On May 12, 1998, I was privileged to be one of a few invited to attend the RU-8 aircraft dedication by the Director of the NSA at National Vigilance Park, Fort Meade, Md.  The ceremony was to honor the sacrifices of those soldiers who lost their lives and of ones who served our country performing airborne signals inteligence missions.  There were some family members of some of our comrades who lost their lives flying missions, in attendance also.  I was not only proud to have been invited to attend but, also proud to be representing so many of us who worked so diligently and received little recognition for it because of the secrecy of our missions.  It was a rainy, somewhat blustery day (somewhat fitting, I guess) and some of the speakers were:
 
Lt. Gen. Kenneth A. Minhan, USAF, Director NSA/Chief, CSS

LTG Claudia J. Kennedy, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence-Headquaters, Dept. of the Army

MG John D. Thomas, Jr., USA, Commanding General, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security
 

Please check out the links below:

 My National Vigilance Park page (for the dedication of the RU-8D)

My "Origins of the ASA and INSCOM "page

 

      I arrived in the 146th Avn Co. (RR) somewhere around May, 1967.  After leaving the 330th RRC and many friends to start on a new mission.  There were about 6 of us that transferred out of the 330th and were sent to different units.  Some of us went to the 156th Avn Co. in Can Tho (IV Corps), some with the 138th Avn. in Danang, and some others (I believe) went to Nha Trang.  Joe Weir & myself were sent to III Corps to the 146th at Tan Son Nhut, Saigon.

     I remember going up 2 or 3 times with the Operations Sergeant (SFC. Newell) and being turned loose. After Joe & I got settled in after about 2 months, we were told that they needed volunteers to fly "Direct Support" for the Aussies.  Joe & I still had our "special leaves" coming from "extending" for another tour, so we had to take turns.  Joe went first with Capt. Jack Daniels and really got the respect from the Aussies, that we needed.  He flew with them for about 1-2 months, then I went down for the same amount of time.  The Aussies were really a great bunch!  Not only can they party, but they are exceptional fighters and their Intel group was really sharp.  Joe & I both had some very memorable times while flying & working with the Aussies. I'll have some pictures to put on here taken from the Aussie camp at Luscombe Field at Nui Dat--the 1st Australian Task Force.

     Sometime later in '67 we started building our barracks out at Long Thanh (near the 9th Inf. Div. at Bearcat).  It seems that the Air Force wanted to throw us off the Base at Tan Son Nhut because we were a "bad influence" on them. As usual, Joe Weir & I volunteered to be the Op's to go out there.  It was a real experience there.  We'd work on pouring cement slabs, finishing them, building barracks, etc. and still fly missions everyday.  The pilots would land at a nearby airstrip, pick us up and we'd fly the 4 hour mission and get dropped back at the strip.  Some back at Operations would pack all the maps & intel we needed for the mission.  Some of the missions were at night and we'd have to travel a few klicks to get back where we slept on un-secured roadways.  We stayed with some Engineer group near Bearcat at night, since there was NO perimeter where we were building the barracks.  That continued for several months until TET, 1968.

     When TET 1968 happened, it was really a mess.  We were flying double missions many of the times, trying to keep up with all the action.  It was getting hard to keep the planes in good flying condition, and hell to pay if any of us didn't meet our "take-off" times.  The flight crews had limited resources, and everyone was beat.  For the first few months, there were more "hits" than we could handle, much of the time.  We soon got a bunch of FNG's in for our replacements, and had to get them trained.  Many of the FNG's were "sharp" Op's and really fit in well.  We also got some "Lingy's" for another Special mission for our outfit.  They flew their missions in the Otter's with along with one of the regular Op's.

      Soon after that, some of the old ASA vets started coming back--like Roger Trussel.  Roger had a few years in country and was very knowledgeable of the area & mission.  It's a very humbling feeling being in company of ones that had "years" in country!  There was a very good camaraderie with the pilots & Op's all the time.  Everyone always took the missions very serious and strived to find everyone they could.  We also got a great pilot in, CWO4 Best!  He was an IP (Instructor Pilot) and did he ever sharpen our pilots up!  He flew many missions with the pilots and trained them when it was "slow", but always checked with "us" first.  By the time he left, I felt that our pilots could handle "any" situation that could arise.  It was nothing for him to "pull an engine" on final approach or something.  We even had a "ground school" for the Op's to go to and got certified!  I think that helped us all! Thank you Mister Best!!

