>                   History of the 738th Engineer Company (SP)


>The company was formed up at Granite City Army Depot near East St Louis, 
>Illinois in January 1963 with the specific purpose of coming to Thailand. 
>I was assigned to it from the Ammunition School at Fort Knox.  After some 
>initial training in Granite City (including a 3 day field exercise in 17 
>degree below 0 weather), we were all trucked to Scott Air Force and loaded 
>on two C135s (707s) and flown directly to Korat Air Base, I think in early 
>March 63. Our hooches had just been built for us (by God knows who)with 
>tin roofs, screened in sides and plank floors. Thatched shuters were aded 
>later.


>The Company was a mixture of Supply Engineers and Ordinance 
>personnel.  Our platoon was assigned the task of completely reorganizing 
>the tons of munitions left behind by the 25th Infantry Div and to store 
>and maintain it in case the 25th had to return. I was a PFC at the time 
>and appointed to be the chief clerk for the Ammo Depot (the depot itself 
>was just and open storage area located along Friendship Highway at a point 
>14 kms outside of Korat City).


>I don't remember the 738th Company Cmdr's name at the time but our platoon 
>leader was a CWO2 named Rocco. Our platoon trucked back and forth everyday 
>from Camp Friendship and the Ammo Depot. I remained with the unit until I 
>transferred out to Okinawa in October 1964. By the time I left, the Depot 
>had moved in its entirety to a new location along the Korat-Pak Thong Chai 
>Highway several kms past Camp Friendship.


>As for personal details, I don't remember the names of any of my officers 
>including Rocco's replacement.


>I do remember alot of the details of Friendship's expansion and especially 
>about the arrival of the Air Forces and all their bombs and 20mm cannon 
>ammo in the middle of the night following the Tongkin Bay Affair but much 
>of it is fuzzy and needs prompting.


>I was the first 9th Log soldier to marry a Thai girl and I had to wait 
>forever while they first wrote up a regulation to cover it (we're still 
>married after 37 years and six children). Anyother info I can help you 
>with please let me know.  As for photographs you'll have to wait until I 
>return to my home in Pennsylvania in July (I currently live in Bangkok.


FYI - 

 Camp Friendship is currently the home to a Thai Army Artillery Battalion.