Aside from my arrival in-country in April 1967 and departure one year later, three incidents stand out in my Swift Boat tour of duty – the capture of Skunk Alpha, the North Vietnamese resupply trawler on July 15, 1967; the overrun of the South Vietnamese Navy’s Junk Base at Coastal Group 16 on August 7, 1967 by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Regulars, in retaliation for the capture of their anticipated resupply cargo; and, the untimely death of our crew’s lead petty officer, BM1 Bobby Don “Boats” Carver, on December 6, 1967.

Below are a random selection of personal photos taken at different times during the year I served on PCF-79 in Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam.