The 536th Engineer Detachment was attached to the D Company of the 84th Engineer Battalion, stationed at Camp Smith. Camp Smith was located a few miles from LZ English, home of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The 536th Engineer Detachment and D Company of the 84th Engineer Battalion was assigned the building of the Bong Son Bridge which was to replace the outdated French bridge crossing the Song Lai Giang River on QL-1, Binh Dinh Province, I Corp, Republic of Vietnam. The complete unit genealogy is as follows: 536th Engineer Detachment (PC) attached to D Company, 84th Engineer Battalion (Construction), 937 Engineer Group (Combat), 18th Engineer Brigade.

The Bong Son Bridge was a massive structure, made of steel and concrete. The steel pilings were driven deep into the earth by pile drivers. The steel spans were welded together and the reinforced concrete slabs were welded to the steel spans. The Bong Son Bridge was an Army Engineer Show Case project designed to improve and facilitate travel along QL-1, the main North – South highway on the coast of Vietnam.

The reason that divers were assigned to the 536th was due to the fact that the detachment Specialty was designated as Port Construction and this implies the likelihood of needing soldiers trained in the appropriate skills to complete underwater tasks that may be required to complete the mission. The 536th primarily provided the welders, the pile drivers, and crane operators for this construction project. At the time, all army divers were trained in both underwater and above water welding as a sub specialty that went along with the primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). D Company of the 84th Battalion was responsible for providing the logistics for the project as well as transportation of the material utilized in the construction of the bridge, which would include the steel girders, steel spans, reinforced concrete slabs, etc. Operational security was provided by a garrison of seldom seen ARVN troops stationed across the river at Bong Son and rotating squads of Sky Troopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade. We provided our own perimeter security. Needless to say that Camp Smith was under the protective umbrella of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and its awesome firepower, located just a few miles to the south.

The original diver to be assigned to the 536th Engineer Detachment was SP4 Robert Dirk Hurchalla and he was rated as a US Navy trained Diver 2nd Class, having graduated from the Navy Diver Training School, San Diego, California. He arrived in Vietnam and was assigned to the 536th approximately January 1970. SP4 Hurchalla was utilized as a welder with the night crew for about three months. During this time, he did not draw diving pay since there was no active diving team in place with the 536th.

Approximately two to three months after the arrival of SP4 Hurchalla, PFC James Anderson, also a USN trained 2nd Class Diver, was assigned to the 536th and he too was assigned to the night welding crew. Prior to being assigned to the 536th, Anderson's duty station had been with the 73rd Transportation Company out of Fort Eustis, Virginia. The 73rd maintained a fairly large diving section due to the fact that their primary mission was transporting materials to the troops via flat bottomed mike boats capable of maneuvering in relatively shallow water.

I joined the 536th about a week or so after PFC Anderson came aboard. I too was assigned to the night crew of welders. I came in as SP5 and Salvage Diver qualified, having recently graduated with the first class of 12 divers trained at the US Army Salvage Diver School at Fort Eustis, Virginia. My rank and my Salvage Diver rating made me the senior diver, but as yet, we had no operational diving team.

Upon my arrival to the 536th, and meeting with both Hurchalla and Anderson, we decided to approach out Commanding Officer, 1st Lt. David Meyers about establishing a formal Diving Section/Team for the 536th. Initially he was somewhat reluctant, largely because he needed welders more than he needed divers, but we were not deterred. It was our understanding that the MOS 00B30 (Salvage Diver) was in critical short supply, which was why the US Army had started the Salvage Diver School at Fort Eustis. We also knew that the Army was still sending soldiers to the US Navy Diving School in San Diego and we wanted to work in the area of our expertise, which was that of divers. The three of us decided that we would submit a request for transfer, to any unit that would utilize us in the MOS for which we had been trained. We explained to our CO that we surely didn't mind helping complete our unit's mission but we felt strongly about working in the field as divers. 1st Lt. Meyers was a fine CO and he consented to assist us in organizing and forming the 536th Engineer Detachment Diving Team, US Army.

We were granted access to the Storage Conex containing TO&E diving equipment assigned to the 536th. The three of us went through the equipment, taking a thorough inventory. All of this was done on our time off, in other words, we welded at night and worked at setting up our diving team during the day.

