Diary of a Marine Corps aviator during his first tour in Vietnam

Dick Acott's got orders to Iwakuni to fly the C-54 - Will miss him - One of the best liked senior officers in the squadron.

VMA 121 is in the process of moving to the northern end of Chu Lai East Making room for an army unit coming Sounds like there coming on in full force- like a Division maybe. One of the Advanced Party is a Dartmouth ’64 grad, Ron Alexander Capt. Another TPQ tonight- 0950. Should get some sleep for a change.

Brief fight in the club. A Gruman tech got flattened by a GySgt he took by surprise- good reactions! He’s personna non grata in the Club & expected to leave for the States soon. If we have as much trouble with the Army as we do with the civilians it ought to be a lively summer.

11 APR- 67

C-117 down in ubon for “engine change.” God knows when we’ll get to Danang.

121 busy moving to 214’s area- rumor has Army is moving into our spaces- c Copter squadron- also take over the TAOR.

Got O-club pretty well cleaned up & ready to assume duties.

Another TPQ tonight- 2045- getting earlier - Last nite's was uneventful.

Mac left for R&R in Hawaii- tough! Bill Darnell- escort for entertainers.

2 May -

[S?ed] a day CAS [Close Air Support alert - Jack Tuttle - close air when some marines 30 south of Da Nang - had 16 HK-S1 and 4 HK-77 - another CAS later - Things are picking up as predicted.

7 May 1967

Late listings - Harry Sieglenger [?[ out of UK -17 after [?] into GU - It seems Hydralic Scrubber didn't work - Had a bad whip lash and hose broke spraying fuel down the intake - Result - fire - frozen controls - he puched - Picked up by Marine helo out of the water [?] Hue - [?]. He's got a bad stoop [?] on his neck - must have been on his back when the chute deployed. Generally very stiff but OK - UK-17 was one of two ECM birds we had - too bad -

Then two a day the first four days of May due to big fight up by Key Sanh - as predicted something big happened and will probably continue for some time - another operation west of Hue started today.

Friday - 5th - went to Danang and chatted with Hank Castle about [?] [business?] then smuggled back 68 cs of booze 8 cs of cigarettes and misc supplies

Detained as [?] - no bep that day. Next day sent Jackson up with C-117 and they picked up J2 case freezer and a small cocktail sink

No replacement yet for Campbell and its getting tight.

Good hop with Major [hicheualder?] - CO od H & HS - downed helo [?] - almost dark and we bombed a ridge line / sniper - 1 secondary - having delivery conditions - due to [?] [?] and mainly friendlies

Must start thinking about moving although late for - 121 being replaced by 311 - Sulley & Mac & Ken are going to [DuaKine?] they loaded out - Plachu, Joe Heller, Al Karsen. Mike Reeves, Me Staying.

26 May -

Slept late after the DEV "C" - uneventful - didn't even go far enough north to get into the Sam [c?]. - Slept till - 1000 - Listened to strike brief [?] any 6.2 this afternoon. - not bad - handy info [?] dubs and went a few words with to Hart. - [?] Lange is working steady on E-5 club - whose plan [?] completed today - all I have to do now is write up a [?] sys [?] them & turn over to S-4 -

Turn in master hour for O-club we see what happens -

LTCOL McGee & 4 other field grade & 1 CAPT lanched on an iron hand mission this afternoon. Skrike - 2 more - 500 L.T. - sounded lik a good hop.

Another TPQ tonite DO15 strike. Hope to get to [?Ian?] tomorrow as we're running out of beer & certain other supplies

29 May -

Lost an A/C & pilot - Mike [To???n] during a NAPALM run - 22 miles west of [C? b?] - just yesterday - Mike & I had a hop in the DMZ 15 orbit with a [?] in a free strike zone - [20?] miles from [Fru?] bridge - Took - 50 ft sneak in from sea - I dropped four Haps sticked with AURs continue look on - he couldn't drop 51 and made another attack & he [d?] off all [j?] - MAJ Centuary was loading today & he watched Mike's drop then looked up to see him roll uncontrollably & crash - Later cover flight reported heavy auto 50 cal fire. I was in Danang all day Shuttling suppliers - we've [?] low on beer - ship due in in about 4 days so just picked enough to last us.

