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Pg. Road To Saigon                                   Now  1968

Having  Resigned  From The  Boeing  Aircraft  Co.   What  To  Do  Next..??

I Answer an add in the Local  Seattle  Newspaper  --- HELP  WANTED --- Aircraft  Mechanics --- Location  Republic of South Vietnam....  After my interview  I  go downtown and get a  US PASSPORT  and  Recieve  Travel  Orders  Which  Authorize  Travel  Via  Military  MACV  Aircraft.   With suitcase in hand and Tool-Box in Tow  (Be sure YOU have all necessary tools -- There is NO  Sears  in  Saigon)  I head for  TRAVIS  A.F.B.   a short bus-ride from San Francisco, Calif.

( Note : You need to Mute Background Audio after 1st play )  

Upon arriving at  Travis AFB  and checking in at the processing  office,  I'm told to Find the  C-141 Starlifter  on the Flight-Line  Fueling up and preparing to Go -- Direct To Saigon --...  It's quite a long flight across the Pacific to Saigon  approx. 7800 miles..  So we have Fueling  &  Hamburger  Stops at Hawaii,  Guam Is.,  The Phillipine Is.,  and Finally  a short hop of 1200 miles to  Tan-San-Nuht  Airfield  just  adjacent to Saigon...

Upon  landing  at  Tan-Son-Nuht  and spending the night at a  Saigon  hotel  doing  some  Personell  Processing  I  am  told  to  catch  a  C-143  Transport  (above right)  and head  to  Qui Nhon  City  where there is a  Huey  Repair  Depot...  This is to be my home for the next year...

For  HAM RADIO OP's.  who may be reading this....  Before leaving state-side I Wrote a letter to -- Vietnam United States Ambassador in California -- Requesting Permission to take a HAM RADIO along to Vietnam.  Permission was Granted and I carried a Certified Letter with me in hopes that OPERATING  Priviledges may be granted during my adventure..  Unfortunately I Left Country B-4 the Guys over at Saigon got Vietnam operating Licenses...  )--- :   ....  It was kinda  NEAT  SWL--ing  thou  to SEE who the ** BIG GUNS ** were with signals coming outta the U.S.A. .... !!!!!    

As seen in the Pic.,  Qui Nhon City  is setting right on the coast-line of the  So. China Sea.  The airfield is kinda hard to see in the pic. however it starts on the beach and goes directly thru the center of the city...  Here civilians live in town, usually finding LiL apt. style housing.  The other pic. is a typical day at the office for some G.I.'s hitching a ride on a HUEY...  Notice the GI setting by the back door.... There's another on the other side... Both having 30 cal. machine guns LOCKED  &  LOADED  for  obvious reasons......

After a year up North at  Qui Nhon  I am asked to Go to  Bein Hoa Field  which is about 30 miles North of Saigon.  This is where the Fixed Wing aircraft are maintained such as the below pictured Beechcraft.  At Bein Hoa the civilians live On-base & bunk in Hooches and Dine with the G.I.'s ..    The other pic. below is a Boeing CHINOOK CH-47 bringing in a Bell HUEY UH-1 for some T.L.C. ...  Co-incidently, I find out later my cousin Mervil is Chief Pilot of a C-141 flying BOB HOPE & His group of Entertainers around Vietnam for the USO shows.

Having been  IN-COUNTRY  now for  2 years  my signed contract is up.   Time to head back  State-Side  ---  Certainly has been a learning experience  to say the least..!!!   The folks in the Good Ole USA don't realize how great things are compared to what's happening over in this part of the World...!!!  

Rice-Paddy-Stew-&-Saigon-Tea        Vietnam Medic -Doc. Pardue