In this aerial shot, the hills called Montezuma and Tripoli can be seen along the South China Sea. Montezuma is the closest hill in the center, with Tripoli just on the other side of it. These hills were named by the Marines who came ashore here in about 1966. LZ Bronco is at the base of Montezuma, and the village of Duc Pho is in front of LZ Bronco. This area is about 60 miles south of Chu Lai, the division headquarters for the Americal Division.
In this picture, the village of Duc Pho is seen from the air, with the national highway, QL-1, bisecting it from the lower right and going north to the upper left. In the upper right corner, you can see part of the airstrips at LZ Bronco.
You can also see the airstrips from the top of Montezuma. The airstrips were long enough to allow helicopters and C-130s to land and take off. The helicopter crews lived in the areas shown in the center of this picture.
Here is another shot of the airstrip area from another direction. Several aviation units were based out of LZ Bronco. From here, you can also see the communications towers located on the top of Montezuma.
LZ Bronco was also home to the 174th Aviation Company which flew the helicopters that transported the soldiers, especially the grunts, from place to place and provided firepower when needed. The transport helicopters were called the Dolphins, and the gunships were called the Sharks. Here, you can see the “Have Gun – Will Travel” shark as it sits in “Shark Park.” This shark was flown by CW2 Fred Thompson (Shark 7), whose tour was during 70-71. The 174th has a great website located at www.americal.org/174/.
Seen here in the center of this picture, a POW camp was located near the Bronco Chapel and the headquarters for the 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry. Painted in white on the roofs of the buildings, but not visible in the picture, were large letters spelling out POW. The sign on the pole near the center of the picture says “Restricted Area, No Photography.” Little did the sign work.
The village of Duc Pho is just on the other side of the wire along the bunker line. There was very little separation between LZ Bronco and the village. In fact, it was very difficult to keep the dope dealers (children) and the prostitutes from penetrating the barrier, day or night.
The line of defensive bunkers along the perimeter were manned each night by support personnel from the infantry battalions. This one was defended by troops from Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry.
From the Aid Station for the 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry and looking towards Duc Pho, here is a CH-47 Chinook helicopter taking off from the battalion’s chopper pad. Notice the urinal next to the road. This picture was taken in September, 1969.
The battalion’s rear area had a “Battalion Street.” This path went uphill between the different company headquarters on the left side and their supporting supply rooms on the right side. The battalion Post Office is on the right, with the XO’s office on the left, followed the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) orderly room, then Alpha Company, and so on up the street.
The battalion staffing board outside of the HHC orderly room listed the commander’s name and all of his staff officers. This staff board was from about January, 1971.
The Aid Station was across from the HHC orderly room. The Aid Station was very solidly built because the previous one had taken a direct hit from a 122mm rocket in about 1969. Duc Pho was known as “The Rocket Pocket” because of all the rockets it had been hit with in the past.
This is the road that ran behind the supply rooms and up to the motor pool. This picture was taken from the Aid Station area.
The Aid Station area is on the left with the “Supply Street,” from the previous photo, on the right. The medic’s “patio” is in the center, and their hootch is just to the left.
The medic’s hootch is shown here with their cold water shower.
The entrance to the Aid Station was protected by a blast wall. The medical platoon leader at the time, Dave Eckberg, is standing in front of the blast wall.
Located inside the Aid Station was the treatment area where first aid could be given and minor problems could be cared for. IV bottles were always hanging on the walls, in case of an emergency.
At night, the treatment room sometimes became a gathering place and party room. Here are a bunch of guys from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry who got together for a few beers and some music. From left to right, Dave Eckberg, Jim Andros, Dick Burns, Carlen, John Birchett (seated), Mike Bush, and Steve Liberti.
Doctor (CPT) Kenyon Kugler plays his guitar in the Aid Station. He left the battalion in about October, 1970.
The floor shows were very popular, and sometimes they were very racy!
This soldier is trying to retrieve his glasses which somehow got wedged between the dancer’s leg and G-string.
The place was always crowded for the floor shows, and all the seats were always taken. Most soldiers sat along the Mess Hall wall, and from inside, the windows of the Mess Hall were full of guys standing up and looking out. Anyone recognize themselves here in about October, 1970?
The medics got tired of the ratty little shower they had. So, they built a new one. Here are SP6 Foxworth (clinical specialist for the battalion), Tim Nicholson, and Dave Eckberg at work on the new shower.
The whole medical platoon got into the act of building the new shower. Here are SSG Van Dinter, left, and Doctor Mike Dang painting the newly completed shower. The water heater was ingenious: an IV bottle was filled with diesel fuel that dripped into a 105mm canister that had some gauze in the bottom. This contraption heated the water up very nicely.
Over a year before the hot water shower was built, the medics in the rear area also built a patio in September, 1969. Here you can see the beginning stages of the construction with Bernard Kelly (New Jersey) on the left and SGT Bowey on the right. Kelly was the foreman of the patio project. SGT Bowey was about 40 years old at the time. All materials for the project were “appropriated” late at night.
Here is another view of the patio being built, with Montezuma in the background.
This is a completed view of the patio. The Aid Station shown here is the rebuilt version after it was previously destroyed by rocket fire on LZ Bronco in mid 1969, in which several medics were wounded and killed and the Battalion Surgeon named Gold lost a hand.
During the monsoon season, the lowlands flooded, and water came up almost to the bunker lines. In November 1970, about 45 inches of rain fell in 2 1/2 days, and most of Duc Pho ended up under water. This picture was taken from the patio and Aid Station area.
The sun came out for Christmas in 1970. Here is SSG Van Dinter, SSG Boicourt, SP6 Foxworth, SP5 Dick Burns, and Doc Dang at the Aid Station patio enjoying a cookout and a few drinks.
For those lucky enough to be in the rear, there were “hootch maids” who cleaned up the barracks and washed everyone’s clothes. Here is Laun, the “hootch maid” for the Aid Station, washing uniforms the old-fashioned way.
Because the water table was so high in Vietnam, pit toilets were not used. This picture shows how our “solid wastes” were disposed of.
Before driving onto LZ Bronco, there was always this friendly reminder to clear your weapon to prevent you from causing an accident.
And, this sign at the ammo supply point expressed the feelings most of us had while we were in Vietnam.
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