In 1965 the US Army decided to send engineers to South Vietnam for the influx of US troops. With the draw down from the Korean War they had to some adjusting with equipment and bases. They needed to train up all different engineer jobs and get the equipment from all the engineer reserve unit. With all the different MOS’s there were two engineer jobs that were an asset Bridge and Land Clearance Engineers.
There were many different missions for both types of engineers. There were miles and miles of new and old bridges that need to be constructed or repaired. Land Clearance teams had thousands of acres of dense jungles that needed to be cleared. With all the road blocks and hazards these engineers completed the impossible.
In January of 1965 Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara turned down the request from U.S command in South Vietnam for an engineer group. He approved 38 logistic planners and 37 operating personnel. On 28 July 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson went on national television, stating he will be sending more troops to South Vietnam. With the downsizing after the Korean War the Army realized they were not sitting well on engineers. With most of the engineer equipment located with the reserve unit the equipment will have to be consolidated. After the base expansions were done engineer recruits were sent to Fort Leonard wood and Fort Belvoir for their training. With the increase of qualified and trained engineers in April 1965, “the 35th Engineer Group and two other Engineer Battalions 864th and 84th construction battalions were deployed to South Vietnam.”(Ploger, 2000). By September of 1966 the buildup of engineers in South Vietnam increased immensely. Bridging and Land Clearance were very highly needed in the Vietnam War. These Engineers were highly regarded and wanted by everyone in the theater. One of the many engineer projects that needed to be done in South Vietnam was bridge construction. “There were more than 250 new bridges and old bridges that needed to be constructed or rebuilt.”(Ploger, 2000) Since this was the early days of the engineers in South Vietnam shortages of building material was a huge set back. Some of the shortages consisted of nails, lumber and cement mixers. One of the major issues for the newly built bridges was security. The Viet Cong would sneak under the cover of darkness and place satchel charges and destroy parts or the entire bridge. This would set back future construction of other bridge projects. Plans were implemented to detour the Viet Cong from destroying the bridges. Some of the ideas bridge lighting systems, Anti swimmer devices like the mine boom. “A low-cost, highly flexible flotation system known as a floating catwalk was designed to function in regions with extreme tidal variations. Using as buoyant either styrofoam or floating steel balls called ping pong balls, the system could be prefabricated easily and then floated to the bridge site for installation. Once emplaced and capped with wide wooden platforms, it was connected with chain link fence and the interior was filled with concertina wire. This floating catwalk provided an advantageous observation post for guards, who could walk completely around the bridge pilings at water level.” (Ploger, 2000). With all the protection measures that were implemented bridges were still getting destroyed but at a slower rate. In all there was 11,300 meters of new …show more content…
Clearance teams worked 12 to 18 hours a day before they could hit there racks they had to sharping there Rome plows with hand held grinders which could take a few hours depending on the damage. Theses Clearance teams were nicknamed the “JUNGLE EATERS”. The engineers played a huge role in the Vietnam War. Without the engineers many of the major events would never had happened and the living conditions would have been horrible. The wide range of engineer jobs from bridge building, road construction to land clearing, and yes of course breaching and minefield clearing would have held up many strategic missions for the US. Engineers are widely called upon for every theater of operations from WW 1 to the present day. Engineers are relied on very heavily for their vast knowledge and abilities to adapt to their
There were many different missions for both types of engineers. There were miles and miles of new and old bridges that need to be constructed or repaired. Land Clearance teams had thousands of acres of dense jungles that needed to be cleared. With all the road blocks and hazards these engineers completed the impossible.
In January of 1965 Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara turned down the request from U.S command in South Vietnam for an engineer group. He approved 38 logistic planners and 37 operating personnel. On 28 July 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson went on national television, stating he will be sending more troops to South Vietnam. With the downsizing after the Korean War the Army realized they were not sitting well on engineers. With most of the engineer equipment located with the reserve unit the equipment will have to be consolidated. After the base expansions were done engineer recruits were sent to Fort Leonard wood and Fort Belvoir for their training. With the increase of qualified and trained engineers in April 1965, “the 35th Engineer Group and two other Engineer Battalions 864th and 84th construction battalions were deployed to South Vietnam.”(Ploger, 2000). By September of 1966 the buildup of engineers in South Vietnam increased immensely. Bridging and Land Clearance were very highly needed in the Vietnam War. These Engineers were highly regarded and wanted by everyone in the theater. One of the many engineer projects that needed to be done in South Vietnam was bridge construction. “There were more than 250 new bridges and old bridges that needed to be constructed or rebuilt.”(Ploger, 2000) Since this was the early days of the engineers in South Vietnam shortages of building material was a huge set back. Some of the shortages consisted of nails, lumber and cement mixers. One of the major issues for the newly built bridges was security. The Viet Cong would sneak under the cover of darkness and place satchel charges and destroy parts or the entire bridge. This would set back future construction of other bridge projects. Plans were implemented to detour the Viet Cong from destroying the bridges. Some of the ideas bridge lighting systems, Anti swimmer devices like the mine boom. “A low-cost, highly flexible flotation system known as a floating catwalk was designed to function in regions with extreme tidal variations. Using as buoyant either styrofoam or floating steel balls called ping pong balls, the system could be prefabricated easily and then floated to the bridge site for installation. Once emplaced and capped with wide wooden platforms, it was connected with chain link fence and the interior was filled with concertina wire. This floating catwalk provided an advantageous observation post for guards, who could walk completely around the bridge pilings at water level.” (Ploger, 2000). With all the protection measures that were implemented bridges were still getting destroyed but at a slower rate. In all there was 11,300 meters of new …show more content…
Clearance teams worked 12 to 18 hours a day before they could hit there racks they had to sharping there Rome plows with hand held grinders which could take a few hours depending on the damage. Theses Clearance teams were nicknamed the “JUNGLE EATERS”. The engineers played a huge role in the Vietnam War. Without the engineers many of the major events would never had happened and the living conditions would have been horrible. The wide range of engineer jobs from bridge building, road construction to land clearing, and yes of course breaching and minefield clearing would have held up many strategic missions for the US. Engineers are widely called upon for every theater of operations from WW 1 to the present day. Engineers are relied on very heavily for their vast knowledge and abilities to adapt to their