VMA-225 "Skyhawks"

[Dan Berkery]

1961, Plt 251, Parris Island
1962, NATTC Memphis, 6611
1963, VMA-242, Cherry Point
1963, VMA-332, Cherry Point
1964, VMA-225, Cherry Point, Iwakuni
1965, VMA-225, Chu Lai
1966, VMA-225, Cherry Point

A big thank you to the "grunts" who saved our butts during Operation Starlight at Chu Lai in mid-August 1965.

[BobTate]

Dan...

These pics will look familiar to you...

S/F

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/bobtate/chu%20lai/VMA225flightline.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/bobtate/chu%20lai/ChuLai1-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/bobtate/chu%20lai/ChuLai2.jpg

[Dan Berkery]

Bob ... I don't recognize your name but that doesn't mean anything ... there are lots of names I don't remember. That first picture, the color one, must be "day one" at Chu Lai. The revetments made of stacked 55 gallon drums filled with sand are not even in place yet.

Lt. Col. "Bobby" Baker (WWII "Blacksheep" pilot) was the C.O. of VMA-225 before and during the Chu Lai deployment. I have lots of Chu Lai pictures, plus super 8 films transfered to DVD disk format. The new Marine Corps Museum at Quantico has a Chu Lai exhibit and I promise them I would forward a DVD disk of ground (flight) operations so they could use it for their display.

If my re-memory serves me VMA-225 arrived at Chu Lai (from Japan) in April 1965 and left in November 1965. I was in the Avionics section.

VMA-225 has had a reunion every 1 or 2 years, for at least the last 25 years, but the attendance numbers are starting to decrease.

I can't remember the other Skyhawk squadron that was with us at Chu Lai ... it may have been VMA-121 but I'm guessing.

Regards, Dan.

[BobTate]

Dan..

you may have seen thes epics...can't remember where I got hem from...

June 1, 1965: Colonel John D. Noble, MAG-12 Commanding Officer, lead Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Baker, VMA-225 Commanding Officer, and three other VMA-225 "Vagabond" A-4C Skyhawks (tail code CE) into the new Chu Lai air base

First A4 to land at Chu Lai
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/bobtate/chu%20lai/1srA4toeverlandatChuLai.jpg

Welcoming Noble and Baker...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/bobtate/chu%20lai/cake-1stA4atChuLai6-1-65.jpg

[muledog]

not sure were to go but trying to find a buddy from when we were stationed in camp pendleton,ca in 1978. name is thomas james moran goes by the nickname devo.

[muledog]

not sure were to go but trying to find a buddy from when we were stationed in camp pendleton,ca in 1978. name is thomas james moran goes by the nickname devo. need help finding him have tried all the sites online. nothing.

[BobTate]

Muledog, you would have better luck creating your own thread to find your friend.

[Dan Berkery]

"Bob",

That's the first time I have seen those pictures. I can't remember what date the planes arrived but the bulk of the squadron arrived in April to start putting the base together.

Long story short, our squadron came down from Iwakuni on Navy LST's or LSD's or something of that type. During the trip management issued us M-14's, prior to this we had M-1's. Further, all the ammo aboard the ship was .30-06 instead of 7.62 mm. They got some 7.62 mm ammo form Da Nang and issued a handful to each Marine.

We made an amphibious landing on the beach at Chu Lai ... yea, that's right ... only to find Green Berets and Recon Marines sitting in lawn chairs reading newspapers and asking us to keep the noise down.

Because we had no ammo ... in typical Marine Corps style ... we immediately erected sand bag bunkers with large signs on the roofs that said "AMMO".

Other than ammo, the next priority was digging a water well. Using entrenching tools we dug the well in sand. After several days and shift upon shift of Marines we hit water about 25 feet down. It was a conical shaped hole with the top of the sloping sides about 75 feet in diameter. We built a sand bag shaft about 3 foot square and then back filled the conical hole. We were proud of our well ... that was until the Motor Pool contaminated the well about a week later because they dumped their used oil in the sand close by. Boy, we had a lot to learn.

Thank God the "grunt" Marines were out in front of us where the bad guys were. The grunt Marines manned the frist 2 perimeters on three sides and the "airwing" manned the third perimeter and the single perimeter beach area by duty sections. I don't think the "grunts" trusted our tatics or aim that much. Their defensive "holes" seemed to have most of the sandbags behind them instead of to there front ???

Well that's enough for now .....

[BobTate]

Dan...

