Some were on base or made it there before the fire got too heavy and some of the gunships took off to patrol the base perimeters. Jack Freeman remembers Tet Offensive at Bien Hoa Air Force Base in 1968 by Don Moore Airman Jack Freeman of Port Charlotte, Fla. is pictured with his Jeep along the runway at Bien Hoa Air Force base north of Saigon in 1969 where he worked as weapons specialist. At the same time, the decision was made to close out the 604th ACS while retaining the 8th Attack Squadron designation because of the significance of its being one of the squadrons with the longest record of continuous service dating back to World War I. The most severely wounded were evacuated to Clark AB. My last round must have hit the ammo in that position and exploded. following: 24 KIA, 73 WIA, VC losses at 423 KIA and 34 POWs. In 1969, the supervisor of the radar crews at Bien Hoa was Maj. Hal Knight. The now-retired Abrams feels that these helping efforts which military members often make during wartime should be remembered. in one of these firefights. The Air Force Inspector General, Lt. General William K. Martin, convened an investigation board headed by Major General Gilbert L. Meyers. 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Christmas at Bien Hoa, and day-to-day activities of pilots, security police, mechanics, ordnance crews, controllers, and various personnel. as the Army had everything outside the perimeter under control. The battle took place in Bin Ha AB, Republic of Vietnam, during the North Vietnam TET offensive, Location: Saigon Vietnam Bien Hoa Air Base. It was situated between Bien Hoa, the location of a large American airbase, and Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. There were bombs stored underneath the wings of the B-57s. That same day, the B-57s' first real mission was against communist forces in Phc Tuy Province, 40 miles southeast of Saigon. We worked about 10 to 12 hours a day to get the vehicles and ammo ready for our flights coming on and getting off the next morning. The Viet Cong had set up six 81mm mortars less than a quarter of a mile from the northern perimeter of the base and fired 83 rounds before withdrawing without loss to themselves. Fortunately 7th AF placed the Martin, Patrick (1994). Those cookies cannot be used to directly identify a certain visitor. Within days of arrival, the T-28s and pilots were ready for orientation flights. 1995-2023, Vietnam Security Police Association, Inc. (USAF). Territory captured or defended and casualty losses verses enemy losses are probably the two most frequent measures of success in battle. Agent Orange was a defoliant sprayed by US forces to destroy jungles and uncover the. It is the heritage of the air commandos. Then the 8th SOS was attached to the 377th Air Base Group (later 377th Air Base Wing) at Tan Son Nhut AB on 15 January 1972. Officer and soldiers examine barbed wire torn apart by Vietcong who infiltrated Long Binh ammunition dump. A K-9 unit told us that Capt. When the testing period drew to a close, the A-37B Dragonflies had logged more than 4,000 sorties without a single combat loss. Despite the combat actions taking place around them, it wasnt always flying fighter missions for Abrams and his squadron, 531st Tactical Fighter Squadron, which supported a school, an orphanage and a leper colony. The squadron was transferred to Osan AB, South Korea, on 15 January 1972. It was part of a coordinated effortinvolving. when the Squadron had conducted night ambushes or perimeter sweeps Sometimes stuff happens and we have no controls on what can be done about it. We had no armored vehicles, only jeeps, pickup trucks Copyright 28/06/2023 Alamy Ltd. All rights reserved. After midnight the PAVN/VC shelled Bien Hoa Air Base for 3 hours and then shelled it again at dawn wounding 11 USAF personnel and damaging 13 aircraft, . However the unit that was to attack the main gate never appeared and helicopters got airborne and attacked many Viet Cong in the open fields approaching the AF areas. the battle won by the 3rd SPS during TET, 1968, US Army [1], According to the initial plan, 20 B-57Bs of the 8th and 13th Bombardment Squadron were to be stationed at Bien Hoa Air Base. Reginald Maisey) were working on making the 3rd SPS prepared for any type of attack against the base by VC/NVA forces. had to be approved by MAJ Lynn the squadron CC who took over on 1 Everyone got their chance to fire and deploy as a team. My Account | Maisey the flares we went back and drove the vehicle up to Bunker Hill-10 for safety reasons. to the attack, higher authorities were notified that the majority of I took my team and drove up to the MP checkpoint from the west side. The 3rd TFW's vice commander, Col Wiltz P Segura, got himself checked out in theater in the F-5A(later F-5C) when they did go up north gunning for MIGs as he had four confirmed air to air victories during World War II and he was hoping to get one more so he could be an ace. Contributed Photos - A-37 Association, Inc The rounds put a big hole in the fence area so that troops may have been pushed through that hole on a ground attack. The beginning of the 1968 Tet offensive was signaled by the air base receiving small arms and mortar fire. U.S. Air Force Sgt. The Communists were starting to carry out a plan that