April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 1 C-7AC-7A Caribou Association Volume 29, Issue 1 USAF Caribous Met the Challenge in 1968

In This Issue The year-old USAF Caribou organizations were heavily tasked and challenged Chairman of the Board...... Page 2 throughout 1968. U.S. troop strength in South Vietnam started the year at 480,536 The War 1968...... Page 3 and peaked at 630,638 in June. Major hostilities and engagements with the enemy Mystic Yaw...... Page 3 were fierce and constant: the siege at Khe Sanh from January through April; the Tet Phan Thiet Medevac...... Page 4 Offensive, beginning on January 30 which encompassed over 120 distinct attacks Round Engines...... Page 4 against cities, military facilities and outposts throughout South Vietnam; the battle Where Are They Now?...... Page 5 to re-take the ancient city of Hue during February; the mini-Tet Offenses of May Nose Gear Only...... Page 5 and August; and the 16 major attacks against Special Forces camps beginning with ROKs Are Tough...... Page 6 Cai Cai on January 18 and ending with assaults on Thoung Duc on September 28. Dangers...... Page 7 The year 1968 was also the year with the highest U.S. death toll, 16,592. Life After the Bou...... Page 9 The strategic and combat demands for C-7A airlift services had never been Claymore Danger...... Page 9 greater, nor had the challenges. The operational pace was intense. The maintenance Assistance Needed...... Page 9 and operations personnel who arrived in the second half of 1966 to augment the Marine Saved...... Page 10 Army Aviation Companies, and transition the Caribou to the Air Force, began Female WW II Pilot at 100.....Page 11 rotating home. The training of new personnel to take the place of the hard-earned Difficult Airfields...... Page 12 experience of departing personnel was a continuous effort – which was not made Tra Bong Check...... Page 12 any easier by the daily operational demands. Timing Can Be Everything.....Page 14 In 1967, the fledgling USAF Caribou organizations had established a solid We Will Never Forget...... Page 14 reputation as reliable airlift providers in all types of conditions with significant We Gotta Get Outta...... Page 14 increases over the airlift accomplishments of the Army Aviation Companies in Words of Wisdom...... Page 14 1966. The challenges of 1968 were accepted and met. Nine Feet Tall...... Page 15 Col. William H. Mason, 483rd Tactical Air Wing Commander, was proud of his Arc Light Surprise...... Page 18 people and what they could accomplish. In his Commander’s Report for the third C-7A Restoration...... Page 18 quarter of 1968, Col. Mason stated, “If they want us to put a Caribou on the Moon, Morning Mortars...... Page 18 the men of the 483rd will do it!” Supporting Khe Sanh...... Page 19 Flying in Leisure...... Page 20 B-52’s in 2050!...... Page 20 Bowling Memorial...... Page 21 Hypersonics...... Page 21 Old Bou Pilot...... Page 22 Mail to Khe Sanh...... Page 22 Six Seconds to Live...... Page 23 Simple Solution...... Page 23 Checklist Discipline...... Page 24 Not My Troops...... Page 24 Vietnam Airlift...... Page 25 B-17 Navigator’s Log...... Page 27 Flacons and Drones...... Page 27 Kingman AAF Boneyard...... Page 28 Santa Bou 2017...... Page 29 Page 2 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

The C-7A Caribou Association Newsletter is the official publication of the Chairman of the Board’s Corner C-7A Caribou Association. Spring has sprung, although the weath- Elected Officers and Board Members... er here in the frozen northland didn’t get the memo. So far, as I am writing this Chairman of Board/Member at Large - Peter Bird [535, 71] on March 19, I have had over 30 inches President/Board Member - Pat Hanavan [535, 68] of snow this month, with more to come, Vice President/Board Member - John Tawes [537, 69] and it got down to 12 degrees on St. Treasurer/Board Member - Jess Cogley [535, 68] Patrick’s Day! I’m about ready for some Secretary/Board Member - Al Cunliffe [458, 68] warm weather. Board Member at Large - Doug Boston [458, 68] Our Association remains strong and Board Member at Large - Ed Breslin [537, 67] healthy thanks to the tireless efforts of a Appointed Positions number of people. That said, it is clear than none of us is getting any Bereavement Chairman - Jay Baker [535, 66] younger. This past February, I passed the three-quarters of a century Chaplains - Jon Drury [537, 68], Sonny Spurger [537, 68] mark. I think that means I’m getting old. I checked and found that I Historian - Pat Hanavan [535,68] have been maintaining the web site for 19 years. We are all getting Newsletter Editor - Ron Lester [459, 67] older, but we need some of the “youngsters” in the Association to step Newsletter Editor Emeritus - Pat Hanavan [535,68] up and help by taking a more active role. Newsletter Editor Emeritus - Dave Hutchens [459, 69] Along that line, we are looking for volunteers to help us transcribe Reunion 2018 Planners - John and Fran Tawes [537, 69] aircraft data cards that Pat Hanavan acquired in his research. The data Doug and Ellen Boston [458, 68] cards are not in good enough shape for OCR to be of any help, so we Webmaster - Peter Bird [535, 71] were hoping that a crowd-sourcing approach will work. If we can get President Emeritus - Nick Evanish [457, 66] volunteers to take just a few pages each, and transcribe them, we could Chaplain Emeritus - Bob Davis [457, 69] get the aircraft data into a database where it would become another Squadron Representatives... valuable resource. Please see the article on page 9. 457th Royal Moulton [457, 66], phone 321-567-5734 Planning is well underway for this year’s reunion in Dayton. We are 457th Mike Thibodo [457, 70], phone 651-483-9799 set for the 5th through the 9th of September, so watch for the reunion 458th Lee Corfield [458, 69], phone 724-775-3027 flyer in June and sign up early. Since our last visit to Dayton, the 458th Al Cunliffe [458, 68], phone 334-285-7706 National Museum of the Air Force (NMUSAF) has added an entire 459th Bob Cummings [459, 66], phone 865-859-0888 new hanger. The C-141 is now indoors and the Presidential and X- 535th Cliff Smith [535, 69], phone 804-453-3188 Plane exhibits have been moved to the main museum. If you haven’t 535th Mike Messner [535, 70], phone 321-453-0816 seen the XB-70, you will be amazed at what was accomplished back th 536 Dana Kelly [536, 70], phone 407-656-4536 in the Vietnam era. The highlight of the displays will be the finished th 536 Chuck Harris [536, 68], phone 325-465-8096 restoration of the real Memphis Belle B-17, which will debut in May. 537th George Harmon [537, 69], phone 417-368-2549 We are even applying pressure to the NMUSAF to correct the tail 483rd Gary Miller [483, 68], phone 262-634-4117 4449th Bill Buesking [535, 70], phone 210-403-2635 number and the color of the tail flash on their C-7A. I guess we’ll see 18th AP Bill Buesking [535, 70], phone 210-403-2635 how that turns out. You won’t want to miss this one! Meanwhile and as we patiently await the reunion, I wish all of you a healthy and wonderful summer filled with adventure and family. I Send change of address, phone number, or e-mail always look forward to Independence Day and I am already planning address to: Pat Hanavan the fireworks display, which is legal here. 12402 Winding Branch I am working on my little brother to help me get to Dayton, so I , TX 78230-2770 hope to see you all at the reunion. [email protected] 210-479-0226 (home), 210-861-9353 (cell) $10.00 dues are payable each January. Dayton Reunion 2018 Write your check to C-7A Caribou Association (not Jess Cogley) and send it to: Reunion 2018 will be in Dayton, OH Jess Cogley September 5-9, 2018 244 Mecca Dr Marriott at the University of Dayton, San Antonio, TX 78232-2209 1414 South Patterson Boulevard [email protected] Phone: 210-494-7437 Dayton, OH, 45409. April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 3

tack on the major cities of South Viet- began on August 18 in Tay Ninh Prov- The War nam. He was well aware that, during ince and then spread to other regions 1968 the holiday period, the populace would of the country from Caribou Airlines, Vol. II be visiting with families and that the The number of U.S. military person- Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces nel in Vietnam increased steadily to a In January there were 480,536 U.S. would be at a reduced status due to the high of 630,638 in June, then fluctuated military personnel in South Viet- granting of leave to its members. Also, up and down until the number was nam. The 1968 campaign in Vietnam a unilateral 36 hour stand down, from 537,584 in December. started with the battle for Khe Sanh, the evening of 29 January through the In 1968, the 483 TAW set about the begun in late in 1967, when infantry early morning of 31 January, had been task at hand, namely, to provide better of four North Vietnamese Army (NVA) declared by the Government of Viet- support than that demonstrated by the divisions, along with two artillery nam and its allies, thus creating an ideal records set by the Wing in 1967. The regiments and armored units, began opportunity for the attack.” USAMACV Caribou guys had a real “can do” atti- converging on Khe Sanh. General Wil- Command History, 1968, Vol. II tude, both on the ground and in the air. liam C. Westmoreland moved 6,000 “The Vietnam Tet Offensive hit the U.S. Marines into the area and planned American military like a thunderbolt. to destroy the enemy with a massive MACV had been expecting trouble, Mystic Yaw bombing effort, Operation NIAGARA. but not on a country-wide scale. On the Charles (Jerry) Engles {535, 67} The Marines reinforced Khe Sanh with eve of Tet-68, January 31, the United two additional battalions and rebuilt the States had nine divisions, one armored A new, young, and somewhat naïve, 3,897 foot by 60 foot AM-27 runway. cavalry regiment, and two separate Copilot in our squadron was sticking The move by the NVA, termed the Tet brigades committed to Vietnam. This his arm out the copilot side window Offensive, was designed to take control force totaled 331,098 Army soldiers gripping the cuff to force a draft into of the northern provinces of South Viet- and 78,013 Marines concentrated in a his flight suit to cool down. (It may nam to establish a strong position at the hundred infantry and mechanized bat- have been jungle fatigues before the negotiating table, as they did in 1954, talions. MACV also had several strong Wing decreed that pilots were only au- by attacking Dien Bien Phu. formations from other countries, most thorized to wear USAF flight suits, and The attacks on the cities in South notably the 1st Australian Task Force, not Army Jungle fatigues, when flying.) Vietnam were designed to incite upris- a Royal Thai Army Regiment, two Of course, that action made an au- ings of the people against the govern- Korean divisions, and a Korean Marine dible noise which the Aircraft Com- ment of Nguyen Van Thieu and bring Corps brigade.” Vietnam Combat Op- mander (AC) noticed. The AC, without the people over to the side of the North erations Vol. 7: Tet Counter-Offensive glancing over, fed in a little right rud- Vietnamese and their Viet Cong sur- During 1968, 5th Special Forces der. The Copilot withdrew his arm and rogates. camps and supporting bases were then repeated the action, noticing the The expectation was that shelling under siege and attacked regularly by slight “yaw” and the movement of the the Marine outposts along the De- the NVA and Viet Cong: Cai Cai on ball in the turn and slip indicator every militarized Zone would draw U.S. and 18 January, Khe Sanh on 21 January, time he stuck his arm out the window. the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Can Tho on 29 January, Kontum on 30 After a few more “tests” (and unaware (ARVN) forces away from the urban January, Ba To on 1 February, Moc Hoa of the assistance from the AC), the areas, making them vulnerable to at- on 2 February, Lang Vei on 7 February, Copilot announced to the AC that he tack. When the siege of Khe Sanh was Thuong Duc on 5 May, Kham Duc on knew the Caribou was not very stable ended, the NVA and Viet Cong lost 10 May, Katum on 1 August, Loc Nich and said, “Watch this,” whereupon he almost 10,000 casualties, as much as on 9 August, Dak Seang and Duc Lap demonstrated his new discovery. 90 percent of their force, at the cost of on 18 August, Ha Thanh on 23 August, Naturally, the story got around to less than 500 Marines killed in action. Thien Ngon on 27 September, and Thu- every AC in the squadron. They knew General Vo Nguyen Giap was almost ong Duc on 28 September. Caribous they could count on this poor soul to killed by an “Arc Light” strike by 36 were called upon to supply these camps demonstrate his discovery to every B-52’s which dropped a thousand tons and bases on a regular basis, during the AC right after level off on the first leg of bombs near his headquarters. run-up to a siege and during a siege. of the day! Bets were placed on how “On 30 January, the enemy violated Following the “mini-Tet” Offensive many demos he would perform before his announced cease fire recognition of in May, the pace of the war in 1968 he caught on. I don’t know how many, the Buddhist Lunar New Year holiday intensified again when the long-an- because he was still at it when I rotated. (Tet) and launched a country-wide at- ticipated communist Third Offensive Page 4 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

Our medevac team went to work on Phan Thiet Medevac them while we taxied down the runway Round Engines by Guy Perham [535, 67] with no lights and fearing the sound of Author Anonymous from Newsletter 24-1, May 2013 mortars that we were sure would be in- coming as soon as Charlie zeroed in on We gotta get rid of those turbines, Our missions in 1968 were 12 hours us. Back at Vung Tau, we off-loaded, they’re ruining aviation and our hear- long. Mission time started at takeoff shut down, and went to the bar. ing. A turbine is too simple minded, it and ended when you landed at the end Later that month, my Copilot had to has no mystery. The air travels through of the day. It made for long days. One have knee surgery. While he was in a it in a straight line and doesn’t pick up of our missions racked up a record of wheelchair at the hospital, the two little any of the pungent fragrance of engine 22 sorties, 22 loadings, 22 takeoffs, 22 boys recognized him as one of the crew oil or pilot sweat. landings on mostly improvised strips, that evacuated them from Phan Thiet. Anybody can start a turbine. You just 22 exposures to the enemy, and 22 From that time on, they would push him need to move a switch from “OFF” to off-loads. During the Tet Offensive of in his wheelchair wherever he needed to “START” and then remember to move 1968, my crew was on the tail end of go. A great reward for what he did for it back to “ON” after a while. My PC a mission supporting Special Forces them and the other 16 victims. is harder to start. camps in III Corps when we got a call Later, I flew in to Phan Thiet during Cranking a round engine requires from the ALCC (Airlift Control Center) daylight. The infield was packed with skill, finesse and style. You have to asking if we would volunteer to fly a choppers and other Army aircraft. In the seduce it into starting. It’s like waking medevac mission out of Phan Thiet. midst of all this was a 150 foot antenna. up a horny mistress. On some planes, We agreed and diverted to our “home Had we had to make a go-around from the pilots aren’t even allowed to do it. plate” in Vung Tau to pick up a mede- a missed approach, we would have Turbines start by whining for a while, vac team. Since none of us had been to been toast. then give a ladylike “poof”, and start Phan Thiet, I wanted to get there while That’s a story I am very proud of. whining a little louder. there was still daylight. We landed at I thought of that night many times Round engines give a satisfying Vung Tau, reconfigured for the new after I returned home, commanding a rattle-rattle, click-click, BANG, more mission, and took on the medevac tanker squadron and having to tell my rattles, another BANG, a big macho team of three. Unfortunately, the team squadron members not to wear their FART or two, more clicks, a lot more forgot the keys to the medical equip- uniforms off base lest they be spit on smoke and finally a serious low pitched ment boxes, so we were further delayed by a completely uninformed public. I roar. We like that. It’s a GUY thing. until our Flight Mechanic solved the thought of all the real good we did in When you start a round engine, your problem with the crash ax. Vietnam, such as the orphanage we mind is engaged and you can concen- By the time we got to Phan Thiet, fed by “procuring” food from supply trate on the flight ahead. Starting a it was dark. We flew over where we missions, and the medical assistance turbine is like flicking on a ceiling fan. assumed the field was – it was totally our flight surgeon volunteered to the Useful, but hardly exciting. blacked out – and I thought I saw what orphans and the residents of an old When you have started his round looked like the end of the runway. I ini- folks’ home. engine successfully your Crew Chief tiated a timed 90–270 degree turn that looks up at you like he’d let you kiss I thought would somewhat line me up his girl, too! for a landing. Still unable to see squat, Turbines don’t break or catch fire an Army Huey pilot on the ground told often enough, which leads to aircrew me that he would orbit at the end of the boredom, complacency and inatten- runway and, when I thought I was lined tion. A round engine at speed looks and up on final, he would turn on his landing sounds like it’s going to blow any min- light for a reference. Wish I knew who ute. This helps concentrate the mind! he was, because he saved the mission Turbines don’t have enough control and possibly our sorry little rear ends. levers or gauges to keep a pilot’s at- We got on the ground, taxied to where tention. There’s nothing to fiddle with three ambulances awaited us, and up- during long flights. loaded 18 civilians, mostly all burned Turbines smell like a Boy Scout camp in some degree. The first two were full of Coleman Lamps. little boys on a litter. I’ll never forget Round engines smell like God in- that. The rest were walk-on patients. tended machines to smell April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 5

