Take a Ride Through Da Nang, Vietnam: Dogpatch to Freedom Hill

Take a ride through what was known to thousands of GIs and Marines as Dogpatch, the village outside the Da Nang Airbase. Past Dogpatch was the Marine Corps Freedom Hill Processing Center and the Freedom Hill PX complex. The old processing center is now the People's Army of Vietnam and the PX area at the bottom of Hill 327, is the site of a gravel and slate mining operation.

Thousands of Marines like myself went through the Freedom Hill center first coming In Country and then to Freedom, hence the name.

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Travel & Events

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• Freedom
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• mpeg2video

[ernstbecker1]

I recognized the right turn from the highway, Dog Patch, to Fredom Hill; however, I didn't see Fredom Hill on this video. Where was it?

[rb368370]

@ernstbecker1 The area where Freedom Hill used to be is all built over with VN Army structures. The whole area is developed which makes it difficult to locate where US installations were. Plus, I wasn't based in Da Nang and only have fleeting memories of things.

[rb368370]

Oh really, can you give me the run time when you see it?

[dlifeon]

I stumbled onto this video looking for something else. Wow, lo and behold a bolt from the past, way past. This looks familiar. Since I know we went to dogpatch, only few days after arriving at the Da Nang airbase. We ended up at a little hooch in town, off the airbase drinking Ba Moi Ba beer. Without permission drunk as skunks when Charlie decided to attack the place, and we were a long from where we were supposed to be. We were running for our lives back to HQ H&S 1/9 mortars. more ..

[rb368370]

@dlifeon I had a few tight squeezes there myself.



[Micaiah2004]

It looks too nice and restored to me. Where's Freedom Mountain...there were no vegatation, only a pock marked mountain full of shell holes....Vegetation returned to the Mountain....Are you in a lambretta????

It brings back memories. No military in sight here.....

[rb368370]

@Micaiah2004 Freedom Hill, I think you mean. It's a military compound.  Yes, there's a lot more vegetation everywhere.

[ernstbecker1]

@rb368370 I recall Hill 327/Freddom Hill from Sep. 66 to Oct. 67. It was a long time ago. The road from Hill 327 paased Camp Stevens and onti 7th Engineers and FLSG "A" later 1st FSR/FLC at Red Beach.

[ernstbecker1]

@rb368370 No porblem. You have done a good job locating landmarks. Dog Patch hasn't changed . Many thanks.

[vjd2606]

went through the r&r center 1971 only thing i can remember was the graffiti on the latrine walls.

[vadonmac]

I was a heavy equipment operator in the US Navy Seabees attached to USNMCB 9. In June of '67 Harry Hodges (RIP), Dewey Dulespliere (spelling?) , and I were assigned "Pothole" repair duty on the road from Dogpatch to Freedom Hill. Dewey and I operated motor graders and Harry followed on a compacting roller. Surreal to think back to that job. Appears they could use our services again. Seabee Can Do.

[sweed762]

your accent sound like boston-?

[jmulliner5167]

Some things looked familiar, some didn't. A lot of change since 1965.

[Y2R4U]

AHHH..THE COMMIES SHOULD BE PROUD. NOW VN LOOKS JUS LIKE CHINA AND RUSSIA THAT HELPED THEM STAY TO COMMIE KILLIN OUR BOYS. THEY CAN KEEP THEIR TRADE WITH CHINA AND BURN IN HELL.

[TheJarhead70]

The street leading to Freedom Hill - as the Author turns onto it - an the outline of the Hill are as I remember the scene. Buildings did not extend out to the hill as far as they do now (as I remember). The road was in better shape too. Can anyone tell me if they remember a gate leading from the Airbase right into Dogpatch?

TheJarhead70