South vietnam tour 196869 photo gallery by david parsley. Apg says welcome home, vietnam veterans through ongoing series. Calvin herdman, above at the main gate to the tan son nhut air base in saigon. I just found the last letter he wrote to our mother on jan 30, 1968, the day he was killed.
This platoon served as a quick reaction force during daylight hours and. A 1968 update, under the compass eagle program, gave the backseater a video. After only 2 months we were sent back to our squadron at tan son nhut and back to the reality of war. Dave dowdell and another unknown sp patrolling the perimeter to tan son nhut on the graveyard shift. An immediate recall was issued, and within 72 hours. He was assigned to the 460th tactical reconnaissance wing trw within the 377th air base wing at tan son nhut air base near saigon from 1969 to 1970 and 19711972. Tan son nhut ab, south vietnam, 14 dec 19625 may 1963, 1 nov 19633 may 1964, and 1 feb6 nov 1965. The tet offensive of 1968 was the turning point of the vietnam war. Usarv united states army vietnam tan son nhut tsn 1968 tan son nhut, aerial photograph by usarv, 11 july 1968 flight path 1, saigon to go pavn.
This dvd offers excellent documentation of viet cong attack on tan son nhut air base on 31 january and rocket and mortar attack on 24 february 1968. Everytime a damn firecracker goes off, i almost hit the. Enemy kia after battle at tan son nhut tet, 1968 the tet offensive was the height of the war in vietnam, and was an all out, all or nothing attack throughout the country for the vc. Find people you served with from 377th security police squadron. The aircraft on the right is c123 patches, now in the national museum of the. On that day, tan son nhut air base was attacked by a force of over seven viet cong and north vietnamese army battalions, totaling more than 2,500 enemy troops. Orignally with hdqtrs company of 69th signal batt in tan son nhut in. The photos are of street scenes in saigon and surrounding area as well as planes on the air base. First cav div need help with claim in quan loi b troop first of the ninth when over runned on may 12 1969. After the first 4 or 5 months, another mechanic joined me and things got better. This offensive would begin in january 1968 at the time of the vietnamese tet new year holidays. South vietnam tour 196869 photo gallery by david parsley at. Most of us can identify with many of the points he makes. Skip tannerys pictures of tan son nhut 19671968 skips tan son.
The 6994th security squadron served in southeast asia from 1966 thru 1974. Vietnam war a memoir history of vietnam tet offensive. Tan son nhut was the busiest airport in the world at the time. During tet 68 a 52nd sig nco e67 jumped in his jeep, backed up cutting his wheels to the left, then spinning the. All are personal photos not appearing anywhere else in books or in the national archives. Apg says welcome home, vietnam veterans through ongoing. Tan son nhut air base was the target of major communist attacks during the 1968 tet offensive.
There are two different sizes and their various cost, appears below. Usaf patch 377 csg combat support group sps security police squadron tan son nhut vietnam 1968 vietnam local made embroidered on twill cut edge 73mm two and seven eighth inches diameter. Their spirits beg all countrymen to wholeheartedly work so that peace will come quickly to our beloved vietnam. All of these air force facilities were connected to iwcs. Schu and clamp nobody knew anyone by their first names, and a flat bed ford f500 truck that transported us back and forth between tan son nhut and camp red ball. Tan son nhut air base was one of the major air bases used for offensive air operations within south vietnam and for the support of united states army and army of the. This is the saigon naval support activity known as annapolis. History 377 combat support group was activated on 8 april 1966 at tan son nhut air base south vietnam assigned to 7 air force replacing 6250. Air rescue service, 1 jul 1965 attached to 2 air division for operational control, 1 jul 1965c.
About 2100 on 30 january 1968, lieutenant colonel glenn k. Photos supplied by mostly 2comp ord2aod diggers on their tour of duty in vietnam. Tan son nhut air base, 19671968, was an experience that tested mens resolve and intestinal fortitude and saw the death of many brave individuals. Tan son nhut air base, 1967 1968, was an experience that tested mens resolve and intestinal fortitude and saw the death of many brave individuals.
