Chain of Command
Hq ARPC (ORS) 3800 York St. Denver Co 80205
Other Memories
Upon my return from service in Thailand I was assigned to Hq ARPC (ORS) 3800 York St. Denver Co 80205. to serve two years inactive reserve which culminated in getting my Honorable Discharge from the USAF in 1972
Worst Moment
While visiting the downtown Ubon town area at night they sounded an alert. I jumped into the open back of a large truck with other airmen to get back to base. We ended up in a large fenced in compound on base that turned out to be some kind of intelligence squadron. Once inside I entered a large theater size room that dispalyed all kind of codes on a screen with airmen with headphones sitting at stations. Two AP's noticed that I wasn't wearing that special ID badge that everyone else was wearing, and they dragged my butt into some Colonels office. It was embarrasing, but the Colonel looked bewildered that I actually got inside their compound. I had to persuade my sarge that I didn't know anything about that truck and where it was going. --------------------------------------------------- in Thailand in 1969-70 I was running late getting back from town one night. Actually I was late getting back a lot of nights. But this one particular night I decided to take a shortcut to the shop where I worked on Phantom F4D Enviro sytems. I figured I would just walk down the side of the runway until I reached the shop area. A pair of headlights reached me fast. A big dog and two AP's commanded me to lay prone on the ground, while the dog sniffed me all over. Iam glad I had my deodorant on (24hrProtection) because the dog let me off the hook. The irate AP's asked what I was doing there and pointed down the road where I was heading. They informed me that there was two nervous Thai troops with their trigger fingers on the M60 gun ahead in the bunker. They dropped me off at the shop and told me to give them a break and don't show up again. Phew!, that was close. I was 24 then and should have known better. But didn't. --------------------------------------------------
Chain of Command
8th Combat Support Group(PACAF) 8th Tactical Fighter Wing Wolf-Pack 8th Field Maint Squadron 315 Air Division Blind Bat 16th SOS Spectre Squadron 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron 'Satans Angels' 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Other Memories
I was a Mechanical Accessess Tech, which was changed to Environmental Systems Tech. I worked on the Air Cond, Heating, Pressurization, Aux Power Unit, Fire bottles, Canopy seal, Anti-G Suit Pump, Oxygen Reg., Wing Anti-Ice and a Starter Cartridge for starting engines on C-130,s in remote areas that had no ground equip. I used to sit in the seat of the F4 to check out the pressure drop on the Oxy Reg with a Go-No-Guage. You had to watch your footing when lowering yourself into the seat. All the trip mechanisms had safety flags installed, but you still had to make sure you didn't activate the seat. There was an incident over at Ubon, where an Egress Tech accidentally tripped the seat while installing it. I was paranoid afterwards, just sitting in the cockpit. I worked on the F4C and D, the AC-130A Spectre Gunship and the AC-130A Blind Bat Flare Launcher. The flare ship was a part of the Blind Bat Squadron. They lit up the Ho Chi Mihn Trail so that the Spectre Gunships could see what they were doing. We lost a AC-130 gunship a week before I arrived on base. It was shot up, and tried to land back at base. It caught fire on landing, and crewman perished when He could not escape the little fire ops room, that was installed in the cargo area. The tail was all that was left after the inferno. I did see two pilots eject upon landing with shotout landing gear. I took a photo from top of the reventment. It was a distance pic. I wish I had a telephoto lens. The rockets were so fast, that I could only see them when their chutes opened. We used to cannibalize a lot of the planes. That is take parts off of one plane to use on another so that it could fly its mission then return and put the part back on the original plane or some other. I have a band-aid tin with AK47 slugs removed from the parts I took off of the F4s and AC-130s. They were always coming in with some kind of damage. The F4s took off on a lot of missions with trees hanging from their bomb racks. These artificial trees were weighted with a pointed end. They had radio transmitters inside and the trees were dropped along the trail, and picked up the sounds from the trucks. The base ops knew when and where to schedule their missions. The AC-130A's used to take off an hour before night came. I always saw them flying in circles around the base before taking off for the trail. I found out later that they were calibrating their gun sights on the large water fountain in the city of Ubon, just outside the base. ---------------------------------------------------
I worked on the anti-G system on the F4D Phantom fighter in Thailand. The plane was capable of Mach1 flight. The System was a valve (Photos of this valve are located elsewhere on this profile) with a floating weight. When the pilot went into a climb or a dive the valve would pressurize bladders in different locations in the pilots flight suit. The suit worked like a tourniquet, making sure the pilots blood did not all flow to his feet or head, if he was going into a dive or climb. This prevented him from passing out. (Photos of this suit are located elsewhere on this profile).
