NDQSAAir Defense Artillery service during the Vietnam War
NDQSADavid McCray had a camera in Vietnam and has shared his entire collection of digitized photos with NDQSA. What makes this collection unique is that he has also provided an excel workbook with short descriptions of each photo. The webmasters have attempted to preserve these heritage photos on a dedicated page. Photos are grouped together by time and location as a way to tell his story. Mistakes will be made and sometimes Dave’s file naming will be the best we have. Not all of his pictures were used, either because of subject or photo quality. This photo album is not being done just to preserve one member’s photos but to share those that would interest other Duster and Quad men and their families.
Landing Zone Two Bits (also known as FSB Two Bits) was a U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base located in the Bong Son region northeast of An Khe, Binh Ðinh Province in central Vietnam.
The base was located near the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 514, approximately 50 km northeast of An Khe. Map coordinates 14.4197°N 109.0°E
C/4/60th provided two Dusters for the 173rd Airborne Brigade (“Sky Soldiers”) and its supporting forces located on FSB Two Bits. Sergeant Dave McCray with his Duster C121 and crew provided 173rd ABN Bde strong point perimeter security and also protected their helicopter pad. Periodically he and his crew would provide convoy security for transportation unit convoys traveling on Highway 1 while they were in the area.
Landing Zone English (also known as English Airfield, LZ Dog, LZ English or simply Bong Son) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base in Bong Son, Binh Ðinh Province, Vietnam. The base was located along Highway 1 approximately 82 km northwest of Qui Nhon. Map coordinates 14.471°N 109.028°E
C/4/60th provided two Dusters for the 173rd Airborne Brigade (“Sky Soldiers”) and its supporting forces located on LZ English. Sergeant Dave McCray with his Duster C121 and crew provided strong point perimeter security on LZ English and also mobile in-transit security escorting transportation unit convoys originating out of Da Nang and Cam Rahn Bay.
Photo Sections Black: Life on LZ English Red: Duster 222 hit a mine Blue: Perimeter security Green: Misc
Click on photos in the gallery below to expand and read the caption.
Landing Zone Uplift (also known as LZ Uplift or Deo Nhong Pass) is a former U.S. Army base north of Phu My in Vietnam. The base was established in 1966 by the 1st Cavalry Division on Highway 1, approximately 8 km north of Phu My in Binh Ðinh Province to support Operation Thayer and later passed to the 173rd Airborne Brigade .
C/4/60th provided two Dusters for LZ Uplift since its establishment. Dave McCray was now a section chief over both his Duster C121 and Duster C122. They and their crews provided strong point perimeter security on LZ Uplift, responded to 173rd ABN Bde artillery convoy security requirements, and some in transit convoy security for transportation unit convoys originating out of Da Nang and Cam Rahn Bay. They were not at LZ Uplift for long because C/4/60th was turning in equipment and deactivating as part of the drawdown of U.S forces in Vietnam.
Dave has many pictures that were taken while his tracks where going somewhere and doing something. Since this was a consistent mission they are collected into one section of his photo album.
Photo Sections Black: On the road Red: Attempt to get to LZ Moon Blue: Convoy Security
Artillery Hill, situated near Pleiku city, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, served as a crucial U.S. Army fire support base, notably housing 155mm howitzers. It provided vital defensive artillery coverage for nearby Camp Holloway and surrounding areas, acting as a fortified, elevated position, often surrounded by heavily contested territory.
E/41 Quads provided two mounted Quad 50 machine guns in support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Artillery Hill Pleiku. Sergeant Dave McCray was a squad leader of one of those Quads. The two Quads protected critical sectors of the Artillery Hill perimeter and also some convoy escort to 173rd artillery units being move to new locations.
Tan Canh Base Camp was a U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base along Highway 14 roughly 20 miles northwest of Kon Tum and only about 5 miles from the Cambodian border in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Map coordinates 14.661°N 107.822°E. The base included airstrips, such as the Dak To I (“Hill 42” or Phoenix airstrip) capable of C-130 Hercules transport planes and helicopters that was a major logistical hub for the area.
E/41 Quads provided two mounted Quad 50 machine guns in support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Tan Canh (often called “Tin Can.”) Sergeant Dave McCray was a squad leader but often served as acting section chief when the staff sergeant was not there. The two Quads protected critical sectors of the Tan Canh perimeter and some convoy escort.
The Cha Rang Valley, located along Highway 19 between Qui Nhon and An Khe in South Vietnam, served as a key logistical and engineer base area during the Vietnam War. It housed various support units, and functioned as a vital transportation node near the Central Highlands. It was in the II Corps Tactical Zone, along Hwy 19, in the valley region between the coastal city of Qui Nhon and the inland base at An Khe.
Primarily a U.S. Army engineer and logistical support area, it was crucial for road security, maintenance in the region, and logistics support for operations in the Central Highlands.
Dave has many pictures that were taken while his Quads where on the road providing convoy security. Since this was a consistent mission they are collected into one section of his photo album. His comment was that he did a lot more convoy escort when he was with Quads than he did with the Dusters. There are both tactical and mechanical reasons. Dusters were too slow for truck logistics convoys. By 1971 many of the Dusters were beat up and mechanically unreliable on the roads. Main roads had been paved and the tracks on the Duster would damage the surface. Quads were tactically a better weapon system for breaking up an ambush, being quicker with overwhelming fire on target. Their weaknesses were lack of armor against RPGs and like all wheeled vehicles, they were more susceptible to mines. Dave talked about how the squads often had to rotate sleep because they would be on perimeter guard at night and then sent with convoys the next day.
Dave McCray’s photos do not separate those taken during Advanced Individual Training (AIT) from his time in the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course (NCOCC). For accuracy the acronym is actually NCOCC but is often used by Vietnam era graduates as NCOCS with school rather than course. Leave it to the Army to make life hard with its acronyms. Dave can be forgiven, because even the book of photos sold to graduates uses NCOCS. We will include those scanned pages in a separate set of photos. Most of these AIT/NCOCS photos look like NCOCS. AIT was double bunks in bays as opposed to single beds in two man rooms. Black painted helmet lines are NCOCS.
