History

HISTORY OF THE 737th TRANSPORTATION COMPANY
(med trk) YAKIMA, WA.

Myrlin Ackerman left the regular army in 1946 to join the Army Reserves. After leaving active duty, Myrlin decided Yakima should have an Army Reserve Unit. After a lot of phone calls and paper work, Myrlin finally got his wish. To start, there was no Commanding officer and no equipment or vehicles. This would all come later as things progressed and more members joined. At that time he was a Master Sergeant and started the 217th truck Co. which was later called the 737th Trans. Co. with 20 personnel and met above Wordells Restaurant on Second Street next to the Larson Building. This was in 1950. In 1952 they moved above the Senator Hotel across from the Train Depot. At that time there was not a Commanding Officer and they had no vehicles.

In 1954 they moved to the Noel Building on South First Street and by then had almost 50 men. There they had room for some equipment and were issued 10 flat bed trucks, a wrecker and 10 jeeps.

That year they spent their summer camp at Fort Ustus, Virginia to qualify to drive army vehicles they were issued.

In 1960 the unit moved to the Marines building on Tahoma at which time Raymond La Beau was already involved with the Unit as CO. At this time the Unit name was changed to the 737th Medium Truck Co. That year they had summer camp at the firing center. Myrlin Ackerman retired in 1966 as a CWO 3.

Captain Davis was commanding officer until Captain La Beau became CO in the 1960’s..

The 498th Engineer Company from Sunnyside was disbanded in 1967 so part of that unit was infused into the 737th Trans Co. I was part of the 498th at that time. The 737th was called to active duty in 1968 to go to Fort Lewis for training, then on to Quang Tri, Vietnam for transporting fuel, food, ammo, etc. until 1969, we moved south to Chu Lai. We finished our duty there and came back to Yakima where we originated.

The 737th was called to active duty April 26, 1968. Click to view orders We were scheduled to go to Ft. Lewis May 13, 1968 for further training to prepare us for a tour to Vietnam. While there, we were joined by various other reservists to bring our company to full strength. Click here to view roster

On September 17, 1968 we boarded a plane at McCord AFB that flew us to Japan for refueling and then on to Da Nang, Vietnam. On September 30, we went to Quang Tri and set up camp. Click here to view some of the guys . Our company was assigned to the 26th General Support Group, Da Nang Support Command, under the 1st Logistical Command. The Battalion was formed by four Army reserve Units that were mobilized in 1968. HHC, 259th QMBN; 173rd PTR CO ( opera); 737th Trans Co ( med trk); and 842nd QTRMSTR CO (petr dep). As supplies came in and what we could find we built the hootches, (plywood structures with metal roof and screens for windows). We also built bunkers out of culverts and sand bags in case of mortar attack. Meanwhile the truckers were busy hauling fuel and food supplies to the various locations around Hue, Dong Ha, etc. February of 1969 we packed up and drove to Chu Lai south of Da Nang which was a really wet trip for our convoy. Click here for News Article

In Chu Lai, 2 of our men were awarded a purple heart; Elfinger and Barry, for wounds received during an attack on our convoy. Two (2) trucks hit land mines and received extensive damage to the front end of the truck. The rear of Kuhlmans tanker was the other truck damaged.

Jeeps with machine guns were used for support with the convoys as well as a wrecker operated by Tester and Woodchuik. I remember them towing me at one time near Tam Ky. The rough roads were hard on the trucks as well as the extreme mud and dust conditions. We hauled fuel only in Quang Tri and fuel, food, and ammo in Chu Lai.

As a Unit we logged approximately 500,000 miles and hauled about 25,000,000 gallons of fuel. Darwin Van Der Pol was awarded the top driver of our company with logging the most miles during our stay in Vietnam and he sure deserved it. Our Unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for a great job they did. Click here for article on Unit award.


We returned from active duty on 8/13/1969. (News article on our return)
Welcome home!!

