Nam Phong Phantoms

Group of Marine F-4 Phantom fighter jets parked on ramp next to revetments in rugged jungle airbase of Nam Phong, Thailand -1973. McDonnell Douglas mach 2 F-4s were the mainstay of fighter jets in the late 60’s and beyond for the Airforce, Navy, and Marines, and were able to carry 9 tons of weapons. I imaging it was an extra challenge for maintenance crews to care for these aircraft in the red dirt coated environment of Nam Phong. A total of over 700 were lost in combat or accidents in the Vietnam war. They were manufactured until 1981 to be replaced by newer F14, F15, F-16, F-18 aircraft, although I think some F-4s still were used in the Gulf war.

Hanoi school boys

Photo taken out window of taxiing C-130 on historic flight into Gia Lam Airport, Hanoi, North Vietnam in 1973 … shortly after ceasefire. Pictured is large group of young boys along with two or three male adults (teachers?). Guessing that these were children attending school at the thatched roof building in photo, and they had come out to see unfamiliar US aircraft. Not long before this, intense US bombing and North Vietnam defense thereof was occurring in this Hanoi area. Seems odd that there would be a school (if in fact this is what we saw) in such close proximity to an obvious military target. Many in this group had raised arms; could not tell for sure if it was friendly waving, or angry fist pumping toward us … I suspect the latter.

Container Bearer

Man power in Southeast Asia - 1972. Would love to know what these metal containers were used for ... given their size they could not have been for anything of high weight. I'm guessing they were some kind of steamers for food?? But then why would they have the well fashioned harnesses for perhaps frequent transport. Any ideas out their? This photo from a 40 year old scanned 35mm slide was a bit funky so I intentionally applied a watercolor type effect to it in Photoshop.

Orange Mini Taxi Jakata

Eco-travel in Jakarta, Indonesia – 1973. These nimble little taxis were a cheap way to travel with enclosed cab providing some isolation from the noise and fumes although had be quite toasty inside … appears passenger was wiping head with handkerchief as vehicle zips past. I like the driver’s lid. I was unable to find out much about this “CANDRAMUS” on the web although the word is related to an Indian Moon God ... not sure if that was an advertisement or name of the vehicle maker. It looks like a common motor scooter with creative front end modifications. The words "3 ORANG" on front may mean 3 person capacity??? ... seems like a stretch to me. In any case this looks like a precursor to the orange Bajaj three-wheel taxis very common in 2011 Indonesia. Main difference is the Bajajs have middle wheel and driver in front with an enclosure added.

B-52 Stratofortress Utapao Thailand

On the ramp beyond the concertina wire is an eight-engined USAF B-52 Stratofortress bomber on the ramp at Utapao Airfield in southern Thailand, on Gulf of Siam with Cambodia to the east. This was a major facility from which staging operations took place for our C-130s as well bombing raids by the B-52s (nicknamed BUFFs as in Big Ugly Fat F****ers). These B-52s were joined by other bombers from as far away as Guam to raid targets including North Vietnam. Aerial refueling was required for many of these missions … the tail of a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker can be seen in right of photo. After this photo was taken, navigator Joe and myself decided to walk around the barbed wire and have a closer look at the B-52 … big mistake as we were quickly surrounded by a dozen security police. Size of B-52 evident in contrast to maintenance person barely visible standing on top of plane.

Ramp football Saigon

We carried around a football to pass time while waiting on cargo. Here a crewmember is about to catch a pass (football in upper right) with Capt Ed (Pilot Aircraft Commander) walking toward the C-130 in Saigon - 1972. Here is a good illustration of how the propellers were about head-high … they were almost invisible while turning, and thus one would need to be extremely cautious not to literally loose a head. The term “walking into a prop” was a phrase often used when someone did something stupid. One or more engines were often kept running on the ramp to provide ground power and easier restart of the other engines; having a choice, usually engines on right side were kept running since the forward crew entry door was on the left side of the aircraft. Another interesting detail are all the small motorcycles and mopeds parked is front of the operations building in the background … indicative of how many people got around on base.

Rose Garden at Nam Phong

Rugged facilities at a Marine Airbase in Nam Phong, Thailand – 1972. The airfield was carved out of the jungle by US Navy Seabees where it hosted a variety of Marine fighter and transport squadrons, and Marine security forces. Missions were flown out of here into nearby Laos and Cambodia, as well as Vietnam. Sarcastically called the “Rose Garden” the base was not long lived as most of the US personnel were sent home not long after. The red dust was everywhere including inside the 10-man tents that served the airfield in and around the aircraft parking area. The photo clearly shows this was not a pretty place to be, but well equipped with guard shacks, and plenty of concertina wire and barbed wire fences. Like all the inland bases in Thailand it was wicked, wicked hot. Fortunately we only flew in here once.

An Thoi POWs

Loading North Vietnamese POWs on C-130 at An Thoi on isolated island of Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Siam … west of South Vietnam and south of Cambodia. This was similar to other POW liberation missions we flew out of Con Son Island – 1973. Prisoners were flown north to a remote jungle airstrip near the DMZ for release. POWs are the ones with pajama-like outfits and white bandanas on their heads. Besides a POW camp, An Thoi was a base for South Vietnamese gunboats, and USN swift patrol boats.

