The 519th Transportation Association Thailand

• 3,403,100 (including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the Southeast Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand, and sailors in adjacent South China Sea waters).

• 2,594,000 personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam (January 1, 1965 - March 28, 1973).
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Meritorious Unit Commendation
(Army)

NDFS             VSM          RCVM

THE BEGINNING:

The 519th Transportation Association, Thailand has a short but unique history first as an idea in the mind of an old veteran who wanted to know if there were others from his unit in Thailand, the 519^th Transportation Battalion (Truck).

Beginning in 1995 quite a few snail mail letters were sent out which generated a number of phone call confirmations.

With the advent of a user friendly internet (Thanks Al Gore), in 1996 it was time to go online. The initial name of our online veterans group was aptly called "The United States Army Transportation Association, Thailand". Quite a mouthful. The focus was aimed at a particular segment of military veterans.

It was almost immediately apparent that Army transportation was but a small part of the military presence in Thailand. The scope was widened and the focus broadened to include ALL military personnel stationed in Thailand, regardless of branch or assignment dates. This change has had tremendous effects, enabling us to reach out to veterans of all types of units, even predating the Vietnam War years.

A direct result in this change brought on the need for an organizational name change and a new logo.

The name was changed to "The 519^th Transportation Association, Thailand" and the logo is a hand drawn (by our graphic arts folks) depicting the unit crest of the 519th Transportation Battalion surrounded by the group name.

Additionally a patch was developed contains the title "519th Transportation Association" centered on top, with the 519th Transportation Battalion crest in the center, with the 9th Logistical Command patch to the wearers right, and the United States Army Support Command, Thailand patch to the wearers left, the word "THAILAND" is centered below. The bold gold lettering on a black background make this patch easy to adapt to cap, jacket, vest or ??

We now include and actively seek veterans and personnel (family and friends too) of ALL branches of service and civilians who served in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Membership is free, as we charge No Membership Fees. We are a not-for-profit online veterans group. Our goal is education of the general public, as well as those military personnel who served during the Vietnam War.

We encourage everyone to join our group as an association member, and as a site member for this site. Site members can post pictures, upload documents and share their experience with others on this site.

We encourage everyone to join us for our reunions (every 2 years - since 2002), so go to our reunion page for more details.

HOW WE'VE AFFECTED OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY

There have been numerous side effects stimulating out of this website since its creation. The first has been either the creation or enabling of other veterans organizations to go "online" with a web presence:

• ATAV - First there was a call from Georgia, which resulted in an existing veteran's organization "The Army Transportation Association, Vietnam" to gain a web presence in 1996.
• TLC Brotherhood - Then there was a phone call from New Hampshire, which resulted in the web presence and ultimate creation of the "Thailand, Laos and Cambodia Brotherhood" in 1997.
• The 18th Aviation Company Otter Nest - Another was the creation of an online presence in the form of "The 18^th Aviation Company Otter Nest" Website in 2006.
• USARSUPTHAI - Still another was the creation and web presence of "The United States Army Support Command, Thailand Association "website in 2009.
• OTHERS INSPIRED - A number of other websites have been inspired by the creation of this site since its inception.
• DATA COLLECTION - Another side effect has been the collection of official, unofficial, personal stories and photographs about the various units stationed in Thailand that comprise the meat of this website.
• REUNIONS - Are held every 2 years since 2002, with the next coming up in 2012. These too began as an idea exchanged between two veterans who met for the first time in 2000, over coffee in Colorado Springs. One was a mere truck driver (Joseph J. Wilson, Jr., SFC, USA (Retired) from one of the line truck companies, while the other was the former commanding officer (H. Fred Middleton, COL, USA (Retired) - deceased) who deployed the 519^th Transportation Battalion from Fort Meade, MD, to Thailand in 1966. All reunions are self supporting as registrants prepay at registration for their banquet meal, and pay for their own rooms at check out. A modest registration fee covers hospitality room and/or incidentals incurred during the reunion.
• MUSEUM EXHIBIT - Efforts began in 2006 at the US Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia to create a historic display of United States Army Motor Transport Operations in Thailand. The 519th Transportation Association, Thailand provided personal items from our members, as well as official documentation to establish the efforts of a single transportation truck battalion in the Thailand Theatre of Operations from 1966 - 1976. Feel free to stop in at the museum when you are in the Fort Eustis, Virginia area and inquire on the status of this special display. Once the display is up, be sure to take photo's and email them to me at [jjwilson (at) pcisys (dot) net] so they can be added on this website.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE:

There is much more to this organization than one person can do, and your input is vital to keeping this site updated. (If you have sent photos or material that you'd like returned to you, please let me know and I'll get them in the mail as quickly as possible.)

HOW TO JOIN:

Membership in the 519th Transportation Association, Thailand is free and open to anyone with an interest in or connection to Thailand. Simply contact me with your basic information: NAME, UNIT, DATES, BASE, CURRENT HOMETOWN, & EMAIL ADDRESS). You will be added to our members page (no fee), plus invitations to join our email server on Yahoo Groups, and website membership link will be sent to you.

From "Moose" Osegueda's photo files

What DA PAM covers maintenance?
DA PAM 750-8

What is a TM?
A Technical Manual, outlines the specific scope of repairs on equipment

What series of manuals refer to organizational maintenance?
The 20 series

Who is required to perform a PMCS?
Every operator who is assigned a piece of equipment

What forms are filled out at the time of dispatch?
• DD Form 1970- Vehicle utilization record
• DA Form 2401- Organizational control record for equipment

What is the DA Form 2407 used for?
To request support maintenance on a piece of equipment

Before a vehicle can be dispatched, what safety equipment must be present?
Fire extinguishers (up to date inspection tags), complete first aid kit and highway warning kit

What is a class 1 leak?
Seepage of fluid not great enough to form drops

What is a class 2 leak?
Seepage of fluid great enough to form drops, but not great enough to cause the drops to fall during inspection

What is a class 3 leak?
Seepage of fluid great enough to form drops and drip during inspection

What does the Acronym MAIT stand for?
Maintenance Assistance and Instruction Team

If you stayed with it this far I've got you hooked, Right?

Truck