Some notes on the Third Platoon by Bill Raber

Before the main company moved to Chu Lai, the Third Platoon and some mechanics (Paul Barnham, Yum Yum (Russell Young) and Roger Louden), moved south and were attached to the 585th Transportation Company at Artillery City, atop scenic Gai Lai Mountain, where we hauled fuel, ammo and supplies. They wouldn’t allow us to haul beer, though as they were afraid they’d never see it again. After about three months, we moved to Phu Bai, where we remained for the rest of the year. We were attached to the 259th, a quartermaster company from Utah, also a reserve unit. No one was injured during our time there, however we lost several vehicles in rocket attacks, which were nearly a nightly event for the last six months.

Our unit (known as the “Wild Fuelers”) was responsible for transporting all the fuel used in I Corps, including the 1st Cav and the 101st Airborne.  We hauled to Camp Sally, Camp Evans, Phu Bai, Gai Lai, The Rock Crusher, Camp Eagle and inland on Route 547 to Fire Bases Birmingham, Bastogne and Blaze. Toward the end of our tour, we hauled fuel further on Route 547 into the A Shau Valley.  All traffic on 547 was in convoys where every third vehicle was armored and with helicopter support overhead.  We would meet with other vehicles to form a convoy then embark.   One time, because they were a half-hour late, three of our trucks narrowly missed traveling in a convoy that was ambushed and totally destroyed.  We supported the 101st Airborne and the 1st Calvary, hauling all their fuel in the area North of Da Nang to the DMZ.  Trips to the DMZ were at night, with no headlights — and no speed limits!

Fuel was picked up at a fuel point in Tan My (outside of Hue, toward the ocean), where it was pumped from a tank farm on an off-shore island. From there, we hauled it (at 20 MPH) to all of our drop points. Truman (Butch) Yeager was our dispatcher and kept us all hauling every day.

Bob Lindsey distinguished himself by getting hit by the only train traveling in I-Corp. He lost the race across the tracks, getting hit right behind the rear duals. I came upon the accident to find Bob safely on the ground, taking pictures of his upside-down tanker while the Colonel of the MP battalion was picking up scattered beer cans. As I helped pick them up, he told me we better get these cleaned up before someone got in trouble!

At the very end of our tour, we were re-attached to the main company further South at Chu Lia.

News Article about 3rd Platoon

The following is the text of an article published in The Northern Log, August 7, 1969.  We had an embedded reporter traveling with our trucks on one convoy to Firebase Blaze.  The article is presented in two pictures, provided by Bob Tressler, in the Photos section.  The article is a little difficult to read there, so it’s transcribed here:

Ability, Guts, Aspirin,

Phu Bai – Truck drivers of the 737^th Transportation Company’s Third Platoon, at Phu Bai, have learned that a Vietnam tour can be a harrowing and nerve racking experience.

The platoon makes regular convoy runs carrying petroleum into Fire Base Blaze in the A Shau Valley.  The road is the roughest in South Vietnam and proves to be especially difficult for the platoon’s 5,000 gallon tankers.

Normally only two-to- six of the 20 tankers and one gun Jeep make the difficult trip.

Ten miles from Phu Bai, the platoon is joined by escort vehicles of the 39^thTransportation  Company in preparation for the journey on the dust-choked road through the foothills and rugged highlands of I Corps.

Many of the grades are so steep that the truckers sometimes require an extra push from an armored personnel carrier.

After the steep decent into the A Shau Valley, the entire convoy assumes a uniform dusty color as it enters Camp Blaze.

Keep Trucks Rolling

Following a meal of C-rations and downing a cold drink, unloading the fuel (not necessarily in that order) the truckers form up for their return trip.  As soon as their air cover arrives, the agonizingly slow dusty ascent into the defoliated mountains begins once again.

On a recent return trip the column had just reached the crest of the climb when a rain storm hit.  The dust became slippery mud and the journey into the lowlands turned out to be a nerve straining battle  pitting drivers against truck, primitive road and nature.

The huge trucks had trouble holding the road, and where it banked, trailer then tractor began to slide slowly buut inexorably sideways.  Engineers must have anticipated this as the road tends to slant toward the bank instead of outward to the downhill side.

After much jack-knifing, dragging of the trailers against the steep banks, pushing and pulling, the convoy emerged out of the tortuous highland onto the gentle foothill area.  Coming to a halt, the drivers caught their breath as they waited for stragglers.

One new driver, making the run for the first time, summed up the experience when he called it a “Nerve Jangler”.