Reefer Kings 379th Transportatio

SO I WENT TO THE DRAFT BOARD AN ASKED THEM WHEN I WAS GOING . THEY SAID THREE MONTHS, I WOULD GET MY NOTICE. I STARTED OUT AND THOUGHT, WELL I AM GOING TO THINK AND WORRY ABOUT THIS FOR THREE MONTHS NOW. AND IF I SIGNED THE VOLUNTEER DRAFT I COULD HAVE BASIC AND ORDERS FOR NAM BY THEN. AND BE WITH MY BUDDIES. SO I SIGNED IT. THE WOMEN TOLD ME I WOULD BE SENT A NOTICE THE NEXT DAY. I SAID GOOD DEAL . STARTED OUT THE DOOR. THE U. S. ARMY RECRUITER WAS STRAIGHT ACROSS THE HALL. AND I STARTED THINKING. YOU DUMB SHIT NOW I’LL BE A GRUNT OR A DOOR GUNNER…! I WAS EIGHTEEN. SO I WENT INTO THE RECRUITERS OFFICE. AND LOOKED AT ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES I HAD. I FOUND 51L20/REFRIGERATION & A/C SPECIALIST. I HADN’T HEARD OF ONE OF THEM GETTING KILLED IN NAM. I SIGNED UP .

I WENT AIT AT FT BELVOIR, VA 11 WEEKS. AT COMPLETION OF THE CLASS IN THE GRAD CEREMONY . WE RECEIVED ORDERS FOR NAM ,GRAD CERTIFICATE ,AND ADVANCED FROM PVT E-1 TO SPEC. 4 E-4. OH AND A 30 DAY LEAVE

FOUR AND ONE HALF MONTHS LATER GUESS WHERE I WAS. ?? LONG BINH ,90^th REPLACEMENT BATTALION .

FROM THERE I WAS SENT TO THE 379^th TC REEFER KINGS, 7^th TC BN. , 48^th GROUP, 1^st LOG. DIV. USARV. LONG BINH AS A REEFER MECHANIC.

WELL AFTER TIME I GOT BORED IN THE MOTOR POOL. AND STARTED VOLUNTEERING FOR SHOTGUN ON CONVOYS. WE WENT TO TAY NINH, DAO TANG, CU CHI, DONG TAM, AN LOC, EVERYWHERE IN III & IV CORP IN SOUTH VIET NAM . I THINK EVEN CAMBODIA , OH BUT WE WERE NOT THERE. YA. THERE WERE AMBUSHES . BUT SOME HOW THE GRUNTS ALWAYS PROTECTED US AND GOT THE GOOKS. WE WOULD DRIVE THROUGH OR WAIT FOR THE GRUNTS ,GUNSHIPS AND F-4’S TO CLEAN THE ROAD A HEAD OF US. I WENT ON SALVAGE CONVOYS. SOME HOW I NEVER GOT HURT OR SHOT. OUR TRUCKS WERE CALLED THE MINE SWEEPERS. BECAUSE WE WERE A REEFER TRAILER OUTFIT. THE ARMY HAD WHAT WAS CALLED MACH UNITS AND FOOD WAS NUMBER ONE , (SAID THAT THE GRUNTS COULD NOT OPERATE WITH AN EMPTY BELLY) SO WE WERE ALWAYS THE LEAD TRUCKS IN THE CONVOYS I GAVE THEM TWELVE MONTHS TO KILL ME. BUT SOME HOW I WAS LUCKY. AND NEVER GOT HIT.

WE LOADED AT SAIGON COLD STORAGE DOCKS . YOU KNOW I DO REMEMBER LOADING IN NEWPORT. BUT SPENT TIME THERE WHILE THE MP’S CLEARED AND STAGED THE TRUCKS TO AND FROM LONG BINH. AT NIGHT BECAUSE WE HAD TO HAVE THE TRAILERS LOADED FOR THE CONVOY’S STAGING AT 5 OR 6 am

WE WERE A REFRIGERATION TRAILER UNIT , SO OUR CARGO WAS PERISHABLE FOOD PRODUCTS , MILK ,MEAT (STEAKS TOO) WHICH WE ACQUIRED FOR OUR BBQ’S . I REMEMBER LOT OF “SARA LEE” PRODUCTS. LOBSTER FOR THE OFFICERS. OH THE AMBUSH PIC’S IN THIS ARTICLE WAS LOADED WITH “FOREMOST” MILK. AND BY THE TIME WE GOT THERE THREE DAYS LATER , SMELLED LIKE 10,000 DEAD GOOKS.