     When May 1968 finally rolled around, I was told that they got me orders to go to Homestead AFB in Florida.  I was to go there and help train new Op's in the mission.  I was told it was some of the best duty we had in the states from some of the pilots, but being young & whatever, I turned it down if they'd allow me to stay for another tour with the 146th.  Joe Weir was going to stay for another tour, but changed his mind at the last minute (that's why we called him "Wishy-Washy"). He did his share!  The CO pulled some strings in the next 2 days, and it was done--but they still wanted me to do a lot of the training there.  I stayed around for another year there flying missions & training the new guys.  By now we had the "parties" down to a science!  We had a few Hawaiians in the outfit and really had some good times.  I know I have some pictures of some of the get togethers and will try to get them on the page here.  There are many stories from my days with the 146th, many good & some not so good.

     Sometime during that last tour, I was sent up to "Crazy Cat" to fly a few missions with them in my old stomping grounds.  That was really a unique experience, but I liked it better with the 146th.  I also was sent out to Bien Hoa to visit with the ground Op's there.  They wanted to show me the "Wide-band" set-up, and I think to see what I could do with a mil.  I know the ground units never seemed to understand how we could "miss" someone when they were "up"--but I think these little visits helped a lot.  Once they saw us, talked to us, and saw us work with them--they usually seemed to have more respect for us and our mission.   Sometime in the latter part of '68 we got the U-21's in.  They were for some high level flying and had a lot of very sophisticated equipment in them.  I flew some missions in them, but preferred the U-8's, Otter's & Beavers more.  Some of the others spent more time in them than I did, like Pete Gutowski & John Fisher.

     On February 12, 1969 we had an Otter get shot down in Cambodia with 4 crewmen aboard, one of them one of my best friends--John Fisher.  Also on the Otter were Maj. Querin Herlik, CWO2 Laird Osburn and Sp5 Robt. Pryor.  I was in the area next to them when they were shot down, and no one could get close.  The VC were everywhere, and small arms fire was too thick for the Hueys or jets.  They had a firefight for about 30 minutes, before being overwhelmed.  Mr. Osburn was badly wounded and separated from the others.  The others were with the VC for a few days before being turned over to the Cambodian government.  We traced their progress most of the time after the shootdown with the help of Ron Lowhorn, who had a bit of experience with Cambodia.  Prince Sihanouk wanted them for propaganda purposes and President Nixon wrote a "letter of friendship" and arranged for their release.  They were released to the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh on March 12, 1969, 30 days after their capture.  After a quick "debriefing in Saigon", they were sent back to the states.  I've been in touch with John ever since and have recently located Maj. Herlik.

****The following added for Col Herlik (Aug. 4, 2004) by his son Ed:****

Then Major Herlik was involved in doing radio research (intercepting radio signals) when he and his crew were shot down on February 12, 1969. He spent 30 days as a POW with the VC and Cambodians. The team destroyed all classified materials before being captured. They were able to kill 6 and wound 8 more VC before capture. The co-pilot, Laird Osburn, was left for dead. The VC turned the crew over to the Cambodians - and the Cambodians in turn, turned them over to the Australians. President Nixon obtained their releases on March 11, 1969. All four men survived and returned. Each earned a Silver Star for their actions.

Querin's son Ed graduated from the Air Force Academy and became a fighter pilot. He has since gone on to use the family experience of losing a loved one to an uncertain fate - and being able to rejoice in his homecoming – to aid the families of personnel lost fighting the war on Terrorism.

The PATRIOT'S FUND (http://patriotsfund.us/) is dedicated to taking care of those families just as well as generous people the world over took care of the families whose firefighters died in the World Trade Center. The orphans of any American service member who dies in combat during our life and death fight against terrorists (and those who support them) deserve at least as much. They pledge that the families of our sworn defenders who die in this war are taken care of as well as those New York firefighters. Ed is not afraid to say "YOU can make a difference." The website further notes:
"Freedom is not free. That cliché is so familiar that most of us do not think about what it really means: It means American patriots have shed their blood for our freedom for 11 generations. It means some of them rest in the soil of every continent except Antarctica. It means their families have been left with nearly nothing."

