MACV/USARV FLIGHT DETACHMENT,
LATER, COMMAND AIRCRAFT COMPANY:
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW, by Donald M. Ricks, Webmaster:
“In the beginning [before the recorded historical events below] there were two separate Flight Detachments, MACV and USARV, which support the major command indicated. Both units had five — six aircraft each, including Queen Airs and U-6 models. In mid-1966 both merged into one unit know as USARV Flight Detachment.” Captain Carl C. Yoder, MACV Flight Detachment Operations Officer, 1965–66.
I got to NAM in July 1965 and was supposed to go to the AMERICAL DIV but was switched to the MACV FLT DET when they found out I had a lot of twin time in U8F. Our base operations was at the base of the control tower at SAIGON. When I left in JULY 1966 it was still THE MACV FLT DET. More information coming after I dig it out.
[From reading this USARV Flight Detachment history page] I knew all the guys mentioned in the MACV FLT DET in 1965/66. LTC Gunn was the commanding officer. A few names I recall: BAUGH, TERRELL, FRIX, HURST, BAYNE, BONNETT, MORGEN, and ALLMAN.
LTC (Retired) James “Jim” Killette
Just a few words about the USARV Flight Detachment for your information:
When I joined the unit, we were all billeted in a villa which was in the city of Saigon, but not in enclosed (meaning fenced) US Army compound, guarded by one, sometimes two, ARVN soldiers. A sitting duck target for the Viet Cong had they chosen to attack us.
All of the USARV flight detachment pilots were there, about eight of us as I recall. A few of the names (some of which you already know) were Houston Garner, Willie Hardwick, Charlie Peach; WO1 Matney (who was a timid soul, and who was my roommate); CW3 Mudd, whose first names I can’t remember; and the detachment commander, Major Baugh.
Major Baugh was an easy going guy, one who everyone liked and was replaced by a senior major named Gunn, I think. If I sound less than positive it is because I am not sure about his name. I want to say an Irish name such as O'Hara, but I can find nothing in print to substantiate that, so I'll refer to the Det CO as Gunn. Mudd was an accomplished guitar musician, but with a quick temper.
After about five months there we all moved to the USARV/MACV billets in a much more secure location, and with attractive amenities such as a swimming pool, a mess hall and officer's club, and movies two or three times a week. Living high on the hog.
LTC (Retired) Edward H. “Ed” Miler (Catkiller 6, 1969)
PS. Did you know that our aircraft identification call sign back in the early days was Love Apple? Honest.
Note the MACV shoulder patch imposed on the left patch graphic and the USARV shoulder patch on the right patch. Except for the detachment name and its associated distinctive shoulder patch the backgrounds are essentially the same.
Capital Aviation Battalion directed service began 1 July1966 and ended May 1968. The command assignment from 1965 to about 20 June 1966* has not been determined. [*See page 7 of the following Unit Deployment document.] This document states that USARV Flight Detachment was activated on 20 June 1966 and assigned to 1st Aviation Brigade and Tan Son Nhut (first mention of the brigade in the document. The 1st Aviation Brigade was formed provisionally on 1 March 1966 with Brigadier General George P. (“Phip”) Seneff in command. SOURCE: 1st Avn Bde web site.). See this link for additional brigade history. Then, less than two weeks later on 1 July 1966, Capital Aviation Battalion (Prov) was formed and one of the several units assigned was USARV Flight Detachment. A rapid buildup of aviation–oriented forces required equally rapid changes in organization structure prevalent during this period.
The command direction of the unit obviously was under the wing of the United States Army Vietnam (USARV), as its name implies. While the exact command structure is not clear, the unit received its administrative orders via 210th and probably continued with a new designation of Command Aircraft Company in April 1968 and through April 1969. Administrative control then passed to the 165th Aviation Group located at Long Binh, though the detachment did not exist to operationally serve the group or battalion.
The broad operational structure and assignment information is probably contained within a series of progressive documents available at the national archives, but for now the source cited in excerpts presented below seem to be the best explanation available:
HISTORICAL NOTES IMPACTING UNIT OPERATIONS:
1st Aviation Brigade Operational Report–Lessons Learned:
(Thanks to Don Nicholson for this link and the information obtained)
This 1st Aviation Brigade Operational Report also directed additional MTOE and procedural changes that affected the USARV Flight Detachment. Page 12 of the above letter–report stated an occupancy date of 15 July 1967 but speculated on a delay until September 1967 for probable commissioning of Long Thanh North. As of 31 January 1969, the authorised number of U–21 aircraft was 39 but only 35 were on hand. A 1st Aviation Brigade and Attachments organizational chart, on page 2, dated 1 February 1969, lists the 210th Combat Aviation Battalion and under that command was the Command Airplane Company (Prov) located at Long Thanh, APO 96530.
