Photo Page 100 - Photos From Harry Shelton 154th Transportation Company - 1966

Photo Page 100
My name is Harry Shelton. I was one of the original members of the 154th Transportation Company. During the summer of 1966 while I was stationed in Germany, I was recalled back to the United States to be part
of the newly reactivated 154th Transportation Company. The new 154th was assembling its troops at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

Harry Shelton

In early June of 1966 the 154th Transportation Company was reactivated at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. The 154th was comprised of men that were taken from units around the world, mostly Europe. Some guys
were from missile units, some were from supply units, truck drivers from petroleum units, and others from Ordnance units. As the 154th started to build, men first reported to Fort Eustis, VA and then on to Fort
Meade. As time went on, they were to report directly to Fort George G. Meade. Because it was so difficult to keep track of all the guys coming in, we had 4 to 5 head count formations a day.

Fort George G. Meade, Maryland - Waiting for our transportation to Baltimore Washington International Airport for our flight to California. Photo Courtesy Of James Krupa - 154th Transportation Company

Photo Courtesy Of James Krupa - 154th Transportation Company

Fort George G. Meade, Maryland - Waiting for our transportation to Baltimore Washington International Airport for our flight to California.

Jim Krupa

Anyone remember any of these guys names?

Unknowns - Anyone remember them?

Jim Krupa - Harry Shelton - Harold Sharp & Unknowns

As time went on, new equipment was issued - steel pots, web gear and M14s. The company was taken to the rifle range to fire and sight in the new rifles, along with infantry tactics training. Finally the day came to leave
Fort Meade, but the company still did not know where they were going, only that it would be out of the United States. Everyone in the company had to get plague shots and turn in their saucer caps and dress green
uniforms. On Tuesday, August 9, 1966, the 154th boarded buses and were taken to Baltimore, Maryland International Airport where they unloaded from the buses, fell into formation and dropped their gear in place.
After waiting there for a couple of hours, they were loaded onto three 707s. As the planes left Baltimore, the company was then told that the destination was Oakland, California. All but one plane went to Oakland,
that one being diverted to San Diego Air Naval Station in California.

Harry Shelton In Okinawa - View from roof top of barracks.

Wayne Boyter & Harold Sharp in front of Naha Wheel PX.

Harry Shelton

Harry Shelton - View from roof top of barracks.

Wayne Boyter & Harold Sharp in front of Naha Wheel PX.

Harry Shelton & Wayne Boyter

Harry Shelton Playing With His Pull Toy, While Carlos Sisneros Watches - Okinawa

After landing, the duffle bags were loaded onto a 2½ - ton truck, while the men were loaded onto buses. The buses took the men to the Pickwick Hotel in downtown San Diego, which caused quite a stir as there was the
U.S. Army with full combat gear in a Navy/Marine town. The long-haired hippies walking down the street were harassed by the guys on the bus through the open windows. It was a fun source of entertainment. It was
finally decided that the guys would spend the night at the hotel and wait for the ship to come from Oakland to San Diego and pick up the rest of the 154th the next day. There was only one lieutenant and Sergeant
Crummer in charge of 80 plus men; needless to say, they had their hands full because there were guys scattered from San Diego to Tijuana, Mexico. There were some Marines staying at the hotel and some of the guys
buddied up with the Marines to boast about who was the best at what. The Marines didn't like the Navy at all but got along well with the Army. It didn't take long for it to get around that the Army was in town and for the
ladies, and I use the term loosely, of the evening and day to arrive at the hotel. They wanted to have a party for the 154th but hotel management said no. The rest is left to the imagination.

John Turnbow (551st) and Harry Shelton

Harold Sharp and Harry Shelton

Waiting for the Trucks to Take Us to the Air Base - Guillermo Bracero - Jim Krupa - Unknowns - Photo Courtesy Of James Krupa - 154th Transportation Company.

Guillermo Bracero - Carlos Sisneros - Harry Shelton - Manuel Quantanilla - Jim Krupa are some of the guys in this photo. Photo Courtesy Of James Krupa - 154th Transportation Company.

Photo Courtesy Of James Krupa - 154th Transportation Company

Waiting for the Trucks to Take Us to the Air Base
Guillermo Bracero - Jim Krupa - Unknowns

Guillermo Bracero - Carlos Sisneros - Harry Shelton - Manuel
Quantanilla - Jim Krupa are some of the guys in this photo.

154th Transportation Company arriving at Naha Wheel Okinawa Friday, August 26th, 1966. - Photo Courtesy Of James Krupa - 154th Transportation Company.

