The USS General W.H. Gordon was a 622’ General John Pope-class transport that had already made several trips across the Pacific, moving American men and material from the U.S. west coast to various ports in South Vietnam. At a top speed of just over 20 kts, it would take the fully laden vessel several weeks to reach Nha Trang, some 7300 miles away.
Weighing in at 11,450 tons empty, she was on her third war, having also brought men into combat in both theatres of World War II, and been used extensively in support of Korean War operations. On September 15th of 1966, she accepted into her holds approximately 4000 men of the 4th Infantry Division, including the main body of the 3-12 INF.
For many of the men, this would be their first taste of ocean going life, and the adventure of it all perhaps made them forget for a moment where they were headed. Private George Bojarski, a 20-year old draftee from Detroit, always ready to snap a picture of his Army buddies, grabbed a spot on the rail with his buddy Private Richard Novak. He took a couple pictures of men sprawled out on the deck of the Gordon, and a few of the waves and clouds, and had someone use his camera to grab a great shot of him and Novak, wearing fresh green fatigues with stark white name tapes, and the beautiful Pacific ocean rolling peacefully behind them. Novak, armed with a camera of his own, has his left thumb hooked in his pants pocket. Both of them squint their eyes against the sun. They were both infantrymen in Alpha Company, and looked forward to testing themselves against the elusive Viet Cong.
The peaceful start to their voyage across the Pacific ocean was soon marred by a series of Typhoon generated storms. The men pitched and rolled in their bunks down below, and were soon topside, with many suffering prolonged bouts of seasickness. For 21 days, the 4000 souls on board were forced to endure the mind numbing monotony staring into the endless horizon above the Pacific Ocean, coupled with prolonged stretches of violent typhoon fed winds and waves. Days stretched into weeks. For most of the Braves of the 3-12, who were about as far from professional sailors as you would expect, the voyage was not pleasant, yet extremely memorable. Vic Ferrante, an HHC soldier from the Bronx, remembered it this way.
“I was on the “Gordon” for its very long voyage. So long, that we changed the name of Monopoly to MONOTONY. Couldn’t believe how much empty horizon there was day after day. Boredom to the extreme.”
Photo courtesy of Joel Bojarski
Sources –
USNS Gordon information pulled from http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22117.htm and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_General_W._H._Gordon_(AP-117)
Various posts and comments pulled from 3-12 Infantry Vietnam Veterans Facebook Group