China+Beach

** China Beach ** by Ron Berryman, Det B 1/69 – 3/70, HHC 3/70 – 9/70 Unknown to the vast majority of Americans until a TV show publicized the name, China Beach was an oasis for those G.I’s stationed in I Corps during the Vietnam conflict. A wide, white sandy beach, where one could swim, play volleyball, football, or just grill a steak, China Beach provided a respite from the grind of duty in-country. One of the first force build-ups in Vietnam was the amphibious landing of the 1st Marine Division on China Beach early in the conflict. I was not there for the event as it was well before my tour, but the legend held that the marines, not knowing exactly what to expect, and of course prepared for any hostile eventuality, came off the LST prepared for action. Greeted by dozens of gorgeous Vietnamese girls dressed in the traditional Ao-dai’s, the entire "invasion" was televised by western news services, blowing any semblance of secrecy for the invasion.

**95th Evac** In addition to the recreational facilities, it was also the home for the 95th Evac hospital where wounded troops were flown by helicopter for immediate treatment. I once visited the 95th Evac with a friend looking for one of his buddies rumored to be there. The visit was a shock, as wounded were being rapidly ferried in for triage which was conducted near the entrance to the facility. Doctors and nurses were in constant motion as they began their life-saving efforts to stabilize those whose wounds were treatable. We didn’t find my friends buddy but I will never forget that visit. If anyone can remember this instance, I would appreciate knowing who was with me as my memory of it is not good.

**Lifeguard duty** One of the more memorable features of China Beach was the unique duties of the lifeguard, who sat in a tower above the beach armed with an automatic weapon. Swimmers were instructed to immediately head for shore when the weapon was fired as the warning was for sharks that had ventured too close to the swimming area. I recall one instance when I was about 70 yards off-shore when the guard cut loose and I broke all swimming records in my haste to reach the beach. Wading in knee-deep water was about as adventurous as we got for the rest of the day. Concertina wire formed barriers on both the south and north end of the beach, but security was pretty lax otherwise.

**Reminiscences** My first visit to China Beach was in January of 1969 on the occasion of a steak cook-out, beer fest, and game of touch football. My feeling was that I had truly arrived at the best duty station in-country. The beer was cold (sort of), the steaks were good (again, sort of) but the football game proved to be less than satisfying when I caught Sgt. Lockhart’s elbow in my right eye while trying for a touchdown. The eye became impressively blackened, enough at least to wear an eye-patch for a few weeks.

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