The 519th Transportation Association Thailand

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569th Transportation Company

I am working on updating the individual history of the 569th Transportation Company, documenting its time in Thailand at Camp Khon Kaen. 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.

Stories 68 - 70

Although we were not all truckers, we all have memories that come flooding back from our time in Thailand. While stationed with the 569th (68 - 70) I remember pulling a reefer for the 33rd platoon only one time in late 1968. What happened on that trip I will never forget (although names I don't always remember). At the time I was a specialist four driver.
 
We pulled out of Khon Kaen supporting the guys from the 33rd hauling cold storage to SKK (Sakon Nakon) and after getting off loaded, was told to head back to Khon Kaen. (We often called it infiltration convoys) where one or two trucks traveled together and stopped only for latrine or food breaks.
 
I had just left Camp Rum Chit Chai and was traveling toward town when I came upon a slow moving vehicle. As I got closer on the dusty dirt road I saw that there were three vehicles piddling along at a riduculously slow pace. Checking that there was no oncoming traffic I pulled out with my 5-ton and reefer trailer and successfully passed all three rather safely I thought. Then it was back to my own pace, bouncing that rig down the road avoiding the many potholes and small animals.
 
What I failed to notice when I passed those three vehicles was the middle one being a military police jeep. I had not gone very far before I was made aware of that small detail. When they pulled me over and took me out of the cab, I was told to lock my steering wheel and give the key to the MP.
 
We first proceeded into town where a local thai prisoner was handed over to the Thai Police, then back to Camp Rum Chit Chai. I remember sitting on the bench in front of the desk sergeant, staring at the AWOL board. There was a listing for a soldier AWOL from Vietnam, a PFC by the name of Wilson (Don't remember his first name).
 
I remember that although I had been recently promoted to Specialist Four, I still had PFC WILSON stenciled on my t-shirt (my fatigue shirt was still in my truck on the side of the road). I also remember that the battalion policy was that any traffic infraction resulted in an Art 15 and one grade reduction, no questions asked. I remember that Captain Durazzo was a no nonsense kind of guy and as soon as I saw him I was doomed.
 
Well the desk sergeant hand receipted me to the convoy commander (a specialist five from the 33rd) who was instructed to hand me over to the company commander at Khon Kaen. I rode 3rd man in the cab while someone else drove my beloved #229. Well when we got to camp, the first stop was the fuel point. I told the convoy commander that I'd meet him in the orderly room, and headed there, dreading what was surely about to come.
 
When I walked in the first person I remember seeing was 1LT Koons. I told him I was to see the commander, and he said it was him (CPT D was at a commanders call down south). I explained what happened and he asked me where was the person that was suppose to bring me into the commanders office. I said he was at the fuel point, but would be in shortly.
 
When that SP5 arrived at the orderly room, LT Koons tore into him like it was totally irresponsible to loose the chain of custody for someone and that he had better get his guys together and get back to Korat before it got any worse (words to that effect anyway).
 
Then the LT turned to me (I felt lower than a crack in the sidewalk). I knew the punishment, and had sorta prepared myself for it. He asked me if I had learned my lesson about that kind of driving, and I said "Yes Sir I did". He said to consider myself in receipt of a verbal reprimand and to get back to the motor pool and take care of my vehicle (something like that).
 
Anyway I felt like I had won the lottery, cause I was still a SP4.
 
Like Everett Cole, I too owe my career to LT Koons. When I left Thailand I was a SP5 and retired in 1990 as a SFC (E-7) with my last duty station as Truckmaster of the US Army Motor Pool in Yokohama, Japan. In fact when I got to Japan in 1989 I served under the Transportation Division of USARJ and under Colonel Roy C. Berry (the old S-3 of the 519th).
 
Another ironic thing about Japan, in 1994 the old 9th Log Cmd was activated at Camp Zama as the 9th TAACOM .  They have the same patch and carry the same lineage.
 