The P.O.W. NETWORK is pleased and proud to help the Herliks celebrate their miracle of Freedom with this outstanding effort.

 

     I flew my last mission on April 29, 1969 in the 146th.  I flew with 2 young CWO's named Jewell & Hunt , and flew in the customary Beaver, for the last mission.  We were actually an extra flight that day, and we were able to relax for a change.  Thank you Mr. Jewell & Mr. Hunt for a memorable final mission!!  Shortly after that, I ended my last tour and returned home and discharged from the Army.  Although, there are some bad memories from my time in the 146th, it's nothing to do with the men I served with!  I couldn't feel any prouder than to have served with everyone in that outfit.  We played hard, and we did what had to be done.  I felt we had some of the best pilots and Op's the Army had to offer and am proud to have served with them!

For much more info on the planes pictured below, and other Special Electronic Mission Aircraft, see Dennis Buleys' "SEMA" Home page !!
 
 
These pictures best viewed in 16m colors Click on picture to expand it!!  
The image on the left is the 146th Avn Co. Dec 17 1966.  The occasion is merit badges from Operation Attelboro.  The "AK-47" is orderly room decor sent by the 1st Infantry.  First row from left to right: Pruitt (I think), Bowser, Cantrell, Hatlestead, McCarthy, Reber, Scobie and Williams.  Everyone else including the two holding the AK are from the maintenance section and I don't remember names.  With the exception of Wallace and Wilkes who were flying this is pretty well the air section.  (Picture donated by Richard McCarthy).
 

Picture of the flight line with the U-8's all ready to go!

One of the Op's back from a mission.  It's always good to get your feet back on the ground!

One of our Beavers back from a mission.  Note the "Snoopy" on the engine cowling.  We had permission from Schultz to use Snoopy as our Mascot there!  We never missed an opportunity to "share him" with someone else's plane or truck (especially the Aussies).

One of our Otter's pictures here. I think we had 3, one of them got shot down over Cambodia.

An overhead view of Nui Dat (Aussie airfield) around 1966-67--courtesy of Richard McCarthy.
 

One of the U-8's pictured here at the Aussie airstrip, Luscombe Field, at Nui Dat.  Joe Weir & I flew direct support for them for about 3-4 months and lived with them during that time.  The airstrip was always a challenge to land & takeoff--it was about 1000 feet "too short" for our planes.  We had to land "uphill" so we could stop faster--which was all right if we didn't misjudge the approach, as there was a wall of trees at the top.  For takeoffs, we had a mine field at the other end!  The Aussies seem to come out of everywhere, when we had to takeoff, I think they didn't want to miss the excitement.  Note::  See the "kangaroo" in white under the words "United States" .  It was a tradition for the Aussies to paint their kangaroo on anything that landed there!  Soon after, we adopted "Snoopy" for our mascot and put him on all of our planes--and on a few others----ha-ha.

Another picture from the Aussie airstrip at Luscombe Field with the 1st Australian Task Force.

Here's a Mohawk pictured on our flight line.  For more of a description of the Mohawks' mission, see my Army Security Agency page.

The cockpit of one of the Otter's here.  Gee, I wonder what that "black box" is in front of the co-pilot?

Another picture of a U-8 at the Aussie airstrip at Nui Dat.

Too bad you can't see John Lyon's smile after this mission. I wonder what that little "gray box" is?  Did they ever make life easier!!   Notice the "Snoopy" on the cowling?  Also you can see an Air America plane in the background.

Picture of a Left Jab, JU-21A, similar to the new ones that arrived in the 146th late in 1968 (picture taken by Henry Schroeder possibly at Phu Bai).

Pictured here one of the P2-V's used at the 1st Avn, Co. (RR) at Cam Ranh Bay-----"Crazy Cat"!  I was sent to the 1st Avn. Co. to fly some missions in 1969.

For some other pictures from the 146th, "Click Here"!

    A picture of the pilots of the 146th Avn. Co. (1968-1969)

    To read "John Cutler's Reflections" of his tour (1971-72) as a crew chief in the 146th, "Click Here"!

THANKS  

My Vietnam Veterans page--

My ASA page--

My 146th page 2--

My 146th page 3--

My 330th RRC page--

My Local sites page--

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