Rt. 547 the A Shau Expressway

One of the greatest accomplishments of the 27th Combat Engineer Battalion and its attached units was the successful completion of route 547, ahead of schedule. The 27th Combat Engineer Battalion and seven attached companies assigned to the project were designated the 45th Engineer Groups Tiger Task Force.
Route 547 starts from Camp Eagle and goes to Bastogne. From Bastogne to the A Shau Valley. There were many fire support bases in between and night defense positions where the artillery, infantry, engineers and whoever was unlucky enough to be stuck in no mans land would spend the night.

 

The task was to build a road from Camp Eagle to the A Ashau Valley in hopes of establishing a supply point for the 101st troopers so they could control the A Shau Valley. It was one of the enemy’s major supply points and the most active areas of operation of the Vietnam War. To put it plainly, Rt. 547 was making the old Ho Chi Minh Trail from Laos and North Vietnam a 4 lane highway.
Looking back at it over the years, it looked good on paper, but I hear the North Vietnamese used it just as much as we did. I guess we did a good job.

I’d like to thank all who were involved. Without you the engineers could not have completed its task. Also, my thoughts go out to my fellow soldiers and the families of those who lost their lives. I spent 14 months on Rt. 547. There were good times and there were bad times. There were a lot of good units and good men that worked on that road.

I want to especially thank my Company Commander Captain Maurice Cocchi. He was a great leader and a good friend to his troops. Without his leadership many of us would not have made it back. He was always one step ahead of the NVA.

 

A special thanks to Sgt John Kelly the platoon leader, Sgt. Martinez , you old goat, and David L. Dye, someone who taught me all I knew about demolition and staying alive in Vietnam. Dye, you were a good squad leader, probably the best in A Company.

If anyone has anything to add regarding Rt. 547,the 27th engineers or the attached units, please feel free to contact me. I would really like to hear from the 101st men also.

It was a job well done. Let’s repave Rt. 547!