Your memory seems pretty much on target. The below may fill in some blanks. I think I got this synopsis a few years back from Dave Pendergast...
_______________________
March 1965:
First Marine Division mud Marines waded ashore at Da Nang to protect the allied airfield from the Viet Cong. The mud Marines were soon in the midst of heavy combat and were requesting air support of their own. The Marine landing coincided with a need for a new coastal air base needed to reduce flight time to targets in Quang Tin province and adjacent districts.

Da Nang was the first Marine air base in South Vietnam . Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) would direct most operations assigned Da Nang aircraft that flew north of the base and over the DMZ and southern North Vietnam .

A second airfield was sorely needed. Chu Lai located about 50 miles south of Da Nang was chosen for the new airfield. Starting in April 1965 Navy Seabees worked in 100-degree-plus temperatures to prepare the remote Chu Lai site for an aluminum plank SATS (short airfield for tactical support) "tinfoil strip" 4,000-foot runway. A catapult and arresting gear were planned to allow Skyhawks to use the field. The arresting gear was soon installed but a catapult was not available. So JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) was planned to reduce the Skyhawk takeoff distance by half. Soon the Chu Lai facility had a runway, arresting gear, taxiways, and a parking ramp. A catapult was installed May 14, 1966 .

Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) was assigned to Chu Lai to direct most Skyhawk operations in South Vietnam . The plan was to rotate Skyhawk squadrons to and from Chu Lai and Japan to conduct combat operations.

The Skyhawk --- The Marine Corps had flown the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk since 1957, but had to wait eight years to fly the Skyhawk in combat. The A-4 Skyhawk was armed with two internal 20mm cannons and could carry additional guns in external pods. The A-4C had three external stores stations available and the A-4E had five external stores stations available. From the external stores stations Marine pilots could deliver approximately 8,500 pounds of ordnance ---"iron" bombs weighing up to 1,000 pounds, napalm, Zuni semi-guided rockets, cluster bombs, and unguided rockets.


• June 1, 1965 :
Colonel John D. Noble, MAG-12 Commanding Officer, lead Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Baker, VMA-225 Commanding Officer, and three other VMA-225 "Vagabond" A-4C Skyhawks (tail code CE) into the new Chu Lai air base (June 1, 1965 - October 1965).
Later on June 1, 1965 , Lieutenant Colonel Bernard J. Stender, VMA-311 Commanding Officer, lead three VMA-311 "Tomcat" A-4E Skyhawks (tail code WL) into the new Chu Lai air base. (June 1, 1965 - October 1965; February 1966 - March 1967; June 1967 - February 1970; May 1972 - January 1973).
Still later on June 1, 1965 , Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Baker, VMA-225 Commanding Officer, lead the first "Vagabond" combat mission from Chu Lai striking the enemy six miles north of the base.

• June 2, 1965 :
Early in the morning Colonel John D. Noble, MAG-12 Commanding Officer, lead four VMA-225 "Fighting Eagle" aircraft to bomb and strafe Viet Cong forces near the base.

Later in the morning of June 2, 1965 , Lieutenant Colonel Bernard J. Stender, VMA-311 Commanding Officer, lead three other "Tomcat" Skyhawks on the squadron's first Chu Lai combat mission. The four VMA-311 "Tomcats" bombed and strafed Viet Cong forces in Quang Ngai, about twenty miles south of Chu Lai.

On this mission Colonel Stender demonstrated a colorful departure as he took the short runway and ran his engine up to 85 percent power for the takeoff check. Colonel Stender inadvertently hit the JATO firing button when calling the tower for takeoff clearance and the JATO fired. The Skyhawk leaped forward; Stender brought the engine to 100% and was on his way --- barely getting airborn and blowing sand for a mile after he was airborne from the short runway.

• June 16, 1965 :
All twenty VMA-311 A-4E Skyhawks had arrived at Chu Lai to begin an intensive period of combat operation.

• June 23, 1965 :
The United States Air Force 2nd Air Division, which directed air strikes in South Vietnam , cited VMA-311 for "the finest close air support we have ever seen!"

• June 28, 1965 :
The VMA-214 "Black Sheep" (tail code WE) arrived bringing twenty A-4C Skyhawks to Chu Lai (June 28, 1965 - February 1966; April 1966 - March 1967).

• August 1965:
During Operation Starlite North Vietnamese forces tried to attack Chu Lai but were driven off by mud Marines on land and in Skyhawks in the air.

• October 15, 1965 :
The VMA-211 "Wake Island Avengers" (tail code CF) arrived bringing twenty A-4E Skyhawks to Chu Lai. (October 15, 1965 - July 1966; November 1966 - September 1967; December 1967 - February 1970; May 1972 - February 1973).

MAG-12 now commanded about 80 Skyhawks at Chu Lai.