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I arrived in Saigon early one morning in March, 1966. In the following weeks I found that I had been thrown in with a group of veterans, some of whom had already been in Vietnam two years. These "old southeast asia hands" took pride in their battered uniforms and the rust-like dust which seemed to permeate their very being. From them, and from the official logs and records I was able to read, there emerged a remarkable story of the Air Force's attempt to bring to fruition an old dream of providing truly effective close air support for ground combatants. The history I have included on these pages ends with my arrival in Vietnam. I quickly transferred "up country" to Pleiku and my focus narrowed to the job at hand in II Corps. I have backed up the memories of what I learned thirty years ago with information from various contemporary sources, I believe what I have here is correct. I hope that the future will find a more complete account of the era in these pages but for now, this is the best I can do. The object is to provide an overview of the units and remembrances of individuals involved. This account concentrates at present on II Corps because that is where I served, and where most of the Vietnam veterans I know also served. Perhaps the future will turn up those with a perspective on the operation of Project Pack-Rat in the other Corps areas.
In October of 1965 the Viet Cong and their PAVN allies challenged the American military at the Special Forces camp at Plei Me in the central highlands of South Vietnam. 21 TASS FACs from Pleiku, Kontum, Quinhon, and Ban Me Thuot directed over 600 air strikes and "were instrumental in keeping both the camp and relief force from being overrun." This 10 day long battle marked a watershed in the US intervention. The officer who wrote an account of the battle for the 21 TASS history averred that it "was the turning point in the Vietnam war." The men in the field knew better, that we were in for a fight from then on.
Thirty years and more have passed since these men fought their desperate battles, since "Baron Von Lang" flew his O-1 into history, since the battle at Plei Me, since Major Bernard Fisher performed his valiant deed at As Shau, since the FACS at Tuy Hoa fought to preserve the rice harvest for the villagers who had labored to grow it, since the FAC at Gia Nghia flew 16 hours in one day to defend an ARVN camp. The ranks are beginning to thin now as old comrades drop away. The silver emulsion of negatives and slides is as impermanent as are the memories of men approaching their sixtys. These pages are a record of the individual experiences of men who were there. Here you will find little blood and gore, as men in battle have little time to concern for their cameras. These are the memoirs of the day to day experiences of Americans who answered the call and served their country well.
If there are any errors or inaccuracies in these pages I take full responsibility for them. The blame is mine alone. Anyone who views these pages and finds such errors please contact me so that they can be corrected. Any reader who has information which will further illuminate the scenes illustrated, please contact me so that your comments can be included.
Phil Dunton October 1999
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