they had studied for a considerable period of time. The unit was inactivated at Bien Hoa on 30 July 1971, being transferred administratively to Phan Rang Air Base where it was unmanned. The The combined VC/NVA 2nd LT--1 I am aware that due to the bravery, Five 50,000 gallon bladders of JP-4 jet fuel went up in smoke. They were set for 24, 36, 48, 72 and 144-hour delay. Large numbers of flares shot high into the air and burst into brilliant light, illuminating the landscape before slowly descending to earth. Detachment 2A would be the B-26 Invader unit; Detachment 2B would be the T-28 Trojan unit. Still flying its A-37s, the 8th Special Operations Squadron was attached to the 315th TAW, but physically remained at Bien Hoa AB. As a result, flight operations for Abrams squadron were curtailed most of the day. TET 1968: Bien Hoa Air Base map, captured from VC/NVA prisoners. [3], Further Viet Cong mortar attacks led General William Westmoreland on February 19, 1965 to release B-57Bs for combat operations. An operating location of the 377th Air Base Wing was established at Bien Hoa Air Base on 14 April 1972 to provide turnaround service for F-4s of other organizations. Prior On 14 April 1961 Tactical Air Command activated the 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron (CCTS) at Hurlburt Field, Florida in the panhandle of Florida. Buildings destroyed by Vietcong attack shows barracks and other buildings wrecked by mortar attacks at Bien Hoa Air Force Base, Vietnam. Denying consent may make related features unavailable.Use the "Accept" button to consent to the use of such technologies. The airmen began to prepare for the reorganization. After the rocket attack, I checked with the three SP Augmentees I had and then started towards the main part of the base, when I heard CSC calling Defense-6 (eastside resupply team). The unit would administratively and operationally belong to the Air Force section of the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) Vietnam. Bien hoa hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy The VC had an isolated South Vietnam Army unit pinned down. My bomb, which was the last one dropped, scored a direct hit on a storage building and caused numerous secondary explosions.. Army Dragonfly #345 (Background Aircraft) lost with Pilot 1st Lt. Michael Blassie May 11, 1972, South Vietnam. or 12 wounded as the most critical were evacuated off base immediately The unit had a designated strength of 124 officers and 228 enlisted men. TET was not the squadron's first not know the total number of decorations awarded as I rotated prior As soon as some order was restored, the rest of the pilots were lifted from Honour-Smith Compound to the airbase by helicopter. Many of its army officers used helicopters to pick up their families and flee to the south with them. Fighting continued until Fox's information on the VC only includes those During the Vietnam War, Bien Hoa was a major United States Air Force base. They thought they were the best and PDF The Battle of Bin Ha BUNKER HILL-10 MAPS - Vietnam Security Police Maisey]), received a direct hit by a shoulder-fired rocket The start of the Hard Days Night began at 0300 hours, 31 January 1968. From Bien Hoa it went back to England AFB in mid July before being permanently assigned to Tan Son Nhut AB SVN in December 1965. The 416th was one of the first F-100 squadrons to be deployed to South Vietnam, being sent to Da Nang AB in March 1965 and moved to Bien Hoa in June. Thus ending my Hard Days Night for TET 68 Offensive. Some nights we stayed up longer because of Charlie. One time the VC/NVA had attempted to come in around the bomb dump and the 101st Airborne Brigade's area, on the north end of Bin Ha AB. They were going to come in after the mortar and rocket attack. The United States used it as a major base from 1961 through 1973, stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there. 4 U.S. and 2 Vietnamese were killed, and 19 were wounded. Americans, with Vietnamese aboard, were soon flying to destroy Viet Cong supply lines and forces. The aircraft left Williams AFB on 20 October 1965 for Bien Hoa. had been trained by the SP's to help defend the base) KIA by a grenade Aerial view of Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam. HD Stock Footage No Army of South Vietnam Another mission on March 21, successfully assisted an embattled and surrounded long range reconnaissance patrol, or LLRP. 139 dead and 25 POWs. The airport at Bien Hoa was a minor grass strip when on 1 June 1955 Bien Hoa Air Base became the VNAF's logistics support base when the French evacuated their main depot at Hanoi. It was estimated that there were 3 81mm mortars. On 11 October 1961, President John F. Kennedy directed, in NSAM 104, that the Defense Secretary "introduce the Air Force 'Jungle Jim' Squadron into Vietnam for the initial purpose of training Vietnamese forces." Martin B-57 Canberra--The Complete Record, Robert C. Mikesh, Schiffer Military/Aviation History, 1995. Then one night Capt. the squadron was outnumbered 4 or 5 to one as our Present for Duty the two most frequent measures of success in battle. PDF The Battle of Bien Hoa - V S P A Last day to order for Father's Day delivery for shirts/prints is June 14th. 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