In September 1965 we moved as a complete unit via train to Oakland Army Base, CA where we boarded the USNS William Gordon.  It was a 33 day boat ride.  In route we stopped in Okinawa, Japan which was to be a two day stop.  While we were there a few of the guys drank to much and went swimming and got cut up on the reef.  We had a person in the brig and the Sgt of the Guard was on shore with the keys and there was fire in the brig and one person died because of that mistake.

We left Okinawa for Vietnam.  We arrived at Cam Ranh Bay where we disembarked, but Cam Ranh was under attack and they took us somewhere down south and off-loaded us and we sat near the edge of a runway waiting for aircraft to pick us up and fly us to  Bien Hoa Air Base.  We spent about three days in a staging area near there waiting for our equipment to arrive.

Alpha Battery's base camp was a few miles from the Bien Hoa AFB.  I recall going into Bien Hoa while in base camp for laundry runs and I visited a few bars that were there.

Alpha Battery was a "bastard" battery.  We soon were sent out into the field on fire missions.  We were involved in three campaigns - Defense, Counter Offensive and Counter Offensive II.  We did not spend a lot of time in base camp during that year.

Dale Martin   Then  and  Now
A Btry 6/27th Artillery
Nov 65 to May 66