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We have Larry Bourbonnais to thank for all of the pictures on this page.
LZ Fat City 1969
Photo furnished by John Duggan. Lt.Rudy Ziegler, Larry, Alabama and John Duggan. This picture was taken
on LZ Fat City in August, 1969. Alabama was on the gun with Dell Burns when it blew up.
This is the gun that blew up at Fat City on September 6, 1969. Dell Burns was killed and Lavaughn Baird (Alabama) lost
a leg.The other men on the gun that were hurt were Joseph Borgasano, Edward L Kiser, Fred C Bryan. I had been gone ten days
when this happened.
This photo came from John Duggan. Chief of Smoke Albert Nations center and unknown on the right. John Duggan
told me he thought that he was the new First Sgt.
Blown gun at Fat City September 6, 1969.
The breach on blown gun at Fat City. You can see what's left of the powder canister still inside. I found Alabama today
10/7/01 and talked to him on the phone. I also talked to Dell Burns' wife and sister last night on the phone. Alabama told
me that the round 'cooked off'. He said that he never pulled the lanyard. The bottom line to the story is that it was defective
ammo. The Lone Star Ammunition Company from Lone Star Texas was to blame. The company's quality control was not what it was
supposed to be. This came out at the trial in New York. Alabama took them to court and won the case. He said it took seven
years from start to finish on the trial. I never asked Alabama what he got out of it because I didn't feel that it was any
of my business. I just know what ever he got out of it he deserved every penny of it. Alabama is a very lucky man. He said
that they had to give him 99 pints of blood to keep him alive. I myself remember firing those guns when the tube was white
and not green.
This photo came from John Duggan.
On the picture see the word 'HE', look to the right and just below and you will see a site mount. On the back of the
picture was written words that said that this site mount was what killed Dell when the gun blew up.
When I saw this
picture,I thought of all the fire missions that I was ever on and at the speed that we did things. I remember throwing the
round in the tube so hard that it would close the breach.
On the left is Sgt. Nations and in the very center of the picture is Capt. Starr. The
others are Brass from Battalion and this photo was taken the morning after the gun blew up. Photo furnished by Larry Bourbonnais.
Larry Bourbonnais on the left and Terrence Baril (Barry) on the right. LZ Fat City Barry's last day in the battery. He
was going home. They were standing in gun pit 1 when the picture was taken. I have a question for you. Where did the name
'CHERRY BOY' on the end of the tube come from? Who was the person it refered to? He was right there in Charlie Battery at
the time this picture was taken. We also had 'CHERRY BOY' on the old 105 that we got rid of in April,1969.
Building a new hootch LZ Fat City June, 1969. Left hand side of picture, left to right Bruno,and Lee. Right
side of picture left to right Copus, Tubby, and Elton.
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