Kham Duc Vietnam now and then

[hochiminhtrail]

Hi Folks

 

most of the vietnam collectors will now the battle of Kham Duc.

 

i have been to the place many times, the picture i m showing is of the air strip.

[hochiminhtrail]

today

[hochiminhtrail]

today

[Bluehawk]

i have been to the place many times, the picture i m showing is of the air strip.

Good ole Bookie...

[nguoi tien su]

Thanks for sharing Alex !

[BEAST]

Wow! Thanks for showing these photos. I served with the daughter-in-law of the FAC pilot who spent most of his day working with the ABCCC and coordinating strikes at Kham Duc. Met with the FAC and was able to talk with him about that day.

[USMC]

very cool..thanks for sharing...

[Bob Hudson]

most of the vietnam collectors will now the battle of Kham Duc.

 

You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kham_Duc

 

One of the pilots received the Medal of Honor:

 

Citation:

 

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Lt. Col. Jackson distinguished himself as pilot of a C-123 aircraft. Lt. Col. Jackson volunteered to attempt the rescue of a 3-man USAF Combat Control Team from the Special Forces camp at Kham Duc. Hostile forces had overrun the forward outpost and established gun positions on the airstrip. They were raking the camp with small arms, mortars, light and heavy automatic weapons, and recoilless rifle fire. The camp was engulfed in flames and ammunition dumps were continuously exploding and littering the runway with debris. In addition, eight aircraft had been destroyed by the intense enemy fire and one aircraft remained on the runway reducing its usable length to only 2,200 feet. To further complicate the landing, the weather was deteriorating rapidly, thereby permitting only one air strike prior to his landing. Although fully aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt. Lt. Col. Jackson elected to land his aircraft and attempt to rescue.

 

There's more of the citation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_M._Jackson

 

And at http://tonetcarlo.wordpress.com/2008/05/12...ue-at-kham-duc/ there are some interesting details about the last flight out of Kham Duc plus the following photo and caption:

 

The picture is the only known photograph of an ongoing Medal of Honor action. The wrecked C-130 is in the foreground, the CH-47 in the middle of the runway. A crashed Cessna O-2 is just above the C-130, and across the runway from it is the wrecked UH-1H Huey. At the top of the photo is Jackson’s C-123. Three tiny dots to the right are the CCT running for their lives.

[Larry G.]

I know this is an old post but my late father-in law was the pilot of the A1-H Skyraider,Col. James Swain. that was shot down at Kham Duc on May 12. The incident is briefly mentioned in the wikipedia article. He was rescued and survived the war.

[TrenchfootJoe66]

I saw this post and just had say thanks to Ho for posting that photo. Ho, if your still around, have you ever been to Dong Ha ? Im planning a trip to Vietnam for next year some time and Dong Ha is on my list of places to visit. Im fascinated with the battles that swirled around that area during the 1972 Easter Offensive. In one fell swoop I can visit the site of Ripley's handiwork at the bridge and see the area where the rescue of BAT-21 took place.

JW

[airborne1968]

Hi Folks

 

most of the vietnam collectors will now the battle of Kham Duc.

 

i have been to the place many times, the picture i m showing is of the air strip.

 

During your trip to Kham Duc were you allowed to travel up to the two OPs (1 and 2) overlooking the airfield? I've been all over this battlefield and find the battle an interesting part of Vietnam War history. The entire battle (from Ngok Tovak to Kham Duc) would make for a great documentary or movie. I'm currently TDY but will post some pics when I return.

[sgt ron]

i as at olad when this was going on, our CCT ( lew brabham) was on the radio with them. we were listening to them (CCT) and knowing there was nothing we could do to help them. we were very happy when they were off the ground.

 

ron

[BEAST]

For those of you interested in this battle, I ran into Herb Spier at a local gas station and spoke with him for a few minutes. He agreed to meet with me sometime and let me interview him about his role here.

