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MEMORABLE STORIES AND OTHER TID-BITS FROM GREAT EXPERIMENT INTO SAVING INDO CHINA FROM THE GREAT RED HORDE - Bob Heckman

I was finishing AFIT in the Spring of 1970 when I was contacted by MPC as to my assignment to SEA. I had some choice in the matter and I picked the TASS option as I was told I would probably have a staff job of some sort. When I became aware that it was some aspect of the FAC business, I tried to get a better feel of what Navigators did in what was primarily a pilot operation. I was told that in some units that many of the pilots were right out of pilot training and they wanted some "old heads" to fly with them. That was it--the whole justification.

The Exec part of the tour is another story. I really wanted to JUST fly the line after I begin the Nav role in 20th, but it was non---negotiable. Hyrum Keeler was the squadron commander and as I would take over as the exec about the time the trail dried out, I asked Keeler that if I could handle the exec duties OK, would he let me fly one or two regular missions a week ? He was pretty straight forward about it. If I met crew rest requirements, keep my job requirements current he would let me try it. Off we went. It was a full schedule though. To make it work you almost had to do the first go, to get you back around 1AM, debrief have a beer or two crash and then start the office duty around 7AM. There were many times I almost said to hell with it, but I also knew it would be my last active flying tour of any kind and I wanted to do a professional job and also as many staff types just flew up and down the south china sea coast for their flying time, I did not want to be pegged with the unpleasant terms that described their type of flying. I did not get the standard 180 or so missions that most of the full time line flyers got, but I did get 126 missions. I also completed 105 over and backs to receive my Over and Back 100 times patch. I still have it and am as proud of it today as the day I received it. I felt I did a pretty good job of flying the line, when in fact I was really designated a staff puke.

I had so many things happen and those that are significant enough to mention I will hi- light---they don't need a lot of elaborate discussion. I do think they might help folks remember what happened to them. When you review my comments and see anything you might like elaborated on, let me know and I will be more than glad to do so. --and if you think it does not contribute to anything, just use the old circular floor file.

(E) We had an eager young Lt at one of the FOLs and he was tasked to bring a O-2 back to Danang for repair --- on the way back he experienced engine problems and had to shut down one engine. Should be no big deal except the pins had not been removed and he could not dump the racks and maintain altitude. Ops notified the commander and he grabbed me as he ran out the door to drive him to south end of the runway. We are screaming down the access road when we catch sight of the airplane. Just then it goes nose down and crashes short of the runway. The attendant smoke shows up next. I would have expected some sort of concern for the pilot from the C/O. Nope--all he said was: "Oh shit there goes my command". He was correct. He was replaced three weeks later. The pilot was injured, but lived.

(E) Writing letters to notify families and loved ones of the death of their family member was just tough. (yes, I know it would be worse if you were the one that died). There was a requirement to have them written and sent from the squadron with in 24 or 48 hours from notification.--I don't remember which, but it was very short notice. They had to be absolutely perfect (this was a career ender if you screwed one up). The exec usually wrote them, and the commander signed them. The hardest part was to do the creative writing if the departed member had done something truly stupid to cause his demise. What is stupid you ask? Well, doing a slow roll on departure from a FOL and catching the concertina wire is stupid, when both the incoming and outgoing ALO's are on board the airplane. If someone was shot down or died while on duty, then the letters were straightforward. I know we did several letters in my time as the exec.

(B) The army mortuary sat at the north end of the runway at Danang. After we moved the TASS to the West side of the base (and before we moved to the West side) we would drive by the mortuary every morning. We were always told that the incoming (empty) coffins were on the east side of the mortuary and the out going coffins were on the the west. I don't know if that was accurate, but you could always tell the severity of the war based on the number of outgoing coffins.

(N) As you were being checked out most of the pilots very correctly assumed that if something happened to the airplane and they were injured it would behoove the navigators to have enough flight knowledge to "bring 'em home". Truncated pilot training may not have been in the instruction books ,but most of us got a very good dose of level flight procedures, approach, and landings to get us home OK. The usual "gottcha" was to hand you the airplane with "full" everything. On one mission over a very solid cloud deck the pilot looked at me and said: "God, you gottit, I've got vertigo". He took back control of the airplane just before landing in Danang.

(E) When the "newbies" showed up the exec briefed them in and gave them a tour of the base on a base bus. Pretty boring stuff! When we went by the nurses quarters, I would always say this was the nurses quarters and we order our nurses by the ton. I would wait the appropriate pause and the say, "and we get four". --never failed to get a laugh. I formally apologize from my insensitivity.

(E) About three weeks after we moved into the offices on the West side of the runway a Claymore was set about 15 feet from the office. A large piece of shrapnel came through the wall and cleared the top of the execs office chair by about two inches and was imbedded in the wall. Makes you think.

(B) Some of the first rate highlites involved "other" activities. One night the pilot (happened to be Gary Beard) and I had a really first rate mission with lots of air and several very visable trucks burning after the attacks. Turned out one of the delivering aircraft was piloted by the Commander of the Gunfighters. We we got back he called offered nice comments and offered us both an F-4 ride. The ride from my point of view was one of the highlights of my career. My only fighter ride, and happened to be a real mission with refueling and actually strikes. A real Cadillac after our model T's.

(B) I don't remember who got use invited to Ubon to join a Spectre mission, but we went. This was another first rate experience that I won't forget. The first time the 105 fired it felt like the entire back end of the aircraft swayed. I think we flew the mission go that two weeks later the aircraft was lost. The fire might have been called sparkle from a distance, but it was damned impressive being on the airplane watching it being delivered.

(B) We also were invited to visit the Navy as part of one of the SEA flight exchange programs. We went to the Bon Homme Richard on its last cruise. I remember we called the ship prior to the mission and asked what we could bring out as a thank you. The answer: "Bring Beer". ---and I thought the Navy was dry. It was a very enlightening three days. It involved landing on the carrier in a COD aircraft, visiting the Capt. on the bridge during an ON REP, (had to be broken off because of rough seas), and eating in the fat mens' mess with real silver and linen--and this was a war zone!! The highest priority was given to the Reccee missions.

(E) One of the almost impossible things to accomplish in the TASS was the every three month "unit history". It was the original plus five onion skins. It was a pain to put together, check the facts and get people to help you with it. Mid-night requisitioning of people to help was not out of the question. We were working on one report when we discovered in the accomplishments of one of the southern FOL's that they had taken credit for killing two elephants. Even then elephant killing that was a political NO/NO.

They wanted credit because they were very proud of the fact they actually killed the beasts. We wisely did not ask for all of the details,--but we resolved the issue by putting in the history: DESTROYED:

TWO MOBILE MOVERS--Nobody ever asked what that meant. Thank goodness.

There are a lot of other things that could be covered, but what I wrote is what sticks in my mind after 30 years. On last comment. I think it was on the FACNET that I read a very emotional recount by one of the FACS about the problems he had in trying to visit the Viet Nam Memorial, Punch Bowl and other Memorials. I sure do relate to that. Of all the things that happened or I sense was changed in me by the experience is the almost inability stop from crying and almost weeping at patriotic events, the National Anthem and similar gatherings. Wish I could explain it, but I can't.