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26 Aug -
Long trip to Danang yesterday - Left at 0630 - Finally caught a C-117 by 0930 - Trip to [CsoA] & PX yield pitufully little - But did get 4 [?] & bottles [?] plus booze soda - Which I loaded on palletized boxes and smuggled [?] by C-130 - Late plane [?30 return - Feed & Ass very tired -
Slept about 6 hours then had Dec "C" - Approach radar & [?] down due to power cut [?] [?] OK - Experimented with AP6-53 -
Today - slept late 1000 - Puttered around bar all day - got it put together & starting stage -
Another [?UQ] tonite with 0040 take off going away party for LTCOL Richenvalter - Relief tomorrow -
Bob Tuker & Mike Hesmill & Herv Saird nominated for BAC - If [?] take Bob There'd be a big [?] - he's on his second - (9 [?])
Wrote [Qu??] note to family about my 3 month extension -
Bob Aiken - CAPT - new [?] pilot
Aug - 26
Terry Cornell going FAC instead for Herb Laird ([?] too short) - Pete Kuger going to AC - Don Berry heading north on 211 on syst I've finally got orders to Okinawa with GYSGT Brown to get club gear - dole on moving day bell - needs the supplies for Oki -
Got cancel off my [?] [?] [?] - TPQ became of us - [?]
Took Sammy Vaughn to Danang today & [?] up some beer TDQ tonite - 0300 Rain continuous -
Looks like I'm goint to 121 - have day out my old cover & cleaning it up - Sammy gets transfered 1 Stpt and as soon as I can get relieved I'm free !
Final Forestal tally - Distroyed 12 - AYR Damaged 18 AYR 7 F-4B 7 F-4B 3 RA-5C 2 RA-5C 3 A-GA 134 Fatal - 62 Injured - 1 KA-3B
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27 Aug -
Not much new - [?] morning trying to finish things off so I could leave for Okinawa - change my mind at 1300 - too much of a grind so I just took it easy - I and up the area went [?] squadron to take pictures - finish off a reel - [?] an hour and a half & got some of A-4 taking off & landing - It was worth it - One CF dropped a 250# on the runway as it took off - I followed it - then the bomb went off after skiding about 1500 ft down the runway - about 40 - 50 yds from me - [?] the other side gets way - I was in the RDO shack - got some good pictures of AH2 [?] flying about. - 2 A-4 got holes in the tails - [?] cratering [?] easily repairable
Got half drunk that night - MAJOR Cox [?] his last combat hop & was buying - Got a bird colonel in a 3-man lift - then some carrier grabs -
28 - Aug -
Up at 0630 to catch C-117 to Danang - It didn't go so I booked a C-123 - Spent morning with no heater driving around Danang trying to get booked to Okinawa - no luck - [?] & me 0800 29th Jr Booking -
Slept & read the afternoon away - joined Terry Cornell & Bob Tieken at the bar - found out - Terry - Villanova with [?] of electronics Engineer - 4 kids - Bob - Brown '63 - Biology Both are pissed about [?] FAC
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5 Sept - 1967 A Bit overdue - been too busy to interpit (sp?) this -
Left for Okinawa on the 29th - stayed over a nite as couldn't get out to Oki - V.C. hit marble night before last rockets - Flatten the Base laundry - Destroyed 2 Huie - Damaged a couple - 6 dead - UNK wounded - Heard a A-4 diverted on the rocket site & really blasted then - good show -
Finally got out Tuesday - 5 1/2 hour trip to [Friteva?] - went by way of Cubi to avoid a typhoon - I slept most of the way. Wednesday met with GySgt Brown and we borrowed a driver & truck for the [?] job and went out on the town looking for supplies I didn't have much luck but got a few ideas -
That night about 1000 I came down with the worst case of Okinawa trots I ever had my life - Fever - wicked Headache, cramps & diarhea nightmares about stacking an impossibly large pile of lumber - One of the longest nights I can remember in a long time - Stayed in bed all morning - went to sick bay at 1400 - temp 100.4 - got some Paragoric & SOS for Headache - went back to bed - Ate a little dinner - Pills and medicine helped some -
Thursday I felt good enough to go out shopping but was awfully weak - Couldn't get too far from a toilet either -