-------------------------------------------------- Our Commander on Ubon RTAFB in Thailand would hold his monthly 'Commander Call' at the base movie theater. This gave him the opportunity to show us movies of the AC130A Spectre Gunships strikes at the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We sort of viewed it as a pep rally to inspire the troops to rally to the mission.
---------------------------------------------------- When we worked the grave shift our meals consisted of C-rations. I guess the chowhall closed early. I Can't remember. We used to put the opened can on the exhaust of the MD3 units, they used to power the A/C on the flightline. I guess you could also use the exhaust header on a truck vehicle to warm the can. I do remember a lot of the times at the end of the month when bucks were scarce, the cigarettes were usually procured by whoever got to the supply of C-rations first. ---------------------------------------------------- I remember signing for a M16 Rifle while stationed at Ubon RTAFB. But never remember actually getting to play with it. It was probably stored in the squadron store room. I did actually get a 'bugout' duffle bag that was stashed on top of my locker. It was stuffed with gear to survive outside the base. We were instructed to take off with it, if the base was attacked. In other words we were on our own. When I heard that, I said to myself 'sht I should have paid better attention'. ----------------------------------------------------
Worst Moment
While visiting the downtown Ubon town area at night they sounded an alert. I jumped into the open back of a large truck with other airmen to get back to base. We ended up in a large fenced in compound on base that turned out to be some kind of intelligence squadron. Once inside I entered a large theater size room that dispalyed all kind of codes on a screen with airmen with headphones sitting at stations. Two AP's noticed that I wasn't wearing that special ID badge that everyone else was wearing, and they dragged my butt into some Colonels office. It was embarrasing, but the Colonel looked bewildered that I actually got inside their compound. I had to persuade my sarge that I didn't know anything about that truck and where it was going. --------------------------------------------------- in Thailand in 1969-70 I was running late getting back from town one night. Actually I was late getting back a lot of nights. But this one particular night I decided to take a shortcut to the shop where I worked on Phantom F4D Enviro sytems. I figured I would just walk down the side of the runway until I reached the shop area. A pair of headlights reached me fast. A big dog and two AP's commanded me to lay prone on the ground, while the dog sniffed me all over. Iam glad I had my deodorant on (24hrProtection) because the dog let me off the hook. The irate AP's asked what I was doing there and pointed down the road where I was heading. They informed me that there was two nervous Thai troops with their trigger fingers on the M60 gun ahead in the bunker. They dropped me off at the shop and told me to give them a break and don't show up again. Phew!, that was close. I was 24 then and should have known better. But didn't. ------------------------------------------------------------
Chain of Command
8th Combat Support Group(PACAF) 8th Tactical Fighter Wing Wolf-Pack 8th Field Maint Squadron 315 Air Division Blind Bat 16th SOS Spectre Squadron 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron 'Satans Angels' 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Other Memories
I was a Mechanical Accessess Tech, which was changed to Environmental Systems Tech. I worked on the Air Cond, Heating, Pressurization, Aux Power Unit, Fire bottles, Canopy seal, Anti-G Suit Pump, Oxygen Reg., Wing Anti-Ice and a Starter Cartridge for starting engines on C-130,s in remote areas that had no ground equip. I used to sit in the seat of the F4 to check out the pressure drop on the Oxy Reg with a Go-No-Guage. You had to watch your footing when lowering yourself into the seat. All the trip mechanisms had safety flags installed, but you still had to make sure you didn't activate the seat. There was an incident over at Ubon, where an Egress Tech accidentally tripped the seat while installing it. I was paranoid afterwards, just sitting in the cockpit. I worked on the F4C and D, the AC-130A Spectre Gunship and the AC-130A Blind Bat Flare Launcher. The flare ship was a part of the Blind Bat Squadron. They lit up the Ho Chi Mihn Trail so that the Spectre Gunships could see what they were doing. We lost a AC-130 gunship a week before I arrived on base. It was shot up, and tried to land back at base. It caught fire on landing, and crewman perished when He could not escape the little fire ops room, that was installed in the cargo area. The tail was all that was left after the inferno. I did see two pilots eject upon landing with shotout landing gear. I took a photo from top of the reventment. It was a distance pic. I wish I had a telephoto lens. The rockets were so fast, that I could only see them when their chutes opened. We used to cannibalize a lot of the planes. That is take parts off of one plane to use on another so that it could fly its mission then return and put the part back on the original plane or some other. I have a band-aid tin with AK47 slugs removed from the parts I took off of the F4s and AC-130s. They were always coming in with some kind of damage. The F4s took off on a lot of missions with trees hanging from their bomb racks. These artificial trees were weighted with a pointed end. They had radio transmitters inside and the trees were dropped along the trail, and picked up the sounds from the trucks. The base ops knew when and where to schedule their missions. The AC-130A's used to take off an hour before night came. I always saw them flying in circles around the base before taking off for the trail. I found out later that they were calibrating their gun sights on the large water fountain in the city of Ubon, just outside the base. ---------------------------------------------------
I worked on the anti-G system on the F4D Phantom fighter in Thailand. The plane was capable of Mach1 flight. The System was a valve (Photos of this valve are located elsewhere on this profile) with a floating weight. When the pilot went into a climb or a dive the valve would pressurize bladders in different locations in the pilots flight suit. The suit worked like a tourniquet, making sure the pilots blood did not all flow to his feet or head, if he was going into a dive or climb. This prevented him from passing out. (Photos of this suit are located elsewhere on this profile).
