, sabotage, etc. Also I did not mention how the troop ship rudder got broke while we were out at sea and the ship went around in a circle for the most part of a day until they fixed it. |
| If you arrived on this page from a search, please don't miss the photo section. There are many photos of Newport, Camp Camelot, barge sites and the surrounding area. |
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