The corpses of three nva regulars lie in the streets near saigons old french cemetery. The body of a vc lies in the streets of saigon hardly noticed by the daily business on the first day of the tet offensive. Shows air force security police, army troops, and vietnamese marines in action. At tan son nhut, about 1,000 defenders, mainly security police, held an attacking force of. Tan son nhut air base was a republic of vietnam air force facility. Attack on tan son nhut air base, vietnam 1968 during the. Mass grave of vcnva soldiers who attempted to overrun tan son nhut, air base during tet 1968. This is the resting place of those soldiers lost on the night of the first day of tet 1968. Combat support group was responsible for protecting tan son nhut air base. Ssgt bernie beldin received the bronze star medal with v device, for valor, during tet 1968 at tan son nhut air base. Tan son nhut air base was one of the major air bases used for offensive air operations within south vietnam and for the support of united states army and army. Top right an unknown sp and national policeman patrol the base in a joint operation. Misawa ab, japan, 3 mar 195531 may 1971 detachment at don muang rtafb, thailand, nov 19611 may 1962 and 14 nov14 dec 1962. Super rare pieceflash used above, departing plane, destroyed jet on runway, july 1968 photo.
We worked daily with the army tech controllers, many of whom were draftees with considerably less experience than their usaf counterparts. Usaf patch spt sps vietnam 377 security police sqn tan son nhut. Colonel otis directed the troop c commander, captain leo b. The attack on tan son nhut air base, headquarters of the republic of vietnam air force rvnaf and the united states air force usaf 7th air force. Usaf tech control at tan son nhut at tsn in 19681969 there were four different locations on the base where air force tech controllers worked. Virant, to prepare for this mission and to put his troops on short. I ended up staying in vietnam for 33 months because i was single and made more money there with the combat pay.
Charles penley sentry dog section tan son nhut air base oct 1967 jul 1969 important combat unit in the defense of tan son nhut, during the tet offensive, jan 31, 1968. Air force 377th security police squadron usaf veteran. Mar 30, 2016 he was assigned to the 460th tactical reconnaissance wing trw within the 377th air base wing at tan son nhut air base near saigon from 1969 to 1970 and 19711972. Tan son nhut saigon air base, photo, 1968 vietnam war. They lowered the signal tower from 180 to 162 to setup the tropo shots from can tho to tan son nhut air base in saigon. Mar 6, 2016 rf4c phantom ii destroyed during attack on tan son nhut air base in vietnam stay safe and healthy. The fighting is fierce, centering around tan son nhut air base. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. When the communists attacked much of the vnaf was on leave to be with their families during the lunar new year. Vietnam tet offensive 1968 photo gallery by tom briggs at. The tsna patch is a beautiful five 5 color embroidered patch. Wing crews operated from an advance base at tan son nhut air base outside saigon. Usaf patch 8 aps aerial port squadron mobility operations branch mob team delta playboys tan son nhut 1968 vietnam made emb on twill cut edge 71mm by 60mm two and three quarter inches by two and three eighth inches.
Fields surrounding tan son nhut now ho chi minh city international airportleft photo, military convoy entering tan. The attack on tan son nhut air base, headquarters of the republic of vietnam air force as well as military assistance command, vietnam, occurred during the early hours of 31 january 1968. Usaf patches united states air force patch badges vietnam sea. Attack on tan son nhut air base, vietnam 1968 during the tet. The true reason why americas enemies still fear the b1 bomber.
Victors iitet 1968, also includes a bonus cd containing actual recordings of the radio traffic of the 377th sps. I had a major like that in the ags office, he didn. In february 1968, our c123s were moved to phan rang air base, for better. When arriving or leaving vietnam brownwater navy men received orientation and orders at this facility on plantation road near the tan son nhut airport. The attack on tan son nhut air base, headquarters of the republic of vietnam air force rvnaf and the united states air force usaf 7th air force, occurred during the early hours of 31 january 1968. Still, militarily, the tet offensive was a total defeat of the communist forces on all. Tan son nhut air base oct 1967 jul 1969 important combat unit in the defense of tan son nhut, during the tet offensive, jan 31, 1968. Often old photos have small creases and tears around the edges. The attack began early on 30 january with greater severity than anyone had expected. Note there is no news caption with this photo but all the ones in this collection that are of this style and do have one, have talked about an attack on tan son nhut or saigon in 1968, probably during tet.
Det 2, 3rd rru is reactivated as the 405th rr det under 8th usasafsphu bais command. He continued college and graduated the air force ots in. I served as ncoic of the communication center located on the hill by the usarv buildings. After about a week, the americans and south vietnamese prevail. I also survived the tet offensive which started in january, 1968 and ended in april 1968. Air force 377th security police squadron usaf veteran locator.