-------------------------------------------------- Our Commander on Ubon RTAFB in Thailand would hold his monthly 'Commander Call' at the base movie theater. This gave him the opportunity to show us movies of the AC130A Spectre Gunships strikes at the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We sort of viewed it as a pep rally to inspire the troops to rally to the mission.
---------------------------------------------------- When we worked the grave shift our meals consisted of C-rations. I guess the chowhall closed early. I Can't remember. We used to put the opened can on the exhaust of the MD3 units, they used to power the A/C on the flightline. I guess you could also use the exhaust header on a truck vehicle to warm the can. I do remember a lot of the times at the end of the month when bucks were scarce, the cigarettes were usually procured by whoever got to the supply of C-rations first. ---------------------------------------------------- I remember signing for a M16 Rifle while stationed at Ubon RTAFB. But never remember actually getting to play with it. It was probably stored in the squadron store room. I did actually get a 'bugout' duffle bag that was stashed on top of my locker. It was stuffed with gear to survive outside the base. We were instructed to take off with it, if the base was attacked. In other words we were on our own. When I heard that, I said to myself 'sht I should have paid better attention'. ----------------------------------------------------
Chain of Command
438 Military Airlift Command (MAC) 438 Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS)
Other Memories
Performed Maintenance on the C-130 Hercules and C-141 Starlifter cargo planes. Participated in two Reforger excercises while assigned here. Exercise REFORGER (from REturn of FORces to GERmany) was an annual exercise conducted, during the Cold War, by NATO. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forces to Germany in the event of a conflict with the
1966 - 1969
National Defense Service Medal (2001-2022)
Criteria The National Defense Service Medal is awarded for honorable active service as a member of the Armed Forces during the Korean War, Vietnam War, the war against Iraq in the Persian Gulf, and for service... The National Defense Service Medal is awarded for honorable active service as a member of the Armed Forces during the Korean War, Vietnam War, the war against Iraq in the Persian Gulf, and for service during the current War on Terrorism. In addition, all members of the National Guard and Reserve who were part of the Selected Reserve in good standing between August 2, 1990, to November 30, 1995, are eligible for the National Defense Service Medal. In the case of Navy personnel, Midshipment attending the Naval Academy during the qualifying periods are eligible for this award, and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Midshipmen ae only eligible if they participated in a summer cruise that was in an area which qualified for a campaign medal. MoreHide
Comments
Locked
1969
Vietnam Service Medal
Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa... The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspace; or, for any period of service during the same time period in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air spaces thereover and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. MoreHide
Criteria The Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Colors) was authorized to be worn by units individually cited for service in military operations in support of the government of Sout... The Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Colors) was authorized to be worn by units individually cited for service in military operations in support of the government of South Vietnam. The actions cited are for the same services that would have resulted in the award of a Valorous Unit Citation by the Army or a Navy Unit Citation. MoreHide
Description Unit AwardThe Vietnam Gallantry Cross also was issued as a unit award which is an entirely separate decoration from the full sized medal. Known as the "Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm,... Unit AwardThe Vietnam Gallantry Cross also was issued as a unit award which is an entirely separate decoration from the full sized medal. Known as the "Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm," the unit citation award was created in 1968 and was issued as the Gallantry Cross ribbon, with a metal palm device, enclosed within a gold frame. The unit citation was issued in the name of South Vietnam to any military unit which distinguished itself to the same level as would be required for the individual award. Regulations for the issuance of the Vietnam Gallantry Cross permit the wearing of both the individual and unit award simultaneously, since they both are considered separate decorations.
The Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm was issued to every Allied nation which provided military support to Vietnam between 1 March 1961 and the fall of Saigon in April 1975. The unit decoration thus became the most commonly awarded Vietnamese decoration to foreigners, second only to the Vietnam Campaign Medal.
[edit] United States issuanceThe United States military began authorizing the Vietnam Gallantry Cross in March 1968 with retroactive presentation of the decoration to 1961. In 1974, Army General Order Number 8 confirmed eligibility for the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation to every military unit of the United States Army which had served under the Military Assistance Command from 1961 to 1974, however, orders, specific as to dates and units, do exist for specific Army commands as well as for members of other services not affected by the Army General Order.
The National Personnel Records Center is the agency which responds to retroactive award requests, from U.S. Army veterans, updating military records to show the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, either per Army General Order 8 or per unit specific awards. The decoration itself, both full medal and unit citation, are considered foreign military decorations and are not provided to Vietnam veterans by any of the United States military services. The decoration is available for purchase at most Military Installations military clothing sales. But if they are unable to access a military installation, private military insignia dealers have them on hand. The decoration may also be found for sale on the Internet
MoreHide
Criteria This medal is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who: 1. Served for 6 months in South Vietnam during the period 1 Mar 61 and 28 Mar 73; or 2. Served outside the geographical l... This medal is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who: 1. Served for 6 months in South Vietnam during the period 1 Mar 61 and 28 Mar 73; or 2. Served outside the geographical limits of South Vietnam and contributed direct combat support to the RVN Armed Forces for an aggregate of six months. Only members of the Armed Forces of the United States who meet the criteria established for the AFEM (Vietnam) or Vietnam Service Medal during the period of service required are considered to have contributed direct combat support to the RVN Armed Forces; or 3. Did not complete the length of service required in item (1) or (2) above, but who, during wartime, were: a. Wounded by the enemy (in a military action); b. Captured by the enemy during action or in the line of duty, but later rescued or released; or c. Killed in action or in the line of duty; or 4. Were assigned in Vietnam on 28 Jan 73, and who served a minimum of 60 calendar days in Vietnam during the period 29 Jan 73 to 28 Mar 73. MoreHide
Comments The decoration may also be awarded to any service member who, while serving outside the geographical limits of the Republic of Vietnam, provided direct combat support to the Republic of Vietnam Armed ... The decoration may also be awarded to any service member who, while serving outside the geographical limits of the Republic of Vietnam, provided direct combat support to the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces for a period exceeding six months. This stipulation most often applies to members who performed Vietnam War support from Thailand and Japan. In such cases, a US service member must have been awarded either the Vietnam Service Medal or the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (for service in a Vietnam campaign) to be eligible for the Vietnam Campaign Medal.
Description Exercise Reforger (from return of forces to Germany) was an annual exercise conducted, during the Cold War, by NATO. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forExercise Reforger (from return of forces to Germany) was an annual exercise conducted, during the Cold War, by NATO. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the Warsaw Pact.
The Reforger exercise itself was first conceived in 1967. The Johnson administration announced plans to withdraw approximately two divisions from Europe during 1968. As a demonstration of its continuing commitment to the defense of NATO and to illustrate its capability of rapid reinforcement, a large scale force deployment was planned that would deploy a division or more to West Germany in a regular annual exercise. The first such exercise was conducted beginning on 6 January 1969. These exercises continued annually past the end of the Cold War, except for the year 1989, until 1993.
Major units: (Germany based unit) USAREUR (U.S. Army Europe): HQ and 2nd Squadron of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Nuremberg. (U.S. based unit): 24th Infantry Division (Mech).... More
Description This period was from February 23-June 8, 1969.
On February 23. 1969. the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese launched mortar and rocket attacks on Saigon, Da Nang, Hue. Bien Hoa Air Base, and other key tarThis period was from February 23-June 8, 1969.