[1tintan]

I know this is an old post but my late father-in law was the pilot of the A1-H Skyraider,Col. James Swain. that was shot down at Kham Duc on May 12. The incident is briefly mentioned in the wikipedia article. He was rescued and survived the war.

was in Kham duc with the 2/1 196 LIB I have some film( super 8 ) of the helcopter burning at the end of the runway,helped in loading vietnamese on the C 130 that crashed north of the airfield. have film of the huey coming down after it was downed,airstrikes by Navy, Marine and Air Force F-4's also talked to the soldier that had his leg amputated that was loaded into the C 130 that was downed

 

I was there when the C130 that crashed in Kham Duc was being loaded . =

The only American that was not a crew member was loaded on a stretcher =

and had his leg cut off and was in a plastic bag on his chest I assume =

it was Captain Orr.

[Larry G.]

was in Kham duc with the 2/1 196 LIB I have some film( super 8 ) of the helcopter burning at the end of the runway,helped in loading vietnamese on the C 130 that crashed north of the airfield. have film of the huey coming down after it was downed,airstrikes by Navy, Marine and Air Force F-4's also talked to the soldier that had his leg amputated that was loaded into the C 130 that was downed

 

I was there when the C130 that crashed in Kham Duc was being loaded . =

The only American that was not a crew member was loaded on a stretcher =

and had his leg cut off and was in a plastic bag on his chest I assume =

it was Captain Orr.

 

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/battle of kham duc

Kham Duc Surrounded,second from last paragraph

 

www.ejection-history.org.uk

 

Douglas A-1 SkyRaider 12 May 1968

[kammo-man]

what a great post .

 

 

Thanks to all , its a great read .

 

 

 

owen

[1tintan]

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/battle of kham duc

Kham Duc Surrounded,second from last paragraph

 

www.ejection-history.org.uk

 

Douglas A-1 SkyRaider 12 May 1968

I have afilm where the sky raider pilot is ejecting and two helicopters are coming down to pick him upat the same time

[Larry G.]

I have afilm where the sky raider pilot is ejecting and two helicopters are coming down to pick him upat the same time

 

 

That had to be my father in law.On that Yankee Extraction website I posted it is the only A-1 shot down that day according to their records. I would love to get a copy of that film for the family. My wife has a tape that Newt brought home ,he went by his middle name,with a FAC on the ground describing the action. I listened to it over forty years ago just before we got hitched. One of my kids took it to school for the class to hear about 30 years ago. It's in the house some where.

[1tintan]

That had to be my father in law.On that Yankee Extraction website I posted it is the only A-1 shot down that day according to their records. I would love to get a copy of that film for the family. My wife has a tape that Newt brought home ,he went by his middle name,with a FAC on the ground describing the action. I listened to it over forty years ago just before we got hitched. One of my kids took it to school for the class to hear about 30 years ago. It's in the house some where.

Iwas also the radio operator talking to pilots and was talking to the pilot of the C130 that went down a captain Connely and I from 2/1 196 LIB had been calling air strikes on the enemy .i guess the air force controllers had left and we told the C130 pilot to load on the south end of runway and taxi north and to turn around an take off to the south but he flew north and was shot down about a mile from takeoff we were suppose to get on that plane but a bunch of civilians and ARVN soldiers crowded on and the Battalion Colonel Robert " Buck " Nelson said to let them on. see if you can here the call sign Revolver ,6 kilo or 33 Kilo 0r Bandit ,6 kilo or 33 Kilo I believe but not sure of callsigns

[Kham Duc Vet]

Iwas also the radio operator talking to pilots and was talking to the pilot of the C130 that went down a captain Connely and I from 2/1 196 LIB had been calling air strikes on the enemy .i guess the air force controllers had left and we told the C130 pilot to load on the south end of runway and taxi north and to turn around an take off to the south but he flew north and was shot down about a mile from takeoff we were suppose to get on that plane but a bunch of civilians and ARVN soldiers crowded on and the Battalion Colonel Robert " Buck " Nelson said to let them on. see if you can here the call sign Revolver ,6 kilo or 33 Kilo 0r Bandit ,6 kilo or 33 Kilo I believe but not sure of callsigns

