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By this time in 1972, the war in Vietnam had been going on for over ten years. Tens of thousands had been killed, even more wounded and a few thousand POWs and unaccounted for MIAs.
Looking back on this time of year, specifically December 18, 1972, most of us know where we were. Most of you younger troops were not yet the twinkle in your Daddy’s eyes.
For me, I was on my second remote/isolated tour in Southeast Asia. In March of 1971, I was assigned to the 307th FMS (Field Maintenance Squadron) Aero Repair or A/R shop at U-Tapao AB, Thailand. We carried the same AFSC or MOS if you will as those who were the primary crew chief on the heavy jets. Those being the C-141A, C-5A, KC-135 and variants and the Queen of the Air, the Mighty B-52. I mention this because the A/R shop caught all the jobs that no one else wanted or would do. We all know sh*t runs downhill. Well, we were the bottom of the hill. But I digress.
During my year we worked 12/12/6 and 7, meaning 12 hours on, off 12 and 6 and often 7 days a week. It was hot, dirty, sweaty work but we did what we had to do. We did it in spite of many not wanting to be there. We launched planes about every 90 minutes around the clock 24/7/365 except when the head shed slowed things down or even ceased flying for the holidays.
After my year at U-Tapao I asked for and received a COT – consecutive overseas tour. This time headed for Vietnam. In March 1972, I headed for DaNang. My tour there was to be short-lived. In September, my unit closed up shop. Those with over 180 days in country on the close date would go home while the rest of us would be reassigned. I was one of the lucky ones, I got to stay…well sort of lucky. After about 60 days, in November 1972 I was selected to go TDY to of all places, Clark AB, Philippines. That story is fodder for another time.
After returning from Clark, I was like a new man. Even though working 12/12/5 I returned relaxed and rejuvenated. The guys in the squadron never let me live that down either. The morning of December 19th is what will always remain, The Morning After the Night Before. It wasn’t because the town got painted red or any such frivolity but we walked into the maintenance shack to discover that the entire B-52 fleet in both Thailand and Guam went downtown to pay “Chuck” a visit. At first we were in disbelief, thinking that Radio Lone Star was jerking our chains with some kind of holiday gag. It turned out to be true. We were ecstatic. All of us were now filled with a new sense of resolve and purpose. This was the beginning of Operation Linebacker II.
While those of us in Vietnam were cheering, our brothers in Thailand and Guam were busting some serious hump. The next 11 days would prove to be a turning point in the war on so many levels.
First off, we lost more B-52s in those 11 days of Christmas* than we had lost in the entire war. We lost many good men on those missions. We had many more end up in the hands of “Chuck” and his accommodations at the Hanoi Hilton. Then after 11 days the deluge of BUFFS stopped. We shut down for Christmas. It wasn’t until years later we learned that had we just kept up the bombing for 2 more days, the North would have surrendered. We all know now how that turned out.
I have a number of friends who were aircrew participants in Linebacker II. I have the greatest admiration and respect for what they did in spite of the head shed screwing the pooch.
Never will I forget where I was in 1972 during “The Eleven Days of Christmas.” With that, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
* ‘The Eleven Days of Christmas’ is a book written by Marshall Michel
Looking back on this time of year, specifically December 18, 1972, most of us know where we were. Most of you younger troops were not yet the twinkle in your Daddy’s eyes.
For me, I was on my second remote/isolated tour in Southeast Asia. In March of 1971, I was assigned to the 307th FMS (Field Maintenance Squadron) Aero Repair or A/R shop at U-Tapao AB, Thailand. We carried the same AFSC or MOS if you will as those who were the primary crew chief on the heavy jets. Those being the C-141A, C-5A, KC-135 and variants and the Queen of the Air, the Mighty B-52. I mention this because the A/R shop caught all the jobs that no one else wanted or would do. We all know sh*t runs downhill. Well, we were the bottom of the hill. But I digress.
During my year we worked 12/12/6 and 7, meaning 12 hours on, off 12 and 6 and often 7 days a week. It was hot, dirty, sweaty work but we did what we had to do. We did it in spite of many not wanting to be there. We launched planes about every 90 minutes around the clock 24/7/365 except when the head shed slowed things down or even ceased flying for the holidays.
After my year at U-Tapao I asked for and received a COT – consecutive overseas tour. This time headed for Vietnam. In March 1972, I headed for DaNang. My tour there was to be short-lived. In September, my unit closed up shop. Those with over 180 days in country on the close date would go home while the rest of us would be reassigned. I was one of the lucky ones, I got to stay…well sort of lucky. After about 60 days, in November 1972 I was selected to go TDY to of all places, Clark AB, Philippines. That story is fodder for another time.