On February 23. 1969. the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese launched mortar and rocket attacks on Saigon, Da Nang, Hue. Bien Hoa Air Base, and other key targets throughout South Vietnam. In this offensive. Communist forces relied heavily on the use of stand-off fire- power in hit-and-run attacks, since, in the previous year’s offensives. Allied ground operations and air interdiction efforts had countered the Communists‘ logistical capacity to wage conventional battles. By March 30 the Allies had blunted the hit-and-run attacks. and the enemy withdrew into Cambodian and Laotian sanctuaries to restock their munitions and weapons inventories.
Later in the spring. on May 12. the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese launched a second phase. consisting of more than 200 attacks in South Vietnam, the heaviest assault since the 1968 Tet Offensive. An intense battle in the A Shau Valley required USAF close air support and tactical airlift of supplies and reinforcements until May 20, when the U.S. Army captured Ap Bia Mountain, thus enabling Allied aircraft to land in the A Shau Valley without receiving mortar fire. Another significant battle occurred at Ben Het Defense Camp, located about 260 miles northeast of Saigon, where the Cambodian/Laotian borders join the boundary of South Vietnam. Here, the USAF employed AC-47 and AC-I19 gunships at night and tactical air and B-52 strikes during the day in support of the defenders. Fighter aircraft laid down suppressive fire to permit C-7s to drop supplies to the besieged forces. By the end of June the Allies had forced the enemy's withdrawal.
Throughout this campaign, the USAF joined the Vietnamese Air Force and the other U.S. services in close air support of Allied forces throughout South Vietnam and in a continuing interdiction campaign. COMMANDO HUNT I, along South Vietnam's borders with Laos and Cambodia. In Laos Air Force pilots joined Navy aviators to hit targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, where North Vietnam. no longer having to protect its lines of communication and storage areas north of the demilitarized zone, had shifted more antiaircraft defenses. The USAF consequently relied heavily on high-flying B-52s and such fast tactical aircraft as F-4s and F-105: for most missions over the trail. AC-130 gunships, though flying less than 4 percent of the missions in Laos, nevertheless accounted in the spring of 1969 for 44 percent of the trucks claimed damaged or destroyed.
In northeastern Laos AC-47 gunships provided close air support to Royal Laotian and irregular forces battling North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao troops. On March 2. 1969. the Royal Laotian forces abandoned Na Khang under cover of USAF aircraft. Then on the 12th the USAF deployed AC-47s to Udorn, a Royal Thai Air Force Base 40 miles south of Vientiane, Laos, to defend forward Royal Laotian air bases. The USAF and the Royal Laotian Air Force on March 23 began a new Laotian counteroffensive with air attacks on targets in the Xiangkhoang area of the Plain of Jars, 100 miles northeast of Vientiane. Two weeks later, on April 7, Laotian troops entered Xiangkhoang virtually unopposed. With Laotian positions temporarily safe. the USAF AC-47s returned to South Vietnam on June 9.
American involvement in Southeast Asia expanded on March 18. 1969, when the United States began B-52 night attacks on Communist sanctuaries in Cambodia. About the same time, however, the U.S. began to reequip South Vietnam's forces in preparation for eventual withdrawal of all American forces. On April 19 the U.S. transferred to the VNAF its first jet aircraft. Shortly afterwards, on June 8, President Richard M. Nixon announced that during July and August 1969 the United States would withdraw 25.000 of its 540,000 troops in South Vietnam, even though no progress had been made in the Paris peace talks.... More
Memories I was a Mechanical Accessess Tech, which was changed to Environmental Systems Tech. I worked on th I was a Mechanical Accessess Tech, which was changed to Environmental Systems Tech. I worked on the Air Cond, Heating, Pressurization, Aux Power Unit, Fire bottles, Canopy seal, Anti-G Suit Pump, Oxygen Reg., Wing Anti-Ice and a Starter Cartridge for starting engines on C-130 in remote areas that had no ground equip. I used to sit in the seat of the F4 to check out the pressure drop on the Oxy Reg with a Go-No-Guage. You had to watch your footing when lowering yourself into the seat. All the trip mechanisms had safety flags installed, but you still had to make sure you didn't activate the seat. There was an incident over at Ubon, where an Egress Tech accidentally tripped the seat while installing it. He was plastered on the ceiling(plane was in a hanger). I was paranoid afterwards, just sitting in the cockpit. I worked on the F4C and D, the AC-130 Spectre Gunship and the AC-130 Blind Bat Flare Launcher. The flare ship was a part of the Blind Bat Squadron. They lit up the Ho Chi Mihn Trail so that the Spectre Gunships could see what they were doing. We lost a AC-130 gunship a week before I arrived on base. It was shot up, and tried to land back at