What we found in the diving Conex astonished us; all the equipment was brand new. We found two shiny new Mark 5 diving helmets, for deep diving along with the weight belts, weighted boots, air hoses, rubberized canvas diving suits and air/communication hoses and lines. We also had one set of Shallow Water Diving gear which included a Jack Brown diving mask and soft sided air hoses. There were no SCUBA tanks, regulators, wet suits, diving masks or fins. Most importantly, there was no air compressor, needed for both the hard hat and shallow water gear. It was looking like we were destined to be full time welders at that point but part of the makeup of a diver was resourcefulness. Our countless hours of combined training with both the Navy and the Army instilled in us both the "Can Do" and "Never Quit" attitudes. We approached our CO with the notion of using industrial grade oxygen, of which we had plenty due to the scope of the mission of the 536th. We advised him that we could rig the shallow water gear and use O2 as our primary air supply. Of course, the three of us knew that breathing relatively pure oxygen is safe as long as the depth of 30 feet is not exceeded. Beyond 30 feet, O2 is toxic and can be fatal if breathed for any length of time. It all has to do with what O2 under pressure does to the body's normal gas exchange physiology between CO2 and O2. Part of our dilemma was that we didn't have a depth gauge to keep us in the safe zone but we all agreed that we would dive by "dead reckoning" just as pilots fly without the use of instrumentation, and moreover, fly by the seat of their pants. Just like them, we would be diving by the seat of our pants just as well.


We welded on the bridge at night and worked during the day to get our diving gear ready, for when the call came in. 1st Lt. Meyers was true to his word, he put out the word that the 536th had an operational diving team and slowly, requests for divers begin to come in. Our first dive job was for our parent unit, the headquarters of the 937th Combat Engineer Group in Qui Nhon. There was some sort of problem with their fresh water pump/float combination in their fresh water reservoir. It could best be described as a middle sized pond or large mud puddle, about 10-12 feet deep. We, along with our shallow water dive gear and two large green bottles of oxygen, were flown by helicopter to Qui Nhon. In short order, we set up our gear, got in the water and took care of the problem. We were an instant hit at headquarters since they had been having the same problem for some time and no one was willing to get in the yellowish looking and foul smelling water before we showed up. Our consolation was that we didn't have to drink the water, we just had to dive in it but we were glad to do it.

For the next several months, all diving operations were completed utilizing the same format; shallow water gear and our large green O2 bottles containing our air supply.

The Bong Son Bridge was completed in around October of 1970. The 536th was transferred to Da Nang.

Upon our arrival in Da Nang, our diving operations began to come in more frequently, as word spread that the 536th had divers. We were either trucked or flown in by helicopter and our jobs varied widely. Mostly we were involved with underwater repair, pier and piling inspections, bridge demolitions using C-4 plastic explosives and underwater search and recovery. We also assisted in wooden bridge construction and moving the creosote laden wooden pilings around in the water and positioning them, prior to them being driven into the ground. None of us cared for the wooden bridge construction. The rivers we dove in on those projects were usually pretty foul, laden with debris and submerged concertina wire, and all of this was made worse by the tar and creosote floating on the surface of the water as we maneuvered the wooden pilings into position. The water was typically brackish, being fresh water mixed with incoming ocean water. We dove with sea snakes, stinging jelly fish and who knows what else.

About November 1970, after our reassignment to Da Nang our Diving Team added three new members. We were joined by SP5 Charles Armstrong, Salvage Diver, a Florida Diver named Davis and SP5 Bill Coker, also Salvage Diver Qualified. All three were recent graduates of the US Army Salvage School, Fort Eustis, Virginia. Davis turned out to be a fair weather diver that didn't care for diving in inclement weather or the hazardous diving conditions we were often subjected to. He was later reassigned to the motor pool and removed from dive status. Armstrong and Coker on the other hand, took to diving and our style of diving with gusto. They were both awesome divers, both hailed from the great state of California, just as Bob Hurchalla. Jim Anderson was originally from Kankakee, Illinois, and I came from the high desert country of Northern New Mexico.

