FLC

1st FSR (Force Service Regiment)
FORCE LOGISTICS COMMAND

This was my unit, Motor Transport Company, Maintenance Battalion, 1st Force Service Regiment, Force Logistics Command, 1st Marine Division.
We were based on the southwest side of Da Nang, and part of our responsibility was the security of the southwest perimeter of the Air Base. When the VC weren't actually shooting rockets at us, we caught plenty of rounds that were meant for the air base but fell short. I can't remember the names of all the guys in the pictures; if anybody can fill in the blanks, please do.
Pictures by Ronnie D. Foster
{click on picture for large view}


M60 machine gun bunker at the main gate	Rear gate	My street	Looking east from my hooch

west from my hooch	Home!	A clean hooch is a happy hooch.	That's me, and my area

Two very important things, gas mask and mess kit	My mom sent me the tree, Christmas 1968	My hooch's bunker under construction, framed with cross ties and covered with sandbags.	Looking from the motor pool to the hooch area

Along the western perimeter ... Those sandbags didn't come pre-filled either.	...the little building is the head, in the distance is the shower building.	Looking south down the perimeter wire along Hwy 1	The infamous village of Dog Patch, across the road from us


Dog Patch at night	In a big hurry	Tank repair area	"The Crab" a 4-wheel steering vehicle built by some of the mechanics in 1st FSR

Sometimes we got to be entertained	On this night, a band from Australia	Didn't see too many "round-eye" women in that part of the World.	Me, enjoying the show.

Cleveland, RDF, Miller	Steve Miller from Seattle	A break from C-Rats and the chow hall	A little creative fun

"Long John" Silvers from LA	Tom Cleveland from Jackson, Miss	RDF & Cleveland	Randy Outlaw

Outlaw was from Georgia or Alabama	Jack Underwood from Ohio ...	... Underwood continuing his education	Bruce Distel, from Ohio

Gary Collier from Lawton, OK	Back from the chow hall	front row: Joe "Ski" Losiowski (from Michigan), Frenchy, Williams, Distel, Compton (from Tennessee) top of back row: Calhoun, ?, Jim Crane, Rick Baker (from Michigan)	I think this was Christmas Day, 1968. Hillpot, Williams, ?, Baker, Lopez, Mac, Crane, S/Sgt. Steen

	Frenchy Duplantier from Detroit Tom Hillpot from NYC
Joe Losiowski, St. Claire Shores, Mich. 8 May, 2010 This is Ski from the pictures on your website. I couldn’t believe it seeing all the guys from MTM Maint. Bn. I’ve been searching the internet for old memories for 10 years. Everything is there. All your pictures trace our footsteps in Vietnam. I’ve been in touch with Bruce Distel from Ohio today and spoke with him about your website. In your pictures Bruce is the guy under the jeep and also sitting with you in the 6X. In one of the pictures with 9 of us I can identify a few more. I have been trying to locate Rick Baker for a long time and haven’t had any luck. After seeing the pictures I’m going to continue. Bruce saw Johnny Thompson about 35 years ago. Jim Crane and his wife were killed in a motorcycle accident about a year and a half after discharge. They had a 6-month-old daughter. I never saw Jim after Vietnam, but when I went to look him up I found out about it. It’s an interesting story how I did find out, five years ago. Ron, I can’t thank you enough for the website. I hope everything is going well for you in your life. God Bless, Ski USMC
Bruce Distel - 12 May, 2010 About a year or so ago a friend I was in Vietnam with called me, we called him Ski. His name was Joe Losiowski, his name was too long to say. We have been in touch since then, he sent me some pictures of some Marines having Christmas dinner --cooking out --and two Marines having breakfast in the back of a truck. I'm the Marine having breakfast with you. Bruce Distel, Portsmouth Ohio. The web site is really great . The picture of you sitting next to the tire --I'm sure I took that picture, I have one with me standing next to same tire.......Alive and well....Semper Fi ..Bruce
Richard G. Williams, Cpl. USMC 65-68 Good Morning Mr. Foster, Just found your website, OUTSTANDING !! The amount of work involved boggles the mind.. I served with H&S Co. 1st. FSR/FLC from 08/67 to 07/68. My second tour, then rotated back to " the world " for discharge. I drove a 543A2 wrecker named "Uptight "( later renamed " Uptight Jr. ") It was hard not to notice, it was painted staff car green/grey, and had Uptight painted on the boom. The other wrecker was called " Can Cau ", Vietnamese for " Big Hook " My "A" driver was L/Cpl. Tom ( the animal ) Rentmeester from Green Bay. His favorite saying was "Are we cool or what ?". Also I noticed you started playing guitar in the early 60's. so did I. In fact I had brought along a Harmony arch-top from home, ( it's 2nd. tour in country also) I got that guitar when I was 14, and right now it hangs in my den along with others I've collected over the years. Do you remember a guy named Ernie from somewhere down south ? He played guitar and harmonica and could cheer-up the hardest nights with his " Rock of Ages Rock." In fact he could play a bunch of Hymns with a 1950's rock-a-billy sound. Well I want to get this off to you. If you find time, give me shout..I'm sure we must have crossed paths at some point. Take care... Regards, Richard G. Williams, Cpl. USMC 65-68.................I was called " Will "
Dear Mr. Foster, I would like to thank you for the photographs regarding our old Maintenance Battalion. It was tastefully done and can't wait until I can get home and show my wife. Your display brought back lots of memories. The photographs which I took with my little PX purchased Polaroid camera have long gone the way of the world. My tour with Maintenance Battalion began in July '67 and ended in August '68 of which logic would deduce that we probably shared the same 12 holer on occasions. I was actually in H&S Company, organic Motor Transport Platoon and was universally hated as the Bn Commander's driver (Lt Col. Hermes and later Lt Col. Savage) until departing for OCONUS. It is hard to find members of our old Battalion and was shocked when I recently found out about the fragging incident in which CPL Pate was killed at t he enlisted club. Although I originally joined the crotch from Georgia, I now live in Utah. I am a retired Wyoming Law Enforcement Officer (2003), have retired from the Army National Guard (1995) and took a ten year retirement from Dugway Proving Ground, Department of Defense 2008. Hopefully there will be some social security left when I reach the magic age of 62 next year. You are probably getting close. Sorry for boring you with the mundane details of my bio. Again, thanks for the excellent photo gallery. I am happy that the years have been good to you as they have to me. Your friend and co-resident at Dog Patch, Ralph Pierce, USMC '66-'71/'72-'74