AS A REEFER MECHANIC WHEN ON CONVOY I WOULD BE SHOTGUN (M-60) AND WOULD RELIEVED THE DRIVER WHEN HE NEEDED IT. THE CONVOYS WERE USUALLY A TWELVE TO EIGHTEEN HOUR DAY IF NO AMBUSH WAS ENCOUNTERED . ANOTHER THOUGHT AFTER RETURNING TO THE COMPANY . WE HAD TO PREP THE TRUCK FOR THE CONVOY NEXT CONVOY WHICH WAS GOING RIGHT BACK OUT. THAT WAS FUELING , CHANGING ALL THE FLAT TIRES (USUALLY AN INSIDE DUAL WITH A 50 GAL. CASING STUCK THREW IT ) AND WASHING IT OFF

WELL. I AM THE TYPICAL KID OF THE NAM ERA. MY UNCLES AND RELATIVES WERE IN WW II. AND I WOULD HEAR THEIR WAR STORIES. AND WATCH TV, SEEING WALTER CRONKITE AN THE 20^th CENTURY . ON EVERY WEEK. SO WHEN NAM CAME AROUND I WAS READY TO GO. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN ? ALL MY BUDDIES HAD ALREADY JOINED OR HAD BEEN DRAFTED. SO GUESS WHAT ?, I WAS THE ONLY BOY IN THE NEIGHBOR HOOD LEFT. SO NATURALLY I NEEDED TO GO ALSO…
SO I WENT TO THE DRAFT BOARD AN ASKED THEM WHEN I WAS GOING . THEY SAID THREE MONTHS, I WOULD GET MY NOTICE. I STARTED OUT AND THOUGHT, WELL I AM GOING TO THINK AND WORRY ABOUT THIS FOR THREE MONTHS NOW. AND IF I SIGNED THE VOLUNTEER DRAFT I COULD HAVE BASIC AND ORDERS FOR NAM BY THEN. AND BE WITH MY BUDDIES. SO I SIGNED IT. THE WOMEN TOLD ME I WOULD BE SENT A NOTICE THE NEXT DAY. I SAID GOOD DEAL . STARTED OUT THE DOOR. THE U. S. ARMY RECRUITER WAS STRAIGHT ACROSS THE HALL. AND I STARTED THINKING. YOU DUMB SHIT NOW I’LL BE A GRUNT OR A DOOR GUNNER…! I WAS EIGHTEEN. SO I WENT INTO THE RECRUITERS OFFICE. AND LOOKED AT ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES I HAD. I FOUND 51L20/REFRIGERATION & A/C SPECIALIST. I HADN’T HEARD OF ONE OF THEM GETTING KILLED IN NAM. I SIGNED UP . I WENT AIT AT FT BELVOIR, VA 11 WEEKS. AT COMPLETION OF THE CLASS IN THE GRAD CEREMONY . WE RECEIVED ORDERS FOR NAM ,GRAD CERTIFICATE ,AND ADVANCED FROM PVT E-1 TO SPEC. 4 E-4. OH AND A 30 DAY LEAVE FOUR AND ONE HALF MONTHS LATER GUESS WHERE I WAS. ?? LONG BINH ,90^th REPLACEMENT BATTALION . FROM THERE I WAS SENT TO THE 379^th TC REEFER KINGS, 7^th TC BN. , 48^th GROUP, 1^st LOG. DIV. USARV. LONG BINH AS A REEFER MECHANIC. WELL AFTER TIME I GOT BORED IN THE MOTOR POOL. AND STARTED VOLUNTEERING FOR SHOTGUN ON CONVOYS. WE WENT TO TAY NINH, DAO TANG, CU CHI, DONG TAM, AN LOC, EVERYWHERE IN III & IV CORP IN SOUTH VIET NAM . I THINK EVEN CAMBODIA , OH BUT WE WERE NOT THERE. YA. THERE WERE AMBUSHES . BUT SOME HOW THE GRUNTS ALWAYS PROTECTED US AND GOT THE GOOKS. WE WOULD DRIVE THROUGH OR WAIT FOR THE GRUNTS ,GUNSHIPS AND F-4’S TO CLEAN THE ROAD A HEAD OF US. I WENT ON SALVAGE CONVOYS. SOME HOW I NEVER GOT HURT OR SHOT. OUR TRUCKS WERE CALLED THE MINE SWEEPERS. BECAUSE WE WERE A REEFER TRAILER