The arrival of Charles Armstrong was especially welcomed. He had the foresight to bring with him his own personal wet suit, not relying on the goodness of the Army to provide. Armstrong was a superb diver and graciously and willingly shared the use of his wet suit with his teammates. I'll never forget him for that, nor can I thank him enough.

Da Nang was a most welcome change for us as well as for expanded diving operations. Being close to the ocean brought many more opportunities for diving. We also got to know our Navy counterparts fairly well.

Our most significant diving operation to date occurred after the arrival of the FNG's, (Fantastic New Guys) and during the month of November. We were put on alert and told to get our equipment ready. We were told to report to the airfield, along with our shallow water gear and O2 bottles. Hurchalla always had his M-79 grenade launcher at his side, while the rest of us carried fully loaded M-16's. We were transported by Huey and dropped of on a deserted beach, at Tan My, west of Hue and close to Camp Eagle, home of the 101 Airborne Division. We, along with our equipment were off loaded, along with a case of C-rations and some water but nary a word from the pilots as we all stared at what appeared to be a huge flat bottomed boat turned upside down and settled down at the breaker line, in heavy surf. We were puzzled, not knowing what we were to do. Basically we were told to get ready, get on the helicopter and get off the helicopter and not much else. There was no way 6 army divers with shallow water gear, three bottles of O2, one communal wet suit and one case of C rats were going to put a dent into a huge boat, turned upside down, and at least 50 yards or more out in the breaker line and pounding surf. The surf was indeed pounding and even just swimming out to the boat proved to be a challenge, even for seasoned divers.

Our questions were answered in less than an hour when it seemed that the entire world arrived on scene. The Royal Australian Clearance Diving Team 3 (UD/EOD) led by Lt. Jake Linton arrived and was put in charge of the Salvage Operation of YFU 63, which had somehow capsized overnight. We were told that a rogue wave, somewhat common during typhoon season was deemed the cause of this mishap. There was a crew of twelve soldiers supposedly on board and our primary mission was to rescue anyone trapped inside the crew's quarters or recover the bodies. Secondarily, and the reason the Australian team was in place, was the fact that LCU 63 had been carrying 150 tons of White Phosphorus artillery shells when she capsized.

We, along with the Aussie divers and the Navy support element, were on station for most of November. The army role was to provide support and additional divers. We brought virtually no equipment to lend a hand but we provided six able bodies, ready and willing to assist in any capacity Lt. Linton required. The logistical support was provided by the USN Diving Section out of Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang Naval Support Facility. There were also several fine USN divers that joined in the operation. Unfortunately, due to the extremely difficult conditions (typhoon season) it was not possible to salvage the ship. We did however gain entry in to the hold and main compartment but no bodies were found.

The Tan My operation was a major turning point for the 536th diving team. We had been exposed to others divers and diving units. Because of our eagerness and enthusiasm, we made a very favorable impression on both the Australian CO and the US Navy XO in charge of logistics. What we lacked in equipment, we more than made up for in willingness and enthusiasm. Working and associating with the Aussie's was a great honor, a privilege and a pleasure. The USN second in command was WO Norton and I remain grateful to him and his willingness to help fellow divers out, even though we were from a separate branch of service. He extended an open door policy, unofficially of course, to us Army Divers. He told us that he couldn't give us any equipment, because he had to account for all his dive gear but he told us that we had free access to his dive supply room.

It was like Christmas, which it really was or at least just after Thanksgiving. We gathered enough parts to assemble our double hose regulators (the know how was supplied by the Army Salvage Divers Course), and several sets of twin 90 SCUBA bottles, weight belts, diving knives and UDT Life vests. We were really in business then! However, still no wet suits! I have to add that the training we received at Eustis was invaluable and allowed us to assemble all our new found dive gear. We were a pretty knowledgeable and resourceful group.

