Attack
Squadron Fifteen
VA-15 The VALions (November 1965 - November
1966)
(Updated April 30th, 2024
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Military Assistance Command
Vietnam (MACV) In 1965, the primary mission of MACV was to provide advisors to to the local Vietnamese people at the district and village (hamlet) level for local defense, counter guerilla operations, infrastructure improvements, and other civic affairs issues. In July, 1965 the total number of military personnel assigned to Vietnam to accomplish the mission of advisor and defense was about 23,300. President Johnson significantly increased this number as the mission was expended to include more intensive counter-offensive opeeerations from 966 to 1969. |
"Alpha Strike Vietnam, The Nav'y Air War 1964 to 1973" Jeffrey L. Levinson It is a collection of chapters based on interviews of twenty three attack pilots who flew during the air war. Chapter 11 is about the USS Intrepid's two deployments (1966 and 1967) based on the interview of LCDR Don Felt, Intrepid's Strike Operations Officer. |
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"On
Yankee Station", The Naval Air War over
Vietnam Cdr. John B. Nichols, USN Ret. (F8C Crusader pilot) and Barrett Tillman (award winning naval historian) This book not only relates the various phases of Rolling Thunder (1965-1968) but also adds an analysis of the how the political decisions affected the prosecution of the air war from the pilot's perspective. In addition, the appendices offer valuable statistical information: Appendix A- Vietnam Air War Chronology Appendix B- Combat Sorties and Aircraft Losses Appendix C: Overall Air to Air Combat Results |
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Peter Fay's well researched book "Bloody Sixteeen" details the performance of USS Oriskany and CAG 16 team during three Vietnam deployments; 1965, 1966, and 1967. I will compare some aspects of the CAG 16 experience during the summer of 1966 with ours on board Intrepid. |
The image of the aircraft in the picture was taken at Cubi Point in the Philippines had flown quite a few combat missions. The markings directly behind the decal are groups of five bombs. So, this aircraft's bomb clusters indicates that it had flown 45 missions. Also notice the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club patch on the tail. We added the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club patch once we had been on the line for a while on Dixie Station. The bomb mission markings and the Tonkin Yacht Club patch were hand painted on all our aircraft by a single airman in my Aircraft Division. He loved that job! |
Note
the 2.75 " practice rocket pod on the
centerline station Also note the Cecil field tower in the background. |
VA-15
A4B echelon formation over
Jacksonville Beach It was actually taken after the cruise (note mission markings and Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club patch). This must have been taken just before we received our A4C aircraft for the second Vietnam deployment. |
USS Intrepid (CVS-11) Workup Training |
Bo on #1 Catapult on Intrepid
during workups |
The Spads
were normally spotted on the
aft flight deck.
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The Skyhawks
were spotted on the port aft
angle of the flight deck and
along the foul line.
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VA-165 Spads-200s
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VA-15 A4B Skyhawks-300s
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VA-176 Spads-400s
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VA-95 A4B
Skyhawks-500s
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Intrepid's COD
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HC-2 Helo
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It's about 3,800 miles from Norfolk to the Straits of Gibraltar. We did not fly at all until we were close to the Azores so we would have a bingo field available if something went wrong. But we kept ourselves occupied with two activities: 1. It was a great opportunity for those of us who thought we might want to command a ship one day to stand some underway bridge watches. 2. We had a lot of planning and studying to do in connection with a mission we would have when we were in the eastern Med. This mission was in connection with America's policy of nuclear deterrence. I will discuss this in some detail in a separate section. |
Tupelov
TU-95 Bear aircraft
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The
square hole in the deck is where he
Number 1 elevator is located.
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As
we passed by Gibraltar on the left, we
had Morocco on the right. Next, we had
Spain on the left and Algeria on the
right. We conducted three days of
flight ops from April 15th
through the 17th on our way to Naples. |
We probably conducted our flight ops in the Tyrrhenian Sea northwest of Sicily and southeast of Sardinia because it was closer to Naples. I flew four flights, three practice bombing flights and one practice inflight refueling flight. We entered the port of Naples on April 18th, 1966. |
Pozzouli is in the
foreground. On the other side of
Baia Bay are the baths and the ruins
of the palaces of Julius Caesar and
Nero. Between the two points of land
submerged under Baia Bay is a fully
intact road with the ruins of
buildings.
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This is the Flavian
Amphiteater in Pozzouli.
Supposedly, it was large enough to
have mock ship battles in it.
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You don't have to go
to Rome to see ruins
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Sufatare
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The Greek settlement
of Cumae-450 BC
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Mergilina is in the
foreground with its marina. The
Hotel Vesuvio is the second
building with the red roof. The
park is further up on the left;
green trees. A little futher on to
the right is the Egg Castle.
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The Hotel Vesuvio was my favorite place to stay when I was in Naples. It was close to the tennis courts and had a great bar. I was told that the bar was sometimes frequented by Russan KGB. |
The Egg Castle
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This is a
spectacular picture of the port of
Naples with Mount Vesuvius in the
background. If you were getting
off the white ship in the lower
left of the picture, you would be
at Fleet Landing. We would ride
the liberty boats to and from the
the carrier which would normally
anchor off to the right outside
the breakwater.
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Naples is a
medieval city that covers a large
area. There are many plazas and
interesting places to visit
throughout the city.