 

"Revolver-6 "was indeed LTC "Buck Nelson's call sign, the Bn Co for 2/1st at Kham Duc, I was with "A" Co 1/46th Inf

at the SW end of runway where we hooked up with "C" Co 2/1st Inf, We were flown in by "Boxcars" 178th ASHC on 10 May Friday. I am Bill Schneider, newsletter guy, roster keeper and reunion Co-ord, Last reuinoon was in St,Louis this Oct 2011, Lots of 2/1st Men on roster including Capt Connoly

Mr. Ed Fitsimmons was the pilot who fired up his huey and with the support of several gunships was able to rescue Major Swain before the fast approaching NVA got to him. He earned the Silver Star for the rescue.

We have well over 300 people on roster, pilots, SF, Marines, and Aussie, Pow/MIA families etc. Will glady add you to Kham Duc roster, to get newsletter, and some of the info and pix we have gathered over the years. The book about Kham Duc should be going to press before long, Written by Kham Duc SOG/OIC and a 1970 Americal MI officer.

Had the honor to attend the Arlington burial of Capt Orr, and Major Bucher's C-130 crew several years ago, Capt Orr's father attended as well as a lot of family menbers., of the USAF crew. Capt Orr's father is in good healthy and hearty.

Would love to see the 8 mm film, and add you to roster.

Please call 636-942-4042 or e-mail [email protected]

"God Bless the Infantry and all Aircrews at Kham Duc, they did really SAVE us."

 

Bill Schneider.

[rr01]

You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kham_Duc

 

One of the pilots received the Medal of Honor:

 

Citation:

 

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Lt. Col. Jackson distinguished himself as pilot of a C-123 aircraft. Lt. Col. Jackson volunteered to attempt the rescue of a 3-man USAF Combat Control Team from the Special Forces camp at Kham Duc. Hostile forces had overrun the forward outpost and established gun positions on the airstrip. They were raking the camp with small arms, mortars, light and heavy automatic weapons, and recoilless rifle fire. The camp was engulfed in flames and ammunition dumps were continuously exploding and littering the runway with debris. In addition, eight aircraft had been destroyed by the intense enemy fire and one aircraft remained on the runway reducing its usable length to only 2,200 feet. To further complicate the landing, the weather was deteriorating rapidly, thereby permitting only one air strike prior to his landing. Although fully aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt. Lt. Col. Jackson elected to land his aircraft and attempt to rescue.

 

There's more of the citation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_M._Jackson

 

And at http://tonetcarlo.wordpress.com/2008/05/12...ue-at-kham-duc/ there are some interesting details about the last flight out of Kham Duc plus the following photo and caption:

 

The picture is the only known photograph of an ongoing Medal of Honor action. The wrecked C-130 is in the foreground, the CH-47 in the middle of the runway. A crashed Cessna O-2 is just above the C-130, and across the runway from it is the wrecked UH-1H Huey. At the top of the photo is Jackson’s C-123. Three tiny dots to the right are the CCT running for their lives.

Mort Freeman was one of those guys, last known to be retired in the Phillipines as a skydiving instructor. Of course that was about fifteen years ago when we were both younger.

[1tintan]

"Revolver-6 "was indeed LTC "Buck Nelson's call sign, the Bn Co for 2/1st at Kham Duc, I was with "A" Co 1/46th Inf

at the SW end of runway where we hooked up with "C" Co 2/1st Inf, We were flown in by "Boxcars" 178th ASHC on 10 May Friday. I am Bill Schneider, newsletter guy, roster keeper and reunion Co-ord, Last reuinoon was in St,Louis this Oct 2011, Lots of 2/1st Men on roster including Capt Connoly

Mr. Ed Fitsimmons was the pilot who fired up his huey and with the support of several gunships was able to rescue Major Swain before the fast approaching NVA got to him. He earned the Silver Star for the rescue.