An example of this was when Anderson and Armstrong came across an air compressor initially used to fill fire extinguishers and were able to convert it as our back up compressor which we used to fill our SCUBA bottles. Converting the fire extinguisher compressor into a dive compressor was no simple or small task. The most critical component was the air filtration, since any amount of oil or petroleum compound that might find its way into the air supply would contaminate the air breathed by the diver and quite possibly cause severe lung damage and a possible fatal reaction, especially underwater. Anderson loved to tinker and was also able to make up a set of low PSI SCUBA bottles out of two fire extinguisher tanks. We used the same valves used for the twin 90's we acquired from the Navy dive supply. We used Anderson's bottles for small diving jobs that required very limited underwater time. Our SCUBA bottles were usually filled at the US Navy Diver Section at Camp Tien Shaw, since we didn't have our own full size air compressor. The addition of our new found and acquired diving equipment expanded our dive capabilities and our enthusiasm was at a high point at that time.

At about the same time, Hurchalla's tour was completed and he rotated back to the States, and to his wife and his newborn son, Chad. By this point, there were 4 divers left in the 536th. Myself as team leader and senior diver, Jim Anderson, Chuck Armstrong and Bill Coker. We were as tight a team as they come. The new guys took to our team like a duck takes to water.

The next major break occurred when we happened to run into WO Keck at the PX in Da Nang. Armstrong and Coker were off at one end when they saw the Master Diver Pin on WO Keck's hat. They quickly came looking for Anderson and me. We wasted no time in locating this portly gentleman. WO Keck was assigned to the 1st Logistics, stationed also in Da Nang. He told us that he had been trying to locate us that he knew we were somewhere in I Corp but that he didn't know exactly where or with whom. He was like an angel sent from Heaven and at least he was a great benefactor. Through him and his connections, we were able to pick up even more diving jobs, especially now that we had upgraded our diving equipment, although lacking wet suits. Initially, he was in favor of acquiring a 4 wheel drive pick up truck for us, as our diving vehicle. I thought that was a great idea as I happen to like trucks. However, Armstrong, Anderson and Coker came up with the idea that we should ask for an Ambulance and convert it to our own diving van. Keep in mind that Armstrong and Coker were previously California surfers before they opted to serve their country as Army Divers. It sounded like a fine idea to me and Mr. Keck was able to get us an ambulance and it didn't take long to turn it into our own four wheel drive, OD green diving van. It held our bottles, regulators, weights, ropes and spare changes of uniform tops that we needed to get into the Navy or Air Force mess hall, depending on where we were at the time.

One time, a newly assigned 1st Sergeant accused us of slacking and was giving us a hard time, since we were no longer involved with the current mission of the 536th. In fact, I don't even recall what it was; of course we were too busy diving. Ours was official business mostly and an occasional run to a few top secret coves to replenish our supply of fresh lobsters. Lobsters and beer, the staple of Army Divers is what we used to say. Anyway, the new top sergeant did not like that we pretty much had free rein and he wanted to put a stop to it. We solved that problem by inviting him to be an honorary diver and that he should accompany us on some or our jobs, just so that he could see what we did. He enthusiastically agreed and after a day of lugging around SCUBA bottles weighing upwards of 100 pounds apiece, weight belts, ropes and all the other stuff we had to do, he wanted no part of being a diver and let us go about our business. Army life was good!

Tet of 1970 brought an interesting job. The giant oil resupply tankers were not able to off load the JP4 used by the jets and helicopters due to the fact that the flex-hoses and end valves that they used to hook up to were tangled at the bottom of Da Nang Harbor. WO Keck alerted our CO and we were on our way to Da Nang Harbor early the next day. Our convoy was guarded by armored trucks at our front and rear and gunships flying overhead. All of Da Nang was on full alert; MACV had predicted another NVA led attack across all of Vietnam, similar to the Tet of 68. Our mission was deemed critical, since helicopters and jets all need JP4 and we needed to make sure that the supply lines were kept operational. Mr. Keck was in charge of this operation and he explained that we would be doing bounce dives all day long in alternating teams of two divers. Water depth was between 95 and 100 feet. Bottom time would be five to ten minutes on each dive, in order to minimize decompression requirements. Visibility would be absolute zero and darker than dark. Currents were mild at the bottom but the surface was windy and waves were choppy. Our job was to descend along the buoy lines, figure out which ten inch diameter flex hose was where and in what direction it had to be moved. We would then resurface, relay that information to WO Keck and he would instruct the boat captain with regards to the direction. The buoy line was attached to the tug and the tug would reposition the hose. By then, we would be hauled aboard and the next dive team would make ready to do the follow up dive for confirmation and reposition as needed. We did this over and over until all the lines were tangle free.

