Koh Tang Mayaguez Vets Organization Guest Book

A response for post 194. I know of two Navy mechanics who repaired a helicopter that morning. Its the one mentioned in Guilmartins book. They hacksawed out a fuel or hydraulic line and replaced it with some hose. Not sure what else they did. I was up there earlier in the morning but the chopper we saw was shot full of holes but no maintenance required. One was a younger jet mech (E-3 I think). from the airframe shop of VA-95 (A-6s from the Coral Sea). I can't recall his name just yet. The other I did not personaly know but I believe he was a 2nd Class Petty Officer from VF-51's airframe shop the F-4 outfit onboard the Coral Sea. To long ago to remember clearly.

AO1 Weapons Dept. G-div USS Coral Frequent Wind and Koh Tang Island operations. Damn so long ago!!!

I usually pass over the Daily U.S. Casualties report when I’m reading my morning newspaper. There are too many bad memories of the body counts during the Vietnam War, in that the reports tried to simplify, quantify, and justify the loss of so many young men. But this morning something compelled me to look at the list, and this is what I saw:

“Marine Sgt. Frank R. Zaehringer III, 23, of Reno, Nev., died Monday, Oct. 11, 2010, in combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.”

I can’t ever remember seeing that unit designation in any kind of report or newspaper, and I was somewhat dumnstruck. After a few minutes I began to realize that Sgt. Zaehringer was a member of the very same, exact 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment to which so many of us were assigned in 1975, except for being part of the 2nd MarDiv instead of 3rd MarDiv. I thought about how sad his family and friends must feel, very much the same as those of our brothers lost on May 15, 1975. As I pondered more I thought how fortunate we are that these young men have stepped into our boots, and now carry the banner of 2/9 to a different clime and place. A different time, a different place, a different generation, yet the blood shed is the same, and he too is our brother.

Saepe Expertus, Semper Fidelis, Fratres Aeterni
Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever

Wow, after all these years I can't believe that I found this site. Not to many days ever go by without me remembering the activities of those days. I was at the museum at Wright Patterson Air Force base a few years ago and saw that C130 from Koh Tang and its mockup Blue-82. Then I found that book "A Very Short War" John Guilmartin, Jr. CC 1995. He missed some details but its an okay read. Now I see more books to read. I was a maintenance technician with A-6 Attack Squadron VA-95 aboard the USS Coral Sea. We had been there for the evacuation of Saigon and had gone to Singapore for six days and then we were on our way to Perth, Australia when we heard that alarm again, "General Quarters, General Quarters, All Hands Man Your Battle Stations, This Is Not A Drill." Yee gads not again, and then we turned around and went through another Typhoon just like going to Saigon!!!

EW aboard USS Coral Sea (CV-43) will always remember the words spoken over the 1MC when we were called to Koh Tang...'make all possible speed.... rules of engagement do not apply'

i was in okinawa at camp schwab in 1975 to 1976. i was 3rd battalion 9th marines h&s company comm. plt. i am looking for anyone who was there.

I was 1stLt. Barbara Wolf aka Invert 36 when this all went down. I was stationed at the 621 TCS Det. 5 at NKP Thailand.
Those the AF members were my brothers. I missed them then and still do./**

Hello all. I have just finished my first email test. If you did not get a test email let me know. God Bless Larry

Hello Family. Just wanted you to know that I will be doing an email test next week to check our active emails. If you DO NOT recieve a test email from me by 9/25/10. Let me know. God Bless Larry

In memory of Lynn Blessing, who died in the SS Mayaguez Battle, (and also his recently deceased wife), I thank all of you who served.
Keep the story alive!