base. It caught fire on landing, and a flight engineer perished when He could not escape the little fire ops room, that was installed in the cargo area. The tail was all that was left after the inferno. I did see two pilots eject upon landing with shotout landing gear. I took a photo from top of the reventment. It was a distance pic. I wish I had a telephoto lens. The rockets were so fast, that I could only see them when their chutes opened. We used to cannibalize a lot of the planes. That is take parts off of one plane to use on another so that it could fly its mission then return and put the part back on the original plane or some other. I have a band-aid tin with AK47 slugs removed from the parts I took off of the F4s and AC-130s. They were always coming in with some kind of damage. The F4s took off on a lot of missions with trees (acoubuoy sensors) hanging from their bomb racks. These artificial trees(sensors) were weighted with a pointed end. They had radio transmitters inside and the trees (sensors) were dropped along the trail, and picked up the sounds from the trucks. The base ops knew when and where to schedule their missions. The AC-130's used to take off an hour before night came. I always saw them flying in circles around the base before taking off for the trail. I found out later that they were calibrating their gun sights on the large water fountain in the city of Ubon, just outside the base. ---------------------------------------------------
I worked on the anti-G system on the F4D Phantom fighter in Thailand. The plane was capable of Mach1 flight. The System was a valve (See photos in this section) with a floating weight. When the pilot went into a climb or a dive the valve would pressurize bladders in different locations in the pilots flight suit. The suit worked like a tourniquet, making sure the pilots blood did not all flow to his feet or head, if he was going into a dive or climb. This prevented him from passing out... More
Chain of Command
HQ 3720 Basic Military School USAF ATC Lackland AFB Texas 78236 Squadron 3711 Flight 933
Other Memories
I was in Squadron 3711 Flight 933 which took training from 7 May 66 to 7 June 66. I got this info from a copy of my orders that sent me from basic training to Mech Access training at Chanute AFB in Illinois.
At Basic Training at Lackland AFB they gave us the option of pulling KP or being guiene pigs for the day. We all chose the later and they marched us down to the dispensary where they told us to take a pill then sit around for a few hours reading magazines. They then took blood from us for testing. They told us they were testing a new gout pill. I still have the numbered tag they made us wear. Maybe they gave a placebo to a few testees. Who really knows what the Air Force was testing?
Criteria The United States Air Force awards a single ribbon, known as the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, for an expert qualification on either the M-16 rifle, M-4 carbine or the individuals AFSC's (dut... The United States Air Force awards a single ribbon, known as the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, for an expert qualification on either the M-16 rifle, M-4 carbine or the individuals AFSC's (duty) designated handgun weapon. The ribbon is issued in only one degree; however, a bronze service star may be worn on the ribbon for those who have qualified expert on both the service rifle and handgun. MoreHide
Comments The United States Air Force awards a single ribbon, known as the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, for an expert qualification on either the M-16 rifle, M-4 Carbine or the individuals AFSC's (Job... The United States Air Force awards a single ribbon, known as the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, for an expert qualification on either the M-16 rifle, M-4 Carbine or the individuals AFSC's (Job) designated handgun weapon. The ribbon is issued in only one degree; however, a bronze service star may be worn on the ribbon for those who have qualified expert on both the service rifle and handgun.[1]
Qualification as expert with the pistol (M-9/M-11) requires 41 hits out of 45 rounds on target, with at least 25 hits within a 10-inch circle on the torso of the target and six hits within a six-inch circle on the head of the target.
Qualification as expert with the rifle (M-16/M-4) for the Air Force Qualification Course (AFQC) is most common for Air Force members and requires 35 to 40 hits out of 40 rounds (if qualifying without a gas mask), or 43 to 50 hits out of 50 rounds on various sized silhouettes, simulating targets at different ranges. The target itself is 25 meters away, with silhouettes simulating targets at 50 meters, 100 meters, 150 meters, 200 meters, 250 meters and 300 meters. 10 shots are fired each from the standing-barricaded, kneeling-barricaded, prone-supported (with and without gas mask) and the prone-unsupported position
MoreHide
Hq ARPC (ORS) 3800 York St. Denver
Co 80205
Upon my return from service in Thailand I was assigned to Hq ARPC (ORS) 3800 York St. Denver Co 80205. to serve two years inactive reserve which culminated in getting my Honorable Discharge from the USAF in 1972