Vietnam Diary

U Sept -'67

Have been leading Hops again - 2 - DAS with Mick Pool - One in the D142 area - One mile west of Con Thien - the other under a T-stan in support of Operation Swift - That are a one run soho as the WX was moving in fast. He's a pretty good bomber - remains to be seen if he will make a flight ldr -

Today had a DAS with Major Bob [Hagun?] - He's got 60 hours with A-4 and very little recent jet experience - [?] they said no [?] Dropped DIX on trench line and AA positions - Destroyed 120 meters of trench -

Still getting settled in new job - not much accomplished yet -

tante Jerry Wilson was fiddling with his Thompson and sent 2 rounds crashing through the wall - Woke everybody up - He [?] & dry fire for a while - That didn't help my nerves any -

13 Sept -

Yesterday - had a early early - LZP with Dick Bradfield - Fell asleep too early the nite before - Woke when Jerry Wilson shot his Thompson off in his deck - He was drunk - Every time thereafter that he dry fired it I'd rise about 6 inches off my bed - Finally got up at 0330 - and wrote a couple of letters -

Launched out and went to a rescap - FE-UB had gone down the night before to west of Danang - rugged country. We stayed high while Crown & his wingman searched - Finally bingoed to an LZ and expended on it - 1.7 ass buster -

Had ODO for 1700 - to 1945 ! - lots of fun - Full states changing every 1/2 hour & star condition (nite before we'd damaged two probes when high winds [?] A/C in revetments Major Euchsen [?] off a tank - Was all the way to the Dbrief and still didn't know it - [?] called me and we confirmed - foot was [?] Hustled 4 adds on - All TPQ's - finally got relieved in time for chow - Wrote half a letter & to bed -

Slept late (1000) - finished letter - lunch & [?] for a T.H. with Ltcol McGen -

hitting bunkers & trenches as part of Operation Neutralize north of Ben Hui - trying to destroy Artillery -

UX too bad and after milling around [D?2] finally Diverted to "Swift" Gold Village - 6 structures & 2 bunkers Destroyed Walked under Pat [?] - [?] Dreahorn 49 [?] a training remainder of day - made a small dent -

14 Sept -

Early Alert - Third [?] - back [?] Major Graham an a Recon Extraction - [?] for 1/2 hour - fuel Dropped. Mine went Dud - 1 Napalm & 4 HK-81's - Saved the [?] - Major Graham Dropped too short than 400 long - thats meters ! - great ! CAS - Friendies at 9:00 100 - 150 meters got the all nite ODO - should be able to get some work done -

15 Sept -

What a great nite - Alert pod didn't land but had 38 PQS to ever - Ken Musch made a gear up landing on the east Rway -!- got to busy - low state - close interval - waved off [?] [?] for being lined up on west taxiway very little [?] aircraft test hopped today slept all morning - 2 hours sleep last night - Stood afternoon alert - no fly but got some work done

We're now back on Nite RDO - and guess who's standing the first watch -

18 Sept 1967

Didn't fly yesterday - Shrike [?] with Major Collins canc due to WX - Got mildly druni last night - sa? Dick Duncan - just arrived from Pensacola/meridian - He's going to 223 If I had that much time to do .....

Major How bashed up another A/C last night - but not entirely his fault - [?] most midfield landing - drop his hook early & caught [?] - 2 gear which wasn't attached on one side - result - Shrike A/C today Emergency mission - CFR not regained. That'll continue till we lose another Pilot & A/C -

Also going to LSO 25 hours a day - great fun -

[?] this morning with Rick Hanson - god damn Oakgote left us [abeting?] cancelled and never told us - tried for A?har AR but got diverted south - fiddled around till bingo - Headed out to see to lighten gus - Mine fired 1 round out of the right gun - Thats all ! - great -

Fuel roll out 32 [?] taxiway that [?] took exception too - [?] I was all [?] [?] [?] - PDP trante (?00 - 0?00) My favorite Time

20 Sept

Yesterday was a busy day - Had ODO Till midnight the night before - then got up tofly a DAS with Major Graham - Circled for 1/2 hour before we could get a target with DreamHour 41 - Probably because we were 1 hour late for take off - D25x &D2 - anyway - Major Graham had a Rotatery [?] one of his D25 - Vibration - I told him about it but on his first run it really started vibrating - he was convinced his aircraft was coming apart and headed for home Finally talked him into returning to the target and Dropping the subject bomb to see if the Vibrating would stop - Sure enough it did - not much of a BOA - 3 Structures damaged - 25 meters of trenchline - uneventful return - got back in time to brief a SHrike hop with Rod letdreth - [?] had 2 missles for Aircraft - no zone - 2 - Made a couple of Practice runs between Chu Lai & Danang but too much interference/Side lobes - went up to DCT2 and made one run each into NUN - him watching my tail and then switched - Didn't hear a thing worth while - lots of beeps and chirps

[?] home alone - [?] everything out to [?] D.C. failure - tried Tail override turn but it didn't work which worried me - Made a low pass down the rwy then entered a high [?] to check [?] I could fly it without [?] with my Cood of SHRiKe & [?] - Possible but not safe - turned out to sea to [?] - then trim regained - Darrell [St?ler] joined me a lend me to a landing - uneventful - Tante - Dream - packing to move to 121 area - LSO 1930 - 2200 - then TPQ at 0340 - LSO again 0800 - 1000 looks like another busy day coming up - Did manage to get a haircut today finally Major Wilson of 311 landed short last night - even with an LSO on station - Strike aircraft - Oh shit oh dear -

24 Sept - Missed a few days due to busy schedule LSO finally came so [?] by open ([?]) [?] promptly tore out the centerline light in front of the [?] so it's still undergoing work

I've been busy moving from beach side [resut?] and to the top of the hill- living with LG Banks, Ken Morsch, and George Barnett - Had two [?] loads of gear to move in - Spent today pulling things away & cleaning up

[?] back on the alert - (ugh!) - and I've got it all nite tonite with Ton Reeves - Yesterday had a DAS just shouth of the Jul break with [?] Stepherson - 27 - 204 5 in Rain - great for free fall - but wing won't let us take snakeys to [?] over -

After landing noticed a bashed in tail [?] - apparently hook was bent & hook slap broke the skin - mashed a stringer -99 man hours to fix - was afraid it was going to be an accicent - cmoplete with statements and medical checks - Day [?] had a SHRiKe Hop and a TPQ - working on those two pointers !