History of the 114th Birddogs
(Click photo to enlarge)
Front Row, Left to Right
Captain Gene Boyle and CWO William "Bill" Craven
Standing Second Row:
CWO Bennie Benefleld, CWO Terry Luther
CWO Jerry Lee, CWO Gary Pravden
Vinh Long Airfield, South Vietnam, 1964-1965.
Some time ago, I was asked to provide some background
on the 73rd Reconnaissance Airplane Company (RAC) (Provisional).
I’m sure some members of our Association are curious as to how O-1F
“Bird Dogs” ever became a part of the 114th Aviation Company (Air Mobile
Light). I can only provide you
with my personal viewpoint and how I wound up being a Bird Dog pilot
assigned to the 114th AVN CO (AML).
I believe the 73rd RAC deployed to
South Viet Nam
in the spring of 1963. As I
recall, one platoon of approximately 18 aircraft each was stationed in each
of the four Corps Tactical Zones. I
know that the company headquarters was located in NHA Trang (II Corps), one
platoon was in Danang (I Corps), one in Bien Hoa (III Corps), and the other
was in IV Corps. Various RAC
sections were assigned out to other operational areas, most in direct
support of the MAAG Advisory elements. There
were three sections of six aircraft each in IV Corps assigned to the Delta
Aviation Battalion (later re-designated as the 13th Aviation Battalion
[Combat]). One section was at
Bac Lieu supporting the 21st ARVN Division Advisors; one section was located
at My Tho supporting the 7th ARVN Division Advisors; and the section that
eventually wound up being a part of the 114th AVN CO (AML) was at Vinh Long
supporting the MAAG Advisors to the 9th ARVN Division.
I was initially assigned to the 73rd RAC on August 19, 1964 when I
in-processed at MAAG Headquarters in
Saigon
. After about three days, I was
directed to check in at the 18th Aviation Company (U-1 “Otter”, Low,
Slow, and Reliable) operations at Tan Son Nhut and hitch a ride to Nha Trang
for further in-processing, in-country checkout and further assignment
somewhere in one of the four Corps AO’s.
Three days later and 7 hours into my 10 hour in-country checkout, I
was directed to go to Bien Hoa with an O-1F and augment the section located
there for a “special” mission. This
“special” mission consisted of flying as a continuous nighttime airborne
radio relay platform maintaining radio contact with three elements; a
communications center (“STARCOM”), a POL site on the Saigon river
(”TANK FARM”), and an aviation company operations center located at Tan
Son Nhut. Their gunship platoon
(Playboys?) was on call should STARCOM or TANK FARM come under attack.
Seven days and 40 plus nighttime hours later I was directed to return
to Nha Trang for further assignment.
Somewhere in the July-September, 1964 time frame, inactivation plans
for the 73rd RAC was in progress although I was not aware of this action
until later.
Three days after returning to Nha Trang, I was assigned to the
platoon and section located in Danang and hitched a ride there on an Air
Force C-123. I settled in at 9
Gia Long, where our platoon personnel were quartered.
I received my Laotian border and DMZ area check-out and was cleared
to start regular support of the Advisors in the area.
About a week after arriving in Danang, a typhoon hit and blew out
every windowpane in our quarters at 9 Gia Long.
Several of us went to the airfield expecting to find our Bird Dogs
scattered about, but fortunately they were still secure in their tie-downs.
We managed to get the airplanes in a big hanger and, as we were
congratulating ourselves on a job well done, the typhoon main strength came
ashore. The wind started peeling
sheets of corrugated steel roofing and siding off the hanger akin to scaling
a fish with a sharp knife in front of a big floor fan.
We all sought shelter under the wings of the Bird Dogs and watched
the steel roofing and siding sail into C-123, C-130, C-46, C-47 and various
other airplanes parked on the ramp.
Sometime around the middle of September or early October 1964, the
inactivation of the 73rd RAC was announced and company personnel and assets
were either assigned or attached to the Provisional Aviation Battalions
located in each of the four Corps Tactical Zones.
Being one of the new guys in the unit, I was a prime candidate to be
sent to the “boondocks” as some of the company headquarters personnel
opted to re-locate to the big city of
Danang
. Needless to say, I was on the
road again, hitching another ride on a C-123 from Danang to
Saigon
. I was met by CPT Lou West,
Platoon Leader of the IV Corps area 73rd RAC, who delivered me to Vinh Long.
I had been assigned to the Delta Aviation Battalion and further
attached to the 114th AVN CO (AML). (Major
George Young, Commanding)
I don’t recall exactly when the 73rd RAC was inactivated.
I believe it was some time in late September or maybe even October,
1964. It could have been a few
weeks later and at about the same time or shortly thereafter when the Delta
Aviation Battalion (Provisional) was re-designated the 13th Aviation
Battalion (Combat).
When I arrived at Vinh Long, enlisted crew chiefs were quartered at
the airfield and the 73rd RAC pilots lived downtown in the Vinh Long MAAG
house with some of the Advisors. There
were three 73rd RAC Warrants flying Bird Dogs in addition to CPT Lou West.
They were CWO Terry Luther, CWO Jerry Lee, and CWO Gary Pravden.