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Take an exciting
ride through Tunnel della Victoria
to get to AVSouth
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AVSouth is the NATO
Headquarters Southern Command. It
had an excelent Officer's Club
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This is Carney
Park. Located in the cadera of an
extinct volacno, it was a great
place to hold squaron or ship
athletic events and picnics.
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It's a beautiful
drive along the coast from
Herculaneum and Sorrento
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There are nice little
hotels, excellent restaurants and
great shopping in Sorrento. Get
yourself a fossil marble table top.
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I'm afraid you will need a
boat or take a ferry to get to
Capri.
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Capri has some nice
shops,restaurants, and places to
stay. But, for me, the action is
on the other side of the island
where there are a couple of
restaurants with great views and
of course the Grotto Azzurra
(The Blue Grotto)
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You will some kind of a
boat, even a row boat, or a
canoe to get you to the Blue
Grotto.
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You can enter the grotto
by a small boat or canoe
or swim in. There are lots of
schools of small silver fish
that swim in very large schools.
The light reflects off of them
as you swim through the school.
Its a fantastic experience.
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The volcanic island
of Stromboli
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This how the
Straits of Messina looked during
going north to south;
The Italian town of Catania on the left, Sicily and Mount Etna on the right. |
From
Port Said, we headed south with all
the other southbound ships to Great
Bitter Lake where we paused to let the
northbound ships pass us. From Great Bitter Lake, we continued south to Port Suez and the Gulf of Suez. From the Gulf of Suez, we continued southeast to the Red Sea. |
Not much room for an
aircraft carrier!
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Sightseeing in our
Tropical White uniforms.
The Sinai Desert on the left, Egypt on the right |
Dave North and Doc
MacMillan talking with an
Egyptian Air Force officer.
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Back Row: Lt
John Hawthorne, Ltjg Dick Nolte,
ME, LT Dave North, Ltjg Dave
Thornhill, Lt Lee Cole, Cdr. Ike Jones
(XO), Ltjg Dave Parsons, Ltjg Bob Hamel,
LCDR Pete Schoeffel, Lt Bob Cheyne, Ltjg
John Newman, Ltjg Bob Cole, Ltjg P.C.
Craig, Ltjg Dave Culler, Lt Shep
Shepperd Front Row: LCDR Bill Butler, Ltjg Miller Detrick, LCDR Moose Moran, LCDR Possum Terrell, Cdr. Jack Gracey (CO), LCDR Jerry Tuttle, LT Moon Moreau, LT Doc MacMillan (Ltjg Gene Atkinson and our new Air Intelligence Officer, ENS Dave Moyer would not join the squadron until we arrived in Cubi Point) |
If we had the time, we could have crossed the Equator by going south of the Maldives. But, we were short for time, so we probably went to the north of the Maldives and south of Sri Lanka as a more direct route to enter the Straits of Malacca. We would have to save the opportunity for having a Crossing the Equator ceremony complete with King Neptune, shell backs and pollywogs for another trip. As it turned out, that never happened for me in VA-15. I had to wait until I was in VA-82 in1971 when we crossed the Equator enroute to Rio de Janeiro. |
The BOQ at Cubi
wasn't spectacular but it was a
great place to rest after a night at
the nearby O'Club
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The Cubi O'Club was
famous for it's plaques and Cubi
Specials. It was the Trader Jons of
the western Pacific
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The Cubi O'Club was
such an important part of Navy
western Pacific (WESTPAC) tradition
that it has been recreated at the
Naval Air Museum in Pensacola
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Bob Cole (Cozy) on
the left and Bob Cheyney (brown
jacket) were playing the slots when
the new pilot, Ltjg Gene Atkinson
(yellow party hat) joined us.
The dress code at the Cubi Club in
1966 was jacket or barronge.
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Ltjg Dave Moyer
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I'm
not sure when Ensign Dave Moyer reported to
the squadron
and relieved the Lt John Hawthone as
our AI. John was in the squadron
picture taken while transiting the
Suez Canal, Dave was not. But Dave
was the AI before we made the Sasebo
in port visit in August. Gene and I think that Dave may have joined the squadron in Cubi at the same time as Gene did. Dave Moyer was an Ensign when he reported to the squadron and made Ltg later. |
As the bases were
developed and town built up.
The dividing line was the
Olongapo River. So, the town
became known as Olongapo.
Access to the town from the base
was via a bridge over the Olongapo
River.
The image to the left shows the Naval Base Olongapo Gate. |
After the main
gate, you walk across a bridge
over the Olongapo River. There are
usually numerous small boats with
teenagers wanting to drive for
coins.
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Once across the
bridge, you could either walk up the
main street (which was not paved
1966) or take a Jeepney to the bars
and restaurants. The original Jeepneys were converted US WW2 jeeps. This picture was taken in the early 1970s with nice paved streets and remanufactured Jeepneys. |
The people of
Olongapo were mostly very poor
especially in the early days
(1960s). The average daily earnings
of most of the people was about
$3/day. The bar, restaurant, and
furniture company owners were much
better off. The furniture companies
in Olongapo produced outstanding
quality rattan and mahogany
furniture. |
Jungle
Escape and Survival Training
(JEST) |
The first day was
dedicated to lectures followed by
hiking in the jungle with stops
along the way for practical
instruction.
