Johnson, USMC | atsb-river-rats

Max Johnson, USMC (1968) coming back from a night on the river.	Max - now: Me on my hand crank bike, lost my femur to bone cancer.
Sid Lempert and Joe St. Amour, USMC on the beach.	Seeman named Brown and Clem GM.
LCM with a hole from an RPG.	These boats were a later addition to the river patrol. They came down river in the AM to sweep for mines and do day patrol.
"I read a good book about this section of boats. Sorry, I can't remember the name of it." Max	GM Webster, USN. He was heavy on the trigger. BM Davis in the foreground.
Richard Ginder and Alfie Speyer, USMC KIA on 3-3-68 on the Cua Viet River.	BM Gary Larsen, USN KIA Cua Viet River 3-3-68.
Wheeler GM USN, Max at the new Navy club. Before they built a club each man could buy two cases of beer a week. Quite a change for us Jar Heads who rarely got any.	Wheeler and I with various sailors.
Max on the beach, At this point the beach was off limits. You were subject to NJP if the wrong person caught you.	These holes were manned by 1st Tracs. This one was empty as the guys manning it were down swimming with us.
Sometimes they would open the club for us in the morning after a night on the river. L-R Big Rodriguez WIA, another Marine Art Turner was KIA in June. I had left Cua Viet that day to rotate home., UNK, and Joe St. Amour	I believe these are all USN. The only name I remember is Wheeler w/beer can on his head.
All USMC: Willie Winston, unk, Red, me (Max),and little Rodriquez.	All USN: unk, Webster, and Davis
Davis and Joe St. Amour.	Joe, unk, and Salas (Snipe)EN.
Max and Joe St. Amour. Joe just came down after 77 days of siege at Khe Sanh and thought he was in Hollywood.	I can only make out "Big Rodriquez" on the side of the boat.
L-R Davis BM, Cpl Sid Lempert, Salas EN, and UNK helmsman.	Our own hooch built by the Sea Bees. The guy in front left went over the hill while on R&R in Hawaii. Quite a feat. Didn't miss him as he was a druggie.
UNK Navy on the left, Joe St. Amour on the right. (Click photo to get full view.)	LCPL and crew.
Same Crew.	Webster USN
All USN, unk except helmsman Davis. (Click on the photo for full view)	According to Joe St. Amour this guy wanted to fire the .50 cal but never did, could have been a corpsman.
Everyone that went down river took a picture of this boat.	Originally, I was an artillery FO and called in fire missions like this one. I don't know how I wound up as a search light operator on a Navy Patrol Boat.
This is where the battle of Dai Do took place in early May 68. The NVA closed the river down, 2/4 went in and had a very rough time in that battle.	Not sure if this is the one that was later sank.
The unthinkable happened to what was supposed to be the unsinkable.	Philippine band and USO show. There was also a group of Aussie's there. They wouldn't let Americans come up to Cua Viet.
Max on a cool dreary day at Cua Viet.	This section of The Wall contains the names of the crew on the 23 boat which was lost on 3-3-68. USN Michael Farris, Gary Larsen, Randall Young and David Carli, whose name was missed in the picture I took, USMC Alfred Speyer and Richard Ginder. For various reasons Larry Clack, Salas and myself were scratched from this ill fated patrol.

Push the play/pause button to control the music:

Riders on the Storm

Max Johnson (the Marine Cpl. who was in charge of the Marines running our searchlights) sent these photos. Looking forward to many more photos to display from Max. unfortunatly, we lost Max in Jan. 2015 Rest in peace my friend.

Max Johnson, USMC (1968) coming back from a night on the river.

Max - now: Me on my hand crank bike, lost my femur to bone cancer.

Sid Lempert and Joe St. Amour, USMC on the beach.

Seeman named Brown and Clem GM.

LCM with a hole from an RPG.

These boats were a later addition to the river patrol. They came down river in the AM to sweep for mines and do day patrol.

"I read a good book about this section of boats. Sorry, I can't remember the name of it." Max

GM Webster, USN. He was heavy on the trigger. BM Davis in the foreground.

Richard Ginder and Alfie Speyer, USMC KIA on 3-3-68 on the Cua Viet River.

BM Gary Larsen, USN KIA Cua Viet River 3-3-68.

Wheeler GM USN, Max at the new Navy club. Before they built a club each man could buy two cases of beer a week. Quite a change for us Jar Heads who rarely got any.

Wheeler and I with various sailors.

Max on the beach, At this point the beach was off limits. You were subject to NJP if the wrong person caught you.

These holes were manned by 1st Tracs. This one was empty as the guys manning it were down swimming with us.

Sometimes they would open the club for us in the morning after a night on the river. L-R Big Rodriguez WIA, another Marine Art Turner was KIA in June. I had left Cua Viet that day to rotate home., UNK, and Joe St. Amour

I believe these are all USN. The only name I remember is Wheeler w/beer can on his head.

All USMC: Willie Winston, unk, Red, me (Max),and little Rodriquez.

All USN: unk, Webster, and Davis

Davis and Joe St. Amour.

Joe, unk, and Salas (Snipe)EN.

Max and Joe St. Amour. Joe just came down after 77 days of siege at Khe Sanh and thought he was in Hollywood.

I can only make out "Big Rodriquez" on the side of the boat.

L-R Davis BM, Cpl Sid Lempert, Salas EN, and UNK helmsman.

Our own hooch built by the Sea Bees. The guy in front left went over the hill while on R&R in Hawaii. Quite a feat. Didn't miss him as he was a druggie.

UNK Navy on the left, Joe St. Amour on the right. (Click photo to get full view.)

LCPL and crew.

Same Crew.

Webster USN

All USN, unk except helmsman Davis. (Click on the photo for full view)

According to Joe St. Amour this guy wanted to fire the .50 cal but never did, could have been a corpsman.

Everyone that went down river took a picture of this boat.

Originally, I was an artillery FO and called in fire missions like this one. I don't know how I wound up as a search light operator on a Navy Patrol Boat.

This is where the battle of Dai Do took place in early May 68. The NVA closed the river down, 2/4 went in and had a very rough time in that battle.

Not sure if this is the one that was later sank.

The unthinkable happened to what was supposed to be the unsinkable.

Philippine band and USO show. There was also a group of Aussie's there. They wouldn't let Americans come up to Cua Viet.

Max on a cool dreary day at Cua Viet.

Patrol the River

LCPL River Security