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Quang Tri to the Mekong Delta
I was drafted into the Army for military service in 1969. I went to Fort Bragg North Carolina for basic training. I was then sent to Bien Hoa Vietnam in 1970 where they figure out where to send people in Nam. Bien Hoa was the largest military base in the world at the time! From there I was sent north to DaNang Vietnam for further decisions on where to send me.
It was decided to send me to the combat base named Quang Tri in the very far north of South Vietnam. Quang Tri was built after Khe Sanh was overrun and destroyed during the Tet offensive in 1968. I was in Quang Tri assigned to the 53rd Maintenace battalion in the signal platoon. I repaired electronic equipment during the day like Starlight scopes, tank searchlights, mine detectors, radios, etc.
My nights were spent on one of our 12 bunkers on Quang Tri's perimeter to fight off ground attacks.
About 200 of our 101st troops died that night! The papers in the world said only 10 people were killed that week in Nam!
We were shelled almost every night and attacked by the North Vietnamese army " the NVAs quite frequently. An example was one night The Quang Tri Base was partially overrun by the NVAs.
It came that night in the 101st Airborne Screamin Eagles Calvary's perimeter sector next to my sector!!! We were able to stop the enemy before they overran the whole base.
About 200 of our 101st troops died that night! The papers in the world said only 10 people were killed that week in Nam! I endured heavy fighting in Quang Tri for 7 months.
Quang Tri was 12 miles south of North Vietnam and 3 miles from Laos where the Ho Chi Minh trail was.
I was in Quang Tri when the famous Lam Son invasion battle was launched out of Quang Tri. 5,000 South Vietnamese troops died in that battle to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail. That battle was a complete disaster for America! Quang Tri was also near Hamburger Hill, and where many other famous battles were fought during the course of the war!
I was granted a transfer to the Mekong Delta to the 3rd surgical hospital in Binh Tuey.
The reason for the transfer was to be stationed as close as possible to my brother who is now deceased. Transfers of this type were granted when two or more brothers were in combat zones in harms way.
My brother Bob Edberg was a 1st class petty officer in the Navy. It was his second time in the Vietnam conflict! He was a fighter plane mechanic in Binh Tuey. Binh Tuey was 50 miles south of Saigon. His outfit was called the black ponies and Val-4 was his outfits designation. The attack planes he worked on were the OV-10A Broncos.
I left Vietnam in 1971. The war has had a life long impact on me as it has for many who were there!!
Bob received the Navy commendation medal for finding a cracked engine mount on one of the Broncos. Probabley saving the flight crew from a crash. The Bronco's fire power were extremely devastating to the Vietcong operating in the Delta! I spent a total of 13 months in Vietnam and saw as very few did almost all of South Vietnam.
I left Vietnam in 1971. The war has had a life long impact on me as it has for many who were there!!
Biographical Details
Submitted From: stacy, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Quang Tri, Vietnam 
Story Subject: Military Service
Military Branch: U.S. Army
Dates of Service: 1969 - 1971
Unit: 53rd Maint battalion
Specialty: 35E20 special electronic device repairman
Story Themes: 1969, 1970, 1971, 53rd Maintenance Battalion, Army, Bob Edberg, Combat, Draft, Family, Hamburger Hill, Mekong Delta, Navy, News Coverage, Quang Tri, Read, Robert Edberg, Screaming Eagles, Stacy, Thomas Edberg, Tom Edberg, Viet Cong
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