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One of the
techniques we learned was how to
prepare a protein rich meal from
the jungle except for a bit of
rice we carried with us.
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The Negritos made excellent tools for jungle survival such as fishing hooks, arrows for their crossbows, and knives. |
The trademark
Negrito knife was this machete (pictured in the
JEST emblem).
The one in this image is mine; made for me by a Negrito named King. He actually made it for me before our second cruise. The blade is made from a old US Army jeep spring (WW2 jeeps were made mostly by Ford and used high quality American steel) The handle is made from white water buffalo horn. (I donated it to the National Flight Academy at NAS Pensacola, Florida) |
The Negritos also
made excellent, less practical,
but very popular Bowie knives like
this one of mine. It has a chromed
blade and a custom made mahogany
wood sheath with the JEST emblem.
(I donated it to the National Flight Academy) |
left
to right: two pilots from another
squadron, me, Gene Atkinson
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Gene
Atkinson (AKA Sid, AKA Wimpy) reported
to VA-15 in Cubi Point. After
completing VA-44, Gene flew commercial
from Jacksonville to Clark AFB just to
the north of Cubi. He took a bus to
Cubi and reported for duty. We had
only arrived a day or so before. As the junior guy, Gene was assigned as the CO's wingman. He flew one flight at Cubi with the CO before walking aboard Intrepid for a ride out to Dixie Station. His second flight with the squadron, his first off Intrepid was a combat flight with his new flight leader, Cdr Gracey. Instead of wearing orange flight suits, we were issued the matching olive drab cotton shirts and pants I am wearing in the picture for our missions over South Vietnam. |
In addition to flying my combat missions, as the Aircraft Division Officer I was destined to spend a lot of time on the hangar deck. |
Back
Row: Bob Hamel, Lee Cole, Billy Butler,
Pete Schoeffel, Miller Detrick, Dave
North, Dave Parsons, Dixie Culler, P.C. Craig, me Front Row: John Newman, Jerry Tuttle, Possum Terrell, Dick Nolte, Bob Cole, Moon Moreau, Ike Jones (XO), Gene Atkinson, Dave Thornhill (Not pictured-Jack Gracy-CO) |
The pilots were ready to go! |
The
aircraft were ready to go! |
I
felt very confident that I was
ready to go into combat. We had accomplished a very aggressive training program. I felt that Possum Flight was well prepared for the task ahead! |
Every three or four days, Intrepid would replenish ship and jet fuel while underway on Dixie or Yankee station. |
Underway supply of bombs, rockets, missiles, and ammo from a replenishment ship (AE) to an aircraft carrier. |
Sometime
while Intrepid was in transit, the
decision was made by CTF77
(Commander Task Force Seventh Fleet)
that the dedicated Dixie Station
carrier did not require first rate
MK 80 series bombs ( MK81 250#, MK82 500#, MK83 1000#, MK84 2000#) that Commander Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet (COMNAVAIRLANT) had gone to great pains to load up the Intrepid with the best quality bombs. As soon as Intrepid left Subic Bay, she off loaded all those MK80 series bombs to an AE (ammunition supply ship) enroute to Dixie Station. They were replaced with World War II "fat" bombs. The old "fat bombs" were very difficult to handle onboard the ship. The ordnancemen had no forklifts and many of the bombs came without pallets and had to be assembled on the hangar deck and then rolled a around on the hangar and flight decks. ** Paraphrased from Alpha Strike Vietnam, page 96. |
Fat
bombs positioned forward of the
island after an unrep ready to be
move to the hangar deck.
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As it turned out,
although the "fat bombs" were
difficult to handle Although the "fat bombs" were difficult to handle onboard by the "ordies" and lacked the thermal protection of the MK 80 series bombs, they turned out to be ideal for the close air and direct air support missions from Dixie Station. The 220 lb "ring frag bombs" were excellent for the A4s because the Skyhawk could carry a lot of them and they were effective against enemy soldiers on the ground. The 2000lb fat bombs were ideal for the Spads because they could carry a big punch. |
Mk 82 bombs on the hangar deck after an unrep |
After off loading all those Mk 80 series bombs before the first line period, we began stocking up on the Mk 81s (250 lb), MK 82 (500 lb), MK 83 (1000 lb), and even some MK 84 (2000 lb) boms because we used up the old bombs quickly and more MK 80 series bombs became available. Mk
80 series bombs temporarily
positioned in the "bomb farm" on the
starboard side of the island during
flight operations.
