When I drew the map of the Amtrac area at Marble Mountain..I wondered if anyone would notice where I marked the 6 buried LVT's.
Several e-mails asked why I had put the buried tracks there ..?..as they didn't remember that..
However, It was Colonel Bruce Ogden (retired) that provided the most interesting comment..and I pasted it in below for all to read before I explain how the buried Amtracs got there...
Col. Bruce Ogden (retired) email)
Subject: Amtrac Area
Stub:
A minor footnote to history.
When I commanded 1/11 in 1970-71, my 4.2 mortar battery occupied your old stomping ground. One Sunday morning, a Marine stubbed his toe and fell on his way to breakfast. Curious to know the cause, he removed enough sand surrounding a protruding metal object to conclude that this was no ordinary object. He reported it the battery commander, who proceeded to dig deeper. Sometime later he called me to report that he had discovered a buried amtrac in his position area and requested instructions. I reported the incident to the 1st MarDiv C/S. In short order, I received a call from the CG, MajGen Chuck Widdecke, who directed me to dig it out. The battery C.O. used his organic TD-18 to accomplish this feat, whereupon he found a .50cal MG and assorted technical documents inside, including some classified pubs. Widdecke promptly paid us a visit to inspect the site. The vehicle had formerly belonged to 3rd Amtracs according to its markings. Nevertheless, Widdecke was sufficiently aroused that he ordered a full investigation, the results of which he forwarded to FMFPAC. That was the last I heard of it, for we packed up soon after to return to Camp Pendleton. Thus I find your sketch particularly interesting because you identify no less than six amtracs buried in that location. Wonders never cease.
Semper Fidelis,
Bruce
THE STORY OF THE BURIED AMTRACS
In May of 1968, I received a call from Capt Chuck Robb in the G-4 shop..who had been my contact about Amtrac matters..he told that some of the Infantry Battalion Commanders were complaining about the burned out LVT hulls in their TOAR and that were potential.. ambush firing points for the VC/NVA.
I think I discussed this with Major Mickey Vann, the S-4 and Lt. Feryan, the Battalion Maintenance Officer..
Anyway, we knew where some of the burned out hulls were..as the result of running over mines..but we didn't know where they all were.. The 3rd Amtrac platoon leaders assigned to the various Infantry Battalions were asked to pinpoint the destroyed hulls in their area..
We ended up with 8 vehicles..
There was no panic about getting these hulls back to the Amtrac CP..and as platoons were being employed,, they were instructed to drag the hulls to a point where they could be dragged back to the CP.. I took about 2 months before all 8 were returned.
Of the 8, 2 were were capable of being pulled out into the South China Sea and sunk about 800 yds off the the beach.. The other six..would not have made it through the surf zone..so it was decided to bury them..
I personally inspected the inside of every vehicle..but only on 2 could we lower the bow ramp to allow us to walk in with plenty of light to look around.. The others vehicles were all fused shut including the cargo hatches..so we had to go down through a driver's hatch and use battle laterns for light..
The only reason for the inspection was to make sure no radio equipment was usable..and they weren't ..all were melted away.. as a result of over 400 gallons of gasloIine exploding in the hull bottom.. I did find some M16's that were also burned and could not be indentified..they were left on the tractors..also I saw some maintenance phamplets and some maps..but left them there..
We then dug a trench with TD 18's in the south forty and moved the vehicles in ..in line..east to west..we went right down to the level of the sea water..and then covered them over..
The place where they were buried was quite some distance from the activities of the CP..so I didn't expect that many knew where or when they buried..
It was around 1974-75 when I was having diner with PX Kelley that he asked me if I knew anything about buried LVT's in the Amtrac Bn area..at Marble Mountain.. I believe the area was occupied by the 1st Marines at that time of which Col. Kelley was C0.
I told him I knew all about them and was responsible for putting them there..as a means for getting rid of them....
He told me that an investigation had been conducted and that hand grenades and classified material had been found on them..I told him of the cursory inspection I made.. as described here.. and I wasn't surprised that some ordnance had been found.
He told me that he investigation had been conducted ..but then it was realized that Major Gen. Robertson had been the CG of the 1st Mar Div at the time they were probably buried..and at the time of the investigation..he was III MAF Commanding General..so it was decided to drop the matter..
It was at that dinner that I first heard anything about the buried LVT's. Subsequently, many infantry officers mentioned it to me..and I was quite surprised that the dicovery of them had caused such a commotion.
As a rule of thumb,,for every 4 Amtracs that struck mines..two could be returned to duty..one returned to Barstow for 5th echelon repair..and one was destroyed and abondoned.
So Bruce Ogden's e-mail only continues to shed more light on the incident..and I was unaware of the part he had in it..
And that is what happened and why I added them to the map. I am not surprised that even some of the Amtrac Officers that arrived after July 68 were not aware of the burial.. I just wasn't a big deal at that time..
Semper Fi
Stub Chace
