22 Feb 2019:
While we were cruising to South Vietnam on the troopship USNS Walker in 1967, a volunteer crew of soldiers published a newsletter which was distributed onboard. I recently discovered, in an old storage footlocker, four of these newsletters! I had them scanned and made into pdfs (whatever that means.) Attached here starts with the first issue, dated 11 October 1967. We shipped out the day before at 1800.
Anyway, here are all four issues of the Walker Report, the 3rd of the 4 issues I have (16 October 67-12 pages), is probably the most entertaining.
Chuck Oualline, Spur 3
USNS Walker Report 11 Oct 1967
USNS Walker Report 13 Oct 1967
USNS Walker Report 16 Oct 1967
Here is the last of the four issues I have, 8 pages. Looks like we were almost to Subic Bay, and this may well be the last published issue. Had we put ashore at Okinawa as originally scheduled, perhaps we would not have been kicked out early for misbehavior as we were at Subic.
Note that PFC Mehl is listed as one of the typists for the newsletter on page 8. Young Mehl was KIA less than two months later, on 19 December 1967.
I just noticed that on page 2 of the third issue I sent, dated 16 October, Sharon Tate is pictured. This was before the Charles Manson clan murdered her.
Chuck Oualline, Spur 3
USNS Walker Report 27 Oct 1967
Chuck Oualline’s USNS Walker Photos:
Notice: I now have the last of the four Walker Reports posted into self-contained and enhanced PDFs for our historical record above. My thanks to Chuck Oualline for making these historical documents available for all Spurs!
After you open the individual Walker Report files, you can also download and save them on your computer by using the right mouse button and selecting “save as”. Be sure to watch the informative video below on the USNS Walker. – Roger “Bear” Young