We have well over 300 people on roster, pilots, SF, Marines, and Aussie, Pow/MIA families etc. Will glady add you to Kham Duc roster, to get newsletter, and some of the info and pix we have gathered over the years. The book about Kham Duc should be going to press before long, Written by Kham Duc SOG/OIC and a 1970 Americal MI officer.

Had the honor to attend the Arlington burial of Capt Orr, and Major Bucher's C-130 crew several years ago, Capt Orr's father attended as well as a lot of family menbers., of the USAF crew. Capt Orr's father is in good healthy and hearty.

Would love to see the 8 mm film, and add you to roster.

Please call 636-942-4042 or e-mail [email protected]

"God Bless the Infantry and all Aircrews at Kham Duc, they did really SAVE us."

 

Bill Schneider.

[1tintan]

:thumbsup:

"Revolver-6 "was indeed LTC "Buck Nelson's call sign, the Bn Co for 2/1st at Kham Duc, I was with "A" Co 1/46th Inf

at the SW end of runway where we hooked up with "C" Co 2/1st Inf, We were flown in by "Boxcars" 178th ASHC on 10 May Friday. I am Bill Schneider, newsletter guy, roster keeper and reunion Co-ord, Last reuinoon was in St,Louis this Oct 2011, Lots of 2/1st Men on roster including Capt Connoly

Mr. Ed Fitsimmons was the pilot who fired up his huey and with the support of several gunships was able to rescue Major Swain before the fast approaching NVA got to him. He earned the Silver Star for the rescue.

We have well over 300 people on roster, pilots, SF, Marines, and Aussie, Pow/MIA families etc. Will glady add you to Kham Duc roster, to get newsletter, and some of the info and pix we have gathered over the years. The book about Kham Duc should be going to press before long, Written by Kham Duc SOG/OIC and a 1970 Americal MI officer.

Had the honor to attend the Arlington burial of Capt Orr, and Major Bucher's C-130 crew several years ago, Capt Orr's father attended as well as a lot of family menbers., of the USAF crew. Capt Orr's father is in good healthy and hearty.

Would love to see the 8 mm film, and add you to roster.

Please call 636-942-4042 or e-mail [email protected]

"God Bless the Infantry and all Aircrews at Kham Duc, they did really SAVE us."

 

Bill Schneider.

[1tintan]

I am Albert Garcia you can add me to the Kham Duc roster my Email is 1tintan @att.net

[1tintan]

"Revolver-6 "was indeed LTC "Buck Nelson's call sign, the Bn Co for 2/1st at Kham Duc, I was with "A" Co 1/46th Inf

at the SW end of runway where we hooked up with "C" Co 2/1st Inf, We were flown in by "Boxcars" 178th ASHC on 10 May Friday. I am Bill Schneider, newsletter guy, roster keeper and reunion Co-ord, Last reuinoon was in St,Louis this Oct 2011, Lots of 2/1st Men on roster including Capt Connoly

Mr. Ed Fitsimmons was the pilot who fired up his huey and with the support of several gunships was able to rescue Major Swain before the fast approaching NVA got to him. He earned the Silver Star for the rescue.

We have well over 300 people on roster, pilots, SF, Marines, and Aussie, Pow/MIA families etc. Will glady add you to Kham Duc roster, to get newsletter, and some of the info and pix we have gathered over the years. The book about Kham Duc should be going to press before long, Written by Kham Duc SOG/OIC and a 1970 Americal MI officer.

Had the honor to attend the Arlington burial of Capt Orr, and Major Bucher's C-130 crew several years ago, Capt Orr's father attended as well as a lot of family menbers., of the USAF crew. Capt Orr's father is in good healthy and hearty.

Would love to see the 8 mm film, and add you to roster.

Please call 636-942-4042 or e-mail [email protected]

"God Bless the Infantry and all Aircrews at Kham Duc, they did really SAVE us."

 

Bill Schneider.

 

 

I am Albert Garcia I forgot to add that I was with HHC 2/1 my phone # is 432-940-9224 you can add me to the Kham Duc roster also remember the CO for Charlie company we use to call Batman