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This was our standard
bomb load; a center line tank with
two TERs with 6 MK 82 500#
Or, we could replace the bombs with four LAU 10s (16 5" rockets). Or four cans of napalm |
This is a standard
Spad bomb load
It could carry lots of bombs or rockets had four 50 cal guns on the wings and could stay on station much longer than our A4s |
Getting the aircraft ready for the next launch. The ordies (red shirts) have the get the bombs loaded. The troubleshooters (green shirts) and the plane captain (brown shirt) have to get the plane ready for flight. The purple shirts (flight deck refueling crew) need to get the plane refueled. All this in about a 45 minute period before the plane director (yellow shirt) can have a brown shirt remove the chocks for taxi. This picure also show to LOX crew replenishing the plane's liquid oxygen. |
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The respotting of aircraft after landing is coordinated by the Air Boss in PriFly and the Aircraft Handling Officer in Flight Deck Control. The Handler is responsible for spotting the aircraft for the next launch or getting down aircraft out of the way either on the flight deck or in the Hangar Deck below. |
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This picture shows some of the various colored shirt personnel getting the plane ready behind the port catapult (Cat 2). The vertical barrier between the aircraft protects the aircraft behind the cat (a bomber) from the jet exhaust of the plane on the cat (a plane configured as a tanker). |
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The
movement of aircraft on the flight
deck during launch recovery of
aircraft is the responsibility of the
Air Boss who operates from Primary
Flight Control (PriFly) on the port
aft side of the island. He and
his staff in PriFly communicate with
the various flight deck directors and
officers on the flight deck and
the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) on
the LSO platform to ensure the safe
launch and recovery of aircraft. |
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This picure shows a standard mission configured aircraft on Cat 2 with a centerline drop tank and a TER on each wing with MK 81s (250# bombs) or MK 82s (500# bombs). |
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This picure shows the aircraft off the end of the bow after being shot off Cat 2. As soon as the pilot is comfortably airborne, he will make a turn to clear his jet wash for the next plane which will be launched off Cat 1. |
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Once the flight joined up, we would fly to our anticipated point in the Mekong Delta where we were briefed to meet up with a Forward Air Controller (FAC). |
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Coasting in to the Mekong Delta through an A4B gunsight. |
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The Mekong Delta produces most of the rice crop consumed in South Vietnam. The rice paddies made movement through the terrain difficult for conventionally equipped army units. The Vietcong were comfortable in the delta and controlled large portions of the more inaccessible areas for most of the war. |
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The division leader navigated to a rendezvous point with ordnance specified by the "frag" . The "frag" was published by US command forces in Saigon The rendezvous point was usually a bearing and range off a TACAN or a significant feature like the intersection of two rivers or a karst mountain (in the western delta) |
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The FACs flew Piper Cubs which we called Bird Dogs. The FACs flew at a safe altitude above the target which depended on whther the target area was defended or not. Most targets in the southern part of South Vietnam were only defended by small arms fire from the Viet Cong (VC). The top of the FACs wing was usually painted red so the FAC could be seen more easily by the division lead who was normally flying at 8-10 thousand feet. |
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Once
the flight leader had the FAC in
sight, the FAC would fly to the target
area and mark the target with a flare
called a Willie Pete. The flare would
not only indicate the target but also
the surface wind direction. The flight would set up a circular bomb pattern to the left (jet pilots like to turn left for some reason). The flight leader would drop one bomb and pull back up into the pattern. The FAC would call a correction to the next pilot would drop one bomb. This would continue until the FAC considered the target destroyed and if the flight had more bombs, the FAC would move to another target. |
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After
the mission, the flight would return
to the ship for recovery. It looks as if this A4 has engaged the target wire (the 3 wire) on centerline. The there four arresting wires on modern aircraft carriers. The Intrepid had five. If you look over the canopy of the landing A4, you can barely see the LSO platform. If you look over the LSO platform and a little to the left, you can see the wake of the Plane Guard destroyer which is positioned to come to the aide of an aircrew incase of a crash during flight operations or a man overboard during regular steaming. |
At the beginning, Dixie Station was about 75 miles off the coast of South Vietnam southeast of Saigon. Initially, most of our missions were in the Mekong Delta south of Saigon in support of US Army and South Vietnamese ground forces (ARVN) in the IV Corps area. We were assigned missions that were part of a general plan "frag" coordinated primarily by US Staff officers in Saigon. Toward the end of the line period, we began moving north flying some missions in the III Corps north of Saigon. |
The National Defense Service Medal | The Pistol Qualification Ribbon Expert | The Rifle Qualification Ribbon Expert |
VA-15 A4Bs enroute
to the target
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Saving a Village
under VC Attack:
One of my most memorable missions of the first line period was when Possum flight was tasked to meet a FAC across the Mekong Delta almost to the Gulf of Thailand (AKA Gulf of Siam) southwest of Can Tho. When we got there. the FAC was talking with someone on the ground inside a small hamlet. The hamlet was under attack by the VC from karst hills outside of the village. The villagers were running from the nearby rice paddies and farms to get inside of the gate of the hamlet. When the villagers were inside, the gate was locked and we were free to assume that anyone outside the gate were bad guys. We had the perfect weapons configuration for the mission, TERs with a combination of 500# Mk82 bombs and LAU 10 5" rockets (8 rockets and three bombs per aircraft). The VC were firing mortar rounds from the hills into the village. It was easy for the FAC to mark the mortar positions for us to bomb the positions one bomb at a time and follow up with very accurate 5" rockets. We were able to engage and destroy numerous mortar positions and strafe any VC running from our attacks. It was a very rewarding mission in that we knew that our flight saved the village from being overrun by the VC. |
Another memorable mission of the first line period was when Possum flight was tasked to meet a FAC south of Saigon somewhere near My Tho. |
The Air
Medal can be awarded for exceptional
performance during a single flight or
for meritorious achievement in aerial
flight. If it awarded for a
combat mission or missions, it is worn
with a "V". During the Vietnam era, in addition to single flight awards, "Strike Flight Air Medals" were awarded based on points accumulated during combat related missions. Aircrew received one point for a combat support mission and two points for a combat mission "over the beach". A Strike Flight Air Medal was awarded for each twenty points achieved. |
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The Air
Medal with Combat V ribbon |
I logged my 100th
trap (landing) on Intrepid on
June12th. It is traditional to have a ceremonial cake for each 100 traps. This cake was probably presented in the ready room during the transit from the first line period to Yokosuka. Left to right: P.C. Craig, me, Bob Hamel, John Newman, LCDR Possum Terrell, Lee Cole Bottom Row: Dave Parsons, Dave Thornhill |
Our first "End of the Line Party" held in our ready room was limited to champagne toasts appropriate for squadrons of Air Wing Ten, The "Champagne" air wing. |
Yokosuka is on the Japanese island of Honshu and is close to Tokyo and Mount Fugi |
Mount Fugi
(Connie Detrick climbed to the top of Mt. Fuji on July 15th) |
The Japanese workers completed the job in one week; incredible. |
Admiral (ADM) Roy Johnson, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CICPACFLT) came to town from Hawaii, and Vice Admiral (VADM) John Hyland, Commander of the Seventh Fleet (COMSEVENTHFLT) (homeported in Ypkosuka) with Captain Macri onboard Intrepid in Yokosuka on June 25th. They most likely discussed the progress of the flight deck repairs as well as Dixie Station operations. |
Cag Hayward was relieved by Cdr Burrows on June 23rd in Yokosuka. |
One of the first
places nearly everyone visited was
the Navy Exchange where we
purchased reelto reel tape
players, turn tables, speakers,
Seiko watches and cameras.
