A Trucker's Tale – Military Projects, A Gallery

Mar 19, 2025 - 6 months ago

This photo collection shows some of the important projects in which I was glad to have been involved.

A Trucker's Tale - Military Projects: A Gallery — *10,000 pound forklift. Photos courtesy NMCB 10 — 1968-69.*

The Seabees, militarily referred to as Construction Battalion, were composed of all job descriptions having anything to do with construction, including engineers, builders, equipment operators, mechanics, and office personnel.

I was rated as an equipment operator. The first six months “in country,” I drove tractor-trailers and dump trucks. Another truck driver and I supplied most of all supplies and equipment to our battalion. Most of these supplies came from either Danang, 75 miles away, or from Hue, 25 miles away. All the jobs in our battalion were important, but the other driver and I felt like our roles were extremely important, especially when all our troops were excited those times we returned to our camp with loads of food and beer.

The last two months of our tour, I asked to get off the road to learn the operation of our Terex TS-24 scrapers. I was able to join with the guys who were building the main road into a superhighway. These behemoths, at 3,500 horsepower, were exhilarating to operate, and at the end of each day, I felt like I had contributed a lot to our work.

My Vietnam experience was eight months long, from October 1968 to May 1969. At the end of our tour, we were to spend the next six months at our home base in California, preparing to return to Vietnam for another eight-month tour. Thankfully, some of my buddies and I were offered an “early out,” which, of course, we accepted, rather than returning to the war.

I was proud to have served with my battalion, and our work effort was recognized by the Navy Department when our battalion was awarded “E,” for Best in Class.

Cover of the Cruise Book for NMCB 10 — 1968-69

Ed Miller ([email protected]) has more than 40 years of management and ownership experience in the trucking industry. Today, he is a part-time tour bus driver, published author of “A Trucker’s Tale”, and regular contributor to Supply Post. He is a father of three and a grandfather of two, and lives with his wife in Rising Sun, Maryland.