thedrifter
05-06-08, 07:07 AM
DM man to receive presidential citation
By MOLLY HOTTLE • mhottle@dmreg.com • May 6, 2008
It's been 41 years since Robert Condon dropped listening devices on the Ho Chi Minh trail during the Vietnam War with the Ghost Squadron VO-67, but he'll say it was more like "when dinosaurs ruled the world."
For decades, squadron members couldn't talk about the classified missions. But this month, Condon and the others in his squadron are being awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award bestowed upon a military unit. The ceremony takes place May 14 at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.
From November 1967 until the summer of 1968, Condon and approximately 500 other Naval military personnel completed classified missions. Often even they were unaware of the purpose of their flights.
"I didn't even know where we were for a while," said Condon, now 62 and living on Des Moines' south side. "My wife saw me for only 17 days out of that year and a half."
Condon - who also received the Air Medal in 1968 for his service on the Ghost Squadron - enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 years old, unsure of anything else he would want to do besides travel the world.
After four years and extensive training in weapons operation, Condon was stationed in Maryland for a little over a month when he was told he had four days to get to San Diego for a different mission.
"It was kind of mystifying at times; there was an aura of what's going to happen next?" he said. "We didn't even wear normal Navy uniforms; it was more like a mix between the ones the Marine Corps and the Army wear."
As part of its mission the Ghost Squadron flew from Thailand where it was stationed, to Vietnam to drop listening devices in villages and onto the Ho Chi Minh trail, as well as manning guns from the aircraft and protecting Marines stationed in Khe Sanh, Vietnam.
In July 1968, the squadron was disbanded and the crews of the VO-67 never spoke to or saw each other again - until 10 years ago.
In 1998, the information about the Ghost Squadron was declassified and squadron members were finally allowed to speak to others about what they did and saw.
After 36 years of silence, Condon said, it was a long time coming.
"It was stressful at times, to keep something from the guys you live with for such long periods of time. You can't explain to them the pressures or what you've handled," he said, of keeping the secret of the squadron from men he served with after it was disbanded.
After serving with the Ghost Squadron, Condon completed 15 more years of his 20 years in service to the country, flying with other squadrons and chasing Russian submarines.
In 1983, he went back to school for his degree in computer programming, and in 1988 he began working in Des Moines as an extraction operator at the food ingredient company, Kemin Industries.
In 1998, he received word that the mission of the Ghost Squadron had been declassified and the stories began to come out.
"We found out a lot of things about what we were actually doing out there just in the last few years," Condon said.
There have been five reunions of the men in the squadron and Condon has attended all he could. He also has visited one of the 13 commanders on the mission, Lefty Nordhill, 85, of Las Vegas. The 20 men that died while serving on the mission are remembered at each of the reunions.
Condon still is unsure whether he'll be able to attend, but seeing his fellow sailors isn't something he'll be able to resist easily. "There are people attending I haven't seen for a while and that's always worth it to me," he said.
Ellie
By MOLLY HOTTLE • mhottle@dmreg.com • May 6, 2008
It's been 41 years since Robert Condon dropped listening devices on the Ho Chi Minh trail during the Vietnam War with the Ghost Squadron VO-67, but he'll say it was more like "when dinosaurs ruled the world."
For decades, squadron members couldn't talk about the classified missions. But this month, Condon and the others in his squadron are being awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award bestowed upon a military unit. The ceremony takes place May 14 at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.
From November 1967 until the summer of 1968, Condon and approximately 500 other Naval military personnel completed classified missions. Often even they were unaware of the purpose of their flights.
"I didn't even know where we were for a while," said Condon, now 62 and living on Des Moines' south side. "My wife saw me for only 17 days out of that year and a half."
Condon - who also received the Air Medal in 1968 for his service on the Ghost Squadron - enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 years old, unsure of anything else he would want to do besides travel the world.
After four years and extensive training in weapons operation, Condon was stationed in Maryland for a little over a month when he was told he had four days to get to San Diego for a different mission.
"It was kind of mystifying at times; there was an aura of what's going to happen next?" he said. "We didn't even wear normal Navy uniforms; it was more like a mix between the ones the Marine Corps and the Army wear."
As part of its mission the Ghost Squadron flew from Thailand where it was stationed, to Vietnam to drop listening devices in villages and onto the Ho Chi Minh trail, as well as manning guns from the aircraft and protecting Marines stationed in Khe Sanh, Vietnam.
In July 1968, the squadron was disbanded and the crews of the VO-67 never spoke to or saw each other again - until 10 years ago.
In 1998, the information about the Ghost Squadron was declassified and squadron members were finally allowed to speak to others about what they did and saw.
After 36 years of silence, Condon said, it was a long time coming.
"It was stressful at times, to keep something from the guys you live with for such long periods of time. You can't explain to them the pressures or what you've handled," he said, of keeping the secret of the squadron from men he served with after it was disbanded.
After serving with the Ghost Squadron, Condon completed 15 more years of his 20 years in service to the country, flying with other squadrons and chasing Russian submarines.
In 1983, he went back to school for his degree in computer programming, and in 1988 he began working in Des Moines as an extraction operator at the food ingredient company, Kemin Industries.
In 1998, he received word that the mission of the Ghost Squadron had been declassified and the stories began to come out.
"We found out a lot of things about what we were actually doing out there just in the last few years," Condon said.
There have been five reunions of the men in the squadron and Condon has attended all he could. He also has visited one of the 13 commanders on the mission, Lefty Nordhill, 85, of Las Vegas. The 20 men that died while serving on the mission are remembered at each of the reunions.
Condon still is unsure whether he'll be able to attend, but seeing his fellow sailors isn't something he'll be able to resist easily. "There are people attending I haven't seen for a while and that's always worth it to me," he said.
Ellie