Viet Nam Vets Base Camp...About Me

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This page rather than being all about me I would like to dedicate to my best friend in the world. His name is Roary Walsh. For you my good friend! Roary was a grunt in the Marines 2/7, was wounded badly in 1969, and received many medals.

Also I would like to pay tribute to my father and step father who were both WW2 navy vets. They are both passesd now god bless them forever! In addition Roarys father a WW2 army vet is passed R.I.P good sir.

Roary Walsh & Tony Poole....The Kool-Aid Kids

This picture is of my friend Roary{on the right} and his friend Tony Poole.

2nd of the 7th Marines 1969

ME?

My name is Tony Mansfield. I was in Viet Nam 1970-71. I was a payroll clerk in a field finance detachment at Pleiku. I was in U.S. Army 1st Logistics Div. 126th Finance Co., which disbanded while I was there and became attached to the 13th. Was near MACV headquarters for 2 corp region.I was a SP/5.My tour of duty was one year.

I was no hero then or now. Mostly scared,lonely for home,and numb with ennui. Much like now. I will never forget the starry skies,the monsoon rains,and the smells of that long ago and far away place. The flash of mortars,the thunder of artillery,the rat-a-tat-tat of small arms fire are embedded in our psyches. Well I could go on and on but unless requested to do so I shall relent this discourse for now.

I guess why Im doing this page is that it seems like every time my friend and I talk we always go back to those days in Viet Nam, whether good or bad.

Mansfields...first found in in Nottingham where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

This is the patch I wore. It is a MACV patch
military assistance command vietnam.

The picture below is of MACV 2 Corp headquarters at Pleiku,RVN. I was Dutied in the compound just to the left of this picture in 1970-71. This picture holds special significance for me since it nearly became my tombstone one night.

I was on guard duty in a tower just to the left of this photo when we came under heavy mortar attack. The shells were landing all around our tower and wisking over our heads. Still dont know how they missed us, they hit everything else around us. Sp/4 Peterson and I fired wildly in return but to no avail, the enemy was out of range of our M16's.

Thank God for the fly boys, who I think were from camp Holloway, who rode in on Cobras and ruined Charlies whole day. Whoever you guys are God Bless You. Wish I could offer you more recognition but it has been so long ago, forgive me.

The photo below is where I felt I would eventually end up, but was very lucky. It is the entrance to the 71st. Evacuation Hospital at Pleiku. A whole lot of good soldiers never made it out of there. God Bless them!

71st Evacuation Hospital at Pleiku, R.V.N.

The photo below is the air base at Pleiku. Again I almost bought it here when we were taxiing on the runway about to take off in a C-130, suddenly, the air strip came under a serious mortar attack.

Between the noise of the plane and the shelling I could hear nothing. The next thing I knew everyone fled the craft, including the pilots, plane still roaring, dahing for bunkers.... Needless to say, I finally got the picture, exit now! This dog dont hunt.