The Book:
SEABEE71
IN CHU LAI
A 350 page memoir of a Navy Journalist's 14 months with the Seabees.
Photographs and text copyright © 1967 and 2019 by David H. Lyman
It was a week after we had landed in Chu Lai and the battalion was already busy.
I was in the Operation hut one morning with a collection of Officers, Chiefs and key enlisted First Class. LCDR Roger Martin, the Operation OIC (S-3) was outlining an upcoming project Seventy-One had been given by the Regiment in DaNang.
“A detachment of 27 of our Seabees will be spending most of the summer in Quang Ngai,” he began. “That’s a provincial capital 30 miles south of here. They’ll be building a complete camp for the ARVN (The Army of the Republic of Vietnam).”
“There are five separate components to this cantonment, or garrison, including 22 steel buildings for the Fourth Battalion, Fourth Regiment, Second ARVN division, with a completion date of mid-August. To this has been added two more steel buildings for the Second Army Division QM Repair Facility to be completed by mid July. There is to be another 30 of these steel buildings for additional battalions of the Vietnamese Army.” He continued, “These buildings will provide barracks, mess hall, repair shops, reinforced bunkers and a HQ for the MACV Advisory Team who will work with the ARVN.” Combat operations were ramping up in Quang Ngai Province and the ARVN were taking on most combat roles, but we had to build their garrison.
These steel buildings come prefabricated and will be shipped here to Chu Lai from DaNang, then trucked to Quang Ngai by convoy. There will be a convoy heading south every week to re-supply the detachment.”
“LTJG Ed Rüdiger will be the OIC,” Martin added. “He’ll have 27 enlisted men in his detachment, departing April 15– three days from now. They’ll take their equipment, tools, personal gear and materials. "‘Bell’ Bailie, First Class Equipment Operator, will be in charge of the earth moving; Chief Mitchell and First-Class Builder Knight, will be handling the concrete.”
“The team will have to fend for yourselves down there,” he said. “Set up tents and a latrine. You’ll have to man your own perimeters as the ARNV are still pretty thin there. We’ll provision you weekly when we convoy in the building materials. We are sending along a Medic and a mess cook together with a field kitchen. You’ll have to find a source of drinking water. There’s a river nearby but that water should be used only for making concrete. Maybe a shower as well.”
The rest of the story is in the book: Seabee71 in Chu Lai.