Hosted at the War and Peace show, Beltring, Kent, England, 22nd-26th July 2009

Ha Thanh website

This display is dedicated to US Special Forces MSG T Sosniak & PFC R Traster

both killed in Ha Thanh Teamhouse by a direct hit in August 1968

primarily, it was a radio watch, although general camp

security was also a concern. I don't, however, remember

going out around the camp much, just staying in team house.

Fighting sleep was the worst part of the duty. I remember

catching up on correspondence and listening to country and

western music on an 8-track.

A typical watch would start about 9:00PM,

when  everyone is ready to turn in.  I would

listen to radio, read the newest copy of the

monthly Playboy magazine, think about

returning to the states, etc.  I would

monitor the FM radio as we had patrols in

the field, do commo checks with the C

team every couple of hours.  If another

camp was on line, I would have a chat.

C team commo was on every night so as to

monitor any activity which would come up. 

I also would do routine perimeter check in

the camp, checking in with the indig guards

at different locations. I would sit around

outside, weather permitting, having a

smoke from my pipe.  When our patrols 

had made contact, all bets were off and I

would be dealing with the patrol, calling in

support, keeping C team abreast of the

situation and the camp

commander, if in . 

1st Lt R Gilmartin, Ha Thanh, 09/68 -04/69

dark.  During my stint, after we built the blast wall on the north

side of the teamhouse, we showed movies at night.  Every mail

run from C team they would bring us the 16mm movies.  We

had a bell an howell 16mm movie projector that we would hang

the sheet on the west or east wall and play the movie.  We had a

problem with our projector - there was no cinemascope lens that

would fit correctly, so we improvised with a beer can and

placed the lens in front of the projector to get the right effect. 

We closed all the shutters and really did not have to worry about

light escaping from the teamhouse because about 500 eyeballs

would be looking from every crack in the shutters at the movie. 

After the movie we would hang out bullshit and and drink the 3.2 near beer.   I had gotten

into the habit of not hitting the rack 1am.  If until you got into a night attack of the camp

you would have a pretty good chance fending off of whatever until daybreak before day

tac air could be used after 1am.  We did spooky and have spector out there at night if we

ever got really hot.  On the west side of the were the camp metal reflectors for letting the

air force know where to target the big drops if were in we really big doo doo.  The Clint

Eastwood spaghetti of all westerns were the new and favorite the movies the Yards

watched.  An us too!