After returning from Clark, I was like a new man. Even though working 12/12/5 I returned relaxed and rejuvenated. The guys in the squadron never let me live that down either. The morning of December 19th is what will always remain, The Morning After the Night Before. It wasn’t because the town got painted red or any such frivolity but we walked into the maintenance shack to discover that the entire B-52 fleet in both Thailand and Guam went downtown to pay “Chuck” a visit. At first we were in disbelief, thinking that Radio Lone Star was jerking our chains with some kind of holiday gag. It turned out to be true. We were ecstatic. All of us were now filled with a new sense of resolve and purpose. This was the beginning of Operation Linebacker II.
While those of us in Vietnam were cheering, our brothers in Thailand and Guam were busting some serious hump. The next 11 days would prove to be a turning point in the war on so many levels.
First off, we lost more B-52s in those 11 days of Christmas* than we had lost in the entire war. We lost many good men on those missions. We had many more end up in the hands of “Chuck” and his accommodations at the Hanoi Hilton. Then after 11 days the deluge of BUFFS stopped. We shut down for Christmas. It wasn’t until years later we learned that had we just kept up the bombing for 2 more days, the North would have surrendered. We all know now how that turned out.
I have a number of friends who were aircrew participants in Linebacker II. I have the greatest admiration and respect for what they did in spite of the head shed screwing the pooch.
Never will I forget where I was in 1972 during “The Eleven Days of Christmas.” With that, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
* ‘The Eleven Days of Christmas’ is a book written by Marshall Michel
Command Post
Vietnam War
JBSA - Joint Base San Antonio
Military History
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 270
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While my permanent assignment was a an instructor at Fleet Training Center, San Diego, I had been temporarily assigned to support the Naval Gunfire Support Team during Line Backer. I was temporarily assigned to the USS Towers DDG-9 off the coast of Vietnam. We would do gunfire support of the troops, often times making high speed run's into within a half mile off the beach before turning parallel to the coast. The idea as I was told later was to entice the NVA to open up on us with their 176 MM guns. At which time we call in their location to the USS New Jersey and USS St. Paul just over the horizon. They would respond with salvo's of 8" and 16" presents. Our sonar team would count the splashes from counter battery, often times hearing as many as 500 rounds fired from the shore to the ocean. I do remember one instance where we took shrapnel from a shell that hit close aboard, the Missile observation booth got hit, Mt. 52, and one of the life boats got hit. I think we even got shrapnel in the after stack. I worked aboard that ship for only three months before returning to my permanent assignment in San Diego. In total I had about 16 months service in Vietnam, most in country 69-70 on the Mekong River, aboard USS Benenwah as part of the Mobile Riverine Force.
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In December of 1972, I was in AIT at Ft. Bliss, TX becoming a 24B (HAWK CW RADAR mechanic.)
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I was on Shore Duty at Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, VA. Better known as NOB, NORVA.
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Dad was AirForce, he was stationed in Teipei Tawain, our whole family were there with him, and never far from a bomb shelter.
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I was at NKP flying Buffalo Hunter missions, catching drones returning from NVN. It was a good mission and we brought lots of pictures back for the intel guys to ponder over.
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The majority of my 1972 was spent TDY to Guam (April -October) as part of Operation Bullet Shot. As an aircraft radio repairman, I stayed busy replacing radios and associated equipment on mostly B-52's, since 3-plane cells were being launched around the clock. I worked the night shift 1800-0600, sometimes in the shop, sometimes on the flightline, and sometimes on the launch truck in case a plane preparing for take-off had a bad radio needing replacement (a "Redball"). I got picked for the Redball truck a lot since I was 6'7", and a frequent replacement of the B-52 #1 UHF radio was in the "47 section", an area in the rear with a hatch that was about 7 feet above the ground. I could reach the edge of the opening without a stand and do a pullup into the hatch. The crew chief could then hand me the spare radio and my toolbag so I could swap out the bad radio very quickly so as not to delay the launch. It was pressure to do things in a hurry, but do it right. Failure to launch a plane was not an option.
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I got to my second in RVN in March of 1972. Optimist that I was I brought Class A’s and civilian clothes with me expecting to pass my tour in Saigon. Suddenly I found myself up by the Fish Hook in the old SF A Camp at Ton Le Chon as a Ranger advisor to the 6th ARVN Ranger Group. Oh well, I thought, it’s better than it might have been. Then came the 1972 Easter Offensive. My fellow advisor, CPT Bill Vannie, and I took 1396 BDQ’s out of MRIII for a guided tour of every Military Region except the Delta. Five weeks later the group was down to 528. The last three months of 1972 were spent in An Loc, resupplied by air as ground routes were cut off. Interestingly I was only a few klicks from where I started my advisory role in Ton Le Chon. I remained in An Loc till the cease fire January 1973.
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