| Page 27 Photos From David (AKA Wally) McNaught |
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| My name is David McNaught. I served in Vietnam from September 29, 1967 to September 28, 1968. I was based the entire time at Camp Camelot, home of the 71st Transportation Battalion. My initial duty was for a period of six weeks in the Headquarters Company Battalion Message Center. Bi-weekly trips were made with SP5 Larry Taylor and SP4 Jarvis Rau to the 4th Transportation Command in Saigon and to the Newport Terminal, northeast of Saigon. |
| David McNaught -Wallydog - Late 1967 |
| Time was also spent in construction of Adams prefabs, protective bunkers, and sandbag details. I observed the final removal of the tents. There was a tremendous increase in the number of assigned personnel to the 71st, which created its own set of problems in billeting, movement of incoming personnel, and the morale problems because of the long hours worked by all personnel with the 12-hour shifts worked at Newport and the two hours spent in transit. |
| I'm in the front in civies drinking a beer from my canteen cup. SP4 Larry Taylor from Maryland is right behind me. |
| On November 6, 1967 I was requested to replace the Sergeant in charge of the Battalion PX located in a trailer outside Battalion Headquarters. The lack of off time access to a PX that provided all the necessary daily living needs of the hard working GI's made it necessary to have a well-stocked facility operating long hours to cover both periods of off time for night and day people. |
| SP5 Ouellette in top left background, just getting back from the showers. Some of the other guys in the photo wereSP4 Winnicki, SP4 Jarvis Rau, and Sp4 Jim Tompkins. Front center with plaid shirt on is Michael Carpenter, HHD BN clerk. The guy in the yellow shirt, far right, is John Brown. |
| Another One Of Those Late Night Beer Sessions |
| I was a licensed CPA in civilian life. The Battalion Command learned of this and selected me to fill a critical need, the responsibility of management of all aspects of the Battalion PX, including ordering and retrieval of all merchandise from the II Field Forces Main PX. The previous management was a concern due to reported shortages and inadequate supply. The Command reported a morale problem as line company personnel were not able to complete their daily mission, make the long trip to Newport, and get their necessary daily living needs taken care of. The71st PX became one of the more successful adjuncts of the II Field Force PX. The 71st PX closed in October 1968, a month after my departure when the 64 Quartermaster PX in the adjacent area opened. |
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| Left to Right - Jarvis Rau - Jim Tompkins - Larry Taylor - Not Sure About The Other Guy |
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| I operated the PX under the auspices of II Field Forces PX while remaining assigned to the 71st. Sales increased by 400 to 500% and reported shortages were reduced to minimal amounts for the next 10 months. I also managed the financial record keeping for the EM Club opened near the newly constructed Battalion amphitheatre. In late December, 1967, because of my CPA background, I was asked by the Adjutant, Capt. Hendrix, to keep the books and file reports for the Sundry Fund, which received income from the EM Clubs. Later in my tour, I also kept the books for a Battalion EM Club, which was opened and managed by various Battalion personnel and civilian employees. I was promoted to SP5 on March 27, 1968. |
| I wonder what the Colonel would have said about this. |
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| The three photos above are of SP5 Jim Tompkins. Jim was the personal driver for the commanding officer, LTC Frederick Hagreen. Jim was the son of a VP of Engineering for Oldsmobile Division of Gereral Motors. I grew very close to Jim as his bunk was across from mine and he also drove me many times when I needed him and the CO did not need him. |
| Due to the access to the Battalion area of operations, I assisted Sgt.Chang and others with providing security and hospitality for several USO groups to our area, specifically Coach Woody Hayes from Ohio State and several Australian music groups. I made several trips with Sgt. Chang to Saigon to arrange or confirm future groups. I also attended Bob Hope's Long Binh Christmas Show. Of interest was the red alert and gunfire that stopped Woody Hayes' film show. He was traumatized by the incident and chose not to continue. |
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| Dennis Koziel - AKA Chuck Wagon |
| Dennis Koziel - Served 25 Months In Vietnam |
| On September 8, 1968 my replacement had assumed responsibility for the PX operation. To fill in my final days, I volunteered to work with the Battalion Chaplain in dealing with the orphans from the orphanage next to Newport, who were being supported by the Battalion. Thirty-seven boys and two girls were transported to Camp Camelot for a movie in the chapel, a meal in the mess hall, and a trip to the 24th Evacuation Hospital for minor physical exams and smallpox and diptheria vaccinations. It was a very rewarding experience for all who assisted. |