That's sarn A/C and 3 Pcho in 6 months for UHA-121

Didn't fly today - I've got 31 sorties & 40 hours all ready - more than I ever had in [?] [?] when

I was in a squadren - Due largely to three operations. Khe San, Hickory Nut & Union . Out of those 30 probably 22 are nite hops DH2 is really getting hot - from AAA, Sams - all kinds of every radar tracking you - blah - 50 cal, 12.7, great fun. The nube of 'strike' hop has [?] tremondously

5/D is used as to whether [?] & [?] have [incendery?] [?] maybe they censored it because of ARR-23

Flew the C-117 yesterday for just time in a multi-engine - Hope to do more in future & really see what that kind of flying is like.

LTCOL McGee [ce?] to lanch with Shrikes & ARR-22 - Hoping to get himself a Sam site.

[letter] 4 June

Well - VHA-121 is gone to Japan - what's left of the original group anyway - Derry are shore patrol from 2200 to 0600 3 AirForce GV brought in 34 & took out 121 - It was a [lazy night & trying to complete a flight schedule was a bit rough.

311 is a little slow getting started - LTCOL [?] being relieved of duty [?ly] MAJOR Hichtlevaller - ex of H & CIS -12 3d has lost 6 pilots already to other squadrons & to group - down to 20 aviators so groupize ougt to do all right once they get rolling. All indicatons are that it will be a dry dummer as far as pilots are concerned.

I've spent last 3 days moving & getting resettled at opponte eval of hut - I delayed MAJOR Castincton intel save Dd be able to stay with 311 area - So far so good.

Still no cement.

5 June -

Slow day - no fly all is still hunting pretty bad for A/C

Spent morning helping guest with his books and arguing with MAJOR Lloyd about o-club plans.

Took most of afternoon off and worked on main living area -

Made a slow start on P.T. Program read & relaxed

Joe Miller left tonite for [?] for a bit of Marine Corps business - Hope he'll pick up & mail my shotgun here - a lot overdue on payments.

6 June -

Another slow day - Slept late - rode a few cmail - Tried to go to Danang in the afternoon but the R-Y was down so spent later part of day at the beach reading R-Y manual

Party tonight (going away type) for LTCOL Munis of 36 so I'm standing the all nite alert for them [-- --]

Just noticed I picked up a slight burn -

Seem to have made no time for thought and reading now that flying schedule isn't so heavy - hope I will [-- --].

New roomates - Doug Benton - 1/LT Dan J Beary 1/LT Bill Loftus [--] second class [-- --] volunteered & returned.

Air Force lost an F-100 inside our TAOR yesterday - not sure if it was hostile fire or whether It just blew up - pilot killed.

8 June 1967

Launched at 0500 another nite alert with Dan Keller - night DAS with napalm and HK81 in the side of a hill north of An Hoi - a bit heavy till it started to get light as peaks went up to 2000 ft and we had to run in from the valley floor - Spooky controlled us & ground troops marched with a spotlight.

All in all quite a night - stood alert while 311 had their going away party for LTCOL [illegible] - then close the bar - slept from 12:00 - 4:00 - Dan woke me up to stand the alert - They 'd run out of sober pilot - we launched soon after -

Slept most of the morning - went back to squadron about 4:00 - trying to [illegible] - let [illegible] they ran out of pilots & planes at the same time -

Good alert at 1100 - Sirens woke us up rapidly - seems they spotted a mortar platoon north of the field - on Ky-Anton-road - possibly fired 3rd rounds - all duds - they only scattered them.

10 June -

No fly day - slept late and made a supply trip to Danang for ice machine chairs & more soda & [illegible]

Flew off the alert Pad yesterday with Dick Jacobs - Cas north of AN Hoi HK - 79 & HK - 82's - Dick had HK-81 BDA - 12 structures destroyed - .? hop - [illegible] rim - Crammed a lot of flying into 45 minutes. -

R & R to Harry King still looks good for the c&d -

Show at E-club "Beauties & the Beasts" Tried to get some flash photos - dubious -

Hoping for a hop tomorrow -

Finished [illegible] back [illegible] for C-117 hope to start flying it soon - Cant ? - taking over for Jerry Cook - looks like another Mitch/Hunt -

Also think should look into flying HUIE's 34' steel slow and need more flying time. - Put off submitting resume to airlines until July - yearly flying time report is submitted

June 11 -

Spend morning evaling with E-club super [?] - [?] party - great for - afternoon - as [v?] club errands -

Sam threat is back on in the DMZ - Two new operators around Hue - Phu bai - Starting to rotate A/C to Cubi for ALQ-51 gear about time!

