Like any war, a million stories you would most likely never hear. Salutes to you, Maj Sutherland. I was stationed at Tan Son Nhut from July 68 to July 69, emergency room tech at the 377th USAF Dispensary on the night shift. We had a lot of "crash calls" from the emergency network for C-130 "issues". The crash call wasn't necessarily for an actual crash, but part of the crash network with medics, fire dep't, security police, etc. One was for an unconscious stow away. We arrived at the revetment parking spot and I grabbed a stretcher while my bud went into the back of the aircraft. Meanwhile, I made the stretcher rigid and held it up in front of me as the engines were still turning. I misjudged how far I had walked forward and heard a loud scream saying STOP! I was just feet away from the #2 prop. If the loadmaster hadn't seen me, I would have been cuisinarted. Another time the tower had us cross the taxiway and hold short of the runway. This was at night and the incoming 130 reported their left main gear wasn't showing down and locked. So we were asked to verify if it was down. He did a low pass but it was so dark it was hard to tell if it was down all the way. I asked the tower to ask the pilot if I could use our ambulance spotlight, telling them I would definitely keep it low so as not to blind the pilot. They agreed, an I focused it below the aircraft and both me and my aid man said it looked down. We were told to hold our position and wait for him to land. I was pretty damn nervous but it landed without incident.
My very first flight in Nam was from Na Trang to Song Be and we picked up several small arms rounds in the fuselage plus one round in the left external tank. The external tank still had a little fuel in it that was leaking so I whittled out wooden plug and pounded it into the hole and off we went. Of all the bases in VN I think Song Be was the place we went to the most.
I enteredtheUSAF in 1973. I was in a squadron that sepnt all it's time TDY. I can testify that nearly every C130 I rode on was almost fuzzy looking with sheet metal repairs..
Like any war, a million stories you would most likely never hear. Salutes to you, Maj Sutherland. I was stationed at Tan Son Nhut from July 68 to July 69, emergency room tech at the 377th USAF Dispensary on the night shift. We had a lot of "crash calls" from the emergency network for C-130 "issues". The crash call wasn't necessarily for an actual crash, but part of the crash network with medics, fire dep't, security police, etc.
One was for an unconscious stow away. We arrived at the revetment parking spot and I grabbed a stretcher while my bud went into the back of the aircraft. Meanwhile, I made the stretcher rigid and held it up in front of me as the engines were still turning. I misjudged how far I had walked forward and heard a loud scream saying STOP! I was just feet away from the #2 prop. If the loadmaster hadn't seen me, I would have been cuisinarted.
Another time the tower had us cross the taxiway and hold short of the runway. This was at night and the incoming 130 reported their left main gear wasn't showing down and locked. So we were asked to verify if it was down. He did a low pass but it was so dark it was hard to tell if it was down all the way. I asked the tower to ask the pilot if I could use our ambulance spotlight, telling them I would definitely keep it low so as not to blind the pilot. They agreed, an I focused it below the aircraft and both me and my aid man said it looked down. We were told to hold our position and wait for him to land. I was pretty damn nervous but it landed without incident.
thank you for the story, my dad flew 10,000 hours in c 130 and was in Vietnam. lost him a year ago to cancer from agent orange.
THANK YOU TOO MUCH FOR YOUR STORY BEST WISHES GOOD HEALTH TO YO U GOD BLESS YOU
Thank you for your bravery and service, sir.
I were in Vr 24 Det Rota Spain I loved those planes. I even got some stick time 1982 to 1985
My very first flight in Nam was from Na Trang to Song Be and we picked up several small arms rounds in the fuselage plus one round in the left external tank. The external tank still had a little fuel in it that was leaking so I whittled out wooden plug and pounded it into the hole and off we went. Of all the bases in VN I think Song Be was the place we went to the most.
any info on Captain L. Selanikio and crash at Bao Loc 6 September 68?
I enteredtheUSAF in 1973. I was in a squadron that sepnt all it's time TDY. I can testify that nearly every C130 I rode on was almost fuzzy looking with sheet metal repairs..
I saw C-130s with over 100 holes in them from ground fire in 1968. I had a buddy who would patch them up.
Yes indeedy quite a day!!! Were you ever based at CCK?
Wonderful story. Thank you and thank you for your service.
Sound like you got excited times on your vacation, Sir
My dad was a C-130 pilot in Vietnam....I was born at Clark AFB (american mother) nov. 67
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good story
Just a normal day flying C-130's in Vietnam. Re-Frag was a normal thing!
Hello
I was a loadmaster with the 774th TCS Mactan. 67 & 68
To err is human. To REALLY fuck up requires a Quartermaster
my father in law flew the spectre during vietnam war. he never talked about it.