Dau Tieng Vietnam March 1967 - Surfing With Cancer My 2nd Vietnam

This is the 9th in a series of videos based on Will Lucas' letters home from Vietnam. After moving from Pleiku to Dau Tieng in Feb, 1967, C Company, 4th Engineering Battalion, 4th Infantry joined forces with the 25th Infantry, and eventually became part of the 65th Engineers with that Division. The base camp was just outside of an abandoned, and mined, Michelin Rubber Plantation.

While part of the unit went about building a mess hall for the 25th, most everyone else was busy keeping roads and bridges open. Part of that detail was mine sweeping, which left the Engineers continuously exposed to danger.

Most of my time in March was occupied with building a new bunker for the radio equipment. The underground bunker I was in was about to collapse from previous mortar explosions. Aside from long days of physical labor, I pulled night duty on a regular basis, and all I could do was think about my planned R&R to Hawaii. And finally it happened. But after returning to camp from a week of surfing, I learned of an ambush that killed three of our guys and injured even more.

I have though about these guys every year, and only found out recently that other guys I served with were equally troubled. The idea of a reunion at The Wall was brought forward by veterans Larry Andrews and Ron Gray. Joe Pappone and his wife Rose Ann took charge and arranged a beautiful, yet emotionally filled weekend, culminating with a tribute celebrated 50 years to the day, with 10 C Company veterans in attendance. We cried - we laughed - it was incredible.

D Company Engineer, Melvin Pope shares his stories and photos from Pleiku during the same period.