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Re: Fw: Six C-130 Servicemen MIA From Vietnam War are Identified
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SEMcGo-@aol.com
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Dec 17, 2008 07:53 PST
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In a message dated 12/16/2008 1:40:25 P.M. Central Standard Time,
bilm-@bellsouth.net writes:
From: _Bill & Ann Mills_ (mailto:bilm-@bellsouth.net)
To: _Scatback Scribe_ (mailto:scatbac-@gmail.com)
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 12:56 PM
Subject: Re: Six C-130 Servicemen MIA From Vietnam War are Identified
Scatback, Thanks for the article and information.
I knew Major Bucher and the crew who were from our squadron. I arrived at
Kham Duc and the airborne mission commander,(The Commanding General, 834th
Air Division), who was on scene in a C-130) assigned me as "number 6 in the
holding pattern. Later he directed my crew as the next aircraft to land to
pick up the remaining personnel on the ground. When I arrived in the stack I
could see some smoke from the mountainous river bed where Major Bucher had
crashed.
I was in the 774th TAS, that is I was attached to tthe 774th, and happened
to be the last C130 who landed at KHAM DUC that day. I was assigned to 13
AF, as Chief C-130 Stanm Eval and as such I flew at least 2 weeks each month
in Viet Nam, with my stan/eval crewmembers one week, taking any mission as a
regular crew and one to two weeks flying with other C-130B/E aircrews from
463TAW or 314 TAW, including aiding in TAC Rotation Aircrews Theater
orientation( as if most of the rotators had not already spent a significant amount in
Theater and I knew a great number of them) .
My crew that day were 774th line crews, (I have acopy of those flght
orders-but like most all old flyers I can;t find them just now but I will-I remember
that LT. Pat MacNanee was the cp and Capt. Bryan Peach was my nav.--my
problem is I need the orders fto identify the FE and LM--I sincerely apologize for
not having their names at the moment --all did good work that day.)
We were to take out the last remaining troops--about 115 men who were the
final rear perimeter guard. That group included an Infantry
company/detachment, about a dozen US Marines, and a few special forces troops.
Mycrew had watched the C-130 that had gotten shot up and crashed on the
runway landing but managed to get his C-13 off the runway befor it quit skidding,
so the runway was open enough for us to land and take off. An earlier c-130
had managed to struggle off even though it had received extensive fire. So
we reworked the performance data and began our approach from the east and
were advised to takeoff to the east since the heavy guns were near the west
end of the runway.
When I contacted the Ground Commander's CP, I was asked to land as short as
possible since the ground troops wer located at the approach end of the
runway and they were the only people left on the ground at Kham Duc. We landed in
about 1000 feet stopped and turned the airplane around to be ready to take
off when the troops boarded. Looking down the runway, we saw about 100
troops, full field packs, weapons, and running as hard as they could to our
position. I asked the CP if they wanted us to pick them up and that we would wait
on them since we were the last opportunity to leave. They said they were ok
and for me to go as quickly at the troops boarded. (later at a kham duc
reunion, the senior army at the CP said they were in a chopper at that time).
I sent my 2 LM's out to get in front of the airplane and insure that no
soldier ran under the propssince the anxieity was running very high and the
troops had been at their final defense post for at least a day. I asked Capt.
Peach to take charge to the troop loading and to make sure they went to the
front of the cargo compartment since there were many soldiers heavily loaded and
tired. Capt Peach and the LM did a super job in expediting loading . I hd
told Peach that I wanted him to watch out back since I was going to back down
the runway so I had enough takeoff runway. He had the ramp up level and was
watching for the extensive debrie strong along the runway because of my hours
under enemy fire, the damaged or crashed aircraft a, helicopeters and
vehicles on the runway.
when we had backed about 1200 to 1400 feet down the runway I asked Peach to
have the LM close the ramp just as I stopped, started up the power to max
,ramp closed brakes released and we were fortunate to get off the ground with
out a single hole in the airplane from enemy fire or that debrie. We landed
about 25 minutes later at CHU LIA AB where busses met the troops. The troops
were generrous to us with their words of appreciation. We then got on board ,
tookoff, and headed back to KHAM DUC. On reporting in as we approached the
area, we were advised that all troops haad been evacuated successfly and for
me to return directly to TSN and report to 834th CC. The General met me at
the airplane and said "Good Job, Thanks," and told his aide that I was awarded
the "Silver Star" and to take care of the paperwork. I asked to have all my
crewmembers awarded the same Silver Star. I never heard any more about it
for about 2 years when received that award in aceremony at 13th AF HQ. I
SEARCHED BACK, WENT TO SEE THE 463RD WING OOMMANDER TO SEEK HI ASSISTANCE TO GET
THE CREW RECOGNIZED BUT ALL I EVER GOT WAS NO HELP. I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED
HOW ONE GUY CAN GET THE MOON AND THE OTHERS GET ANOTHER DAYS SERVICE
COMPLETED.