Enough of my story, but keep them coming, especially from the admin, maintenance, medical and military police folks in our midst.
Joe Wilson



Larry Shelton
Okay folks, picture the day...blue sky, we are alone on the road really moving on. We had passed the Kow Pot  pit stop"cafe"and were making real good time.  It was a Project "972"run, and as such, we had the Thai police front and rear.  All was going well when a Thai kid of about 7 years old, standing on the side of the road waiting to get his three water buffalo across the road, suddenly decided that he could get them thru in between the trucks.  Now we all know how EASY it looks to cross in front of an oncoming vehicle, until you actually try it!   It is the reaction time getting velocity up that is the killer! 
 
Well, a water buffalo does not possess a high speed rear end, nor  a great  0 - 60 time.  One - a calf- made it thru.  One balked and didn't go, and one did a head-on with a 5-ton tractor, and did a banking  rebound as only Minnesota Fats could have matched with his finest shot!  That buffalo must have slid 100 yards , ass over teakettle down the highway. 
Well, the Thai police stopped the convoy to see what occurred.  I had seen the vehicle involved, and quietly walked past to see what evidence there was on the bumper.  NADA! Zip! Nothing...not a crease in the paint!
Everyone kept quiet and the buffalo was moved to the side of the road and we went on our way. 
 
Upon our return, we found that there was a NATIONAL INCIDENT REPORT to submit.  ???  National Incident?  Come on, gimme a break!  Anyway, Lt. Glassner, having studied journalism, wanted the honors of assisting me on  the report.  Dates, time, location, unit (s) involved...no problem.  These are the essence of the info requested & reported.  I really did not think it was anything more than a document which would go into battalion files.
Cause of Incident :  Ambush by enemy unknown attempting to disrupt delivery of 972 material  by driving a herd of water buffalo against the convoy.
Casualties (US)    : None
Casualties (Local National) : 1 Water Buffalo
Defensive action taken: Met attackers head on, dividing the forces and foiling the attack
Actions to be taken to prevent similar occurance in the future:  Drivers to be given training in high speed evasion
tactics.
Damages to property (US$)  : $127.51 ( or some similar $ amount which I can no longer recall)
Signed and submitted
Of course there was more, but this was the essence of the response. 
 
We thought nothing more about it until it returned. It had gone thru Battalion endorsement, 9th Log endorsement, to the Hq. in Bangkok, where BG Waggstaff sent it back down"What the hell is this?"in red across the front,  circling the $ amount and asking where did this figure come from?"
 
Of course, each endorsement coming back down was far more demanding, and the rational for the $127.51 became more emphatic. It became obvious that it had not been read on the way up.  Well, the $127.51 was the only item really firm in the entire report... I had missionary, Father Brennan, take me into the farm lands to ask three different farmers what they value they placed on a young male water buffalo, an old male water buffalo, and a middle-aged male water buffalo.  I then averaged these 9 figures ( given to me in baht) converted to US$ (dividing by 21), and ignoring the obvious value of the meat of the now very dead buffalo, entered that value in the report. 
 
Having this supporting documentation saved the day!  However, I had it on good authority that somewhere on the body of the truck, out of sight to the casual glance, was the painted form of 1 buffalo kill.  I was not in Thailand long enough to learn what constituted an " ACE ".  I did learn , tho, that in the Army, somewhere, sometime, someone DOES read all of those reports. Larry Shelton 
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Steve Koons
Larry!  Would you believe how small the world is?!!  I took Bob Springer's place in 2nd Platoon when he went to Sattahip to the 519th Hq.  Bob and I were both form farms in Indiana!!  Well, out of the blue, got a call from Bob--he's in Sullivan, Indiana and is the County Prosecutor!!  As we all have discussed, was the right bunch of guys at the right time--I too kept a lot of pictures as I kept the camera in the console of the jeep but didn't write the names on them--so some of it is a blur!  But, had my tours backwards--was in Thailand before Viet Nam but it all worked out--Bob Vidrick kept me in the Army by encouraging "Junior Officer Retention" and it was 30 fast years after that!  One of these days if I get the time, will get a bunch of the pictures on the road scanned and get them on here!  Really funny how that was a long time ago but seems like yesterday!  Steve