Where Are inner landing gear door. There was just Nose Gear Only enough clearance to hook the door. It by Steve Haigler [537, 67] They Now? took several attempts, but we finally from Newsletter 18-1, Mar 2007 hooked it. Then Lt. Teske and I tried The 457th Airlift Squadron, based to physically pull the door open – but at Joint Base Andrews, MD, is a geo- The Caribou, especially in the hands to no avail. graphically separated unit of the 375th of a very good pilot, was capable of We burned our fuel down while Air Mobility Wing at Scott AFB, IL. some amazing things. I know from per- orbiting “feet wet” off Cam Ranh The squadron operates four C-21A sonal experience. It was early Septem- Bay. Our fuel was down to about 500 Learjet aircraft and provides priority ber 1968, and I was the Flight Engineer pounds, so the time had come to land. airlift for key federal officials, mem- on a routine mission to An Khe with The pilots made a low pass to show the bers of Congress, and senior-ranking Capt. George Kulik, 1/Lt. John Teske, crash crews where the aircraft would military leaders, and maintains a global and one small pallet. touch down. The runway was foamed deployment capability. After takeoff, a noise from the right from 2,000 to 8,000 feet and we were The 458th Airlift Squadron is part side of the aircraft got my attention. told to land as close to the beginning of of the 375th Air Mobility Wing at Scott Performing my scanning duties, I no- the foam because that was the thickest AFB, IL. The squadron operates C-12J ticed the right main gear door clamshell part. Huron aircraft providing executive was open about 3 to 4 inches. I reported The approach was perfect. We me- airlift support and aeromedical evacu- this to the pilots and each took turns chanically lowered the nose gear with ation. coming to the cargo compartment to the T-handle, figuring there might be The 459th Airlift Squadron is part look. We talked the situation over and enough clearance between the props of the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota AB, Capt. Kulik elected to recycle the gear. and the ground. Just before touchdown, Japan. The squadron operates UH-1 The nose and left gears came down, but Capt. Kulik cut the engines and did a Iroquois helicopters and C-12J Huron the right didn’t even move. He then re- beautiful dead stick landing. I remem- aircraft, performing passenger and tracted the gear. The nose and left gear ber the grinding and skidding sound, executive airlift support, aeromedi- operated okay, but the right gear didn’t with just the tips of the props hitting cal evacuation and search and rescue move. The pilots then made radio calls the ground, and the sharp smell of hot missions. about our situation. metal and foam. The plane came to rest The 535th Airlift Squadron is part of It was recommended that we fly to right on center line after skidding about the 15th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Pearl Cam Ranh Bay where they had a long 2,500 feet. I waited for the pilots to exit Harbor-Hickam, HI. The squadron runway with the right crash equipment the flight deck, then I jettisoned the two operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, and trained crash crews. We were also troop doors, and we all jumped to the providing airlift throughout the Pacific reminded to burn off our fuel in an- ground with no injuries. theater. ticipation of a gear-up landing. I tied Damage to the aircraft was extremely The 536th Tactical Airlift Squadron everything down, even the paper cups! light. Because the power was off, the is inactive and has not been active since All suggestions were discussed, as our engines were not damaged. Only about it was deactivated at Cam Ranh Bay AB options were limited. At Cam Ranh an inch was ground off the prop blades on 15 October 1971 Bay, we even tried a Bounce and Go, and Maintenance was able to dress the The 537th Airlift Squadron is inac- that Capt. Kulik performed flawlessly, blades with minimum filing. The foam tive. The unit was last active at Joint but the gear never budged. prevented a fire and very little sheet Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK Since nothing was working, I sug- metal damage was done to the aft, left where it was activated in 2011 and gested that we remove a window close side fairing near where the steady strut flew C-130’s to augment the 144th to the right main gear; fashion a cargo was pinned. In all, only about $100 Airlift Squadron of the Alaska Air strap on the end of a troop seat pole; worth of damage was done. I believe National Guard. Its primary mission and try to pull the gear door open. We the plane was flying the next day. was to support Army airborne forces. all agreed it was risky, but, what the I don’t remember the tail number, but The squadron was deactivated on 13 Hell, it was worth a try. When I had it was the smoothest Nose Gear Only September 2013. everything ready, Lt. Teske came back landing I ever heard of and I am still to the cargo compartment. Capt. Kulik proud I was part of it. slowed the aircraft to just above stall and Lt. Teske held my waist and legs Sgt. Steven H. Haigler was awarded while I leaned out into the slipstream the Air Medal for his actions that day. to try to hook the cargo strap onto the Page 6 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

ROKs Are Tough by Mike Miller, Scripps-Howard March 15, 1968

South Korea’s 50,000 troops in Vietnam apparently fared better than their U.S. and South Vietnamese allies during the Tet offensive. During the lunar New Year attacks, the Viet Cong did not hit positions of the South Koreans, whose hard-nosed tactics reportedly have taught the Com- munists forces that tampering with the Koreans brings swift and harsh retali- ation. The Koreans did dispatch troops to clean out four cities attacked by the ROK Tiger Division on patrol, 1967. Viet Cong and secured all four in one day, according to a battle summary pre- an anti-Communist demonstration Vietnam’s II Corps, while the Marine pared by the Republic of Korea (ROK) praising the Koreans. brigade is in northernmost I Corps. Vietnam Command. Two companies of the ROK 9th U.S. officers who have observed the Since Tet, the Koreans have mounted (White Horse) Division killed eight and ROKs in action in Vietnam say their at least three major offenses, killing captured one in securing Ninh Hoa dur- rough tactics discourage Viet Cong more than 1,000 (of the enemy). Their ing Tet, while another company of the from attacking them. When the Kore- casualties during these actions are division with administrative personnel ans receive fire from a village, they are described as “light” and “extremely of the ROK field command headquar- likely to level it and spread the word light.” ters killed 30 and captured eight in that the same thing will happen to the While the Koreans themselves were clearing Nha Trang, the headquarters next village from which they receive not attacked during Tet, the ROKs site for U.S. forces in the Central harassment, sources said. were ready for trouble. Lt. Gen. Chae Highlands. Since Tet, the Koreans have Editor’s Note. Today, few people Myung-Shin, the ROK Vietnam com- conducted these significant offensive know of South Korea’s participation in mander, tripled his alert forces at the actions: the . From 1964 through beginning of Tet because of known en- 1. Twenty-two companies of the 1973, the Republic of Korea (ROK) emy forces in the Korean areas and past Tiger Division tracked Communists sent approximately 300,000 military truce violations by the Communists. forces in the general area of Phu Cat, personnel to Vietnam. In most years, On January 30, the ROK 2nd Marine which was hit hard during Tet. The the average number of ROK troops in (Blue Dragon) Brigade sent five com- ROKs made heavy contact with the South Vietnam was between forty and panies into Hoi An City, a province 18th North Vietnamese Regiment and fifty thousand. During the war, ROK ca- capital where about 200 North Viet- local guerrillas, killing 394, detaining sualties were almost 5,100 killed in ac- namese regulars had infiltrated. The 22 suspects and capturing 138 weapons tion and 11,000 wounded. The Koreans ROK Marines cleared the city by 9 AM during the two-week campaign. An deserved their reputations as fearless the next day, killing 52 and capturing enemy cache of rice was distributed to and relentless fighters. However, their one. Vietnamese refugees. tactics, as described at the end of the During the same period, the ROK 2. The ROK Marines attacked two newspaper article, resulted in several Capital (Tiger) Division dispatched North Vietnamese regiments south of massacres of Vietnamese villagers be- three companies to Qui Nhon City Da Nang and killed 612 soldiers, cap- ing attributed to ROK units. where a Viet Cong force had infiltrated tured five, and took 94 weapons. Three and seized the radio station. This action battalions of the White Horse Division resulted in 29 enemy killed, four pris- killed 27 enemy soldiers in a sweep oners, and the seizure of 27 weapons. northwest of Tuy Hoa. Following the Korean victory at Qui The two Korean infantry divisions Nhon, about 1000 Vietnamese staged operate in the coastal areas of South April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 7

airliners, military transports, supersonic sometimes the tower controller would Dangers fighters, prop driven attack aircraft, authorize a “special VFR approach,” by Ron Lester [459, 67] observation and intelligence aircraft, meaning you were authorized to fly fixed wing gunships, and, of course lots a visual approach even though the In Vietnam, the hazards to flight and lots of helicopters of every size and weather conditions at the airport re- safety and the dangers to C-7A aircraft description. quired Instrument Flight Rules. Dicey and personnel were everywhere. They Low ceilings pushed aircraft into stuff. Great if it worked-out, but it was permeated the daily operational envi- more confined visual airspaces, wheth- your fault if it didn’t. ronment and living conditions. er flying “feet wet” on gray overcast Taxiways and parking ramps were The Enemy. The enemy was an obvi- rainy days, or in the valleys of the also crowded and congested as aircraft ous danger. They were everywhere and Central Highlands dodging low clouds and helicopters vied for available space. they were always present. and thunderstorms, sometimes within Space in off-load areas at Special Forc- If the flight destination was not the valleys below the rugged peaks. es camps and Army bases was limited. expecting an imminent attack, under Multiple uncontrolled aircraft flying Forklift drivers were a common hazard. siege, or being attacked, then the enemy visually in a confined space greatly Some were trained and some were not, probably wouldn’t shoot at you. “Prob- increased the chances of a mid-air but every one thought they could do it. ably” was the operative word; there collision. Airfields. Most of the Special Forces were no guarantees. “Probably” also Helicopters. Helicopters were a haz- (SF) airstrips were short, narrow laterite required the pilots to follow established ard unto themselves. Army airfields and (combination of dirt and rock) runways. procedures (maintain at least 3,000 feet landing zones were beehives of heli- There were often little to no overruns above ground level in route, descend copter activity. The helicopters seemed and margins for error were often small. from and climb to altitude over the to operate by their own rules and often Many of the SF airstrips outside the camp or base, and don’t fly over known flew as if they were the only authorized Mekong Delta were in narrow river val- enemy positions). aircraft in the available airspace. Being leys surrounded by towering mountains If the destination were in immediate cocky and aggressive were assets for that limited aircraft maneuverability. danger, then you would be shot at. If helicopter pilots in their combat mis- Army and Marine airfields and land- you landed in those conditions, then the sions, but it did not always make for ing zone airstrips were often made of enemy would drop mortars and rockets safe flight conditions for other aircraft. pierced steel planking (PSP). Man- on the runway and the off-load areas. At Helicopters and helicopter rotor wash made hazards in the vicinity of the times, the aircraft served as a magnet to were factors in many C-7A incidents airstrips included antennas, concertina attract mortars and rockets even when and accidents. wire, land mines, and ditches. things were relatively quiet. Air Traffic and Taxi Operations. At the SF airstrips, water buffalo and One of the unique aspects of the Viet- Air traffic at major bases and airfields children on the runway could also be nam War was that there were no front was extremely congested and hectic as an issue. lines. Every “secure” base, airfield and traffic controllers worked to sequence Mountains. Once you left the delta camp could be and was attacked. There the different types of landing and de- and the coastal plains, the mountains were long distance mortar and rocket parting aircraft and handle aircraft with were a threat to safe air operations. attacks and up close sapper attacks. The emergencies, some badly damaged Mountains make up about 40% of primary targets in these attacks were from enemy action. South Vietnam. They were silent fuel dumps, ammo dumps, and aircraft. In 1970-72, once the process of and unforgiving. Mountains and bad One of the sappers’ favorite tactics was “Vietnamization” began, the controllers weather were a nasty combination for to throw satchel charges into transport in the tower and on the ground were pilots flying VFR. aircraft taxiing with their cargo doors often Vietnamese. Sometimes commu- Inclement Weather. Thunderstorms open. Usually the enemy attacks on nicating with each other was difficult, and torrential monsoon rains during major aid bases /airfields occurred at and lack of understanding could make May to October made operations more night, but not always. The enemy at- things more confused and dangerous. difficult and dangerous. Caribou pilots tacks were often successful, sometimes Outside the major airport traffic struggled to maintain VFR, locate their in spectacular fashion. areas, traffic was not controlled. Ev- destination, deliver their load, and re- Other Aircraft. Mid-air collisions or eryone was flying VFR (Visual Flight turn safely. The heavy rain turned the taxi accidents with other aircraft were Rules), often in marginal weather that laterite strips to mud and made them a constant threat. The sky was filled did not meet Visual Meteorological with aircraft of all different types, sizes, Conditions (VMC) requirements. Continued on Page 8 speeds and missions: commercial jet If you were a VFR pilot in a bind, Page 8 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