One thing about our approach and landing at KHAM DUC-- on starting my decent
and approach i was advised that a flight of F-4's were going to drop
bomblets along the south side of the runway to assure the BadGuys kept their heads
down. The F4's flew (lead and wing dropping a string of bombles down the
runway at 340 knots and in trail about 20 seconds later the 2nd flight element
pair did the same bomblet drops. By that time I was about 200 fee short of the
runway andabout 30 fee high when the first element made his second bomb run
and by the time i was on the ground th next element passed by droppping his
final weapons. I did get a call saying
they were leaving the area as no more weapons were left. That support gave
us quite a thrill to say the least as they had dropped within 200/ 400 yards
from the runway and the field boundary. About 6 month later I met a friend
that i had met when we were in the same seminar at Command and Staff College in
1964-65, Captain Bob Russ. We taslked about what were doing and the Kham Duc
topic came up. I mentioned I was ther and I had the priviledge of being
escorted by a flight of four F4's. He said that he had wndered who was dumb
enough to land, stop, and load a C0130 in that disaster area. Then he said I
should have it would have been mental cripple--like me. We bought each other
a drink, one under the excuse that I landed, and a second when he admitted
that going by to bomb at 200 feet at 340 knots was at least the dumbest thing
he had ever done-two (2 ) times!! (Note: Yes that was the TAC 4 star CINC
a few years later-- General Robert Russ, a great guy always!!)
Scatback. hope I didn't bend your ear too much here. One thing more- When
I was at Little Rock AFB in 75-78 , MAC deceided to name some of Scott AFB
streets for some of AIRLIFT Special People. I submitted Major Bucher's name
for an airlifter that got THE AIR FORCE CROSS for valor and should certainly
be recognized. So if you ever go to Scott you can down stroll that street
named for our friend and Squadron Mate..
Billie,
Thanks for copying that to me. I'm going to put it in an issue of The
Airlifter, but I'm not sure if I'll do it in the one I'm working on now or the next
one.
Ernie Gassiott was also involved in that evacuation. I remember you all
talking about it the last time we were in Galveston.
I don't know if I have ever told you or not, but when I went to Flight
Safety for Citation S/II initial, Jack Gallagher was my ground school instructor.
He was also my instructor for several recurrents. He was the commander of the
Airlift Control Team that was on the ground at Kham Duc. They flew out in
the A-model that went in earlier in the day then were ordered back in by
somebody. Someone told me the officer who sent them back was the ALCE commander at
Da Nang. One of the other instructors at Flight Safety was in A-37s and was
over Kham Duc that day. Jack and I got to talking about C-130s after he made
some comment about the T-56 engine in class. I asked him after class he was
the Gallagher who was at Kham Duc. There was another John Gallagher who was in
the 35th at Naha when I was and I had thought it was him. I saw Jack at least
four or five times and took him a copy of my book after it came out. He had
married a Filipina and the last I heard of him, he had retired from Flight
Safety and they went back to the PI.
About ten years or so ago I communicated with an Army vet who was with the
196th Light Infantry at Kham Duc who was going back to search for remains. He
gave me a lot of information that hadn't been made public in the various
accounts, particularly that there were about a dozen of his comrades who had been
abandoned. They had been placed in outlying defense positions by the Special
Forces people who were running things at the camp. Their positions were
overrun and it was one of their .50-calibers that was believed to have been used
to shoot down Bucher's airplane. Some of the 196th people survived and were
picked up by helicopters later, and one was captured and sent to North Vietnam.
No one knew he was a prisoner until the POW release. The guy sent me copies
of a lot of documents, including one from an A-37 pilot who witnessed Major
Campbell and Joe Jackson's landing and takeoff.
You guys did a great job!
Sam
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