Steve Koons

Dave--it was really a good time too!!  Looking at the e-mail traffic from this weekend really brought back good memories--and I'm a bit selfish--the 2nd Platoon gang was the greatest:)  We were on the road to Ubon on Christmas Day 1969 and had our mess sergeant serve Christmas dinner on the road!  There he was about the size of a toothpick in a Santa suit!!  Also it was one BIG 972 run too!!  Fond memories of some times that in a way seem like yesterday!!  Guess the best thing about it was the fellowship and the camaraderie that we all shared--wouldn't trade it for the world!  Steve


As was stated.. This was a HARDSHIP (?) tour. I recall some of the officers in Sattihip brought their wives and set them up at Pattiya Beach.... The  camoTuxs ? Who could forget them.  How many are there who remember the vollyball games after the monthly Bn conference , played in skivies?

And when the visiting commander of 9th Log command came to the conference and found himself seated at the head table with a lovely lady, a BEAUTIFUL lady, with whom he conversed all night...till she got up to do her strip... and excused herself because she had one to do at the NCO club!  He knew he had been had by the Jr. officers of the 519th!  SA WA DEE Thailand, Col.!  He never returned to visit the 519th, I am certain! 
 
The 313th always had the toughest job of the Bn.  They were scattered all over the country, making maint. frequently an assist by maint. of another company at whatever location they happened to be visiting, and add to that the reefers that were the MAJOR headache in keeping a good maint. readiness rating.   Thailand always reminded me of an unwritten chapter to SOUTH PACIFIC. 
 
While in Korat, I would frequently go to the Air Base O Club to eat ( they had a FINE meal there). In the club was a 24 hr. poker game, with a waiting line to get in.  The flyboys with their air and Haz. duty pay were "rolling" in  dollars, and they would sit, perched on the backs of the chairs, with pots well over $1000. regularly filling the table,  and always a line of others prepared to take the place of the first guy to go bust! While in Sattahip, we had a missionary priest- always dressed in civies- who would come in the Officer's club with a bit of pocket change, he would go to the slots, draw out enough to eat and get into a poker game ( the slots were sort of a bank he used to keep his funds till he needed them). And he would leave  the club with money in his pocket! 
 
The day we landed on the moon, the command was given the day off.  He picked me up to go to the beach at Pattaya. On the way he picked up a couple of GIs hitch hiking to the beach. They directed him to the location they were seeking, and he said he knew the place.  As they got out to seek their afternoon of PLEASURE, he mentioned to them that this was truly an important day in history, one that would be remembered thru out the ages, " Oh , the landing on the moon ?" they asked. "Oh that , too. But  this will be the first day in history that a Catholic Priest has given 2 GIs a lift  to a place like this! " "O Cheees, Father, it's  YOU! " "Go, and sin no more!"he said. 
Larry Shelton


Joe Wilson:
I was assigned to the 2nd Platoon when I processed in at the 569th Transportation Company at Camp Khon Kaen on 27 February 1968. Sergeant Jerry Nienhouse was the platoon sergeant. I was assigned truck #229. It was sitting on the deadline row outside the maintenance shop.

I got married on 4 September 1969 in the village of Srithon, in Khon Kaen. I remained with the 2nd platoon until I received PCS orders to the 505th Transportation Company at Camp Vayama on 21 February 1970. My wife and I rode my blue Honda 125cc motorcycle from Khon Kaen to Sattahip.

These are some of the names (no particular order) I remember: Don Way, Everett Cole, Sgt Pennington, Sgt Davis, Sgt Aaron, Gordon Diffin, Jim Koster, Galen Slatter, Sgt Sullivan, Lt Koons, Lt. Springer, Lt Glassner, Cpt Durazzo, Cpt DeJulio, 1SG Haney, 1SG McDonald, SFC Fleming, Carpenter, McDonald, Barron, White, Kitchens, Givens (drowned), and so many more who's names will come to me eventually.

Joe