OUTFIT. THE ARMY HAD WHAT WAS CALLED MACH UNITS AND FOOD WAS NUMBER ONE , (SAID THAT THE GRUNTS COULD NOT OPERATE WITH AN EMPTY BELLY) SO WE WERE ALWAYS THE LEAD TRUCKS IN THE CONVOYS I GAVE THEM TWELVE MONTHS TO KILL ME. BUT SOME HOW I WAS LUCKY. AND NEVER GOT HIT. WE LOADED AT SAIGON COLD STORAGE DOCKS . YOU KNOW I DO REMEMBER LOADING IN NEWPORT. BUT SPENT TIME THERE WHILE THE MP’S CLEARED AND STAGED THE TRUCKS TO AND FROM LONG BINH. AT NIGHT BECAUSE WE HAD TO HAVE THE TRAILERS LOADED FOR THE CONVOY’S STAGING AT 5 OR 6 am WE WERE A REFRIGERATION TRAILER UNIT , SO OUR CARGO WAS PERISHABLE FOOD PRODUCTS , MILK ,MEAT (STEAKS TOO) WHICH WE ACQUIRED FOR OUR BBQ’S . I REMEMBER LOT OF “SARA LEE” PRODUCTS. LOBSTER FOR THE OFFICERS. OH THE AMBUSH PIC’S IN THIS ARTICLE WAS LOADED WITH “FOREMOST” MILK. AND BY THE TIME WE GOT THERE THREE DAYS LATER , SMELLED LIKE 10,000 DEAD GOOKS. AS A REEFER MECHANIC WHEN ON CONVOY I WOULD BE SHOTGUN (M-60) AND WOULD RELIEVED THE DRIVER WHEN HE NEEDED IT. THE CONVOYS WERE USUALLY A TWELVE TO EIGHTEEN HOUR DAY IF NO AMBUSH WAS ENCOUNTERED . ANOTHER THOUGHT AFTER RETURNING TO THE COMPANY . WE HAD TO PREP THE TRUCK FOR THE CONVOY NEXT CONVOY WHICH WAS GOING RIGHT BACK OUT. THAT WAS FUELING , CHANGING ALL THE FLAT TIRES (USUALLY AN INSIDE DUAL WITH A 50 GAL. CASING STUCK THREW IT ) AND WASHING IT OFF
QUAN LOI AMBUSH I THREE DAYS LATER I WAS ONE OF THE MECHANICS SENT TO SALVAGE OUR REEFER TRAILER. YOU’LL SEE IT ON ITS SIDE IN THESE PIC’S. I DROVE A 2 ½ TON DEUCE AND HALF . WE TOOK A WRECKER AND PULLED THE REEFER UNIT OFF THE TRAILER. TOOK BACK TO THE COMPANY… WHILE THERE WE WERE TAKING SMALL ARMS FIRE. BUT LIKE I SAID I WAS BLESSED AND NEVER GOT HIT.
DID THAT FOR A TOUR 12 MONTHS NOV. 68/69. THEN WAS SENT TO FT HUACHUCA , AZ. HATED THAT AND PUT IN TO GO BACK TO NAM. THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO RE-UP. I SAID NO. AND A MONTH LATER I WAS SENT TO KAISERSLAUTERN GERMANY. OH YES AFTER NAM. WELL I PARTIED FOR ABOUT 5 YRS. THEN MADE A MISTAKE AND GOT MARRIED. LASTED I THINK 6 YRS... HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, 30YRS OLD THIS MONTH. NEVER GOT MARRIED AGAIN. MEAN TIME I WENT SCHOOL AND APPRENTICESHIP SCHOOL, ENDED UP AT LOCAL #460 STEAMFITTER, AS A REFRIG. FITTER. TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WESTERN STATES CHASING UNION WORK. RETIRED AT 55 .AFTER 30 yrs IN THE LOCAL. AS SOON AS I RETIRED I GOT DIABETES TYPE 2. FOUND OUT THAT THE VA IS PAYING US NAM VETS FOR DIABETES TYPE 2. BECAUSE AGENT ORANGE IS GIVING US DIABETES AMONG LOTS OF OTHER THINGS. IT SCREWED MY THYROID AND I PUT ON LOT OF WEIGHT.

Reefer Kings 379th Transportation Company
By Roger Ashworth	The Orient Express