Pedi-cab in Jakarta

Pedi-cabs were a common mode of cheap transportation found everywhere in Jakarta, Indonesia (1973) … this 3 wheeled push version was configured with the driver behind, instead of in front of the one-person passenger compartment. This machine was well worn with broken seat, a few spokes missing as was the bare-footed driver with tattered straw hat and shirt, and zero-fat, muscled legs.

Motley C-130 crew

Motley C-130 crewmembers hanging out on tail ramp in between flights. Somewhere in Vietnam – 1972. Captain Ed standing to right with Navigator Major ? and Flight Engineer E.P. sitting next to Ed. Must have had interesting cargo because we had 3 Loadmasters (usually only 1) … with one standing between the other two sitting with good hats. I’m seated far left. Most of us are wearing the olive drab canvas topped jungle boots which were a bit cooler in the heat, although we were fortunate not to depend on other features of the boot that the ground troops needed: quick drying from mud and water, and steel plated soles for protection against booby traps. Most of us also sporting GI issue sunglasses. Must have been a cold cache of Cola close by as we get a caffeine boost from stuff in red and white cans.

Trinkets for sale

A sweet little girl with neatly combed back hair trying to sell cheap beaded necklaces to GI’s and other tourists near a beach location somewhere in Vietnam or Thailand - 1973. She was very successful with her cute childish charm … who could resist spending a buck (maybe even less) this way. This was very common as the parents rightfully recognized the kids would do much better than they could ever hope to do.

Hong Kong Nights

Hong Kong at night as seen from Victoria Peak – 1973. Most interesting here is how this contrasts the unbelievable changes that have taken place in the last 40 years. On the far side of the harbor is Kowloon. On the near side of harbor in Hong Kong City to the right is a conspicuously tall waterfront skyscraper … this was the Connaught Center later to be renamed the Jardine House. At 50 stories and over 500 feet it was the tallest building in all of Asia in 1973. Today the Jardine House is lost among much larger buildings some of which are two and three times taller. Today (2011) Jardine House does not even make the top 100 tallest building list for Hong Kong.

Turning Final Qui Nhon

Over water turn from base leg onto final approach, intersecting runway centerline at Qui Nhon Airbase on east coast of central Vietnam – 1972. Qui Nhon was also an important base for the Navy. I believe navigator Joe snapped this photo. The dark object sticking up on the dashboard in the middle widow was a small orange screened radarscope mainly useful for painting thunderstorms and possibly other large aircraft … appears to be turned off here … as I recall there may have been some radiation hazard on the ground to anyone standing close to the operating radar (it was housed in the black nose cone of the aircraft). I was a C-130 copilot at the time; gracious Captain Ed pretty much shared all the flying with me equally … I was even flying left seat in this photo. This was by far the most competent we were as pilots because we flew as many as 10 missions every day, often bumping up against weekly and daily flying time maximums. In contrast after returning to USA, flight time including approaches, takeoffs, and landing was often scarce … often only just enough to satisfy minimum monthly requirements … enough to make me feel dangerous.

NVA Delegation Saigon

A group of North Vietnam Army (NVA) soldiers (I think?) settling in before takeoff at the rear of a C-130 at Tan Son Nhut Airbase in Saigon – 1973. This was a delegation that we were flying back to Hanoi after peace negotiations. It was not clear to me exactly who they were or what their ranks might have been. There seemed to be two uniform types … ones with wheels hats, and others with pith helmets. They were all very trim and did not show much emotion one way or the other. The red, collapsable web seating was like flying "coach" C-130 style. Plane could handle up to 90 passengers in this manner.

Water Buffalo Cart

The spectrum of types in Vietnam 1972 transportation was almost infinite … whether it was motor, animal, or people powered. Here an old follow in straw hat is creeping along to the hoofed beat of his water buffalo. The cart is combo of truck wheels and a piece of metal chassis complimented by a simple framework of bamboo, rope, and wood. Buffalo licking his nose as neither was in a hurry to be anywhere, as they blended in with other types of traffic where implicit rules of the road seemed to be functioning extremely well.

End of day Saigon

One of my favorite photos that for me conveys the end-of-day melancholy mood at Tan Son Nhut Airbase, Saigon after a long day of flying - 1972. This was the ramp area where the South Vietnamese owned aircraft were parked in series of protective revetments … mostly C-123 and C-130 transports. A lone C-130-A model taxis home as it passes a cargo truck. Can tell it is an old A model 130 with 3 bladed props (verses 4 blades that USAF E models had), and absence of large external fuel tanks below the wings. The A models and the older C-123 aircraft were typically what the US donated to the South Vietnamese Airforce. Note the plane has both outboard engines shut down to conserve fuel during taxi. A setting sun and puddles from a late afternoon thunderstorm foster refreshingly cooler temperatures from the midday heat.

Short final to Hanoi

Our C-130 on short final approach to Gia Lam Airfield, Hanoi, North Vietnam – 1973. Among first of a few USAF aircraft to land here following ceasefire, and not long after Christmas Linebacker II bombing offensive. Mission involved transport of North Vietnamese peace delegations back from Saigon. Although there are signs of filled bomb craters around the runway, the landing surface was pretty good at this no-frills airport. A second C-130 that landed just before us can be seen in upper left of photo on parallel taxiway.  Looking closely, truck, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic can be seen on road crossing approach to runway. Visibility not great with what appears to be a lot of air pollution.