154th Transportation Company arriving at Naha Wheel Okinawa on Friday, August 26th, 1966.

Photo Courtesy Of James Krupa - 154th Transportation Company

The next day the Navy SPs helped gather the wayward 154th members back to the hotel where they were loaded onto buses and taken to the docks to wait for the ship with the remainder of the 154th arriving from
Oakland. After waiting about three or four hours, the USNS General William Weigel arrived and docked. The 154th guys were loaded onto the ship, along with Marines and the Navy that operated the ship. After some
fanfare from well wishers, the ship pulled away from the dock and soon the 154th was on its way to Okinawa. There was about 3,000 plus Army, Navy and Marines on board; the Marines were on their way to
Vietnam and the Navy was operating the ship. The crossing took 17 days from San Diego to Okinawa. The ship docked at the Port of Naha on Friday, August 26, 1966 at 0600 hours, and the 154th debarked and was
loaded onto 2½ - ton trucks and taken to the Naha Wheel.

Boarding the C-124 - Harold Sharp looking back as I take this photo.

Arriving in Vietnam - January 1, 1967

Arriving At Bien Hoa Air Base Vietnam

Bien Hoa Air Base - F-4 Phantom Behind Us

Moving out to Long Binh Post to set up the 154th Transportation Company base camp at Camp Camelot.

Freedom Bird at Bien Hoa Airbase

Arriving At Our Barracks In Okinawa

The Naha Wheel was on the end of the island on a bluff that overlooked the Port of Naha. The base had about seven or eight two-story barracks, a movie theater, service club and PX, as well as other buildings. The
wheel was next to the Naha Air Base. From the roof of the barracks you could watch the aircraft take off and land at the base. Within the week, the 154th was taken to the Port of Naha and introduced to where
they would be working OJT (on the job training). No one really knew much about being a stevedore, so this was new to almost everyone; since this was OJT, most got to choose the job they wanted. Not all of the 154th
worked at the docks-some guys worked at other jobs. The docks worked two 12-hour shifts, five days a week.

The weather in Okinawa was nice most of the time until there was a typhoon; one typhoon lasted almost three days. Everyone was confined to the barracks and was given C-Rations because the wind and rain were so
strong that no one could go to the mess hall. The wind blew out the window in the door at the end of the barracks and flooded both the upper and lower floors.

The Three Day Typhoon

Anyone Remember The Names Of These Men?

The word finally came that the 154th was going to Vietnam, but first to Cam Rahn Bay; then it was changed to Long Bihn. Part of the 154th was sent by LST as an advanced party with the new equipment that had been
issued to the 154th and to prepare for the rest of the company. Some tents had been set up by the time the rest of the company arrived at Camelot a few days later. The rest of the company was taken by air, some by
C-130s from Naha Air Base and some by C-124s from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. All arrived at Binh Hoa Air Base in Vietnam on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 1967. At Binh Hoa Air Base, the 154th was loaded onto
21 two-ton trucks for the trip to Camelot.

Setting up our tents before the moosoon season arrives.

Moving out to Long Binh Post to set up the 154th Transportation Company base camp at Camp Camelot.

Arriving At Camp Camelot

Setting up our tents before the monsoon season arrives.

At Camelot, the 154th found its new home in tents with dirt floors, soon to be mud floors. The first night was a new experience for most of the guys with lots of fireworks, i.e., tracers, shelling, flares. The unit was
introduced to the Vietnam rain on the second night. Water was running through the tents and turned the dirt floors into mud floors. In a few days, wood was located to start building wooden floors for the tents. In a few
days, the 154th was introduced to Newport and what the 154th was there to do. Soon the tents were out of the mud and on dry hardwood floors. "Nice" after about three months of living in tents (VERY HOT TENTS). If
you worked nights, you were up as soon as the sun was up because it was too hot to sleep. Tents that had no liners were like an oven. The construction of the pre-fab huts started in April, and by June, the 154th
was in the Adam Huts.

Photo Courtesy Of James Krupa - 154th Transportation Company

A couple of months after completing the 154th company area, the 154 moved its location about 100 yards west and begins setting up the new pre-fab aluminum Adams Huts. In March of 1967 the 551st Transportation
Company is reassigned from Cam Rahn Bay to the 71st Transportation Battalion at Camp Camelot, and sets up their company area where the 154th originally was. The 154th and the 551st are now side by side.

154th Tent City Is Complete