The 519th Transportation Association Thailand

Sawadee Transporters, Welcome Home!

313th Transportation Company

I am working on updating the individual history of the 313th Transportation Company, documenting its time in Thailand. The unit lineage is found on the 519th Transportation Battalion's History page. Thanks for everyone's support, hope this change will be an enhancement to the site.


I have been reading the emails from all you guys with great interest during this holiday period, and they have brought back many memories of one of the best years of my life.I took command of the 313th Trk Co. (Reefer) in Sept. 1969, succeeding Mike Fillmore. The 313th HQ was in Bangkok at that time, with the 3rd Plt in Sattahip, and the 33rd Plt in Korat. As I recall, we transported refrigerated cargo to 8 air bases, as well as Army installations, and to the Thai Special Forces at Kanchanaburi (we called it the "Fishheads and Rice" run.).

Bill Mantooth was the 519th Bn cdr, and he was succeeded by Bob Vidrick. Len Brown was Bn XO, and Dave Forcier was S-3.

I later served with Dave in USAREUR Trans Div in Heidelberg. I remember Steve Koons as a LT, and think I remember Larry Shelton. You guys always wanted the 313th to sponsor the monthly Bn Cdrs Conference and party, since we were located in Bangkok and I remember some wild times we had at them (remember those tiger-stripe tux jackets?).

I left the 313th in March, 1970 to return to Ft Eustis, and Curt Houston, who had been the Bn S-1 took over from me.

After tours all over, I retired in 1986.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year.
Bob Bonner


Larry - We must know each other, since we have many of the same memories. I remember the Pattaya runs, since I was with 9th Log Cmd during my first 6 mos. in Thailand, stationed at Camp Samae San (before we had electricity). Also remember the Korat O-Club. Took a convoy thru there during a pouring monsoon rain, and ran in club to get out of rain. Forgot to take my cap off, and some Air Force jockey rang the bell. Had to buy a round for all.
Also remember watching the moon landing on a small b/w tv while stationed at Samae San.
Re Bn Cdr's monthly conference/dinner: I remember hosting one in Bangkok and took everybody to the First Hotel afterwards. Young LT (can't remember name) became infatuated with a beautiful Thai girl dancing, and took her home that night. He came to conference next day all black and blue. He found she was a "Guitoi", and really a he. Fell down the stairs running away. Stay in touch.
Bob Bonner


Bangkok

I am working on updating the individual history of the 313th Transportation Company, documenting its time in Bangkok. The unit lineage is found on the 519th Transportation Battalion's History page. Thanks for everyone's support, hope this change will be an enhancement to the site.


Like so many of you, I’ve really been enjoying reading the posts and remembering my 1st tour in Thailand (’67-’68): a couple of weeks with the 313th in Korat, then Platoon Leader of the 313th in Bangkok (a 2 week TDY that lasted about 10 months if I remember right) followed by a few weeks in the camp that the 519th was building in the jungle - where was that?, and what was it’s name?…..fond memory: one of the Lts. blasting at top volume Sly and The Family Stone from big stereo speakers – made the palm trees sway – just to piss off the Bn XO (“Black Bart” - ?). My 1st Monsoon: the office in the 313th Motor Pool flooding over 6” of water in what seemed like less than 5 minutes of rain. Lots of other great memories.

Larry’s right about the 313th having the toughest job, and those MISERABLE reefers, but we also had the best: in all the time I ran the Bangkok Det., we never had an AWOL or anyone late or shirking duty or officially picking up an unmentionable disease (no sick call problems), etc.: everyone there knew that screwing up meant a one-way trip back to Korat. One time, the Bn CO (might have been Harry M., I’m not sure, but think so) and Sgt Major (can’t remember his name) paid us a late night visit in the hotel we were using as quarters (“Siam Hotel” on Petchburi Road) and the Sgt Major was sure he’d find me with a puying in my room – he was so pissed off that he checked under my bed and in the closets when I opened the door to an empty room…..they still managed to eventually move the enlisted guys from that hotel to the EM hotel that the rest of the units based in Bangkok were using. Up until then, everyone from the 313th (officer, nco’s and enlisted) all stayed in that hotel and pretty much lived about as good as it could possibly get.)

Does anyone remember when we started up the reefer convoy operations to clear the freezer ships port-side in Sattahip? Saved Uncle Sam a lot of Bhat by getting rid of the local freezer barges carrying our steaks up the Chao Phya River. One of the local contractors came to visit me in the motor pool and wanted to know how much I wanted to go back to using the barges (he was sure that all of us were as corrupt as he was).

Those were my 1st experiences with convoys, but I got a lot more when I was CO of the 442nd Trans Co (Med Trk) in Cam Ranh Bay from 70-71. Ran Line Haul up and down the coast, and into the Central Highlands (especially to Ban Me Thuot, Dalat and Bao Loc)(those were overnight convoys – and we took incoming on almost every one of them).

After the 313th, and before my tour in ‘Nam, I had a second “long” tour in Bangkok (’68-’70).

What a great country Thailand was, and I’m sure still is.

Those 5 years on active duty were something I’d never trade for anything else!

Sa wa dee, and Happy New Year to all.

Bob Steinberg


Camp Friendship

I am working on updating the individual history of the 313th Transportation Company, documenting its time at Camp Friendshp. The unit lineage is found on the 519th Transportation Battalion's History page. Thanks for everyone's support, hope this change will be an enhancement to the site.

The Red Ball Express Revived