or water tanks, were their empty weight on a single engine. The truth was that Dangers (from Page 7) and did not include the weight of what- some would and some would not. The ever was inside. Also, wet items (cargo Caribous all looked the same, but they treacherous and, at times, unusable. The parachutes for example) weighed more did not all fly the same. It was probably rains made the PSP runways “slicker than dry ones. Caribou pilots and flight because they had been through a lot and than owl sh*t.” mechanics/engineers always had to be each had their own individual history. Heavy rain and thunderstorms over aware of the actual weight of what was The aircraft took a pounding every land also pushed more VFR aircraft being loaded. day and endured considerable abuse. over the water, sometimes flying at low Passengers. Passengers were dan- The excellent operational rates and altitudes of a few hundred feet. Some gerous too. When carrying U.S. or reliable aircraft performance day in days, the many F-4’s, C-130’s, C-7A’s Vietnamese troops, one of the C-7A and day out were a tribute both to the and other aircraft running “feet wet” crew members stood in the doorway aircraft itself and to the men who main- made it feel like an expressway with no and made each soldier removed their tained them. traffic rules. Some aircraft did not turn rifle clips and “clear” their weapons Night Missions. Night missions their lights on because it made them before getting on the aircraft. After amplified the other dangers. “Normal” an easy target. Some turned them on everyone had deplaned, you checked missions were not flown at night. If so other aircraft could see them. Pick under the seats before stowing them to there were a night mission, then the your poison. load cargo, just to make sure none of the situation was critical and someone’s Friendly Fire and Bombardments. U.S. troops left something by accident survival depended upon successful Friendly artillery fire was a serious and that none of the Vietnamese (uni- airlift support. The dangers of moun- concern. There were artillery control- formed or civilian) had left something tains, weather, airfield limitations and lers. Maybe you could contact them, explosive on purpose. hazards, obstacles, and the enemy were but it was rarely easy. Sometimes you Airdrops. Airdrops were used when- all heightened on night missions. didn’t know where the artillery fire was. ever the airfields were unusable be- Combinations. Any one of these Sometimes you didn’t know the proper cause of rain or other factors, or when dangers could, by themselves, “ruin frequency, because they frequently the location was under attack. your day,” but the “norm” was that they changed it. Sometimes they wouldn’t One of the primary dangers with any came at you in combinations. The more answer. airdrop is that the load could hang-up danger factors in the combination, the Fighter aircraft making bombing for some reason and cause the aircraft more difficult it was to complete the and strafing runs were not looking out center of gravity (cg) to be out of limits. mission and return safely. for you. You better be looking out for Also, the deployed parachute on a hung Safety Record. The USAF Caribou them. B-52 Arc Light bombing mis- load will create drag. Exceeding the “cg history includes numerous aircraft ac- sions were unseen, until they happened. limits” and/or the drag of the deployed cidents and incidents, some of them Sometimes you knew about them in parachute could make it impossible tragic. However, given the many op- advance, sometimes you didn’t. It was for the pilots to maintain control of the erational and environmental dangers the same with the occasional off shore aircraft unless the condition is corrected the C-7A crews encountered every naval bombardment. quickly. day on every sortie, and the airlift ac- Aircraft Loading. Dangerous cargo Secondly, an accurate airdrop nor- complishments achieved under those (ammunition, fuses, explosives, fuel, mally required flying at a low altitude conditions (measured in flight hours, etc.) was often carried, but the primary and a low airspeed, in a straight line, sorties, passengers, and cargo tons), the safety concern was weight. Sometimes for an extended period of time. If the USAF Caribou safety record was truly pilots knowingly took off with the air- location were under attack, then a extraordinary. That safety record is a craft overweight because the combat standard airdrop became a dangerous tribute to every C-7A aircrew member situation required it, but you never flight maneuver. and maintainer, and is a record every- wanted to take off overweight unknow- Mechanical Failure. Mechanical one should be proud of. ingly. A wise man once said, “Never failures were not always critical events, Editor’s Note. For another perspec- trust an Army loadmaster.” Too many but they could be, depending on what tive on dangers to safe flight in Vietnam, Army personnel thought a Caribou failed, the nature of the failure, the air- see Peter Bird’s (535, 71) article in the was a 5-ton truck with wings. They craft location, weather, altitude of the September 2003 Newsletter. believed you could just keep loading aircraft, and the aircraft load when the until there was no space left. They also failure occurred. did not seem to understand that the According to the Dash 1, a Caribou weight stenciled on vehicles, and fuel should be able to maintain altitude April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 9

no air refueling ability. the aircraft away again and this time Life After The FB-111A was my last active duty they found it was a bag of mail someone The Bou assignment. failed to take to the mail room. by Ted Hanchett [537, 68] In June 2017 I completed my 30th I will NEVER forget those two mis- year as an Admissions Liaison Officer sions. I give thanks to God for having one of to the Air Force Academy. I have evalu- the best experiences in SEA (Southeast ated probably 65 to 70 candidates over Asia) because of the C-7A. the years, and at least 27 have entered Assistance Needed! I followed that Caribou assignment the Academy. I think only four or five with one in B-52’s dropping bombs of those dropped out or quit. This job The Association has obtained copies on 198 missions, totaling 987 days is performed by many reservists, active of data cards with assignment infor- of my life in SEA. Four of those mis- duty and retired officers. I covered most mation on USAF C-7A aircraft. We sions were in Linebacker II over North of the high schools in western Kansas. would like to digitize the information Vietnam. I experienced a rear attack by The real benefit of performing this in a database and make it available to two Mig-21’s and got to see SAA-2’s a duty was that my own daughter was Association members. lot. Once I saw a SAM (surface-to-air intrigued by a possible career in the The cards were microfilmed, but they missile) lift off at night near . Air Force. She failed to get an appoint- were badly microfilmed. The copies we I punched my stop clock. It took 30 ment to the Air Force Academy on her have, which were copied directly from seconds to pass my wing at 37,000 feet. first try, but attended Kansas State on the microfilm, are difficult to read. The My crew is probably the only crew an AFROTC Scholarship majoring in only feasible way to create a database that can claim victory in destroying Nuclear Engineering. She reapplied to is to manually enter the data. It is fairly an F-102 in air-to-air combat. I was the Academy and got an appointment, easy for a person to decipher most of stationed at Dyess AFB, TX. It was then majored in Space Operations the data and key it into an Excel or either in the spring of 1972 or 1973 Engineering. She graduated from the Word table. and we were flying a night mission. Academy in 1995 and is now an O-5 There are approximately 150 pages The thing I always disliked about SAC and a Space Squadron Commander. of data. We estimate it will take about (Strategic Air Command) was that the 30 minutes to enter data from the first Wing did not always tell the crew what page, and less time for subsequent was going on. Claymore Danger pages. Templates will be provided to We flew up to Canada and did a 180 by John Maksymonicz, Jr. [459, 68] volunteers willing to help. at Flight Level 300. We had instructions Your help is needed. Please contact to do no maneuvering and we had lights We had finished moving supposed ci- Peter Bird at: [email protected] out. About the time we approached vilians out of a hamlet and landed back Detroit, my EWO (Electronic Warfare at Da Nang with them. Suddenly, one Officer) said that he had a real high of the South Vietnamese soldiers kept frequency showing on his ECM (Elec- telling me we had a VC (Viet Cong) on tronic Counter Measures) scope. He board. Next, M-16’s were drawn on this asked for guidance. I replied, “Since we guy and he really was a VC. I started are supposed to be a Russian bomber, I to check my aircraft and found wires suppose we should jam the signal.” He under a troop seat. I called for Explo- did. We then heard a “MAYDAY- Stop sive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and BUZZZZ…” The next day at debrief, cleared the area. We had F-100’s next to we were told that ADC (Air Defense us, fully loaded with bombs. EOD got Command) was controlling a F-102 there and towed the plane away. They using an uplink signal. The pilot was found a Claymore mine wired to blow on autopilot. The ECM scrambled his as soon as I lifted the seats. Luckily, I signal and he went into a violent ma- spotted the wires. neuver. He got on the ground safely, but Three sorties later, the same thing the aircraft was overstressed and was happened. I found a package that destroyed. I recall that the Air Force put shouldn’t have been there under a troop the F-102’s in the bone yard about 3 to seat. I called EOD again and got the 4 months later. The F-102 was obsolete same crew as the previous time. They by that time. It had limited range and asked if I had a death wish. We towed Page 10 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

Marine in Cat’s Female WW II Pilot Mouth Saved Flying at 100 Pacific Stars and Stripes by Sara Oliver, The Mail January 15, 1969 February 5, 2017

Quang Tri, Vietnam (Special). A tiger was killed by members of a small Marine patrol when the 400-pound cat attacked a 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion Marine, the rest of the team and the (Bn.) Marine in the northwestern corner dead tiger. The injured Marine was of South Vietnam. rushed to the 3rd Medical Bn. Hospital The Marine who was attacked is at Quang Tri, suffering from lacerations listed in satisfactory condition at a and bites on the neck. military hospital at Quang Tri. The tiger, measuring nine feet from The six-man recon team was on an head to tail, was taken to the battalion observation mission near Fire Sup- headquarters. port Base Alpine, six miles east of the The incident took place 10 miles Laotian border in Quang Tri province, south of the Demilitarized Zone, near when the tiger attacked. The team had the spot where a young Marine was completed its mission and was wait- slain by a tiger November 12, 1968. ing to be heli-lifted from the area. Editor’s Note. This reference to the Bad weather conditions had prevented marine slain by a tiger probably refers Mary Ellis, an Air Transport Auxil- immediate pick up and the team had to the marine killed November 14, 1968 iary (ATA) pilot in World War II, cel- posted a two-man radio watch, while as described in the following article. ebrated her 100th birthday on February the others settled down to sleep. 2, 2017 by flying a Spitfire over West The tiger struck silently and swiftly. Tiger Drags Off, Sussex. “Suddenly, I heard somebody Tearing through the skies above scream,” said PFC Thomas E. Shain- Kills Marine the south coast of Great Britain, two Pacific Stars and Stripes line of Gilbertsville, PA, “and then Spitfires evoke powerful memories December 5, 1968 somebody else was yelling: ‘It’s a tiger! of Britain’s wartime resilience. But It’s a tiger!’” Quang Tri, Vietnam (Associated this stirring image holds a further poi- PFC Roy Regan of Nacogdoches, Press). A safari of U.S. Marines and a gnancy, for in the cockpit of the lead TX, who had been sleeping next to the Vietnamese hunter left Tuesday (De- aircraft sits Mary Ellis, celebrating her attacked Marine recalled, “I jumped up cember 3) for a jungled mountain valley 100th birthday by recreating her time and saw the tiger on my partner. All I to kill a tiger that killed a young marine as one of the “ATA girls,” the select could think about was to get the tiger three weeks ago. group of female pilots who flew Brit- away from him. I jumped at the tiger PFC Francis Baldino of Ashland, PA, ain’s fighters during the war. Over her and the cat jerked his head and jumped was the tiger’s victim while on ambush shoulder is one of the actual Spitfires into a bomb crater 10 yards away, still patrol November 14 in the northwest she flew during her 1,000 flights as a holding his prey.” corner of South Vietnam. First Officer with the ATA. The Marines quickly followed the The patrol leader told investigators tiger to the bomb crater and opened he was only three paces in front of fire. They could not be sure which one Baldino, a radio operator, when he of them actually killed the tiger, since heard a low growl and a scream. When they all fired at it. he turned, Baldino had disappeared, Once hit, the tiger released his prey he said. and the attacked Marine staggered out Baldino’s body was found the next of the bomb crater. The injured Marine morning under some bushes. Other was given first aid treatment and a med- patrols were sent in and saw two tigers ical evacuation helicopter was called. but were unable to shoot at them. In minutes, a Marine CH-46 heli- Editor’s Note. Results of the Decem- copter arrived to pick-up the injured ber 1968 tiger hunt are not known. Continued on Page 11 April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 11

Flying at 100 (from Page 10)

“Wizard, this is wizard!” yelled the delighted centenarian through her intercom. Mary was handed the con- trols of the 275 mph twin-seater as it swooped over West Sussex. After about 15 minutes, she turned for home, and told her pilot Matt Jones, “Goodwood on the nose, you have control.” Then she settled back to enjoy the ride back to base. Earlier, Mary watched in delight as Spitfire MV154 took its place beside her in an extraordinary airborne trib- ute. It was a plane she had delivered to Royal Air Force Base Brize Norton from Southampton on September 15, 1944, and it hides a sentimental secret. For at the end of the 25 minute wartime Mary Ellis (circle) flying in a Sptifire on her 100th birthday. flight, she signed the cockpit, scrawl- ing her maiden name Wilkins and the Speaking at a surprise birthday party, It was dangerous work. Mary was initials ATA. Mary said, “I must have been four sometimes ordered to move combat- years-old when I began to wonder damaged planes that were not officially why the birds could reach the sky and fit to fly, but had to be flown to another I couldn’t. The war was a challenge base for repairs. She crash-landed twice and one had to do something about it. I and was shot at once. Fourteen of the went on and on until I flew everything. female ATA flyers lost their lives, in- I love the Spitfire. The day I stepped cluding aviation pioneer Amy Johnson. into a Spitfire was a complete joy and Mary, who to this day needs no spec- the most natural thing in the world. It’s tacles, nor a walking stick, was one my favorite aircraft. It’s everyone’s of the last six women serving in the favorite. It’s the symbol of freedom.” ATA when it disbanded after the war. Mary was usually found at the joy- She remained a private pilot and then stick of a Spitfire or a Hurricane, but became managing director of Sandown ultimately flew more than 50 types of Airport on the Isle of Wight, which she aircraft, logging 1,100 hours of flight, managed for 20 years. much to the astonishment of some col- Matt Jones, managing director for Mary had her first flying lesson in leagues. Goodwood-based Boultbee Flight 1938, and flew for pleasure until 1941 As she sat on the airfield ready to Academy, first met Mary in 2015. He when she heard a BBC radio appeal deliver her first Spitfire, the mechanic conspired with Spitfire MV154’s cur- for women pilots to join the auxil- standing on the wing asked how many rent owner, pilot Maxi Gainza, to bring iary service and release male pilots for of them she’d flown. When she said the plane to the UK from its base in combat duty. For four years she ferried it was her first, he was so startled he Bremgarten, Germany. warplanes from factories to frontline fell right off the wing. The largest squadrons equipped with only a com- aircraft she flew solo was the Welling- Editor’s Note. On January 17, 2018, pass, stopwatch and map to find the ton bomber. After landing at an East the Isle of Wight Council awarded Mary airfields. The 166 women of the ATA Anglian airfield, Mary was greeted the Freedom of the Isle of Wight and have been dubbed “The Female Few,” by the ground crew who asked where she celebrated her 101st birthday on echoing Winston Churchill’s descrip- the pilot was. “I’m the pilot,” she said. February 2, 2018. tion of the Royal Air Force airmen who They insisted on searching the aircraft fought in the Battle of Britain. before they believed her. Page 12 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

aged aircraft and was hitching a ride pickup truck) and raced to our assigned Difficult Airfields back to home base at Phu Cat. aircraft. We opened and climbed up the from Caribou Airlines, Vol. I The fighter pilot was standing be- steps on the entrance hatch, which is tween the pilot seats as we flew up the located under the belly of the aircraft The most demanding areas as far as Tra Bong valley. We showed him the beneath the cockpit and in front of the crew ability were still Ha Tanh and airstrip, but he didn’t see it. “There’s forward gear, climbed the interior lad- Tra Bong Special Forces camps in the no airfield down there,” he said. der to the top level of the cabin, and northern areas, and Plei Mei, Dak Pek, By this time we were approaching crawled into our seats in the cockpit. and Dak Seang to the west, southwest the Special Forces camp and I started The Pilot hit the two cartridge switch- of Phu Cat. a descending left-hand turn to lose es for engines 2 and 8 (the Crew Chief Ha Tanh, although fairly long at altitude and give him a better look at would have already pulled the engine 1,300 feet, had hills on one approach the short patch of dirt. “Sure there is,” covers by that time). The cartridges on and a small hill very close to the I said. “It’s right there.” The startled those two engines, which have an ex- southeast side of the runway. Wing tip F-100 pilot exclaimed, “You’re going plosive charge (providing lots of smoke clearance was small. Tra Bong was only to land on that! Major, I am sure glad and excitement), enable the engines 1,000 feet long. Plei Mei was about you are making the landing and not that to start without an external air supply. 1,200 feet long. Dak Pek was fairly baby-faced Lt. in the right seat,” jerking Those two engines then provide air for long at 1,600 feet, but its location in a his thumb at Jumper. the remaining six engines. Once we had deep valley allowed no margin for the I calmly replied, “This is my first trip the remaining engines running, the pi- smallest error on approach or takeoff. It in here. Lt. Jumper is my instructor and lots completed all applicable checklist also had drastic wind currents causing is checking me out.” The F-100 pilot items required for takeoff while the up and down drafts near the approach shook his head, went to the back, and Radar Navigator and Navigator were ends of each runway. Dak Seang was strapped-in. He didn’t say anything for copying the message from the Com- narrow and hard to judge because of the rest of the flight. mand Post. its dip (roller coaster) design. Cross- Receipt of a klaxon by itself required winds at Dak Seang made it even more getting the engines running, but we demanding. would then follow the instructions of Timing Can Be the Command Post message that we received (Stay in place; Taxi to the end Everything of the runway and hold; or Launch). Tra Bong Check by David Enos [457, 69] by Larry Pennington [459, 68] Pride as Airmen drove us to perform as quickly and flawlessly as we could. My assignment out of Cam Rahn In all the many times I responded to Bay in 1970 was to none other than to these klaxons, only once did I think it B-52’s at Minot AFB, ND. WHY ME!!! was a real event. The one time it was for I had put in my DOS (Date of Separa- a real event is a story for another day. tion) much earlier, since, at that time, a On this particular day, we received B-52 assignment was out of the ques- an exercise launch message, so we tion for anyone with a DOS, and I could taxied to the end of the runway and get my desired assignment to C-141’s. performed what was known as an “El- But, the Air Force Military Personnel ephant Walk,” – accelerate to 70 knots Center did a 180 degree turn, and now on the runway, then throttle back, and I was heading to Minot, located in the slow to taxi speed by the end of the middle of the beautiful North Dakota 13,000 plus foot runway. “Elephant wind-swept plains, and cold as Hell in Walk” refers to the sight of four lum- the wintertime. bering 488,00 pound B-52’s and four I was getting my Tra Bong checkout It was a cold, sunny, late March day KC-135’s accelerating, and then slow- with 1/Lt. John Jumper as the Instruc- in 1971, with snow on the ground. I ing on the runway, one after the other, tor Pilot. We had left Da Nang with was on Bomber Nuclear Alert as a Co- at close interval (12 seconds between a load to drop off at Tra Bong on our pilot when the klaxon sounded. From aircraft was the stated takeoff goal). way to Phu Cat. We were also carrying the alert facility, which was built half The objective was to simulate liftoff an F-100 pilot who Jumper knew. The above and half below ground, we ran Continued on Page 13 F-100 jock had bailed-out of his dam- for our alert vehicle (a six-passenger April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 13

