________________________________________________________________________Richard S. Kem
So, we got Bob McDonald's driver, and he had just changed three days before, and he didn't
know where it was. So, we had nobody around who knew any of these things because they'd
all rotated.
I knew where the headquarters had been during my last tour when I was there on the beach at
Tuy Hoa in my first tour, that I have described already, '62 to '63. So, I said, "Let's jump in
the jeep. We'll go back there and see if it's not the same provincial headquarters." Sure
enough, it was. So, from day one we started going on dead reckoning. So, that's how I got
started in the 577th.
Q:
The 577th itself had been there a while, though; the unit had.
A:
Yes, it had. I can't tell you how long, but I'd say about three years, and had been involved in
the Cam Ranh Bay area and then Phu Yen for over a year. Maybe I should just go ahead and
talk about the missions in the Phu Yen area of operations.
Q:
Yes.
A:
Basically, the 577th's area of operations extended from south of Vung Ro Bay to where it
intersected with the area of the 84th Engineer Battalion in Nha Trang, to the north about
halfway to Qui Nhon, where we intersected, or matched up with, the 84th Engineer Battalion
stationed at Qui Nhon. Then we extended west, out past Cung Son, up that same road that I
had helped open years before in Phu Bon Province.
Our basic mission was to provide combat engineer support to operational units in the area,
which included the 4th Battalion of the 173d Airborne, as I mentioned. The 28th ROK
[Republic of Korea] Division had a regiment there. The 47th ARVN had a regiment. The
47th was the same regiment that had been there years before when I had been an adviser.
Second, we were to maintain and clear the roads in our particular area of operation, which
were primarily Route 1 from our southern boundary south of Vung Ro all the way up to the
north about halfway to Qui Nhon, and then Route 7B, heading out west to Cung Son, and
then on towards Cheo Reo.
Third, we were to build and upgrade QL1 to a MACV standard from Vung Ro Bay to Tuy
Hoa as a first priority, and that construction was under way.
Fourth, we were to support operations out of Vung Ro Bay, which was by now a thriving port
that had been constructed and was a growing concern, run by the 1st Logistics Command.
Fifth, we were to support logistical operations around Phu Hiep Army compound. That
involved building a POL [petroleum, oils and lubricants] tank farm, building a bunker for an
ammunition depot, and other projects like that. Along with that were operations in support of
Phu Hiep Army Airfield, where most of the construction had been finished. The runway was
matted, and hangars were constructed. There was a chapel that we were working on. Also,
the roofs had blown off two hangars in high winds, and we were reroofing them.
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