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The Officer's Club
was also popular of course.
CAG Hayward hosted a champagne reception here after he was relieved by Commander Burrows as the new CAG 10. So, Dave Thornhill, VA-15's dsignated CAG wingman had a new leader for the next line period. |
Johnny Grant's
Operation Starlift
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SECNAV
with
Capt. Macri on the bridge
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SECNAV
having
dinner in the CPO Mess
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Ding
Ding Ding Ding; Intrepid
Departing
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Louis and the Seven Days (night on the flight deck) |
The Four of Us
(on the crew's mess decks) |
Stateside Capers
(at night on the flight deck) |
Wild Affair (at night on the flight deck) |
At
the beginning of the line period, we
resumed missions in the Mekong Delta
and in III Corps. Our mission load was normally six MK 81 250# bombs or four MK 82 500# bombs or a mixture of Mk 81s and 82s. But, we did carry four Lau 3 pods (4 runs with 19 rockets each run), and MK 77 napalm on some missions. I carried 2 MK 83 (1000# bombs) on four missions. I also carried six Mk 81 snakeyes on one mission. Snakeye bombs are designed for low altitude low angle delivery most likely in a close air support situation. We mostly flew Direct Air Support missions to the northwest of Saigon in an area called "Zone D". This area used to be Michelin Rubber Company property and was a prime area for VC base camps. It was likely that we had more Close Air Support missions in the eastern part of III Corps from Long Bin toward the coast as that was here the US Army was primarily operating. Vong Tau is where the US Army had their famous R&R beach facility complete with surfing. |
This map shows the infiltration supply routes into South Vietnam from North Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail (in red) and from Cambodia (in Green). Notice the concentration of these infiltration routes from just north of the DMZ and into I Corps west of Da Nang and in to II Corps north and west of Pleiku. As North Vietnam was increasing it's troop strength in South Vietnam and logistics support along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, President Johnson decided to prosecute the war in Vietnam more aggressively which resulted in increases in US troops. As US Army and Marine Corps troops were increased in the northern portion of South Vietnam. |
As the North Vietnamese Army (NVN) threat increased, Dixie Station moved north. We flew missions in I Corps in support of US Army and Marines who were in contact with North Vietnamese forces. (around Da Nang, Hue, and Quang Tri). These were exciting missions. Each mission resulted in a feeling that we were making a difference, saving US Army and Marine Corps lives in battles with the North Vietnamese. We also flew some missions in II Corps in support of the US Army especially in the northern area around Pleiku. The Air Force and Army flew most of the missions in the southern portion of II Corps. However, these missions brought with them higher threat from the NVN ground forces. The had infrared surface to air missiles and improved tactics. Logistics aircraft flying into Da Nang had to use steep approach paths to limit their exposure to these weapons. They had more heavy machine guns that they could direct at aircraft attacking their positions. And, they were not only better at setting up ground ambushes than the VC, but they also set up ambushes for aircraft. Helos approaching the position of downed pilots were shot down while attempting rescues. |
Snakeyes
are any MK 80
series bombs
(81s, 82, or
83s) that have
tail fins that
open up on
release. They
are an
excellent
weapon for
Close Air
Support as
pictured here |
SAM
site under construction
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Yankee Station normally consisted of three aircraft carriers, a cruiser which was the air defense control ship (PIRAZ) for the Tonkin Gulf and various other destroyers and frigates (AKA "small boys"). |
Combat chart of North
Vietnam showing the no fly zones
including the no fly circles
around Hanoi and Haiphong. |
This map shows the Rolling
Thunder Route Packages assigned
to the Navy and Air Force during
Operation Rolling Thunder. The Air Force was responsible for bombing operations in Route Package 1 in the southern portion of North Vietnam and Route Packages 5 (west of Hanoi) and Route Package 6A north of Hanoi to the Chinese border. The Air Force flew F- 105 and F-4D aircraft from Thailand for these missions. The Navy was responsible for Route Packages 2,3, 4, 5, and 6B. The aircraft carriers from Yankee Station flew these missions. Hanoi missions were flown by both Air Force and Navy aircraft in large coordinated strikes. |
We were only on Yankee
Station for a few days in
August. |
The CO and XO lived in single
staterooms. LCDRs usually lived
in a two man stateroom. Lts and
the more senior LTjgs usually
lived in a four man stateroom.