As I mentioned before, the only way Timing (from Page 12) into and out of the cockpit is through a hatch located in front of the forward within 15 minutes or less from time of landing gear. The nose of the aircraft notification, which was the assumed was laying so low to the ground that we minimum time we had to get into the could barely get the hatch open enough air and out of the immediate area before to crawl down and out of the plane. the impact of incoming ICBM’s and Two nuclear loaded B-52’s were SLBM’s. taken off alert for hours while several Everything went as planned, and we four or more B-52’s could be fully re- large snowplows were attached to each taxied back into the “Christmas tree” generated as quickly as possible. plane and pulled them back onto the for recovery. It was called a “Christmas Remember, this is taking place in Mi- concrete pads, where they were then tree” because it resembled one, with the not, ND, in late March. It is still damn checked for damage. I wouldn’t have individual aircraft pads angling toward cold in Minot and there is snow on the wanted to be the Wing Commander a central spine that pointed toward the ground. When the pilot was instructed when he had to explain to CINCSAC end of the runway, thus providing as to start turning, we did everything we why there were two fewer alert B-52’s quick a route as possible for takeoff. were supposed to do, but we suddenly in his arsenal. I cannot remember if the This is where it gets a little tricky. At had a sinking feeling, literally sinking. Wing Commander was “canned,” but I this point in the aircraft recovery pro- The Crew Chief started yelling “more do not recall that he was. Which leads cess, the aircraft is headed into the tree, power, more power,” but that only me to the think that the procedure was but we have to reposition pointing out. helped to bury the front gear deeper being used SAC-wide, and was not a The aircraft could be shut down, a yoke into the ground. In March, the ground Minot-unique procedure. “We were just attached, and the aircraft backed into at Minot is usually as hard as concrete. following SAC procedures, Sir.” the pad, and then topped off with fuel, The Crew Chief had led us off the I feel confident the procedure would But, that was a slow process. At Minot, concrete pad, and probably had all have been canceled, whether one or two and, I assume at other B-52 bases, a winter long. Going over the end of the B-52’s had been involved, but having procedure to speed up the process was pad wouldn’t gain anything for the pro- two in the same predicament, side by used to regenerate the aircraft to full cedure, but presumably going wide off side, definitely spared the careers of alert status. I honestly do not remember of the concrete pad before straightening two, or four, young Air Force Captains. how wide the concrete pads were on the out would allow an easier maneuver for Timing Can Be Everything! “Christmas tree,” but they were much the Crew Chief, and he wouldn’t have narrower than the aircraft itself. to be as precise. It should be noted that the tandem So, there we were, a nuclear loaded gear are located well behind the cock- bomber on alert with our two front Time To Renew!! pit. Sooo, following the instructions of landing gear buried up to the hubcaps the Crew Chief, who was on a headset (one way of describing it). I looked at Check the mailing label on this well in front of the aircraft, the Pilot the Pilot, he looked at me, and we both newsletter. If it does not show “2018” brought the aircraft onto the pad as far thought, “Well, there go our careers.” or later, then it is TIME TO PAY your to the left as he could while remaining I then looked out my window to the Bou Tax or this will be the last news- on the concrete. This was directed by next pad, and, unbelievably, the B-52 letter you will receive. the Crew Chief, who could see every- on that pad was also kneeling in the dirt If the year is before 2017, you may thing. Pilots had only a general feel just like we were! Whew!!! It was no have: changed your address and the for where the aircraft was in relation longer crew error, or crew chief error last newsletter went to an old address, to the concrete pad. When the aircraft (yes, if the two crew chiefs had not been or you just sent in your check, or for- approached the end of the pad, the pilot so complacent, the procedure would got to send your check was instructed to turn as sharply as pos- have worked like it should have, and as sible to the right, using the foot pedals it had worked many times before dur- DO IT TODAY! and the aircraft crosswind crab steering, ing any month of the year). Performing Make your $10 check to the C-7A to turn the aircraft around and pointing the maneuver at all had now become a Caribou Association and send it to: back toward the runway. management/leadership error. It was a Jess Cogley Since all the B-52’s could do this procedure looking for an accident wait- 244 Mecca Dr procedure at the same time, it saved ing to happen That day, conditions and San Antonio, TX 78232-2209 a tremendous amount of time, and the complacency took over. Page 14 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

We Will Never Forget

On 25 July 1968, Caribou S/N 63-9761, 457th TAS, was flying a resupply mission from Nha Trang to Polei Kleng. Flying in marginal weather in the vicinity of Dragon Mountain, near Pleiku, the left wing of the aircraft struck a tree and the C-7A crashed, killing Capt. James Hoffman and A1C Raymond McKendrick.

On 26 August 1968, Caribou S/N 62-4177, 457th TAS, was hit by ground fire in the right wing as it was flying an airlift flight about 10 miles southwest of An Loc, close to the Cambodian border. The aircraft crashed and exploded killing Capt. Robert George Bull, 1/Lt. Ralph William Manners, and A1C David Frederick Sleeper.

We Gotta Get Outta Watch his hair been turning gray He’s been working and slaving his This Place life away by The Animals, 1965 I know, he’s been working so hard In this dirty old part of the city Where the sun refuse to shine I’ve been working too, babe People tell me there ain’t no use in Every day baby trying Yeah yeah yeah yeah Now my girl you’re so young and pretty We gotta get out of this place And one thing I know is true If its the last thing we ever do You’ll be dead before your time is We gotta get out of this place due Girl, there’s a better life I know For me and you

Watch my daddy in bed and tired Somewhere baby Watch his hair been turning gray Somehow I know it baby He’s been working and slaving his Words of Wisdom life away We gotta get out of this place President Theodore Roosevelt Oh yes, I know it If its the last thing we ever do 1910 We gotta get out of this place It is not the critic who counts; not the He’s been working so hard Girl, there’s a better life man who points out how the strong man I’ve been working too babe for me and you stumbles, or where the doer of deeds Every night and day could have done them better. The credit Yeah yeah yeah yeah Believe me, baby belongs to the man who is actually in I know it, baby the arena, whose face is marred by We gotta get out of this place You know it, too dust and sweat and blood; who strives If it’s the last thing we ever do valiantly; who errs, who comes short We gotta get out of this place Editor’s Note. The song was writ- again and again, because there is no Cause girl, there’s a better life ten by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil effort without error and shortcoming; For me and you for the Righteous Brothers, but it was but who does actually strive to do the acquired by The Animals management. deeds; who knows the great enthusi- Now my girl you’re so young and The lyrics were tweaked to fit the band’s asms, the great devotions; who spends pretty Manchester origins, and The Animal’s himself in a worthy cause; who at the And one thing I know is true, yeah version was released in 1965. It was best knows in the end the triumph of You’ll be dead before your time is probably the most requested song when high achievement, and who at worst, due bands played for U.S. troops in Viet- if he fails, at least fails while daring I know it nam. Everyone enthusiastically joined greatly, so that his place shall never be in on the chorus. We Gotta Get Out of with those cold and timid souls who Watch my daddy in bed and tired This Place! neither know victory nor defeat. April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 15

Nine Feet Tall P-39 fighters. Risner left active duty in by John T. Correl 1946, becoming a P-51 pilot with the Air Force Magazine,February 2012 Oklahoma (ANG). His ANG unit was called up for The picture on the Time magazine the , but was not going to cover for April 23, 1965, was Air Force Korea, so Risner applied and was ac- Lt. Col. Robinson “Robbie” Risner. The cepted for photo reconnaissance duty, cover story, “The Fighting American,” in which he had some training. He featured 10 U.S. military members in shipped to Korea, where he flew 10 Vietnam, with fighter pilot Risner, a reconnaissance missions before talking rising star in the Air Force, foremost his way into a transfer to the F-86, the among them. a church service, a forbidden activity. Air Force’s best fighter at the time. He “At the time it was a great honor,” The North Vietnamese, obsessed with managed to work around the fact he had Risner said. “But later, in prison, I maintaining control, interrupted the ser- broken his arm in an off-duty accident would have much cause to regret that vice and dragged Risner and the other before leaving the States by persuad- Time had ever heard of me.” leaders away for discipline. George ing a doctor to replace the cast with On September 16, 1965, Risner was E. “Bud” Day jumped on his bed and a leather cover, and he flew that way. shot down over and began to sing “The Star-Spangled Ban- Flying with the 336th Fighter-Inter- captured. The additional bad news ner.” All 46 POWs present joined in to ceptor Squadron out of Kimpo, South was that the North Vietnamese had express their support. Korea, he shot down five MiG’s and seen Time magazine and knew who he “I felt like I was nine feet tall and became an ace within a few months. was. “Some good soul from the United could go bear hunting with a switch,” “Korea was probably the high point of States had sent them the copy,” he said, Risner said later. my whole career as far as real gratifica- “and they thought I was much more The moment and his words are re- tion is concerned,” he said later. In all, important than I ever was.” called by a statue of Risner unveiled at he flew 108 combat missions in Korea The magazine article told them not the Air Force Academy in 2001, the gift and was credited with destroying eight only that Risner was an F-105 squadron of Risner’s friend, H. , who MiG-15’s. commander who had led 18 missions had a history of honoring the POWs. He was also known for another feat against North Vietnam, but also that The statue, atop a five-foot pedestal, of airmanship in Korea. On Sept. 15, he was a Korean War ace, having shot is exactly nine feet high. Some 40 of 1952, Risner’s wingman, 2/Lt. Joe down eight MiGs. It also disclosed Risner’s fellow POWs were on hand Logan, was hit by ground fire near the details about his family. His captors for the event. The principal speaker was MiG airfield at Antung, China, on the knew they had an important officer and Bud Day, who said, “We knew he was Yalu River. It appeared he would have were determined to break him. “The in fact nine feet tall. This is a life-size to bail out over enemy territory. “Joe’s Vietnamese regarded Robbie as their statue.” Few American airmen have aircraft got hit in the belly and began No. 1 one prized prisoner,” said Col. ever stood taller in the estimation of losing fuel,” Risner said. “When he Gordon Larson, a fellow POW. “Robbie their colleagues. was down to five minutes remaining, I was by far the most abused POW there Risner is best known for his courage told him to shut down and I would try because of who they thought he was.” and leadership as a POW and for his to push him to Cho Do Island, where All of the POWs were tortured and ill book, “The Passing of the Night: My we had a rescue operation.” Risner treated, but Risner got an extra portion. Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North carefully placed the upper lip of his air Risner was a leader among the airmen Vietnamese”, but that is just part of intake in the tailpipe of Logan’s F-86. held by the North Vietnamese, first as his story. “It stayed sort of locked there as long senior-ranking officer and then as vice He was born James Robinson Risner as we both maintained stable flight, commander of the 4th Allied POW Wing in Mammoth Spring, AR, on January but the turbulence created by Joe’s formed in Hoa Lo Prison, the infamous 16, 1925. He grew up in Tulsa, OK, aircraft made stable flight for me very “Hanoi Hilton.” According to Larson, and joined the Air Corps as soon as difficult,” Risner said. Risner was “the most influential and he could, in 1943. After he earned his Leaking fuel and hydraulic fluid effective POW there.” wings and a commission in the Avia- made it even more difficult. “If either In 1971, after the POWs moved into tion Cadets in May 1944, he applied of us bobbed the least bit, I’d be tossed large open-bay cells in Hanoi, Risner for combat duty, but was sent instead and several of his colleagues organized to Panama, where he flew P-38 and Continued on Page 16 Page 16 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

because this was a successful strike,” ground fire and by the first MiG -in Nine Feet Tall (from Page 15) Risner said. “He got to me and said, terceptors the Air Force encountered ‘By God, Robbie, what did you hit that in Vietnam. Risner’s own aircraft was out of contact,” Risner said. The two other bridge for?’ ... He told me not to hit hard, but he pressed on despite aircraft lost contact eight times on the do that again.” smoke and fumes in the cockpit. For way to Cho Do, 60 miles to the south. In February, the 67th TFS deployed on heroism in leading the mission, Risner They made it all the way, “but the nose temporary duty to Korat AB, Thailand. was brought to Washington, D.C., and of my plane was all boogered up,” Ris- From there, Risner led the first Rolling awarded the Air Force Cross, the first ner said. Near the base, Logan bailed Thunder air strike against North Viet- ever given to a living recipient. At the out and landed in the water. Tragically, nam on March 2, 1965. ceremony, Gen. J. P. McConnell, Air he became entangled in his parachute Force Chief of Staff, growled, “Now lines and drowned before the rescuers goddammit, Robbie, don’t go back out could reach him. Risner was awarded there and get your tail shot off.” the for the mission. In August, the 67th again deployed Risner was promoted to major be- from Kadena AB to Korat AB, Thai- fore he left Korea and was augmented land, for temporary duty. Risner flew into the regular Air Force in 1953. He a mission a day over North Vietnam, kept on flying F-86’s, first at Clovis often against tough defenses. “During AFB, NM, and then at Hahn Air Base one week, I was hit four missions out (AB), West Germany, where he was of five,” he said. He was awarded the the squadron commander. He returned Silver Star for several of these early to the States at George AFB, CA, and September missions. commanded the squadron evaluating His luck ran out on September 16, the high-altitude air-to-air capabilities 1965, when he was shot down a second of the new F-100. time. That morning, he was leading a After a year at and strike against a SAM site near Thanh a tour on the staff at U.S. Pacific Com- Hoa. Flying low, he crossed a small hill mand, Risner went to Kadena AB, and was suddenly hit hard by ground Okinawa, in 1964 as commander of the fire. He engaged his afterburner for a 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron. A new surge of power and raced toward the war was under way in Asia, and Risner ocean, trailing smoke and fire. His was about to become part of it. engine quit before he got there, and he Shot Down Twice bailed out. He was captured by local The war in Vietnam had not yet bro- militia, taken to Hanoi, and delivered ken out in full fury. Although air com- to the Hanoi Hilton. mandos were flying clandestine combat On March 16, he was shot down for He didn’t expect to be there for long missions in South Vietnam, U.S. fight- the first time. Hit by ground fire while because, “I had been told that Secretary ers did not deploy to Southeast Asia in attacking a radar site in North Vietnam, of Defense Robert McNamara had strength until after the Tonkin Gulf inci- he made it to the Tonkin Gulf, where he passed the word down: ‘Do not make dents in 1964. In January 1965, Risner ejected and was picked up. any long-range plans and do not start led a contingent of seven F-105’s from On April 3 and 4, Risner led two any new buildings. The war will be over Kadena on a temporary assignment to strikes against the 540 foot railroad by June 1966.’” Da Nang AB in South Vietnam. bridge at Thanh Hoa, 70 miles south Risner would remain a captive for Risner promptly received a medal of Hanoi. Called the “Dragon’s Jaw,” seven years, four months, and 27 days. and a reprimand for the same mission. it was rated the toughest target in North After his capture, Risner was pro- As directed, his flight knocked down Vietnam. The strikes did not succeed, moted to full with a date of rank a bridge at Ban Ken in . Seeing not because of lack of effort or cour- of November 8, 1965, but it would be another bridge downstream, Risner age by the aircrews, but because the some time before he knew that. Even dropped it as well. The returning flight weapons were not good enough. The in his previous grade, though, he was was met at Da Nang AB by Lt. Gen. Jo- bridge withstood 871 attacks before the senior-ranking officer among the seph H. Moore, Air Force commander smart laser-guided bombs finally did POWs and, on their behalf, complained in South Vietnam. “We all lined up and the job in 1972. he went down and gave us an Air Medal The target was defended by lethal Continued on Page 17 April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 17

shootdown rank policy. He recognized POWs and the Vietnamese reaction to Nine Feet Tall (from Page 16) Risner’s promotion to colonel and his the unfavorable publicity. Another fac- 1965 date of rank, and named him tor was the death of North Vietnamese about the squalid conditions in which vice commander of the 4th Allied POW strongman Ho Chi Minh. they were held. He also established Wing, with Stockdale as his deputy In 1970, U.S. commandos raided the committees and assigned tasks, such as for operations. The name of the wing prison camp at Son Tay. No prisoners keeping the POW list current. referred to the fourth war of the century were there, having been moved re- The Vietnamese did not want any and recognized that Thai and Vietnam- cently, but the operation unnerved the military organization among the prison- ese were also held prisoner. North Vietnamese. They pulled all of ers, and they aggressively suppressed “Of all the indignities we were forced the POWs back into the Hanoi Hilton attempts to communicate. Risner’s ac- to undergo, I guess I resented meet- and sent hundreds of civilian Vietnam- tivity was one more reason for putting ing the foreign delegations more than ese convicts elsewhere to make room him in his place. When he refused to any other,” Risner said. “There was for them. make the kind of incriminatory state- something so basically inhuman about The POWs were held in seven large ments they demanded, he was kept appearing before the delegations and open-bay areas in a section of the on bread and water from October 1 being asked how your food was and prison they called “Camp Unity.” The through December 15. His legs were having to say it was excellent when it fellowship was wonderful, especially seldom out of shackles, and he was in was not. Or to questions of your treat- for those like Risner, whose total time solitary confinement except for peri- ment, to lie in front of the cameras and in solitary confinement during his ods of torture. In one such session, his say it was great, when they had literally captivity added up to more than three shoulder was dislocated. tortured the stuffings out of you to make years. It was at Camp Unity where the At last, Risner signed an apology for you appear.” church service and the “nine feet tall” violating North Vietnamese airspace There were command performances episode occurred. “I never lost hope, and bombing North Vietnam. His for reporters as well. In 1967, Ris- and never did I despair of coming back subsequent direction to other POWs ner was required to meet with Mary alive,” said Risner, who credits his re- recognized the limits of resistance. McCarthy, a liberal American writer ligious faith with getting him through “Resist until you are tortured,” he openly sympathetic with the Viet Cong. the ordeal. said, “but do not take torture to the “Do not say anything – regardless of In 1973, the POWs were released by point where you lose your capability what she asks you – do not say anything order of shoot-down. Risner was No. to think and do not take torture to the to disgrace or slander our country,” the 27 in the first group freed on Febru- point where you lose the permanent use Vietnamese warned. “If you do, you ary 12. En route from Hanoi to Clark of your limbs.” Risner was eventually will suffer for the rest of the time you AB, Philippines, on the first leg of the awarded his second Air Force Cross for are here,” as if that was different from journey home, an Air Force doctor told courage under torture, and establishing the regular routine. the group they would be on a bland an honorable standard that could be McCarthy found Risner unlikable, “a diet for a few days until their stomachs followed by others. gaunt, squirrel-faced older man” who adjusted. Risner told the doctor they Later, others succeeded Risner as “had not changed his cultural spots.” had been subsisting on “a lot of pig fat senior-ranking officer. The practice for She did not notice the scars or other and grease.” The doctor said, “If you establishing military command among evidence of torture. She spoke enthusi- can digest that, you can eat anything,” the POWs was to use rank at the time of astically of Senator Eugene McCarthy’s and changed the menu. That evening at shoot-down because it was almost im- chances of winning the Democratic Clark AB, Risner had steak and three possible to verify promotions and dates nomination and presidential election pieces of cake. He reported that he was of rank after capture. This eventually and expressed hope for an early end to ready for duty “after three good meals became a problem. “New guys were the war. “We’d better knock on wood,” and a good night’s rest.” coming in shot down as commanders she said, and knocked three times on the The Air Force wanted him to rest and who had been lieutenants in squadrons table. Afterward, Risner was in interro- take a special assistant job, but Risner with old guys, who had been shot down gation for hours as the Vietnamese tried balked. He persuaded the Air Force to as lieutenant commanders; thus the to discover what secret signal had been send him instead to qualify for opera- old guys were now working for their passed with the knocking. tional flying in the F-4E. “Knowing that previous wingmen,” said Cmdr. James Treatment of POWs changed for the I had been in prison and been out of B. Stockdale, the ranking Navy officer. better in the fall of 1969. Part of the rea- the cockpit for a long time, they didn’t In 1971, the senior POW, Col. John son was public recognition at long last P. Flynn, made an exception to the in the of the plight of the Continued on Page 18 Page 18 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

Nine Feet Tall (from Page 17) Arc Light Surprise C-7A Restoration by Doug Boston [458, 68] expect too much of me,” he said. “I at Museum of Aviation from Newsletter 17-2, August 2006 didn’t have quite the finesse that I had some eight or nine years earlier” but “I Arc Light missions (typically a cell had not lost my ability to take off, land, of three to six B-52 bombers) were an and fly an airplane in formation, and to awesome sight to behold and fright- position the airplane where I wanted it.” ening to anyone close to the trail of He went to Cannon AFB, NM, as bombs when they hit the ground. In commander of the 832nd Air Division, 1965, the B-52D’s were given the and was promoted to brigadier gen- “high density bombing” or “Big Belly” eral. He was then reassigned as vice upgrade, which modified the aircraft to commander of the Air Force Fighter carry eighty-four 500 pound or forty- Weapons Center at Nellis AFB, NV, in two 750 pound bombs in the bomb 1975, where he was also commander of bay. The upgraded B-52D’s could also In December 2017, Pat Hanavan and the Red Flag combat training program. carry twenty-four 750 pound bombs his son, Michael, visited the Museum He retired in August 1976. on the pylons, for a maximum load of of Aviation at Warner Robins AFB, Risner was chosen six times as a 60,000 pounds of conventional bombs, GA and scanned over 2,600 pages of participant in Air University’s “Gather- an astounding weight of ordinance. Arc C-7A tech orders. John Tawes drove ing of Eagles” program, where noted Light missions from Kadena AB, Oki- down from Atlanta one day during the airmen talk about their experiences. nawa against targets in Vietnam began visit to make contact with the museum At a gathering in the 1990’s, he met a on 16 February 1968. management and to check on progress former Russian MiG-15 ace, who had I was getting my line check for Air- in restoring Caribou S/N 63-9756. been in Korea about the same time as craft Commander from Maj. Dick Bren- Mike Rowland is the curator of Risner, and wondered if they had ever nan, who observed my performance the Museum of Aviation and would faced each other in combat. while standing between the seats. The appreciate any help you can render “No way,” Risner said. “You check ride was completed at Quan Loi. in the restoration, if you live nearby. wouldn’t be here.” There had been an Arc Light mission In addition, the Association is in the about 15 minutes before we landed, but process of acquiring four sets of roller Editor’s Notes. we had no information indicating that conveyors for the Caribous on display Robinson “Robbie” Risner died Oct. any other Arc Lights were imminent. at Warner Robins AFB, Dover AFB, 22, 2013 at his home in Bridgewater, A normal takeoff was made on run- Travis AFB, and Hill AFB. VA. He was 88. way 05 and the gear was retracted. Just James B. Stockdale, USN, was a after liftoff, we saw out the left window POW from 1965-73. He was the high- that trees were being lifted into the air Morning Mortars est-ranking naval officer to be held as and clouds of dirt were rising. Every- by Clyde Wilson [537, 69] a POW in Vietnam. He was awarded thing was just “pushed up” into the sky. from Caribou Airlines, Vol. II the Medal of Honor for his resistance, A shock wave hit the Bou, throwing it courage, and leadership during captiv- up and into a right turn. The angle of Before we switched to air drop mis- ity and retired as a Vice Admiral. bank increased until it was about 135 sions, the first flight of the day to arrive George E. “Bud” Day, USAF, was degrees, putting the aircraft nearly in- at Pleiku from Cam Ranh Bay was sent the only U.S. POW to escape from his verted. Full left aileron and top rudder to Ben Het. When you landed at Ben North Vietnamese captors. He made it seemed to have no effect at first, but Het and taxied to the ramp, the next back to South Vietnam territory before eventually began to right the aircraft. step was the off load. Then the mortars being shot and recaptured. Col. Day When the Bou was right side up, I would start to land around you. You was awarded the Medal of Honor for leveled out, began a turn back to the would leave as fast as you could, call his escape and his valor while a POW, runway, rolled out on final, dropped Hilda (Airlift Control Center in Saigon) 1967-73. the gear, and made a quick landing to report the shelling, and the base John P. Flynn, USAF, was a POW with a landing roll of about 500 feet. would be closed for the rest of the day. from 1967-73. He was awarded the Air This horrifying sequence of events took Each morning the first crew would Force Cross for his leadership as the only a couple of minutes, but it left a land at Ben Het knowing they would re- senior officer in captivity. He retired as permanent impact on the entire crew. ceive in-coming and they always went. a Lt. General. It was really “up close and personal!” April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 19

“let downs” to VFR conditions. Luckily down the cut bank to the runway and Supporting Khe Sanh none of them got hurt when the shack round out. Then, it was slowing enough by Marty Hillman [459, 67] was destroyed. to be able to make a right turn onto the from Newsletter 26-1, March 2015 With the shack guys unavailable, ramp area and, even more importantly, getting in could be interesting. One not run off the existing AM2 into the The day started just as any other day way was to fly the coast to the sunken mud. Plus, you didn’t want to overshoot at the office. This day’s schedule was: French fishing boat, turn inland on the turn and provide a stationary target flight to Khe Sanh out of Da Nang; heading 274 degrees, give or take, for the occasional lucky mortar round. recover to Phu Bai; back to Khe Sanh; drop down to the deck to stay under Someone must have awakened Char- do it one more time; and then home to the overcast, hop over the ridge to the lie because, as we committed to land Da Nang. The morning weather wasn’t that day, the mortars started impacting, memorably bad or good. Winds normal. and we could hear small arms fire. The C-130 that “splashed” on the We used what I called the Dennehey runway had been moved off to the off load, which was to keep the Bou side. Two-thirds of the runway was still moving while the Flight Engineer got unusable because of the accident. The the blivet ready to go. The tail ramp method the Marines used to move the would already be partially down and C-130 also tore things up a bit. It was as we made the right turn up the park- a vivid demonstration of what tank and ing ramp, the blivet would bounce out cat tracks do to an AM2 runway. With the back of the plane and end up in or the existing winds, the result was land- near the hole where the GCA shack had ing down hill over a barrier, ending up been. A hole-in-one, sometimes. Next on slimy, laterite covered AM2 matting. came the forklift with the pallet of wet The Bou would be loaded with a A Shau valley, and turn right, down parachutes to be loaded and quickly tied round blivet of fuel and some other the river, until you got to the river that down. The Flight Engineer would then “stuff”. Sometimes the other stuff was came from Khe Sanh. Then a left turn load as many guys as he could get on beer. There was a shortage of cargo and keep on trucking until you got to board. All this happened while we were parachutes all over ‘Nam because of Khe Sanh. still moving. As we turned to take the Tet. Our primary load back was para- It was a good idea to fly at a maxi- runway, the ramp came up, we all said a chutes because of the shortage. mum altitude of tree top level. That short prayer, and threw the whip to the Previously, a Caribou flight into Khe confused the bad guys until it was too R-2000’s. As the sleek, subsonic STOL Sanh took on two pallets of very wet late for them to react. At least that was aerospace flying machine became air- parachutes. The full runway was still the idea. Have you ever made rooster borne, the enemy mortar crews finally available for that flight and all of it was tails in the sand? The Bou could make took a break. Adding to the excitement used. There was just barely enough to some dandies. The Flight Engineer of the whole process was the option to get airborne. Aborting the takeoff and would open the tailgate and give us a dive over the drop off at the end of the taxing back was not a desirable option. heads up when it became advisable to runway to get a few more knots and Charlie usually wasn’t a good shot, but pick it up a bit. On one memorable trip, then swoop off into the ozone. you didn’t want to give him additional while wafting our way over the sand We landed at Phu Bai, unloaded, re- practice time. At the end of the runway, dunes and rice paddies, we came across loaded with another blivet, and off we the pilot dove over the cliff, got some a farmer with a bullock hitched to a went to do the whole thing over again. more airspeed, and staggered away. plow doing farmer things. The bullock Charlie always did his role at Khe Sanh Lesson learned, take only one pallet. took one look at the Bou, threw his head by providing more mortars or, if you No matter how hard the ramp officer back, his tail went up, and off and away were really lucky, a few rockets. One yelled, cajoled or whined, take only one he went. The farmer never let go of more bouncing blivet, one more pallet pallet of wet cargo parachutes. the traces and, as a result, he was body of parachutes, some more Marines, and The weather was good and our first surfing across the paddy when last seen. off we went to do it again. This day, the flight in was uneventful, thankfully, If you were lucky enough to be last trip to Khe Sanh was cancelled be- since the GCA shack had been obliter- able to arrive at altitude, the normal cause of bad weather, so we went back ated a week earlier. There was now a approach scene was to fly down the to Da Nang to count fuselage holes. Got hole where the shack had been. Previ- runway at altitude, make a 360 degree a few dents, but no holes. Just another ously, the radar guys at Khe Sanh had turn while losing beau coup altitude, day at the office. been really helpful in giving us radar skim over the telephone wires, and dive Page 20 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

killed in its years of commercial airline Flying in Leisure operations, 1931 to 1939. A record B-52’s in 2050! 1931-1939 thought to be unique for passenger Really? by David Barth, 2013 aircraft. by John A. Tirpak The Imperial Airways flights were Air Force Magazine like holiday excursions. The HP 42 February 11, 2018 carried 24 passengers, all in First With the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 19) Class. The passenger area was divided budget request, the Air Force is begin- into three different compartments: the ning an overhaul of its bomber fleet. First Class saloon, the bar and cocktail The USAF is planning to extend the area, and the smoking section. The B-52 beyond 90 years of service and aircraft provided very comfortable will retire the younger B-1’s and B-2’s seating, legroom and service. Hot meals earlier than planned, as it brings on were served on bone china with silver the stealthy new B-21 aircraft. The Eighty years ago, flying British Im- cutlery, free liquor flowed, and over Air Force is eyeing a bomber fleet of perial Airlines was a lot more fun than night stops were spent in the very best roughly 175 aircraft overall, although international flights today. The flights hotels. No one was in a rush; there was service officials said that number could were leisurely and had more class. If no waiting in lines; and everyone was go up with more generous budgets. people in Europe had serious money well dressed. The younger bombers would be re- in the 1930’s, and travelled internation- Flying along at a few thousand feet, tired early, in the 2030’s, because the ally to South Africa or India, or within one could see every interesting feature Air Force believes it must live with a Europe, they probably flew on one of passing below – down to the quality of bomber enterprise manpower footprint the large (130 foot wingspan) Handley the washing on the backyard clothes- that is not much larger than it is now, Page HP 42 or HP 45 biplane aircraft, lines. At a steady 95 to 100 mph, one meaning the new B-21 must replace, which were the mainstay of British also had time to look at the passing pan- and not be additive to, much of the Imperial Airways at the time. existing bomber fleet. The HP 42 and HP 45 were British The Air Force had previously planned four-engine biplane airliners designed to operate the B-1 and B-52 until 2040, to a 1928 Imperial Airways specifica- and the B-2 to 2058. In judging which tion by Handley Page. Only four of older bombers to retain, USAF chose each model was built. Two of the HP the B-52 over its younger stablemates 45’s were later converted to 42’s. because of the aircraft’s versatile A major difference between the two conventional payload, comparatively models was the engines. The HP 42 lower maintenance needs, and the had four Bristol Jupiter XIF’s with ability to carry the new Long Range 490 horsepower each while the HP 45 Standoff cruise missile. The B-1 is used four Jupiter XFBM supercharged orama. It took four days to a week, de- labor-intensive and treaty-prohibited engines with 555 horsepower. Both pending on headwinds and weather, to from carrying cruise missiles, and the had two engines on the upper wing and fly from London to Cape Town, South B-2 fleet, at only 20 aircraft, is consid- one on each side of the fuselage on the Africa, flying only about four hours a ered too expensive per airplane to retain lower wing. The aircraft was a large day. Passengers and crew stayed at the beyond the early 2030’s. unequal-span biplane, all-metal except best hotels in Europe, Cairo, Khartoum The FY 19 budget request will in- for the fabric coverings of the wings, and the Victoria Falls. All the stops on clude the first monies necessary to tail surfaces and rear fuselage. The tail the way to India also made for an inter- begin equipping the B-52 fleet with new was a biplane with three fins. esting choice of destinations. engines that will reduce its maintenance The HP 42 was designed for the long- needs, extend its range and loiter time, range routes to South Africa and India Editor’s Note. Six HP 42/45’s were and allow the aircraft to climb faster to and was the more luxurious of the two pressed into Royal Air Force service cruising altitude. The B-52 would be models. The similar HP 45 was built at the outbreak of World War II in late retained into the 2050’s. for the European routes and could carry 1939. By the end of 1940, all of the The Air Force envisions retaining all more passengers. planes had been destroyed or were existing bomber bases, swapping out The machines were extremely safe. unserviceable. No passenger in a HP 42/45 was ever Continued on Page 21 April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 21

net, and David’s wife Judy as Honorary B-52’s in 2050 (from Page 20) Associate Members, so they are all now receiving the Association newsletters. B-1 and B-2 aircraft as B-21’s become Melvin indicated the family was very available. Very substantial military pleased to have received their first construction funds will be needed to ac- newsletter. commodate the new aircraft, however. When we were in La Plata, MD in The revelations are contained in November, Rick Boggs, who organized USAF’s “Bomber Vector,” (previously the rededication, told me that there The hypersonic X-51 Waverider ve- called the “Bomber Roadmap”) which were plans to fly a U.S. Flag on an Air hicle has reached Mach 5.1 speed in a has been in development for several National Guard flight on December 26, six-minute flight. years. The plan includes the phase-in 2017 in honor of David, who was lost of the B-21, the phase-out of older air- on 26 December 1969. Melvin recently went to Deputy [Defense] Secretary craft, the timing and scope of upgrades, confirmed that flight was flown. The Bob Work, and laid out where we and the new munitions needed for the flag will be placed in the new chapel, thought the U.S. was in hypersonics” bomber enterprise. which will eventually be built at the in comparison to “peer competitors” La Plata United Methodist Church to and argued for a “very comprehensive replace the original chapel destroyed initiative,” Walker said. Both DARPA Bowling by a tornado some years ago. The new and the individual services all got a chapel will be rededicated to David. funding boost in the area, “I don’t think Memorial Service My thanks again to Pat Hanavan for we got everything we wanted, (but) it by Gary Clark [459, 69] letting us know about the rededication was a good first step.” and for all he does for the Association. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs I wanted everyone to know that Da- I also want to thank him for his tre- of Staff, USAF Gen. Paul Selva, ac- vid’s (David Bowling, 459, 69) brother, mendous accomplishment in authoring knowledged in January that China is Melvin Bowling, called me to express Caribou Airlines. As a definitive ac- substantially ahead in the field, having the Bowling family’s “thanks and count of the C-7A operational history made it a “national program” funded sincere appreciation” to the Caribou in Vietnam, those volumes are a valued at up to hundreds of billions of dollars. Association and all of us who were resource, not only for all of us who were DARPA provided a breakout of able to attend the rededication of Da- a part of the C-7A mission during the hypersonics funding in the FY 2019 vid’s memorial last November. Melvin war, but also as a way to share some of budget request and previous years. said the Bowling family was thrilled our legacy with our own families, just Funding went from $85.5 million in to meet us and to learn more about as Caribou Airlines, Vol. III has now Fiscal 2017 to $108.6 million in the FY David’s mission and the events leading done for the Bowling family. 2018 request, and to $256.7 million in up to the day he was lost. Melvin said Fiscal 2019. he was very grateful for the Caribou Two programs DARPA is pursuing Airlines, Vol. III he received. The book, Hypersonics Effort Needed in partnership with the Air Force are which covers the C-7A history in 1969, by John A. Tirpak the Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon was a great help in providing a better Air Force Magazine, March 1, 2018 Concept (HAWC) at $14.3 million understanding of David’s mission in and the Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) Vietnam. The book plus, our attendance program, requested at $139.4 million. at the rededication, was deeply appreci- There’s a 136 percent increase in Other projects include the Advanced ated by the Bowling family. funding for hypersonics (flight speeds Full Range Engine (AFRE), a com- I also received a similar “thank you” of at least five times the speed of sound) bined-cycle powerplant, at $53 million, phone call from David’s sister, Janet research in the Defense Advanced and “Operational Fires” (OpFires), with Foster, just before Christmas. She too Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) the Army, to demonstrate a ground- was very grateful for our attendance at Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget request launched hypersonic system “integrat- the event. She indicated that she’s been over FY 2018, but this is simply a ing tactical boost glide technologies.” reading her Vol. III and had learned “good first step” toward what is really Walker said HAWC and TBG will so much more about David’s time in needed – a national effort, said DARPA “start flying in 2019,” and will have Vietnam. She has been sharing that chief Steven Walker. application as air-launched standoff information with the rest of the family. “Last spring, DARPA, in its role Continued on Page 22 Pat Hanavan has added Melvin, Ja- as ‘truth-teller’ to national leadership, Page 22 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

duty. ”The response from the Squadron sometimes frightful, than that year. You Hypersonics (from Page 21) Commander was, “Who?” I repeated. really became one with the machine, weapons. The TBG money requested He then said, “Oh yeah, you’re going and never since have I felt so proficient “will actually look at developing some to Viet Nam.” So much for dodging in an aircraft. operational prototypes,” probably in the that bullet. The years since have flown by a lot “2022-2023 time period, so it’s close,” One year later, I was a 1/Lt. C-141 faster than a Caribou with a strong Walker noted. Aircraft Commander with 1,500 fly- tailwind. More C-141’s, then T-33’s, The AFRE will be ground-tested in ing hours when I received new orders: C-130’s, C-26’s, KC-135’s, and finally 2019 or 2020, Walker said, and it’s been EB-66 to Takhli AB, Thailand, with a retirement. confirmed that it will fit in an existing short side trip to Myrtle Beach for an My career in aviation is steadily de- hypersonic wind tunnel where those instant fighter pilot course in AT-33’s. clining, but I am still doing it, albeit in tests will be made. A flight demonstra- But, as usual, my wife had the correct a 1959 TriPacer! I think because of the tion is not yet part of that program, info before I did. Upon returning home Caribou experience, I still treat every however. to Charleston, she informed me that my landing as a short field. Walker also said the US does not orders were changed, and I was going Thinking back to 1970, some of the have sufficient hypersonic tunnel in- to Caribous at Cam Ranh Bay. What!? Caribou guys I flew with were in their frastructure to handle all the work that I was a jet pilot! Caribous? 40’s then, and many of them are gone must be done. Although not totally thrilled about now. All the crews I flew with and the “We need an infusion of dollars in flying EB-66’s over the north with maintenance troops were fantastic. I our infrastructure to do hypersonics,” F-105’s on my wing, this news brought miss that camaraderie. Walker asserted. China already has on glee-less emotions. Throughout the What an experience! more hypersonic-capable tunnels than training phase, including Bou School the U.S. and will soon have two or three at Dyess AFB, Combat Survival, Water times as many, he added. Survival, and Jungle Survival, I was an Mail to Khe Sanh “It is very clear that China has a focus attitude case. by Serge Molohosky [459, 66] on hypersonics and is making it one of Who was it that said the government their national priorities,” Walker said. had put out a contract for an airplane I remember one of the flights to Khe “I think we need to do the same.” that was slow, ugly and easily shot Sanh very well. It was late September down? 1967. There was a low overcast with At Dyess AFB, TX, they put me in the strong, gusty winds over the wire and Old Caribou Pilot “Old Heads” class because I had 1,500 I had difficulty getting the aircraft on hours of flying time, which shortened the ground. Our load included almost Reflections some of the academics. I remember 2,000 pounds of mail. by Doug Clinton [458, 69] the propeller class where the instructor The Copilot and I were standing on I am 73. How did that happen? Guess said, “This is your Hamilton Standard the ramp next to the aircraft when the I just screwed up and got old. prop, any questions?” I said “Yeah, 3rd Marine Division Commander, Maj. There is a hierarchy among pilots, what the hell is a prop?” Then there was Gen. Bruno Hochmuth and his aide and, by popular definition, fighter pilots the short field landing practice on 1,500 walked up to us. The General made are at the apogee. I never thought that feet of runway. I was used to using more some small talk. He asked about the way, and was always glad for them, than that in the flare! flying conditions and if there was any because I never wanted to be one. Who At Clark AB, Philippines, we were ground fire. As I remember, he then wants to be immobile, strapped to a seat told there was a backup in the jungle said, “ Captain, I want to thank you for with a brain bucket on your head, a bear survival training, but if we hurried to bringing the mail in. The mail is very trap on your face and, in the case of the front of the line, we might make the important to my Marines and I appreci- some airplanes I flew, a rock-hard seat next class. I went to the back of the line ate it.” He was a true Marine’s General. pack parachute under your butt? and enjoyed an extra week in the BOQ I was fortunate enough to be high and the Officers’ Club. Nevertheless, Editor’s Note. Maj. Gen. Hochmuth enough in my UPT (Undergraduate on New Year’s Eve 1969, I arrived at was killed November 14, 1967 when Pilot Training) class in 1968 to avoid my new home. the helicopter he was flying in exploded the back seat in an F-4, and got my first It took a month or so, but I finally northwest of Hue. Maj. Gen. Hochmuth choice, the C-141. I reported for duty understood the Bou, and learned to was the highest ranking Marine killed at Charleston, SC in a military man- love it. In all my years as a pilot, none in Vietnam. ner, “Sir, 2/Lt. Clinton reporting for were more rewarding, exciting, and April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 23

Six Seconds to Live by Lt. Gen. John Kelly, USMC November 13, 2010

From a speech by then-Lt. Gen. John Kelly to the Semper Fi Society of St Louis, describing a 2008 suicide bombing in Iraq that killed two Ma- rines, Corporal Jonathon Hale, 22, and Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter, 20. General Kelly’s son, Robert Kelly, 29, was killed in action in Afghanistan, November 9, 2010: What we didn’t know at the time, and only learned a couple of days later after I wrote a summary and submitted both Yale and Haerter for posthumous Navy Crosses, was that one of our security cameras, damaged initially in the blast, recorded some of the suicide attack. It happened exactly as the Iraqis had described it. It took exactly six seconds the truck’s windshield exploding into two very brave young men to do their from when the truck entered the alley shards of glass as their rounds take duty – into eternity. That is the kind of until it detonated. it apart and tore in to the body of the people who are on watch all over the You can watch the last six seconds son-of-a-bitch who is trying to get past world tonight – for you. of their young lives. Putting myself in them to kill their brothers – American their heads I supposed it took about a and Iraqi – bedded down in the barracks second for the two Marines to separate- totally unaware of the fact that their Simple Solution ly come to the same conclusion about lives at the moment depended entirely by Dick Lanoue [459, 69] what was going on once the truck came on two Marines standing their ground. into their view at the far end of the alley. If they had been aware, they would The northeast monsoon season in the Exactly no time to talk it over, or call have known they were safe, because northern part of South Vietnam was a the sergeant to ask what they should do. two Marines stood between them and strange phenomenon. You would wake Only enough time to take half an instant a crazed suicide bomber. The recording up, do the four S’s (sh*t, shower, sham- and think about what the sergeant told shows the truck careening to a stop im- poo, and shave), and then get on the them to do only a few minutes before: mediately in front of the two Marines. squadron 6-pac and head to the chow “let no unauthorized personnel or In all of the instantaneous violence Yale hall for breakfast. The sky would be vehicles pass.” The two Marines had and Haerter never hesitated. By all re- virtually clear and lit up full of stars, about five seconds left to live. ports and by the recording, they never and sometimes the moon. By the time It took about another two seconds stepped back. They never even started you arrived at your aircraft, the sun for them to present their weapons, take to step aside. They never even shifted would be just breaking the horizon aim, and open up. By this time the truck their weight. With their feet spread with all shades of orange and red. Then, was halfway through the barriers and shoulder width apart, they leaned into strangely enough, by the time you were gaining speed the whole time. Here, the danger, firing as fast as they could ready to taxi, the sky was completely the recording shows a number of Iraqi work their weapons. They only had one overcast and, shortly thereafter, the rain police, some of whom had fired their second left to live. began and continued for most of the AK’s, now scattering like the normal The truck explodes. The camera goes day, with a few breaks now and then. and rational men they were – some blank. Two young men go to their God. When I arrived at Phu Cat in May running right past the Marines. They Six seconds. Not enough time to think 1969 and began my in-country check- had three seconds left to live. For about about their families, their country, out, I heard all about the “Do’s and two seconds more, the recording shows their flag, or about their lives or their the Marines’ weapons firing nonstop, deaths, but more than enough time for Continued on Page 24 Page 24 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

to do to get us safely on the ground. At Simple Solution (from Page 23) one point, I remember saying to Dave Checklist Don’ts,” GCI (Ground Control Inter- something like, “Okay, Okay, enough Discipline cept) procedures, talking to the Arty with the questions. If you’re going to by Fred Dimon [535, 68] (artillery) sites, spiraling up and down bust me, let’s get on the ground first. at the various camps, and, oh yes, how I need to deal with the situation.” I A very vivid memory of Lt. Col. Ed to make the pattern entry at Da Nang felt really bad about what I said, and Stembridge stuck with me throughout and call “bridges with the numbers.” apologized when we got on the ground. my Air Force flying career, and remains One of those bits of wisdom stayed I am still thankful for Dave’s patience with me today in whatever little flying in the back of my mind. It was actually during that flight. I still do – a lesson about the use of a a warning. When flying in moderate We kept trying the radios with no checklist. to heavy rain, the overhead hatch be- luck. However, the radar was a really We were on final into Song Be and hind the pilot seat (in which the flight good nav aid. It was painting the coast- there were mortar rounds being walked mechanic would stand while taxiing) line quite well. So, I pretty much knew down the runway (as well as the Viet would leak like a sieve. The warning where we were, and where Da Nang Cong could do it anyway). We landed part was to expect one or more of the was, but we had to get down to where and quickly dropped off our usual stuff, radios to fail, since the radio rack was it was VMC (Visual Meteorological but we also had to pick-up some KIAs. right below the hatch. Of course, such Conditions). At that point, I was hop- I went back to help unload and load a failure would come at the worst pos- ing for a break in the clouds, or even a while the Aircraft Commander kept sible time. “sucker hole,” to appear. I decided to everything ready in the cockpit. When I had recently upgraded to Flight start a slow decent over the water and everything was ready in the back, I Examiner, and was due a check ride. hoped we would break into the clear rushed to the cockpit and jumped into The check ride had to be administered below the overcast. my seat. (not “given”) by Dave Hutchens, Chief As luck would have it, we suddenly I was ready to “get the hell out of of Squadron Stan/Eval. I was assigned found ourselves in a large sucker hole Dodge” right then, but “Stem” called the daily mission that flew sorties out and were able to spiral down below the for the checklist. My surprise must have of Da Nang all day. We showed at the clouds, The base of the clouds were shown in my expression, because he aircraft, did a ground briefing, and Q & probably around 1,500 to 2,000 feet. promptly explained to me, “more pilots A. Right on cue, the sky clouded over From this point, the rest was relatively get killed not running the checklist than and it soon began to rain. easy. We headed for Da Nang, found the ever get killed by mortars.” We made the usual departure to the “bridges,” complied with Lost Commu- I have never forgotten those words. northeast until we were “feet wet,” nications procedures, and landed safely. contacted GCI since we were in the Some time later, we learned about a “soup,” and leveled off for the flight solution for the radio failure problem to Da Nang. I was in the right seat due to a leaky hatch. Some talented Not My Troops with a “victim” in the left seat, and maintenance folks came up with a by R.C. Morris Dave standing in between. We began simple, yet extremely effective solu- Project Delta Recon vets (U.S. Army going through the normal check ride tion. They fabricated a canvass cover Special Forces) recall one operation “give and take” when things began to the length of the radio rack and secured in 1965, when a recon team had been go down hill. We first lost contact with it to the inside of the fuselage just above out of radio contact with the Forward GCI. I tried all the radios with no luck. the top of the radio rack. It was wide Operating Base for much too long. We determined the navigation radios enough that it completely covered the The radio relay man had called re- were out too. Only the radar seemed radios, yet could easily be rolled up peatedly, yet failed to make contact. Fi- to be working. As Reilly, in the old TV for access to any of the radios. It was nally, when the team leader answered, show “The Life of Reilly” used to say, a simple, elegant solution to a very he spoke much too softly to be heard “What a revoltin’ development this is.” significant problem. From then on, I over the aircraft engine noise and it There we were, at four or five thousand don’t remember any incidents of radio seemed his Vietnamese teammates feet, in the dark clouds, rain beating failure due to the leaky overhead hatch. were chattering loudly behind him. The on the windscreen, and leaking badly I don’t know the names of those in- irritated airborne radioman growled, through the overhead hatch. volved with the fix, but we owe them “Speak up! I can’t hear you through all During this time, Dave kept asking a debt of gratitude. I, for one, having your Vietnamese troops talking!” the normal check ride questions, includ- experienced the alternative, am thank- Very slowly, a faint voice came back. ing a few directed at what I was going ful for their ingenuity. “T-h-e-y-a-r-e-n-o-t-m-y-t-r-o-o-ps. April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 25

commander who needs it. Response need, but a more likely response would Vietnam Airlift is the key. When a ground force com- be to divert airborne aircraft near the Is a Human Thing mander says he needs ammunition, injured man. An emergency call for by Capt. Robert P. Everett weapons, supplies and troops, he also ammunition from a besieged outpost Airman Magazine, October 1968 says when he needs them. Usually it’s would be similarly handled. right now. And if you’re the guy who Airplanes and Men Who would want a cargo aircraft with pushes the airlift button, you’ve got to “Big Daddy” of the Vietnam airlift only two engines (old-fashioned piston get the goods to him on time. That’s is the C-130. It moves most of the ton- type at that); an aircraft that grosses out where you succeed or fail. nage, averaging more than 74,000 tons with a mere 5,000 pounds of cargo; and The man who pushes the airlift but- a month. The C-130 is a big airplane, sporting a maximum speed comparable ton in Vietnam is Maj. Gen. Burl W. nearly a hundred feet long. It can carry to the venerable C-47 Gooney Bird? McLaughlin, commander of the 834th 16 tons of cargo. And even though its Who would? The United States Air Air Division at Tan Son Nhut AB. He wingspan is 132 feet, it can still operate Force, that’s who. bears responsibility for all in-country from about 81 airstrips and runways in Why? airlift. The 834th’s Airlift Control South Vietnam. The C-130’s and crews STOL, that’s why. STOL stands for Center (ALCC) is the nerve center of in Vietnam are under the operational short takeoff and landing, and you do all airlift operations in Vietnam. It’s control of the 834th Air Division, but a lot of that in Vietnam. STOL is one where the ground force commander’s belong to the 315th Air Division. They outstanding capability of the DeHavil- request is translated into cubage, weight come to Vietnam from 315th units land C-7 Caribou. So if there’s such and sortie. Specialists take the airlift throughout the western Pacific. Each a thing as the right airplane for some requests, which have been approved C-130 and crew normally flies missions very special airlift jobs in Vietnam, the by Military Assistance Command, in Vietnam for two weeks, then returns Caribou has got to be it. Vietnam, and program them against to its home base for four or five days The C-7 is one of three primary types their available resources. for maintenance. of aircraft flying the airlift mission in When you talk about available re- A middle-aged airlift bird that re- Vietnam. Together, these three aircraft, sources of the 834th Air Division, you’re cently got a rejuvenation treatment the C-7, the Fairchild Hiller C-123 talking about those three reliables, the is the C-123 Provider. Auxiliary jet Provider, and the Lockheed C-130 C-130 Hercules, C-123 Provider and engines were hung under its wings, Hercules, have virtually wrought airlift C-7 Caribou aircraft, all assigned to giving it a short-field takeoff capabil- miracles in South Vietnam: or under the operational control of the ity and increasing its cargo-carrying More than two and three quarter of 834th Air Division. ALCC’s job is to capability. The Provider can haul five a billion pounds of cargo airlifted in match the right aircraft to the right re- tons. There are three C-123 squadrons a year. quirement. This is to insure maximum, at Phan Rang and one at Tan Son Nhut. An airlift takeoff or landing every 38 efficient use of the aircraft. You don’t All are assigned to the 315th Air Com- seconds, around the clock. send a big C-130 with only a ton of ra- mando Wing. Nearly four million people trans- tions to an outpost any more then you Newcomer to the US Air Force airlift ported in a 12 month period. try to send 150 troops in a C-7. fleet in Vietnam is DeHaviland’s C-7 That’s just a sampling of the im- Once the mission is scheduled the Caribou, received from the Army on posing figures being tabulated by the ALCC continues to monitor it until it January 1, 1967, as the result of a fixed- people who do the airlift job in Viet- is completed. Thus, the ALCC com- wing/rotary-wing agreement. There are nam. Dozens of other equally impres- mand post can tell you at any moment about 90 Caribous in Vietnam, assigned sive statistics could be cited, but all precisely where each of its aircraft is to the 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing at Cam the figures in the world could only tell located, what it’s carrying, where it Ranh Bay AB. Six squadrons have the part of the story. But more importantly, will land, and when it will complete Caribous, two each at Cam Ranh Bay, there’s another story behind those fig- its mission. One a typical day the com- Phu Cat and Vung Tau. Caribous’ mis- ures, a story that deals with response, mend post controls more than 1,250 sions differ from those flown by the priorities, management and, mostly, sorties. It’s a big job, and a necessary C- 130’s and C-123’s because much of with people. one that insures quick responses to vital the work of the 483rd is under the cat- Response is the Key demands. egory of dedicated aircraft. That means The fact that you haul a thousand tons Take an emergency medical evacua- the aircraft is allocated to fill the airlift of cargo to a battle area doesn’t really tion request. The ALCC could quickly needs of a specified organization, such mean a thing if you get it there too late unload cargo from a lower priority mis- Continued on Page 26 to do any good for the ground force sion and launch the aircraft to meet the Page 26 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

outposts are islands of relative safety finished the Caribou returns to Pleiku. Vietnam Airlift (from Page 25) in the heart of enemy territory. For Crews change and the bird is made airplanes to operate from their airstrips, ready for its afternoon mission, a resup- as the Army’s 1st Air Cavalry or 101st pilots must make dangerous approaches ply of the Special Forces camp at Dak Air Cavalry Division. The Caribous and climb outs over enemy territory. Seang, not far from the Laos border. also support Special Forces throughout And every day’s missions include stops Caribou pilots land routinely on the the country. The C-130’s and C-123’s at these Special Forces camps. several hundred feet of dust and gravel on the other hand, operate on a “com- A Caribou Day at Dak Seang. But putting a fully loaded mon user” basis. Caribou crews go to work early. A airplane on that short, narrow airstrip is Caribou a Busy Bird 5 AM crew briefing is routine. Let’s “hairy,” any way you cut it. The plane Col William H. Mason is commander follow as the airplane moves down barely touches ground before the props of the 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing. He the runway at Cam Ranh Bay AB and are reversed. A cloud of dust engulfs it. puts his mission in the simplest terms: lifts easily into the early morning sky. The rough, hilly airstrip at one point “The continuing goal of this wing is to First stop will be Nha Trang, just a becomes so narrow that the wheels of maintain customer satisfaction by pro- few miles up the Vietnam coast. By 6 the Caribou barely clear the ditch on the viding safe, reliable and effective air- o’clock, the Caribou is on the ground side of the runway. The pilots call it a lift.” Performing the mission is a group at Nha Trang. A sister ship is nearby, routine landing. Nowhere in Vietnam of people the composition of which is, taking on cargo for the Special Forces can you see more vividly the effect of in itself, something of an oddity. camp at Ban Me Thuot, some 70 miles airlift on people than in the resupply of First off, it includes more than 50 to the west. The cargo consists of a these isolated Special Forces camps. lieutenant colonels (“granddaddies small amount of ammunition, a large Before the plane touches down, all of the Caribou fleet”). Then there are amount of fresh vegetables and three the camp’s vehicles, two trucks and a half dozen Ph.Ds in fields ranging live calves. That’s a fairly typical load a jeep, are moving to meet it. A U.S. from sociology to geophysics. There’s for a Caribou. The flight engineer/ Special Forces sergeant jumps from the an ex-Thunderbird pilot and a former loadmaster is accustomed to handling back of a truck onto the platform of the NASA pilot. One of the lieutenant colo- live animals and quickly spreads heavy Caribou. He spots a long-awaited pack- nels was a double ace in World War II; plastic sheets across the airplane floor. age and shouts, “The hot water heater another a single ace. Still another was Calves, after all, are not house-broken. is here!” The heater and a pallet of rice pilot of an ultra speedy B-58 Hustler The odor inside the cargo compartment are unloaded. before “moving up” to the Caribou. is well – pungent. The crew delays the In unloading the remaining two pal- Aircraft commanders run the grade closing of the rear cargo door to the last lets of fiber sand bags, the crew dem- ladder from first lieutenant to colonel. possible moment. Finally it is closed onstrates one of the Caribou’s special During 1967, these people and their and the sister Caribou is off for Ban extraction techniques – Ground High Caribous racked up more flying hours Me Thuot. Speed Off-load. The chains securing (100,159) and more sorties (157,576) By now our Caribou has off loaded the two pallets are removed and the than either of the other airlift aircraft passengers and taken on others. This engines are revved up. Then the pilot in Vietnam. For the first half of 1968, morning’s mission will not involve releases the brakes and the Caribou both figures were up about 20 percent. hauling cargo. Instead, the plane will lurches forward. The two pallets fly As if to remind the Caribou pilots that fly to Pleiku AB to pick up Vietnamese out the rear cargo door, remaining in their new records were being set under paratroopers for a practice jump. That’s an upright position, and slam down on combat conditions, 23 Caribous took another feature of the Caribou. It can the ground. It’s a technique the Cari- hits from enemy ground fire in the first quickly be converted from cargo to pas- bou pilots can use when they’re under 60 days of 1968 alone. senger configuration. The large cargo fire and have to get out of a place in a The Caribou can take off and land door at the rear is an excellent jumping hurry, or to expedite off loading when on an 800 foot strip. That means it can position for paratroopers. When opened a forklift is not available. operate from about 160 runways or air- in flight it adds not a whit of control Taking the empty airplane off from strips in Vietnam – far more than can ei- problem for the pilot. Touchdown at the Dak Seang airstrip somehow lacks ther the C-130 or C-123. It is, therefore, Pleiku is under a hot mid-morning sun. the drama of the landing. The Caribou the only fixed-wing aircraft that can Within minutes the paratroopers are heads for the next camp. The pilots fly troops and supplies to many of the on board and the Caribou is headed for refer to it as an international airport; it allied outposts dotting the Vietnamese the drop zone. The jump is routine. The has a 2,000 foot paved runway. countryside. Like the forts of the early Caribou returns twice to Pleiku for ad- Continued on Page 27 American West, these Special Forces ditional loads. When the paradrops are April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 27

Our group bombardier synchronized on Vietnam Airlift (from Page 26) B-17 Navigator’s Log a large church. When we left, the city was burning amid a cloud of smoke. Compared to Dak Seang, the descrip- Two of our bombs failed to drop and tion is apt. Pleiku is again a pickup were lying in the bombays with the point for the last mission of the day – a pins out. Tubby went back and put the supply paradrop at Dak Pek, scene of pins back in and we dropped them in intense fighting between South Viet- the North Sea. GEE box and radio were namese forces and North Vietnamese 12-15-43, Mission No. 14. Bremen, out. Went in straight over Germany with regulars. No landing will be attempted Germany. Rail center and manufactur- ground speed of 300 mph and 80 mph at Dak Pek, but a couple of tons of ing center. Pathfinder mission with wind. Came back over the North Sea supplies and equipment will be air mixed load of incendiary and demoli- against the wind with ground speed of dropped. The area around Dak Pek has tion bombs. Our Wing, 394th, leading. 130 mph. Landed at 1530. been an enemy stronghold and contains We were “Tail-end Charlie” in No. 6 several suspected 37 mm anti-aircraft position of the high squadron. Briefed gun emplacements. Flying around it at 0500. Took of at 0845 and climbed Falcons and Drone is especially hazardous. But today the through 5,000 feet of fog and clouds. drop is made without encountering Assembled over Splasher #7 and left Development enemy fire. The slow moving Caribou England at 1030. Had a 30 minute delay by Brian Everstine comes in at about 300 feet over the drop over North Sea and circled to kill time. Air Force Magazine zone and makes a gravity air drop. Got back on schedule and left again. December 6, 2017 It’s an efficient, accurate means of Hit a high layer of cirrus clouds near The tactics used by birds of prey to putting supplies on target. By now the Germany and had to go around it. Came hunt can be used in the development sun has set and it’s time for the long back and made landfall okay. Went over of small, unmanned aerial systems to flight back to Cam Ranh Bay. One day Bremen at 1310 and dropped bombs hunt other drones, Oxford University has seen the airplane carry paratroops through clouds. Were in flak for eight reported in a study originally funded on a practice drop, bring needed sup- minutes. Tracked us along complete by the Air Force Research Laboratory. plies to Special Forces camps, and drop undercast the whole trip. Saw few fight- The study, released December 4, ammunition and food to allied troops ers. Had no attacks. German fighters 2017, finds that peregrines’ aerial hunt- on an active battlefield. couldn’t get off the ground evidently. ing follows geometric rules, similar to Other days bring other challenges: Hit flak at Freisian Islands in Holland visually guided missiles, to close in moving an entire orphanage from on way out. Let down through fog and on prey. Using cameras mounted on war-torn Ban Me Thuot to a safe area, clouds over Splasher #7 individually falcons and miniature GPS receivers, making the first landing at a new or and came home with none too much researchers found that the terminal recaptured airstrip in the A Shau Valley, gas left. Landed at 1530. attack trajectories use proportional picking up 13 hits on takeoff from Hue 12-19-43 Mission No. 15. Bremen, navigation, and the birds rely on infor- Phu Bai, or maybe setting a new record Germany. Carried 36 incendiary bombs. mation about the attacker’s line of sight by hauling more than 50 tons of cargo MPI (Main Point of Impact) was the to target instead of needing any infor- in a single airplane in a single day. business district. Bremen is second mation on a target’s speed or distance, It’s all in a day’s work for the C-7 biggest inland port of Germany. Briefed according to an Oxford press release. Caribou. And in Vietnam, where the at 0400. Couldn’t get old “662” started “Our GPS tracks and on-board videos Caribou and its big brothers, the C-130 so had to change to Picadilly Queen at show how peregrine falcons intercept and C-123, are flying in history’s great- the last minute. Took off at 0830. Left moving targets that don’t want to be est airlift, setting new records every England at 1030 at 20,000 feet. 35 caught,” said Graham Taylor, a profes- day, it reminds you that airlift is, after degrees below. Clouds cleared up over sor in Oxford University’s Department all, a human thing. the continent. We had No. 6 position of Zoology. “Remarkably, it turns out in lead squadron. The low squadron they do this in a similar way to most kept coming up under us so close that guided missiles. Our next steps is to we had to leave the group on the Initial apply this research to designing a new Point and go over the target behind our kind of visually guided drone, which group. Bremen was clear except for a will be able to remove rogue drones smoke screen they put up late. Every safely from the vicinity of airports, Division hit Bremen square in the city. prisons, and other no-fly zones.” Page 28 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

processed. Planes were typically parked manuals, life rafts, fire extinguishers Kingman AAF by type. As many as 150 airplanes a and instruments were removed. The Boneyard day were soon flying into Kingman, main aircraft airframe was then sliced from AirplanesBoneyards.com and the total aircraft inventory by the into major pieces using a guillotine. submitted by Lew Shedd [459,66] end of 1945 reached about 4,700. It is Some hand cutting of smaller parts was estimated that a total of about 5,500 also done. The Army Air Force Flexible Gun- airplanes were flown to Kingman in The final step was placing parts into nery School, Kingman, AZ, was built 1945 and 1946 for sale and disposal. the smelter, or furnace, for melting. at the start of World War II as an aerial The contractor for aircraft scrapping Three furnaces were operated at King- gunnery training base. It was located on at Kingman was the Wunderlich Con- man for melting about 70% of an air- approximately 4,145 acres in Mohave tracting Company of Jefferson City, plane’s metal components into ingots. County next to Route 66. The location Missouri, who received an 18 month The furnaces were run 24 hours a day, was an ideal location due to its sparse contract from the federal government and could consume up to 35 aircraft population and miles of wide-open for $2.78 million to reduce 5,400 air- a day. spaces. craft to aluminum ingots. The Wunderlich contract at Kingman The base offered its first classes in Active duty military personnel typi- was successful and resulted in the re- January of 1943, and was renamed covery of significant resources includ- Kingman Army Air Field later that year ing: 46 millions pounds of aluminum, with the primary mission of training 6 million pounds of aluminum from gunners for the B-17 Flying Fortress. engines, 5 million pounds of aluminum The airfield became one of the Army propellers, 21 million pounds of steel, Air Corps’ largest training bases, train- 1.6 million gallons of aviation fuel, and ing 35,000 individuals. Its facilities 256,000 gallons of oil included housing for 3,200 enlisted A total of 85 reconnaissance aircraft, men, 3,070 cadets, and 430 officers. 615 fighters, 54 light bombers, 266 Bugs Bunny became the base’s official medium bombers and 4,463 heavy mascot because of the large number bombers were disposed of. These of rabbits that inhabited in the area. 5,483 aircraft scrapped by Wunderlich The base newspaper was known as cally flew the aircraft into Kingman, at Kingman generated $7.5 million in the “Cactus.” With the end of the war, and civilian employees would handle gross income. Kingman was ordered to close. parking and classification. To accom- By July of 1948, less than three Within a year of the signing of peace modate the large numbers of employ- years after the end of WW II hostili- treaties, about 34,000 airplanes had ees, tent cities were erected on site. ties, the job was done. A huge part of been moved to 30 locations within the In subsequent months, brand new air- the American air power fleet had been U.S. The War Assets Administration craft directly from assembly lines were reduced to ingots. Storage Depot 41 and (WAA) and the Reconstruction Finance even disposed of at Kingman. Fuel was Kingman were returned to the county Corporation (RFC) handled the dis- drained from the aircraft and sold. Air- as a municipal airport. posal of these aircraft. craft engines were then removed and Today, the Kingman Airport and In- The RFC established depots around placed in rows on the desert floor. By dustrial Park is a commercial facility the country to store and sell surplus the time the planes reached Kingman, hosting a number of businesses, includ- aircraft. By the summer of 1945, at least most of the ordnance (predominantly ing the temporary storage of airliners. 30 sales-storage depots and 23 sales .50 caliber machine guns and Norden centers were in operation. In November bombsights) had already been removed Note: The aircraft currently stored at 1945, it was estimated a total of 117,210 at other temporary storage depots. Kingman are behind fences and are not aircraft would be transferred as surplus. However, a few planes did arrive with accessible to the general public. One of the locations chosen was machine guns and a few with Norden Kingman, with its huge open spaces, bombsights, which were temporarily good weather for aircraft storage, and securely stored. The machine guns and three runways, one of which was were retrieved by the government, but 6,800 feet in length. The RFC quickly the Nordens were “demilled” using a established Storage Depot No. 41 at sledgehammer. Kingman, and by October of 1945, Interior items of the aircraft such as planes were being flown in, parked, and radios, oxygen equipment, handguns, April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 29

Santa Bou 2017 by Doug Boston [458, 68]

On December 7, 2017, several C-7A Caribou Association members gathered at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, TX, north of Dallas, to visit and view the museum’s Caribou. The museum had painted the Caribou as Santa Bou, just as the Caribou squad- rons did in Vietnam. The museum also invited the Dallas Morning News newspaper, CBS Channel 11, and Fox Channel 4 to attend. C-7A Caribou Association Members visit the Cavanaugh Santa Bou It was a good gathering and plenty of December 7, 2017. war stories were shared over refresh- ments and beverages. Several inter- views were conducted, pictures taken. That evening, both CBS and Fox aired Mini-Reunion Dayton Reunion short film clips of the interviews. Highlights Editor’s Note. The Cavanaugh Cari- bou, S/N 62-4149, is in flyable condi- tion. Originally assigned to the 61st Army Aviation Company, the aircraft To Be Completed with most recent was later transferred to the USAF 457th reunion information from John Tawes, Troop Carrier Squadron. which is expected on Mar 28 or 29. The aircraft was completely restored to its original Army configuration and markings in 1999 by the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation. During the res- toration, 21 patched bullet holes were found throughout the aircraft, testify- ing to the aircraft’s Vietnam combat Hank Strauss (left), San Antonio, TX, experience. and Joe Spooner, Portland, OR, both served in the 536th TAS, 1970-71. They recently met at Joe’s home in Portland to share memories of flying the C-7A Caribou from Vung Tau, Cam Rahn Bay, Bien Hoa, and Can To. Hank is a retired Financial Consultant and Joe Check your email address on our web teaches Cartooning at Mt. Hood Com- site, http://www.c-7acaribou.com/. munity College in Gresham, OR. Send any change to: [email protected] Page 30 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

Caribou Airlines is a comprehensive history of USAF C-7A operations in Vietnam. It is about aircrews, crew chiefs, main- tenance officers, line chiefs, maintainers, phase inspection personnel, specialty shop personnel, supply personnel, personal equipment specialists, administration and operations personnel, commanders, staff personnel, etc. They made it possible to deliver the troops, guns, ammunition, rations, beer, soda, equipment, animals, etc. to hundreds of bases on the battlefields of Vietnam. The 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing and its squadrons were not an airline, per se. They were tasked with supporting Army and Marine units and other customers with air landed and air dropped supplies using pre-defined, emergency, and opportune sorties to front line locations where the supplies were needed. The history of the Military Advisory Command, Vietnam (MACV); C-7A Caribou Association newsletters; and personal stories of those involved in C-7A operations provide the context for the books. Signed individual copies of the book can be ordered from the author for $20 and a set of all five signed for $80, shipping included: Pat Hanavan, 12402 Winding Branch, San Antonio, TX 78230-2770. The books are also available from Amazon. April 2018 C-7A Caribou Association Page 31

Caribou Sales Brochure C-7A DVD #2 – New! Caribou SEA newsletters\Caribou Courier and Clarion Caribou SEA newsletters\Surfside Sentinel CRB_Approach_Plates DHC-4 Maintenance Manual DHC-4_Type_Certificate Indochina_Atlas_1970 M16_Comic_Book Misc._Manuals Squadron_Signal_C-7A Tactical_Aerodrome_Directory Tactical_Airlift-Bowers TO_1-1-4_Aircraft_Marking USAF Combat Wings Videos Video\Aussie Bou Video\C-7A Training Video\Cam Ranh Video\Gimli Crash Video\Gunter News Video\Radial Engine Animation Video\UPT Vietnam Campaigns Vietnam Gazeteer

DISK 2 City Maps Fire Bases Google Earth database (add-in) ONC_K-10 Series 1301 Charts Series_1501_Charts Series_L509_Charts Series_L701_L7014_Maps Series_L701_L7014_Maps\L7014_ Below_17N Tactical_VFR_Chart Vietnam Country Maps Available on our web site: New C-7A DVD Art http://www.c-7acaribou.com/ DISK 1: Art\Logo Images memorabilia/memorabilia.htm 7AF Art\Patches for $8, shipped. 834AD Art\Poster AFM 51-40 Art\R2000 AFR-64-4-Survival ATC Manuals White House VA Hot Air Base Defense Aviation Week line Airman Magazine\Oct 1968 C-7A-1 A Veterans’ Administration Hotline Airman Magazine\Nov 1968 Cam Ranh Ammo Dump has been established at the White Air_War_over_South_Viet- Cam Ranh Ghost Town House. Call 855-948-2311 to commu- nam_1968-1975 Caribou Agreement (USAF and nicate your problem. Army Air Facilities 1973 USA) Page 32 C-7A Caribou Association April 2018

Non-Profit Org. 12402 Winding Branch U.S. Postage Paid San Antonio, TX San Antonio, TX 78230-2770 Permit # 244 Address Service Requested

Memorabilia (Previous Order Forms Are Obsolete) MEMORABILIA ORDER FORM Contact [email protected] to check availability of items. Fill out and mail with a check to: C-7A Caribou Association, c/o Pat Hanavan, 12402 Winding Branch, San Antonio, TX 78230. 1. Polo Shirt* Size - Please Mark: M L XL XXL Qty.______@ $20.00 Total:______2. Colored T-Shirt Size - Please Mark: M L XL XXL Qty.______@ $16.00 Total:______3. R-2000 T-Shirt Size - Please Mark: M L XL XXL Qty.______@ $13.00 Total:______4. Denim Shirt (short sleeve) Size - Please Mark: M L XL XXL Qty.______@ $25.00 Total:______5. Denim Shirt (long sleeve) Size - Please Mark: M L XL XXL Qty.______@ $30.00 Total:______6. Cap, Denim One size fits all Qty.______@ $13.00 Total:______7. Cap, White One size fits all Qty.______@ $13.00 Total:______8. 457th Patch Qty.______@ $3.00 Total:______9. 458th Patch Qty.______@ $3.00 Total:______10. 459th Patch Qty.______@ $3.00 Total:______11. 535th Patch Qty.______@ $3.00 Total:______12. 536th Patch Qty.______@ $3.00 Total:______13. 537th Patch Qty.______@ $3.00 Total:______14. 483rd Patch Qty.______@ $3.00 Total:______15. C-7A DVD (1:10 long movie) Qty: _____ @ $5.00 Total: ______16. C-7A DVD Archives (documents, art, videos, charts, maps) Qty: _____ @ $8.00 Total: ______17. C-7A Poster (12" x 18") Qty.______@ $7.00 Total:______18. C-7A Coin Qty. _____ @ $8.00 Total: ______19. 50th Anniversary C-7A Coin Qty. _____ @ $11.00 Total: ______20. C-7A Pin Qty.______@ $3.00 Total:______21. C-7A Sticker (outside) Qty: _____ @ $3.00 Total: ______22. C-7A Magnet Qty: _____ @ $3.00 Total: ______23. C-7A Data Plate Qty: _____ @ $3.00 Total: ______*Polo shirt colors: White, Gray, Yellow, Red, and Light Blue (please specify) Total: ______Note: Each amount above includes cost of purchasing item and domestic shipping. Any excess funds are a donation to the Association. Photos of items can be seen on the web site: http://www.c-7acaribou.com/memorabilia/memorabilia.htm