Letters
to the EDITOR
Steve
After reading “As it was in the Beginning”, I am honored to learn that they used our beacon from the truck to home in on NKP.
Some History follows.
I was always curious about that twin blade chopper, some how it did not appear to be combat ready, but was made to do so.
Those Air Rescue Crew members always
did a great job, and what with that machine gun hanging out the back on bungee
cords and with all those Pathet Lao over in
I remember a few Sky Raiders coming in
and landing there in NKP, one particularly had brass filings in the tank from a
refuel job in Denang VN and he almost lost it and just made it in.
Thank you for an excellent web site it
sure brings back some memories.
We had set up communications just
before Air Rescue Unit arrived. There was no bunking buildings so we slept on
site and traveled into town for food and baths.
Giant rice bugs and Cobra snakes were
everywhere.
Thai Army guys liked to eat them, so
all of us would go out at night and kill a few and have them for breakfast with
rice., they were quite tasty.
Red Dust City That NKP.
The old Blue Duce with the flashing red
lights was from Clark AFB and we flew it into Korat and drove it up to NKP with
all the communications equipment and established communications with Korat and
The Blue-Duce had an automatic
transmission and was used on the flight line at Clark AFB before NKP.
One day a C-130 from Japan came leafing
down out of the sky and landed short and exactly in the middle of the steel
plate runway and promptly overshot and went into the woods at the end of the
runway turning itself into a big wood chopper. We were watching from the
communications shack and saw the whole thing. Other incoming cargo had to
divert to Korat AFB to land. We lost our only truck and transportation in that
incident and I think they had to cut up that plane anyway. Our CO was in Korat
at the time. We doubled up on shifts and sent one of our team into Korat AFB by
taxi to report the incident to the CO and arrange for a new vehicle. He came
back with an Green Army Duce on-loan from the US Army 29 Signal Group in
Anyway, I think he was a little
pissed-off about the truck damage as He had to sign for the truck at Clark AFB.
Some Master-Sergeant pulled rank and
had commandeered our only truck and promptly blew the transmission trying to
tow that loaded C-130 out of the woods.
I was in the area, as in
Remember that 1st Mob motto (First In
and Last Out).
Well, The Air Force put 1st Mob Members
under Civilian Covert Cover for deployment to
Fly from DMG to NKP to
The Pentagon just declassified this
covert mission in 1985, see the Lima-85 site and all the people installing this
Radar and Tacan Site.
They are all USAF 1st Mob members in
civilian dress under a covert mission.
Real problem for First Mobile Combat
Group members assigned to this covert mission in that the discharge papers are
not available from the 1966 on.
The NRC in
Remember Agent- Orange and all the
required papers for admittance proof to VA hospitals or for any other purpose
is hard to prove with-out papers.
I went as civilian covert in 1965 to
1975 and I too, am just having fun finding some records of our missions.
NKP really bloomed from those early
days of rice bugs and snakes into a real base. I hear it has now reverted back to the Rice bugs and Snakes.
By the way, Tony Poe not his real name
has recently passed away, If you know the name, you know of the deadest
Vic James
***************************
Hi Guys,
Hope
this email finds everything fine with all of you. It's been a while since I've
heard from some of you and I wanted to check in and fill you in on
what's has been going on with me.
I
recently made contact with Jim Moore (an FE that I flew with while in the 21st
At
this time the group includes J.D. Adams, Jerry Bucknall, Bill
Crawford, Lew Taylor, Jim Henthorn, Otto Kroger, Bob Runninger, Phil
Armstrong, DeWayne Huffman, Dave Blazik, Kelly Day, Will Davis and Woody
Freeman, along with Jim Moore and myself.
We've
had a great time seeing the photo's that everyone has of their career's and
families. I've been reading some great stories, seeing some great
pictures and I know there are a ton more of all this out there with you
guys and guys you know.
Jim
Moore has put together a BLOG site, "ROTORHEADS
US" which is just great. Go out there and
take a look at it. With this site, Jim is collecting the photo's and stories,
we all have, in a central location for anyone to read and view. There's most
likely (I guess that's probably a definite, rather than a most likely) going to
come a time when none of us will be around any more to pass on our experiences
and photo's. It would be a shame to let all of our collective experience in the
service of our county, not be saved for future generations to see and read, and
for us not to be able to share and enjoy with each other. Hell, we've all been
a part of the history of our nation and our involvements needs to be preserved.
It's not about embarrassing anyone, it's not about bragging (unless you want to
brag, which is just fine), it's about sharing our experience with each other
and anyone else that might be interested. Some of these experiences are
serious, some are just everyday duty, some are funny things we've been involved
with and some are even the dumb things we all done at one time or another. Like
when I was a green A/3C at my first helicopter unit and was sent, by my
boss, to the supply room to get a bucket of 'rotor wash', and being the
good little (dumb) trooper I was trying to be, I went looking for it .... yah,
I was the butt of a bit of leg pulling ... but it was part of my experience.
Besides I got to pull some legs my self during my 20 years in the 'chopper'
business, used the 'rotor wash' thing as well as the 'hovering gasket' and
several others.
There's nothing to join, it don't cost a thing. The more the merrier and with
you guys in the group, we know you'll be able to find others you know to bring
in as 'Rotor Heads' as well.
Jim
Moore is our point man with keeping track of all of us and he keeps a list of
all our names, wife's name, address, phone numbers, etc., if you wish to
share the information. Most of us have sent a bio of our lives and careers to
him as well. Such things as where we grew up, what bases and units we've been
assigned at, what our job titles at each unit was and what we been into
since leaving the Air Force. You can reach Jim Moore by hitting the 'reply all'
to this message as I've copied this to him.
We
invite you to join with us and participate as much as you can or like. Looking
forward to hearing from all of you.
Later,
Jim Burns, SMSgt USAF (retired)
S/HH-19A/B, H-21B, HH-43B, C/HH-3C/E, V/UH-1F/P/N
ITSOTB Crew Member www.intheshadowoftheblade.com
20th Helicopter (
21st Special Operation Sqdn. CH-3E "Dust Devils"(Knifes)
Life Member Air Force Association
Life Member Special Operations Association #2190-GA
Life Member Jolly Green Association
Member TLC Brotherhood #685
Member VNHCM Association #02153
You have never lived
'till you have almost died
For those who had to fight for it
Freedom has a flavor
the protected will never know