The more junior JOs lived
in the JO Bunkroom (8 officers).
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The day started early as the first launch was about daylight. If you were on the flight schedule and were in flight gear, you ate in the "dirty shirt" informal mess on the 03 level. If you were able to be in you khakis and lived on the 2nd deck like I did and you ate in the Officers Mess on the 2nd Deck. (This picture is actually a
Royal Navy Officers Mess)
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Typical Ready Room
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Maintenance Division
Officer workspace
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Bob Hamel SDO
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CATCC
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PriFly
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Air Boss in PriFly
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Blue Shoes
nomination skit
LT. Dave North, Dave Parsons, Dixie Culler, Dave Thornhill, LCDR Bill Butler (Bolter) |
Shep
Shephard-VALion shipmate
Maintenance Control Officer- None Finer |
During preflight of an aircraft one day, Jerry Tuttle cut his head on a TER rack. He asked Doc MacMillan to stitch him up on the spot so that he could go on the flight. A few weeks later, Doc let us JOs remove the stitches one at a time in the ready room prior to the movie. I got the honors for one of the stitches (Note the pipe) |
Left to
right: Bob Cole, Gene
Atkinson, Possum, me
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We normally had a movie starting about 1930 (7:30pm) This picture was apparently taken just before the movie was about to start. (Note movie screen down) |
Me with my friend and
fellow Possum flight member,
Dave Parsons
Note the tan flight suits and shiny brown flight boots. |
Me with Pete Schoeffel
Note the nomex flight suit. |
Sasebo is one of the pink
dots on the far left (west) on
the Island of Kyushu. Nagasaki
is south of Sasbo. Imari (not
identified) is northeast, and
Beppu is to the east.
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The Island of Kyushu is
very hilly with lots of islands.
The center of the island
consists of active volcanoes
with numerous hot springs
such as at the resort area of
Beppu.
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The Officer's Club at
Sasebo has especially good food.
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The Navy Exchange (NEX)
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Porcelain china bridge at
Imari
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Imari Gold hand painted
dinner plate
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Imari Gold Vase
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The beaches
were crowded near
Sasebo in August |
Most
fishing was accomplished
using large nets |
There are lots of hot
springs at Bepppu
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Go local and try at hot
lava sand soak at Beppu
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Ground Zero at Nagasaki (From Google) |
Nagasaki today
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This is my photo of "ground
zero" at Nagasaki taken on our
trip. |
Hong Kong in 1966 was
under British Control.
The UK controlled Victoria
Island and Kowloon on the
mainland of China. Where
the map is labelled Hong Kong
south of the Chinese border
was known then as the New
Territories.
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This picture is from the 1966 Intrepid cruise book. Intrepid is anchored between Victoria Island and Kowloon. |
It was kind of hazy from
Victoria Peak |
Intrepid from the Star
Ferry heading toward Kowloon |
USS Intrepid inport Hong Kong (note the 11 on the island). This picture was taken from Kowloon toward Victoria Island. Intrepid's liberty boats went from the ship to fleet landing on Victoria Island. |
Victoria island was more modern than Kowloon and had nice restaurants and hotels. If you wanted to go to Kowloon, you had to take the famous Hong Kong ferry from Victoria to Kowloon. |
Kowloon had
great Chinese restaurants
and lots of entertainment.
It was also known for its
famous tailors.
Most of us had
suits and monogrammed shirts
made there. |
This one of Kowloon's
famous fishing villages. Not
only did they dry the fish on
the flat areas shown above but
also strung from the rigging
of the boats.
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This one of of Hong
Kong's famous red sailed
junks.
Note the Hong Kong ferry in the background |
Young boys would come out
to the ship to dive for
whatever sailors would through
in the water from the ship.