It was on one of these dives that Bill Coker saved my life, or at least I give him credit for it. Somehow, the reserve value on my tanks had been activated, without my knowledge. Perhaps from bumping around in zero visibility and unseen flex hoses. Coker and I were already on the bottom and making our inspection when without warning, my air supply quit. I had half a breath of air, and 100 feet to the surface. I was strapped in and fully loaded with weight belts, web belt, knife, UDT life vest and long johns. It was Coker's turn to wear the wet suit. I gripped Coker's hand, hard and reached over and tapped him three times, signaling that I was in trouble. I wasn't sure what the outcome of my appeal would be but I had to make some choices pretty quickly. Either I stay and hope he finds me and lets me have some of his air or I ditch my equipment and swim for all I'm worth to the surface and hope I make it. It is amazing how things like this slow your thought processes down. It occurred to me that I actually didn't want to ditch my equipment because that would leave us one set of tanks short and they were hard enough to come by. I never considered the possibility that if I didn't make it to the surface, the team would be one diver short; I was more concerned for the equipment, I guess. On the other hand, I didn't want to hang around on the bottom of Da Nang Harbor with no air to breath. I had to decide quickly and just as I reached for my quick release on my shoulder harness with one hand and my weight belt with the other, I felt him groping around my face. I had already spit out my own mouth piece since it was no longer of any use to me. That was the first and only time in my life that I've been groped by another guy but I was glad of it. Training kicked in for both of us, and thank God for that! As soon as he got my signal or maybe the extra hard grip I had on his hand, he took a quick breath and was maneuvering his body so that we would be in the face to face position to buddy breath. We would both share his air supply. When he didn't find me right away, he quickly reinserted his mouthpiece and took in another quick breath. He found me on his second attempt and I was glad he did. We stayed in position long enough for us to settle down and regain our composure, at least mine. I gave the signal to initiate our ascent, while still buddy breathing. I would take two breaths, while he held his own and then reverse the order, as he took two breaths and I held my breath. Once we left the bottom, we slowly made our way to the surface without any difficulty. Upon arriving at the surface, the tug was several hundred yards away from us and unaware of the problems we encountered. Coker and I inflated our UDT life vests to give us added buoyancy and started our swim, against the current and through choppy breakers on the surface. That was a difficult swim and I about drowned for the second time in the span of about 10 minutes as I tried to catch my breath when a wave hit me square in the face as I was taking a gulp of air. Only other divers would understand how difficult a task it is, to swim against the current while fully loaded with weight belts, twin 90 SCUBA bottles and other diving gear.

We accomplished the Da Nang Harbor Mission and Tet 1970 never amounted to much but the F-4's, the Cobra's, the Huey's, and the Chinook's all had plenty of fuel.

My tour was completed mid March, my time in the Army and in Vietnam was done.

Jim Anderson was promoted to SP5 and signed on for an extension of an additional six months, seems he was having way too much fun! Chuck Armstrong and Bill Coker remained with the 536th.

In closing I'd like to say that we had an awesome diving team. Early on, I exhorted each team member that if we worked together and watched each others back, we would all make it back to the world. We received little recognition for what we did and what we accomplished. The Navy gave us a nice letter of commendation for our efforts at Tan My. Our own unit seldom ever knew what we did and I can't blame them because we were seldom with our unit, especially after the 536th was reassigned to Camp Evans in Da Nang. I gather none of us were looking for recognition. We just wanted to do our job, watch out for each other and make sure you left when it was your turn. We were fortunate that we did not have to endure the trauma of having lost a team member to any diving accident or enemy action. We were not awarded any medals other then the standard ones everyone gets for having served in Vietnam Nam but I will say, that I am extremely proud of the work we did and am prouder still of each diver that served with the
536th Engineer Detachment Diving Team.




Chief Powell observing the proper method of dressing the diver. Each simple mistake meant fifty push ups per tender.  Time to dress diver: Seven minutes. Time to undress diver: Three minutes. A push up was required for every second exceeding those limits.