![]() ![]() “This was an unimproved area of operation. “You get up here and you see the real utility of our equipment and how it was to be used,” Vlasics said. The battalion was named the Army’s transportation unit of the year in 1968 and received a Meritorious Unit Commendation. Originally named Utah Beach, it soon earned the name Wunder Beach. This became the largest Logistics Over The Shore operation during the Vietnam War. The Soldiers were mortared every night and lived underground. ![]() The ships left Qui Nhon, arrived at the wooded undeveloped area and established the beach head. “Out of my four platoons of BARCs, I took three platoons (12 boats) up there to set up a beach head right by the DMZ with the mission of resupplying two divisions that were going into this area to rescue the Marines, and supply two divisions and that was the 101st and the 1st Cav Division.” Charles Sunder, which was called “Sunder’s Wunders.” Vlasics’ company was under the 159th Terminal Battalion, commanded by Lt. They decided to move a large force up to the DMZ while the Marines were surrounded at Khe Sanh. The Military Assistance Command-Vietnam wanted to do something to counter the North Vietnamese offensive. “Tet surprised everybody and it awakened us to the fact that these guys could interdict anywhere,” Vlasics said. The mission gained intensity with the onset of the Tet Offensive, Jan. “It was an interesting job,” Vlasics said. They transported food, ammo, fuel and troops when necessary. Vlasics, then a 24-year-old first lieutenant, was the unit’s maintenance officer. Each boat had four 9-foot tires and was designed to carry an M60 tank. The company had 16 60-ton amphibious boats used for transporting cargo over unimproved beaches. He spent a year with Barge Amphibious Resupply Cargo, or BARC, Company in Qui Nhon. He ran his own company, Aerospace Dynamics, for 29 years until he retired in February 2021.Īfter the four-week transportation orientation course at Fort Eustis, Virginia, he became a transportation corps officer and he went to Vietnam on April 10, 1967. Vlasics retired in 1986 as a lieutenant colonel and then worked six years with Textron Lycoming, an engine manufacturer. And a lot of them excel with dealing with Soldiers. He took that advice with him through two tours in Vietnam, 21 years in the Army and a successful career in the defense industry. “You’ve got to know Soldiers in order to be successful in the Army,” Vlasics said. The captain took Vlasics under his wing at the air defense officers basic course at Fort Bliss, Texas. The captain, a World War II veteran, told him the importance of knowing his Soldiers. When Bob Vlasics was a new second lieutenant out of ROTC from the University of Toledo in 1965, a captain gave him advice that stayed with him throughout his career. (Photo Credit: Skip Vaughn) VIEW ORIGINAL Huntsville resident Bob Vlasics served two tours in Vietnam. (Photo Credit: Skip Vaughn) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Charles Sunder, which was named the Army’s transportation unit of the year in 1968 and received a Meritorious Unit Commendation. Bob Vlasics was a member of the 159th Terminal Battalion, or “Sunder’s Wunders,” commanded by Lt. ![]()
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