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We flew most of our combat
missions during our Third Line
Period in Route package 2 (from
Ha Tinh to north of Vinh)
and in Route Packages 3 and
4 (from south of Thanh Hoa
to north of Nam Dinh) reasonably
close to the coast. |
Airwing
Sixteen consisted of the following
aircraft: Two A4E squadrons: VA-163 and
VA-164 (VA- 164 A4E pictured here)
One A3B Heavy Attack squadron: VAH-4 One Spad squadron: VA-152 Two Crusader fighter squadrons: VF-111 (F8Cs) and F-162 (F8Es) Note: F8C were fighters only, F8E had a bombing capability |
Peter Fay's well
researched book "Bloody Sixteeen"
details the performance of USS
Oriskany and CAG 16 team during three
Vietnam deployments; 1965, 1966, and
1967. I will compare some aspects of the CAG 16 experience during the summer of 1966 with ours onboard Intrepid. CAG 16 had more combat experienced pilots than we had. They came to Yankee Station in 1966 after a few weeks of warmup in South Vietnam. We were new to the game. But, we had two line periods on Dixie Station to develop our bombing and flight integrity skills. |
The Thanh Hoa bridge was the "hottest" target in Route Package 4 but it was close enough to the coast that we were considered capable of handling it. |
Douglas
Buddy Store on
centerline of
an A4 Skyhawk |
Our USO show consisted of a group of Miss America contestants who performed on the flight deck and on the enlisted mess decks |
MK 4 gun pod |
My first Navy
Commendation
Medal with
Combat "V" |
The Navy Achievement Medal (NAM) was intended to recognize the contributions of junior officers and enlisted personnel who were not eligible to receive higher awards. If it was awarded for a combat mission, it is worn with a "V". Additional NAMs are indicated by gold or silver stars to the ribbon. One gold star for each additional NAM. A silver star indicates five NAMs. |
The Navy Commendation Medal (NCM) is a mid-level decoration which is presented for sustained acts of bravery or meritorious service. If it awarded for a combat mission, it is worn with a "V". Additional NCMs are indicated by adding gold or silver stars to the ribbon. Each gold star indicates one additional NCM. A silver star indicate five NCMs. A mid-level medal medal means that it is intended for combat missions primarily for section leaders and wingmen. While the division leaders (LCDRs) are usually put in for DFCs or individual air medals for particularly exciting missions, the best the wingman could expect was an NCM. |
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NAM with Combat "V"
ribbon |
NCM with Combat "V"
ribbon |
"As in any
profession, not all air
wings were equal in the task
of air combat-putting bombs
on target, and survival-and
the differences more often
that not could be traced to
leadership" Jeffrey L. Levinson, "Alpha Strike Vietnam, The Navy's Air War 1964 to 1973, page 58. |
On page 53, Cdr Leue He describes his most significant mission where his section discovered two miles of trucks with their lights on probably on Route One between Thanh Hoa and Ninh Binh. Cdr Leue managed to get some trucks burning using guns. His wingman, Riley Harrell "jumped in there and got some good hits". Cdr Bud Ingley, CO of VA-155 and his wingman came over to "join the party" from the vicinity of Thanh Hoa where they had unintentionally stirred op a AAA hornet's nest by getting too close the "The Bridge". After the four aircraft were through, the area was IFR (instrument conditions) due to the smoke from the burning trucks. They called in the next cycle of aircraft to finish them off. Note: they didn't need flares to find the burning trucks! |
D.D.Smith
describes his experience with
night reconnaissance under
flares as a member of VA-72
onboard the USS Independence
in his book, "Above Average,
Naval Aviation the Hard Way".
His book is an excellent read
for anyone interested in
getting an excellent
perspective from an
experienced test pilot
adapting to the challenges of
combat operations in the high
threat environment in North
Vietnam. You can get a glimpse of his thoughts about attacking trucks at night with flares on pages 69 through 71 in Jeffrey Levinson's book, "Alpha Strike Vietnam"! |
Back for More Cubi
Specials at the Cubi O'Club
|
Back for More Fun in Olonmgapo |
This is a great color shot
of the bridge from the Olongopo
gate over to the Marmont Hotel
and restaurant with the ever
present boats with divers under
the bridge. Note the sailors returning from liberty helping a shipmate to the gate in the daytime! |
One thing we did more of
the second time around was
play golf on the beautiful
jungle course at Subic Bay. We
were required to each have a
local caddy who would go
locate our golf ball after our
drive (probably improving our
lie in the process) and
occasionally actually go into
the jungle rough to find a
ball (sometimes ours)
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This line period would be
the most chalenging yet !
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Howeve
a conical scan Firecan portable
AAA radar.
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This
is a portable AAA gun (probably
about 85mm)
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This
is a portable S Band raster scan
Fansong SA-2 radar
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This
is a SA-2 Guideline Surface to
Air Missile (SAM)
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We still flew most of our
combat missions from Intrepid
from Vinh in Route package 2 and
in Route Packages 3 and 4
(from south of Thanh Hoa to
north of Nam Dinh) reasonably
close to the coast. We did
continue to participate in major
strikes against the Thanh Hoa
bridge and other important
targets in Route Pack 4.
