174th Assault
Helicopter Company
DOLPHINS & SHARKS


Interior of New Shark Hootch

This December 1967 photo shows the inside of the Shark hootch almost completed. WO1 Jim McDaniel is nailing up the rocket box ceiling panels. Note two rows of ceiling paneling are already in place to the right, and Jim is working on the third row. The open metal wall locker in the back belongs to Jim. His "room" was the second-to-last open area toward the right rear end of the hootch, and Russell Doersam had the far-right corner area. Some of the pilots constructed internal walls to make one- or two-person rooms, while most of the hootch was open. The open areas were usually cooler because of better circulation. Photo property of Jim McDaniel, Duc Pho, 1967.