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CLEARING THE WAY--Rome plows
of the 538th Land Clearing Team disappear as they move
into the undergrowth. |
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ALONG
HIGHWAY 14, the bulldozers of the 538th Land Clearing Company
are clearing a right-of-way along the heavily traveled route
connecting Pleiku and Ban Me Thuot.
The team is removing overgrowth which could offer cover
for enemy ambushes against traveling this route, along the
entire 60 mile stretch of road.
In a matter of minutes the company can clear an area 150
meters long and 100 meters wide with their D7E bulldozers
equipped with Rome Plows.
"We clear from 150 to 500 meters of vegetation from the
roadside according to the demand of the situation," commented
Staff Sergeant Cardoses S. Funches. "In an area that is
heavily overgrown and favored as an ambush point, we usually
clear 500 meters from the roadside. |
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PLOW POWER--Rome plows can
literally chop down large trees such as the one shown here
along QL-14. |
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LOADING ROCK--Trucks, on
their way to QL-14, are loaded with rock to form a base
for the road that the 102nd Engineer company is
currently working on. |
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As each
section is cleared, the vegetation is piled in large
windows, left to dry and later be burned.
Performing this job, vital to road security, exposes
one to many hazards ranging from poisonous snakes falling
from trees to running over land mines. In addition, the
men seldom establish a base camp for more than three days
because the nature of their work demands that they move
where the work is.
In spite of these disadvantages, the men prefer their
work to other engineering jobs. "Even though there aren't
the conveniences of the base camp," commented Specialist
Four Brad Paulson, "it's an exciting job and time passes
quickly while you're working." |
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ASPHALT MIXING--Engineers
from the 102nd Engineer Company work with Vietnamese to
lift a 469 pound drum of JP-3 to be heated and mixed into
asphalt for the project. |
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TEAM WORK--The 538th LCT
works together to clear the roadway, leaving the brush
piled in windrows along the roadside to be burned later. |
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AS PART OF THE SUPPORT
OPERATIONS for intense upgrading along Highway 14, a new
asphalt plant operated by the asphalt platoon of the 102nd
Engineer Company (Construction Support) recently went into
full operation.
Utilizing crushed rock from the quarry operated by
the 584th Engineer Company (Light Equipment), the plant is
capable of producing up to 1000 tons of asphalt a day. It is
expected to supply finishing material for all road upgrading
projects in the area. |
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To supplement the manpower of the 102nd, Montagnard
personnel also work on the plant insuring that a
continuous flow of raw material is fed into it. The
engineers found that their new help were rapid learners,
and according to First Lieutenant Charles M. Hammond,
officer in charge of the plant, "They're doing a number
one job." |
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Article submitted by: Dennis
Engelhart |
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FINISHING TOUCHES--As the
bulldozer puts finishing touches on the cleared land,
you can see the same tree as shown in photo left, in a
much different surrounding. |
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CRUSHING APPARATUS--After
the rock is crushed it can be moved by conveyor belts to
loading points where it is put in dump trucks for
movement. |
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Castle Courier March 10,
1969