Al Dunnem
jdunnem1@nycap.rr.com

I was the commo guy with Jim Taylor (medic) on the split team at Camp Dak To/Ben Het (A-749-) with the other half of the team at Dak Pek, in '63-64. The team was out of the 7th SFGA and relieved by a team out of 5 SFGA (I think) in 1964.

I am attaching a couple of photos of Ben Het in taken in 1963-64, a shot of me with a camp monkey, and Jim and me working on the Dispensary Emergency Surgical light system (salvaged 3/4 ton truck headlights).

Camp Ben Het was our forward operational base for Border Surveillance and CSD operations. We were a CSD/CIDG camp with a complement of Montagnards from the Jarai, Sedang and Bhanar tribes, mostly.

Other team members (other than Jim and me) were; at Dak To; 1LT Bill Bailey (XO), and SFC Ralph Sanchez (Wpns). We lost SP5 Yeager (demo) early and he was never replaced. Team SGTs were MSG "Catfish" Miner (medevaced) and replaced by MSG Joe Seyer; at Dak Pek: CPT Andy Kuschner Tm Ldr, SFC Manuel Enriquez (O&I), SFC Dixon (demo), SSG Saul Arredondo (Sr Medic), SSG Joe Torrone (Sr Commo) and SSG Feliziano Guzman (Wpns).

Interestingly enough, we were attached from the 7th SFGA to the Special Forces Operational Base (Provisional)(Vietnam) with their HQ at Nha Trang, and wore the beret flash (locally produced) that was later adopted by 5SFGA in RVN. Although I was never a member of the 5th SFGA, I was wearing the 5th flash in '63-64 while the 5th was still wearing the solid black flash.

Al Dunnem

Al's Photos
Thumb Nail Page: A Dunnem

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