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| Left Photo - Lt. Doyle Gaither - The officer in charge of me for most of my tour. He was the assistant adjutant and handled personnel matters in the Battalion. Right Photo - First Sargent Chang And Lt. Gaither - Sargent Chang went out on a limb for me and several others. I worked for him in matters related to the NCO Club. He worked in personnel for the Battalion. |
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| The six photos above are of another good friend of mine, Bob Masteller who hailed from Bremerton, Washington. He was a real funny character and we had a lot of good times together. He had a pregnant wife at the same time mine was expecting. |
| In mid September 1968 I was rewarded with a leave to the R&R Center at Camp Zoma between Yokahama and Tokyo, visiting Mt. Fuji, Lake Hakone, and Tokyo where I visited the National Olympic Complex, the Toyko Tower, the Imperial Palace, the Ginza District, and attended a Japanese floor show and dined with 20 other GI's in a fine restaurant that featured Kobe beef served by Kimono clad geisha girls. |
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| These two photos are of SP5 Nelson Ouellette, known as the Frenchman, who doubled as a barber for many of us. Nelson ran the Battalion Message Center which received all of the mail and broke it down for all of the companies. I worked for the first month and a week for him. |
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| Left - Me And David Waters - Right - David Waters From North Carolina - David was one of the nicest gentlemen I met in the service. |
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| Left Photo - SP5 Rick Lemons from Iowa. Rick was an artist and a draftsman for the Battalion. He and I ate lobstertail one night until I got sick. Lucky it was the only time that we ever saw lobster. - Right Photo - SP5 Kazimere Winnicki, our good- natured Polack who took a lot of ribbing. |
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| SP5 Peacock - Worked In Personnel |
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| This is me when I had the "Wally Cox" look from shaving my hair. The nickname of Wally or Wallydog stuck and no one knew my real first name. |
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| In my bunk writing home. I still have all my letters I sent home to my ex-wife. Note my Wally haircut and glasses. |
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| Left Photo - Going home party for Jarvis Rau and Mark French. We drank US and a Korean beer known as Crown on the athletic field in pitch dark. The flash and the coals of the BBQ were the only light and the beer was potluck. The next day there were half full Korean beer cans that had to be cleaned up. Right Photo - Me, Jarvis and Jim Tompkins. Rau and SP5 Mark French left the next day for the 90th Replacement Battalion. SP5 Ouellette, SP4 Larry Taylor and I visited Rau before his plane left and gave him his SP5 promotion, which was a trick promotion that was valid but was done with no official sanction by the Battalion. Don't know which Sargent in personnel pulled this one off. There were few promotions in that period of time. He deserved it. |
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| Miss Tot On Opening Day Of PX - Nov. 1967 |
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| PX Operation On Camp Camelot |
| Left Photo - Miss Tot And SP4 Bill Hahn From St. Louis - Right Photo - Pensive Miss Tot Behind Register - She Said she was 18 but later proved to be 15. |
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| Looking From My Hootch Toward The PX Trailer - Note No Amphitheatre |
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| Left Photo-Miss Tot And SP4 Bill Hahn At Exit Of PX Trailer-Right Photo-Miss Tot On A Break During Midday Closure |
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| Preparation For Concrete Floor Of New Adams Hut Right In Front Of PX Trailer |
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| Stock Boy At Rear Of PX Trailer Fully-Stocked PX |
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| Me And Miss Tot In Front Of PX Trailer |
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| Miss Tot In Front Of PX Trailer |
| Left Photo - Miss Tot Waiting For Customer - The chart on the wall was where we registered daily sales totals for each quarter. - Right Photo - Christmas Candle Sent From Home - I set it on the drink cooler. |
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| Miss Tot And A Camera Shy SP4 Bill Hahn Me Wally San After A Hard Day At The PX |
| This concludes the first page of David McNaught's photos. Please check back later. I will be adding more pages with photos from David. Thank you David for sending in all the photos and info. Although David and I were at Camp Camelot for about nine months of the same time, we never met then, but now we have. |
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| David And I At The 2004 Long Binh Vietnam Veterans Reunion in Pigeon Forge, TN - July 1, 2004 - 36 Years Later |
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| Full Speed Ahead |
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| Some Of The Troops Getting Supplies |
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| The Green Green Grass Of Home - Tom Jones - 1966 |
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