thedrifter
11-05-03, 06:35 AM
Vietnam War Vets Reunite In Thailand
Associated Press
November 3, 2003
PATTAYA, Thailand - The air bases have closed and the runways are overgrown with weeds. But John Ault can still hear in his head the B-52s taking off for bombing missions over Vietnam and thundering back to earth on their return.
It's a rumble. It's like an earthquake," said Ault, a 50-year-old former U.S. Coast Guard technician from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Ault and several dozen other U.S. veterans who served in Thailand during the Vietnam War gathered for a two-week reunion in the resort town of Pattaya, not far from the U-Tapao air base where they were stationed. The reunion ended Sunday.
The United States launched its largest-ever bombing campaign from air bases across Thailand in its protracted fight against communist forces in north Vietnam, and neighboring Cambodia and Laos during the 1960s and 1970s.
Thailand's compliance with the United States in the Vietnam War marked the beginning of decades of military cooperation between the two countries.
Ault's unit broadcast target coordinates to the fighters and bombers which flew near constant sorties from U-Tapao, 130 kilometers (81 miles) southeast of Bangkok.
Thousands of soldiers were stationed at the base, a Thai navy facility used by the U.S. Air Force for a decade starting in 1966.
For many of the reunited veterans - including former aircraft maintenance specialists, munitions loaders and runway construction workers - it was their first trip back to Thailand in more than three decades. But the memories were still fresh.
Many carried faded black-and-white photos of themselves as young men, lean and tan.
"One thing I couldn't do was sleep in the hooches (barracks) near the flight line because they flew ... every two hours, 24/7," said Ken Bower, a 67-year-old former communications training officer from San Antonio, Texas.
Others spoke of packing bombs into the bellies of hulking B-52 bombers - which they called Big Ugly Fat Fellas - and refueling KC-135 tanker planes on the hot tarmac in 12-hour shifts to prepare the planes for sorties. The base was a hive of constant activity, they said.
"We did the same thing over and over," said Bill Miller, 54, of Baltimore, Maryland. "We just loaded 500- and 750-pound bombs (onto racks) and sent them out to the planes - B-52s."
Former soldier, Dave Galvan, 54, said there was sometimes a glaring disparity between events at the base and U.S. news reports at the time.
"You would see the papers from the States and they'd say there's nothing going on, no bombing or anything," he said. "But every 15 minutes one (plane) is going out, one is coming in - they were empty, tails half shot off."
Another veteran recalled hearing a radio broadcast by then President Lyndon B. Johnson saying that the United States was considering sending B-52s to Thailand, only to discover minutes later that they had already arrived and were on the tarmac outside his barracks.
The reunion was organized by Jim Gilmore, 51, a veteran from Vallejo, California, who repaired and maintained aircraft at the base in the early 1970s and three years ago launched the U-Tapao Alumni Association, an online forum with about 300 members.
Several of the veterans settled in Thailand after the war.
"For the most part, none of us had met face-to-face until we got here," said Gilmore. "(But) there isn't anything I wouldn't do for any of them if they asked. People who have shared military service share a bond that nobody else can understand."
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Associated Press
November 3, 2003
PATTAYA, Thailand - The air bases have closed and the runways are overgrown with weeds. But John Ault can still hear in his head the B-52s taking off for bombing missions over Vietnam and thundering back to earth on their return.
It's a rumble. It's like an earthquake," said Ault, a 50-year-old former U.S. Coast Guard technician from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Ault and several dozen other U.S. veterans who served in Thailand during the Vietnam War gathered for a two-week reunion in the resort town of Pattaya, not far from the U-Tapao air base where they were stationed. The reunion ended Sunday.
The United States launched its largest-ever bombing campaign from air bases across Thailand in its protracted fight against communist forces in north Vietnam, and neighboring Cambodia and Laos during the 1960s and 1970s.
Thailand's compliance with the United States in the Vietnam War marked the beginning of decades of military cooperation between the two countries.
Ault's unit broadcast target coordinates to the fighters and bombers which flew near constant sorties from U-Tapao, 130 kilometers (81 miles) southeast of Bangkok.
Thousands of soldiers were stationed at the base, a Thai navy facility used by the U.S. Air Force for a decade starting in 1966.
For many of the reunited veterans - including former aircraft maintenance specialists, munitions loaders and runway construction workers - it was their first trip back to Thailand in more than three decades. But the memories were still fresh.
Many carried faded black-and-white photos of themselves as young men, lean and tan.
"One thing I couldn't do was sleep in the hooches (barracks) near the flight line because they flew ... every two hours, 24/7," said Ken Bower, a 67-year-old former communications training officer from San Antonio, Texas.
Others spoke of packing bombs into the bellies of hulking B-52 bombers - which they called Big Ugly Fat Fellas - and refueling KC-135 tanker planes on the hot tarmac in 12-hour shifts to prepare the planes for sorties. The base was a hive of constant activity, they said.
"We did the same thing over and over," said Bill Miller, 54, of Baltimore, Maryland. "We just loaded 500- and 750-pound bombs (onto racks) and sent them out to the planes - B-52s."
Former soldier, Dave Galvan, 54, said there was sometimes a glaring disparity between events at the base and U.S. news reports at the time.
"You would see the papers from the States and they'd say there's nothing going on, no bombing or anything," he said. "But every 15 minutes one (plane) is going out, one is coming in - they were empty, tails half shot off."
Another veteran recalled hearing a radio broadcast by then President Lyndon B. Johnson saying that the United States was considering sending B-52s to Thailand, only to discover minutes later that they had already arrived and were on the tarmac outside his barracks.
The reunion was organized by Jim Gilmore, 51, a veteran from Vallejo, California, who repaired and maintained aircraft at the base in the early 1970s and three years ago launched the U-Tapao Alumni Association, an online forum with about 300 members.
Several of the veterans settled in Thailand after the war.
"For the most part, none of us had met face-to-face until we got here," said Gilmore. "(But) there isn't anything I wouldn't do for any of them if they asked. People who have shared military service share a bond that nobody else can understand."
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: