Vietnam
This will contain some of my wonderful experiences in the
largest sand box in the tropics, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force!

Cam Ranh Bay, Republic of South Vietnam
391st TFS / 366th TFW and 12th AEMS / 12th TFW
19 Jan. 1966 - 10 Jan. 1967

This is yours truly a few years and pounds ago.

Travel to SEA

I was assigned to the 366th AEMS / 366th TFW at Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, New Mexico right out of tech. school. In just a few short months we were on our way to Vietnam. We shipped out under a normal (?) mobility exercise after months of ORI's and recalls.

We flew out in a C-141A with our first leg to Hickam AFB, Hawaii where we spent the night. We left the next morning on our second leg to Clark AB in the Philippines. We made a 2 hour stop over at a postage stamp in the Pacific Ocean called Wake Island for fuel and lunch. We then proceeded to Clark AB. We spent the next 3 days at Clark and then left for Vietnam. Part of our personnel stayed at Clark AB for aircraft recovery of our F-4s. We were suppose to go into Tan Son Nhut AB in Saigon but got deverted into a lovely place called Nha Trang. The crew chief was in a real big sweat and when asked of what was going on, he said we had to land short in order to stop in time. We could hear all the debris hitting the bottom of the plane when we touched down. After getting off we could see why. There was a nice hill at the end of the runway that would have made a good motorcycle hill climb. This was the first and, I think, only time a C-141 landed at Nha Trang.

We then flew to Cam Ranh Bay AB, about 30 miles south, where we were promptly relieved of our m-16's and passports. We were told that we wouldn't need the m-16's and our passports weren't good in communist controlled countries like Vietnam. We then moved into a 10 man tent with only a wood floor. This was our big welcome to the war and the largest sand box in the tropics.

Pictures

The above Veteran Graphics are courtesy of Ron Fleischer
Please visit his outstanding page!

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