Sometime around the middle of October 1964, quarters became available
and we fixed-wing aviators re-located from the MAAG house to the airfield.
I believe it was at this time that we all became officially assigned
to the 114th AVN CO (AML). CPT
Lou West joined one of the 114th slick platoons and I became the 114th AVN
CO (AML) O-1F Section Leader. Similar
restructuring took place in My Tho and Bac Lieu with the other 73rd RAC
personnel and aircraft. Later
on, CWO William “Bill” Craven and CWO Bennie Benefield were assigned to
the section. CWO Craven brought
with him a wealth of experience. He
flew B-24 Liberator Bombers in the Pacific during W.W.II and had several
thousand hours as a civilian Bird Dog IP.
Also Lt. Bill Rades, 96th Signal Detachment Commander at Vinh Long,
quite frequently flew Bird Dog missions with us.
From October, 1964 until about June-July, 1965 the 114th AVN CO (AML)
O-1F Section flew a variety of missions, primarily in direct support of the
MAAG Advisors assigned to the 9th ARVN Division.
We also supported the Regional Force-Popular Force (RUFF-PUFFs),
Sub-Sector Advisors, and the 23rd Riverine Assault Group (RAG) Navy
Advisors. Typical missions
included reconnaissance, artillery fire adjustment, Forward Air Control
(FAC), Naval gunfire adjustment, PSYOP “Litterbug” missions dropping
leaflets, radio relay, re-supply via bundle drops, calling for and
coordinating med-evacs with DUSTOFF, and several other “services” for
our Advisors such as airdropping mail, clean laundry, cold beer secured in a
.50 cal. ammo can, and marking targets and friendly front line traces for
close air support provided by high performance aircraft and helicopter
gunships (Bob Molinelli and “Pete” Kendrick were the 114th
Gunship Platoon Leaders (Call sign Cobra) during my tour).
In the spring of ‘65, a 114th crew med-evaced one of Major Oscar M.
Padgetts 9th ARVN DIV 13th Regiment Advisors, Lt. Dennis Reimer, who
suffered shrapnel wounds in the stomach during a nearby operation.
Dennis later became the Army Chief of Staff.
We could also provide illumination for up to 45-48 continuous minutes
as the Bird Dog could carry and drop up to four Mark-45 flares per sortie.
Probably the most important role played by the Bird Dog and the pilot
was in the support to the advisors as their direct link to the outside
world. On board were a VHF
radio, one UHF radio, and two FM radios.
From this aerial platform the pilot became the extended eyes, ears
and voice of the advisor on the ground.
When they needed something, be it artillery fire support, close air
support, med-evac coordination, radio relay, reconnaissance, re-supply (cold
six-pack) or whatever may crop up, they could get it from and through the
O-1F Bird Dog. Four of the six
114th Bird Dogs in my section were armed with four 2.75 Folding Fin Aerial
Rockets (FFARs) each and could provide limited aerial fire support until the
Cobra Platoon gunships or fighter aircraft arrived on the scene.
The smoke and WP rockets were old and unreliable so we used the HE
munitions.
Sometime in the June-July, 1965 time frame the 74th RAC was activated
and three additional RACs arrived in country.
I believe they were the 219th, 220th, and 221st RAC.
One RAC was assigned to each Corps Tactical Zone and the remaining
original 73rd RAC personnel and Bird Dog assets were absorbed by these new
O-1F companies. I think the
221st RAC (Shotguns) were stationed at Soc Trang.
I know we provided some of their crews a ten (10) hour in-country
check out when they were assigned to operate out of Vinh Long.
I was so close to my DEROS (August 18, 1965) that I remained assigned
to the 114th until o/a August 11, 1965 when the company commander, Major
George Derrick, flew me to
Saigon
and dropped me off at a helipad at Tan Son Nhut.
The 73rd Aviation Company was reactivated at Vung Tau sometime
between December, 1964 and August, 1965 as an OV-1 “Mohawk” unit.
The crew chiefs assigned to the O-1F section did a magnificent job of
maintaining the assigned Bird Dogs. Although
a few of the airplanes sustained some minor battle damage, none were ever
lost due to mechanical failure or faulty maintenance while assigned to the
114th. The aircraft engines had
to be replaced at the 900 hour level. The
crews were making these changes about every six or seven months on each
airplane. This should give the
reader an idea as to the flight requirements levied on the O-1F Bird Dog
Section. Specialist Herbert
Silver, Specialist Fyffe, PFC's Frank Gaeben, Irvine Matsuda and several
others did an outstanding job under sometimes very difficult circumstances.
Any achievements and or accolades earned by this section would not
have been possible without the enlisted crew contribution and dedication.
I trust you find this account of how a small group of fixed-wing
aviators and crew chiefs from the 73rd RAC (Call Sign “BACKSPIN”) wound
up assigned to the 114th Aviation Company (AML) to be somewhat interesting.
If you find it worthy of publication in a future newsletter, please
feel free to edit and correct any dates and/or assignment data as you see
fit.
Clarence E. (Gene) Boyle
Fixed Wing Section Leader
114th Aviation Company
1964 - 1965
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