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CVIC- MIssion
Planning
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Target
Intelligence and Bomb Damage
Assessment
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Our typical
Alpha Strike weapons load in
1966 was no centerline fuel
tank with a centerline MER
(Multiple Ejection Rack)
that held 6 MK 82s with 2 Mk
82s on a TER (Tripple
Ejection Rack) on each wing
station. (5000 lbs of bombs
for each aircraft) That was the mission load that was used on the Phy Ly mission. The only problem with this bomb load was that after dropping the bombs, the pilot was airspeed limited by the bomb racks. On the next cruise in 1967, we would carry a Mk 84 (2000# bomb) on the centerline and one Mk83 (1000# bomb) on each wing station for a total of 4000#s of bombs with no bomb racks! We were much faster and more maneuverable off the target |
Phu Ly was located located northwest of Nam Dinh and south of Hanoi. Phu Ly was well within range of the MIG bases and was well defended by SAMs and AAA. Coral Sea F4 Phantom fighter aircraft provided BARCAP/MIGCAP support controlled by the PIRAZ ship or airborne E2 AEW aircraft. They took their stations separately from the strike group. The strike group aircraft from Intrepid, Coral Sea, and Oriskany coasted in near the mouth of the Red River and proceeded to the target via separate routes. Oriskany F8C Crusaders provided TARCAP/StrikeCAP for the strike group. |
Most of my information on the strike composition, target assignments, BDA, and Cdr Bellinger's MIG 21 kill is from Peter Fey's "Bloody Sixteen", pages 158 and 159 |
The DFC can be awarded for peacetime or combat related situations. If it awarded for a combat mission, it is worn with a "V". We had three DFCs awarded during the first cruise. Jerry Tuttle and Pete Schoeffel as bomber division leaders and Posssum Terrrell for leading the flak suppressors during the very successful strike on the Phu Ly Railroad yard on October 9th, 1966. However the second cruise provided lots of "opportunities to excel". As a result, all the "heavies" received at least one DFC for leading major strikes. |
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Most of the JOs received DFCs on the second cruise. There were opportunities that required the wingman to "take the lead" on a major strike or as a section leader, particularly with the Iron Hand mission. |
LCDR Jerry Tuttle receiving his DFC from Captain John Fair, CO USS Intrepid on October 19th, 1966 |
Captain John Fair, CO USS Intrepid, (Awarded the Navy Cross as an ACE with 5 kills in the Pacific in WW2) congratulates Ltjg Jim Wiley (one MIG damaged), LT Tom Patton (one MIG confirmed) (left to right) |
CDR Ray Ashworth , CO
VA-176 (left) congratulates
(left to right) LT Peter
Russell, (one MIG probable),
LCDR Cook (flight leader and
LT Tom Patton (one MIG
confirmed)
Note: Pete Russell was killed flying an OV-10 in a subsequent deployment as a member of VAL-4 in the Mekong Delta) |
Lt Tom Patton
(left) decribing how he shot
down his MIG to Ltjg Pete
Russell
|
If you want to hear a 24 minute tape of each pilot describing the action in this incredible flight Google VA-176 Mig Killers |
But, it was not uncommon for SPAD pilots top take hits when flying over North Vietnam. The plane's relatively slow speed made it easier for the 37/57mm AAA gunners to get hits. We lost one VA-165 Spad to ground fire in Route Package Three. Fortunately, the piloit, Ltjg Terry Dwyer was able to get out of the aircraft over Tonkin Gulf and was rescued uninjuired. |
The AGM 12 Bullpup
missile came in two sizes; the
AGM 2A (little Bullpup) which
had a 250lb warhead and the
AGM 12B (big Bullpup) which
had a1000 lb warhead. The pilot launched the missile which was wire guided. The the pilot provided "line of sight" guidance using the trip button. Unfortunantely, the pilot had to stay in the run controlling the Bullpup to impact. The 250# Bullpup with it's small warhead was hardly worth the effort. The Big Bullpup's 1000# warhead was much better but the pilot was still in "harms way" during the run. However, it was a good Flak suppression weapon when used with a VT proximity fuse. |
VA-15 A4B firing a Bullpup missile |
With our first Vietnam
deployment complete. it was time
for the Intrepid to head east
toward Subic Bay to get ready
for her transit back to the
states. Notice the plane guard
dstroyer still in position.
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The Intrepid could have left Yankee Station and transited back to the states without coming into port at Subic Bay/Cubi Point. The ship could have refueled and taken on supplies at sea and then headed back. But that wasn't policy at the time. The air wing flew off from the Tonkin Gulf to Cubi Point and the ship followed coming inport a couple of days later. |
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The aircraft were then craned aboard for the transit back to the states. The ship probably refueled and loaded needed supplies on board before departing for the trip back. |
Meritorious
Unit
Commendation
|
VA-15
was awarded a Meritorious Unit
Commendation (MUC) for the 1966
Vietnam cruise. The MUC is equivalent to the Bronze Star Medal. |
Vietnam
Service Medal
|
The
Vietnam Service Medal is awarded
to units that served in the
Vietnam area of operations. The bronze star indicates service in one campaign. |
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry
|
The
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry was
awarded by the Republic of Vietnam
and was ntended to be awarded to
army units. It can be worn
with a palm, gold star, silver
star or bracket. My DD 214
says that I am authorized to wear
it with a silver star. Vietnam also awarded a Air Cross of Gallantry and a Navy Cross of Gallantry. For some reason, we were awarded a version intended for army units. Go figure! |
Republic of Vietnam Service
Ribbon
|
The Republic of Vietnam Service Ribbon was awarded to units operating in the Vietnam operating area during the period 1960-1973. The new version has an end date of 73. |
Top Row:
10 Strike Flight Air Medals, one NCM
(some JOs might have an NAM or NCM or both) Second Row: Meritorious Unit Citation (MUC), Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Third Row: Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, Republic of Vietnam Service Ribbon, US Navy Expert Pistol Qualification Medal |
Intrepid must have hauled
butt to get through the Straits
of Malacca and transit close to
the west of Sumatra to get to
the Equator on October
26th. I assume that they
transited around Capetown, South
Africa and then to Mayport.
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The polywogs must be
organized by the shellbacks
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polywogs must be
cleansed
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polywogs must be properly
instructed
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Finally, polywogs get the
pleasure if kissing the "royal
baby" before King Neptune's
court
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