PT program [?] - then on the beach for work out - It's light late so should be able to continue it [?] the summer - When Joe Miller gets back - I may start running in the morning.

Resulmullering plans for O-club - E-5 club [?] approval & money oked by board - still needs C6 - sign

Got some slides back - few arial shots and O-club construction -

13 June -

No hop - attempt to get the Danang cut turned back when I found out that 155 people ahead of me for a C. V.

So instead puttered around club & hut doing odds & ends of repairs & improvments.

Banged my head against the wall all afternoon trying to figure out plans for O-club electrical & bar systems Didn't proceed very far.

Still no stateside orders although most for VHA121 have arrived.

No P7 - little sun - relaxed and thought - also a project that is not proceeding as repidly as I would like

Yesterday had an L2P - 4 plane - I had gun pods but after getting airborne I noticed I didn't have the [?] cockpit panel - Brilliant ! -1 & -2 bombed a ville successful -3 dropped lazy dogs and I made -2 day news - ever the internal [?] wouldn't work - nothing ! - - 3 cost his CSD carry home so [?] gaggle coming home - Trouble when you have two leaders in the same section & are

has an emergency . - too many chiefs ! Hope to make it to Danang tomorrow via CH-54

WL-17 blew up on the burner ramp today with John Wilke wathing engine compressor disintigrated & threw blades all over & looked like a flame thrower for a while -

Checked into Hue flying - looks possible - Will have to check further when I return for R&R -

R&R Hong Kong -

19 June

Traveled to Danang yesterday via CH-53 spent late afternoon wandering aroundmet Hank Castle & set up for [?]

Slept late - 1000 ]?] for R&R

Wated around sweating [?] in trans - Seems to be only one I know.

Reading "In Cold Blood" to pass the time. 50c for an Orange ! - talk about Vietnam [?] ! [?] to aAir Force side the another 1 1/2 [?] [?] - now reading -

Finally boarded Pan Am DC-6 5 across didn't allow much elbow room but stewardi & good meal helped. Picked up lots of reading material along the way - will read later - 2+25 tip - all over water - then [?] curtains - [?] - Good R&R [?] & finally bus to hotel - Park as Hilton is full - Tourist season seems to be starting.

First impressions - Like any [?] city - [?] surrounding make me wonder about a missed approach - Small

people & cars - lots of bermdared? cops - Look sharp - Hong Kong dolls / U.S 17 to 1 [?] English across [?] [?] with pictures of Mao Tse Tung on store fronts

20 June -

After two beers & dinner I hit the rack early and slept about 10 hours - Lulled around the local shops but didn't buy anythine

Today had late breakfast and walked to "star" ferry - 5c to Hong Kong Island - Stopped at a few furniture stores - Lamentedly? good stuff - But a problem to ship out - Will have to buy in Okinawa & ship by orders - Taxied to China Fleet Club and there [?] shopped most of day - bought [?] [?] hope lives [?] cloth. and a gay Cashmere Sweater for myself - $16.00 U.S. - almost bought red Jansen ski sweater but they didn't have my size - Walked around Hong Kong looking for a place to get Cdn leather gloves fixed but no luck - Visited Hong Kong Hilton & bought - [?] attacks & negative viewer for minox - Plan to return there [?] for visit to "The Den" which looks like a swinging scene - Walked back to Star Ferry & returned to the Paul? Hotel - took a few pictures but haven't found anything really worth taking yet.

clothing, jewelry - furs, leggers? all well priced but not such different from Japan - Same hustlers all over the place

21 Jun -

Slept late - amazing how I sleep in air conditioning - no jet engines to wake up to in the morning.

Some shopping - Planned to take tour be canceled that when I ran into Phil Raglen - ex-Navy LT and my LSO Instructor at [?] - he's now a flight engineer with Pan Am on R&R run - Tough life - Talked with him about Chu Lai - and the analysis - Later went to Ascot [?] and ordered 6 shirts tailor made - Hoped to meet Phil after Alpa meeting but missed him - Dinner & went to bed about 5:00 - intending to get up at 9:00 but slept right through