Friday went out shopping - ran into BOB Trynnisa and Ltcol Cameron for [?] so followed them around to some good places -
Saturday - bought Teac 1600 on law-away $250.00 - Got rubber gear - Mike for tape recorder had 16 tapes done at Feetwood Hobby Shop - Went [round?] to Kadend but did stay [?] - Fri - Sat [?] they had an all night party at Futener the bands - tell 0400 - Bill bradford - The second band was called the "Hydraulic Bananas" Must have been great with a name like that I m[?all] as too tired to go - In bed at 2130 -
Sunday - last day rush to get remainder of gear - was having a hell of time with light fixtures - [?] caught some cane type wall fixtures and will order large globes made from shells from Cubi - Hit the bar Sunday - with LtCol Cameron - ([?] consistently lost the Dire [?] & bought the party) Good band - Lots of teachers - Cathy Feely - C & son of AF Master Sergant - Diane Davis - Moss Framington secretary - 20 - also [?] - Good evening - In bed at 200 - up at 0400 to meet plane and boy did I feel [?] - Contemplated [?] & but
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was afraid the year I'd stayed would get separated [?] - [?] [?] - ordered a teak wood gun cabinet & solid teak 5 1/2 ft dresser - Struggled back to Danang - Ugh! - Feeling sickly all the way - Picked up one small pallet of booze & supplies & [?] did a G. V. to Chulai - I was on my last legs by this time -
Today - got caught up on club business - Sammy Vaughn relieved me effective immediately & I'm going to 121 - digging - out my green knight cover.
Sniveled a KL "B" tonite - after the show - "The Fontains" - Don't know anything about them - which is typical -
Latest [?] jobs - Terry Cornwell going FAC - A senior captain with less air time than me - Prior grunt - He's better -
Bob Tucker - on his third extension - He's going FAC too - that'll cut down on the number of people [?] !!! - Bill Hoyt is going up to Task Force Oregan - to take Jerry Wilson's place -
Ran into Bob Sullivan & Denny Fitzgerald in Oki - There close [?] on their way home.
7 Sept -
Yesterday - Started meeting new 121'ers - Easy day - misc club business - A024 - 1600 - Sneveled a night hop DEC "C" which was uneventful - except Huey 850# on #5 - balanced it with one on left [?] - Then East Rwy was closed as I was on final ASR - Had dumped & now because of ordinance extend downwind for the wes taxiway * landing - 121 ers - Lee Stevens Frank Sharpe Dick Hav Major Maines Dick Bradford Fred Anthony Bernie - Erickson L. G. Burke - (OT-21)
Met Ken Holland - the jenial TA-4F from VHT 103 - is going to be group TA-4 checked out pilot -
Today - More club business - showed LTcol LeBlanc - Then HABs - CO around the area Top Hart started rattling off about no help - no Vietnamese - Typical overworked - [?] attitude If I wasn't leaving I have him shitcanned - Probably Sammy will do just that -
Checked officially into 121 - another TPQ tonight - They really [?] [?] ! - Fuel
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out [?] be asst training & schedule - Good show -
Have got to learn everybody's name and unit rest of the 121'ers - great fun - they got D 7 pilot plus 3-4 that just joined - and they'll be losing - mucho people soon - to states - to group & [?] -
C21 gets too crwoded all ready so I'll probably stay put for a bit -
8 Sept -
Easy - day - Ran & got some P.T. in during a long lunch -
Late afternoon IAS with Harry Roberts Directed for CHe sank to operation "Swift 25 miles northwest of Chu lai - we pounded a few trees - 3 KBA snob -
Help Larry write the schedule last nite - getting [ref?] - ODO tonite after a DAS with Mick Pole - Supper's in trouble - don't know when I'll [j?] it in
MAJOR Eredsen was grounded for dropping 5000 meters shot at a FOQ - 2 500# believe his kneeboard with buckle - but his switches shouldn't have been armed -
Willie Smith - Capt ops SGT James - Dick Bishop - Maj CPL Schw - MAJOR Collins - MAJOR Bob Hagner - Rick Telousen - MAJ Ray Horner Rod Hitchwurt MAJ Jerry Smeth Mick Pool