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U. S. Coast Guard. Vietnam 1965 - 1966

IV Corps Liberty. (Photos by and courtesy of CDR Robert T. Douville, USCG (ret)
Following completion of a patrol, the CGC Point Glover (WPB 82307) arrives at Ha Tien on the Cambodian border for some R & R. The South Vietnamese Naval vessel No Than HQ 235 (formerly the Framee, ex-LSSL 105) sits at the mooring used by the WPBs. The WPBs had about two and half feet of water under the keel when crossing the bar to Ha Tien.	During the French Colonial period Ha Tien was a popular resort as exhibited by this hotel. However, after the French left such places began falling into disrepair.	A legacy of European culture, the sidewalk cafe -- this on Ha Tien's main street, remained a strong focal point enjoyed by many Coast Guardsmen.
Nelson's Victory. A September 19, 1965 photo of then LT. Robert T. Nelson, USCG, commanding officer of the CGC Point Glover(WPB 82307), displays weapons and material captured from an enemy vessel. This was the first battle at sea with an armed infiltrating junk by an American unit of the new coastal surveillance force in South Vietnamese waters. The Point Glover was assisted by the CGC Point Garnett(WPB 82310), LT. Douglas A. Hlousek, USCG, commanding.
Learn It, Write It. JO3 Bob Douville takes a turn at the helm of the CGC Point Glover (WPB 83207) and stands watch with an M1 Carbine. Bob Douville was assigned to Coast Guard Squadron One in Saigon. His mission was to record the Coast Guard's contribution in Vietnam. The Coast Guard sent its own photographers and journalists to Vietnam. Their reports and photographs continued to be seen in the press until about mid-1968 when such reporting, for some reason, seemed to stop.

Winning Local Confidence. (Photos by and courtesy of CDR Robert T. Douville, USCG (ret)
The CGC Point Glover(WPB 82307) takes a break in a patrol to visit a village on Hon Tre Island situated in Rach Gia Bay.	Hon Tre beach house.	The home of the Truong Ap or village chief. Evidently some recruiting was done as can be seen by the white hat worn by the child in the foreground. The house is also on log stilts for the frequent flooding during the monsoon season.
JO3 Bob Douville meets the village chief and the chief's family.	The tour of the village included a visit to the school house built by the village from materials provided the U. S. Operations Mission (USOM). The early attempt to win the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese was probably no more successful than many of the others that followed. Note baby held by young girl now wears the white hat.	The Point Glover returns to patrol her area. The crew left gifts of cigarettes, candy, playing cards, a Vietnamese-English phrase book. These brief visits were welcome relief from the patrols that could be very boring. In later years as the war escalated such visits became more dangerous and fewer. Clear on Clear. The CCG Point Clear (WPB 82315) underway in the Gulf of Thailand during a summer 1965 patrol.