Tan son nhut afld later, ab, south vietnam, 1 jul 19651 jul 1971. The travesty of bunker 051 took less than 25 minutes before being overwhelmed by nva. It was located near the city of saigon in southern vietnam. Rf4c phantom ii destroyed during attack on tan son nhut air. Aerial view of tan son nhut air base vietnam in june 1968. The 19th also flew increased missions during the tet offensive of 1968 and shared in a navy presidential unit citation for support to u. Whenever tan son nhut air base came under rocket and mortar attacks, the 19th would operate for up to two weeks at a time from phan rang air base. See more ideas about vietnam war, vietnam and vietnam war photos. Military assistance command, vietnam macv is the big white building in. The attack on tan son nhut started shortly after 0300 with small arms fire being directed at various positions on the base. The united states used it as a major base during the vietnam war 19591975, stationing army, air force, navy, and marine units there. Aerial photograph showing a portion of tan son nhut air base. Tan son nhut air base military wiki fandom military wikia.
He writes the civilians are celebrating their 4th of july type thing. On 31 january 1968 tet 68, the 79 th ordnance detachment and c battery, 6 th battalion, 56 th artillery organized and equipped a security platoon of 1 officer and 24 enlisted men to assist the 2d svc bn arvn in the defense of the 058 gate, tan son nhut sensitive area. Virant, to prepare for this mission and to put his troops on short notice alert. Hector guzman i was with the 44th signal bn, 1st signal brigade from february, 1967 til february, 1968 my mos was a 72b20 and worked in the terminal section in the parked trailers. Our base, along with most installations and cities in south viet nam, came under constant rocket attacks 24 hours a day. Marines defending khe sanh from january to march 1968. The tan son nhut defenders suffered 23 us dead including the four at bunker 51 and 32 svn forces dead, a total of 55. After receiving orders men had to hitchhike by plane, helo, or boat to their new unit. Tan son nhut air base 19551975 was a republic of vietnam air force rvnaf facility. It was a vietnamese holiday so no enemy activity was expected. Tet 1968 tan son nhut air base, 377th security police squadron. Plantation road, the us embassy, downtown and ton son nhut. The air crews, with the support of our ground crews, flew in unarmed wwii vintage ec47 aircraft and earned the motto, unarmed, alone, and unafraid. Was with the 1st air cav, co a, 15th tc aircraft maintenance, 1969 to 1971, right.
Usaf patch spt sps vietnam 377 security police sqn tan son. In june 1967 i was assigned to the 377th aps, 377th combat support group pacaf, and remained there until june 1968. Marines pass a catholic church as they patrol near danang, vietnam, during the vietnam war in 1968. The tet offensive of 1968 and the simultaneous siege of the marine combat base at khe sanh placed 463rd crews in the most dangerous conditions faced by airlifters during the period of us involvement of ground troops of the war. We expected to have a great time as the stops included hickam afb, clark afb, then tan son nhut ab and finally tachikawa. Tet 1968 at newport terminal by alfred krabbenhoeft. The concept that tan son nhut air base can be penetrated only by small sapper units and that the enemy has the capability to launch only small scale operations in the tan son nhut vicinity became obsolete with the 31 january 1968 attack and the tet offensive, and a new type of enemy threat was encountered. Tet offensive attack on tan son nhut air base wikipedia. I came through the 90th replacement in june 1967 and was stationed at tan san nhut with hq macv. Rocket attack on tan son nhut air base tan son nhut association. Air force tech control at tan son nhut airbase, vietnam. Frank pomp pomputius pennsylvania co d 15 trans bn phu loi dec 1968 to dec 1969.
Otis, commander of the 3d squadron, 4th cavalry, was ordered to send one troop to aid tan son nhut air base on the north side of saigon. Tan son nhut air base scenes, vietnam 19681969 youtube. This air force squadron was responsible for locating and identifying the enemy using airborne radio direction. Communications squadron designated and organized, 1 nov 1965. For years after tet 1968, tan son nhat air base came under attack many times from attempted enemy penetration, gunfire, and rockets. Rf4c phantom ii destroyed during attack on tan son nhut. Tan son nhut air base ho chi minh city, vietnam airport. Photo page 25 andrew ansenbergers photos of the 300th tc.