USS MULLINNIX DD-944

18 July Mail Run to Tan My, Vietnam
The Day "Boom Boom" Got the Mail for HIS Crew!

Tan My Base (also known as Col Co, Tan My Docks, Tan My Naval Support Activity or Eagle Beach) was a former U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base northeast of Hue in central Vietnam.

The base was located on Vinh Loc Island at the mouth of the Perfume River approximately 12 km northeast of Hue.

On 23 May 1972 during the Easter Offensive, the 7th Marine Battalion launched Operation Song Than 6-72, an amphibious assault from Tan My against the flanks of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) force on the Street Without Joy.

On 8 September 1972 during the Second Battle of Quang Tri, Vietnamese Rangers boarded the USS Juneau at Tan My to conduct a feint amphibious assault intended to draw PAVN forces away from the Quang Tri citadel.

In late 1972 Troop F, 4th Cavalry was based at Tan My before being withdrawn from Vietnam in late February 1973.

    
The Mullinnix Deck Log below from 18 July 1972 proves that the Mullinnix CO's Gig was in Tan My Vietman to pick up mail. The gig was gone for a little over an hour. Hence the Mullinnix itself had to have been extremely close to the coast line. In my opinion, this makes the Mullinnix' 1972 Vietnam duty "Brown Water" and its crew should qualify for VA benefits for Agent Orange exposure




139 Rounds Fired by Mullinnix on 18 July

Mullinnix had been 28 days without mail. CO “Boom Boom” Cannon said, “enough was enough”.

He ordered the Captain’s gig away to go get mail in Tan My, Vietnam. He picked the first 7 or 8 sailors he saw to go with him. Just before ‘Boom Boom’ left the bridge, an Army Captain spotter calls for fire. ‘Boom Boom’ yells at the OOD, “Don’t answer him”, and he left to go get the mail for the crew.

The Army spotter was communicating with Mullinnix via an airplane spotter plane. He asked, “Where is Mullinnix?”

The pilot could see plain as day the Mullinnix was where she was supposed to, she simply wasn’t responding. OOD finally told the pilot that the CO went to get mail for the crew and that the ship could not fire the guns without the CO on board.

Playing the ‘middle guy’ between two branches of the service can be a lose-lose situation. Therefore, the pilot finally replied, “I can’t say over this unsecured line, over.”

When the pilot landed the spotter was waiting for him. Being out ranked the pilot finally admitted to the Army Captain that the CO of the Mullinnix had gone to the mail depot for mail as they hadn’t had any in 28 days. The Captain knew the mail depot was next door to the Officers Club and that is where he headed. Thinking that “Captains” in both branches of the service were the same pay grade, he barged in thinking that this was one Army Captain that was going to rip the Navy Captain a new asshole.

A few minutes later, the Army Captain came out of the Officer’s Club with his head lowered and his Army tail between his legs. He’d just met Commander “Boom Boom” Cannon, THE ‘Captain’ of the Mighty Mux, in person.


123 Rounds Fired by Mullinnix on 19 July





Department of State Telegram (PDF)


Mail Call Courtesy Dennis Wenske



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