Patch worn circa 25 September 1969 — 28 March 1973
HISTORICAL ASSIGNMENT PROFILES:
MAJ Michael F. Royse, Artillery, Vietnam, March 1966–March 1967:
MIKE ROYSE, September 2013: “When I got to the flight detachment they flying the U8F and check me out in it. Then I started flying Hueys out of Hotel 3 on Tan Son Nhat Airport. I only flew fixed wing occasionally after that. Most of the fixed wing pilots in the detachment were fixed wing only, so they flew in the fixed wing (U8) part of the detachment. Those of us who were rotary wing rated flew in the rotary wing part of the detachment. There were only about 6–7 of us who were dual rated and flew the Hueys. There were only 4–5 Hueys assigned to the detachment.”
Special Order 219, dated 19 September 1966 and issued from Headquarters, 11th Aviation Battalion, APO San Francisco 96289, paragraph 17, directed Major Michael F. Royce, Arty, 52518, 162nd Aviation Company, APO 96289, to report on 20 September 1966 to Capital Aviation Battalion, under verbal authority of the Commanding General, 1st Aviation Brigade (Major Lorena, 19 Sep 68). Interestingly, as a special distribution, two copies of these orders went to 12th Combat Aviation Group, APO 96307 (ATTN: Lt Col Kisk).
A week later, Major Royse received Special Order 70, dated 26 September 1966, from Capital Aviation Battalion (Prov) which assigned him to USARV Flight Detachment, APO 96307. Other members of the USARV Flight Detachment mentioned on those orders were:
- Charles L. Manly, CPT, INF, appointed to Witnessing Officer for inventory of documents classified secret for Hqs, Capital Aviation Battalion.
- Manuel T. Diaz, SSG, E6 , received BAS/BAQ of $2.57 a day effective 22 September 1966.
- John W. Hawn, SSG, E6, same as Diaz above. Both men were authorized Cost–of–Living Allowance.
Under Letter Order 263, Capital Aviation Battalion, dated 31 October 1966, Major Royse received authorization for Rest and Relaxation leave to Hong Kong (standby), with a will proceed date of 6–18 November 1966. Also under letterhead of Capital Aviation Battalion, Letter Order 51, dated 14 January 1967, Major Royse and Captain Raymond W. Nelson, Arty, both assigned to USARV Flight Detachment, were sent temporary duty for three days to Bangkok for “Exchange of aircraft in Thailand.” The personal note received from Mike says they picked up a “white” U8D and brought it back to Saigon. Although the order was dated 14 January, their will proceed date was 3 January, and the information verbally confirmed by the commander (not specified).
On 16 January 1967, Major Royse received his assignment to the US Army Aviation Support Element, U.S. Strike Command (USSTRICOM), MacDill AFB, Florida, via Capital Aviation Battalion (Prov) Special Order 13, to depart 23 March 1967. On 15 February 1967, USARV Flight Detachment Unit Order 12 was released from duty assignment as Flight Commander and assigned duty as a fixed wing aviator:
PV1 John F. Lynch, Vietnam, early 1968–October 1968 (SP5 at discharge):
Private E-1 John F. “Jack” Lynch, RA11468506, enlisted on 29 November 1965 and reported to the 1264th US Army Recruiting Station, Fort Dix, New Jersey, with an enlistment termination date of 28 November 1968. Jack enlisted for Multi–Engine Aircraft Repairman Course 600–672.4, MOS 67K20. On 17 June 1966, he would waive his enlistment commitment in favor of MOS 67G20 (Utility Airplane Repairer). On 13 October 1967 Special Order 212 issued by White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, confirms his release from assignment to Company B, Holloman Air Force Base and reassigned to 58th CS ([Combat Support] Detachment, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In a letterhead-printed Letter Order Number 11–, Fort Campbell, dated 13 November 1967, a movement order, identifies the unit in which Jack served was 58th Aviation Detachment (Support) Fort Campbell. This permanent change of station order from Department of the Army originated on 15 October 1967. Special instructions were for each named individual to travel by air and authorized 34 pounds of baggage, Administrative decisions rested with the alerted unit's commander.
The apparent problem with this document for historians (and many web sites) is that this unit appears in several unit historical publication as being in Vietnam before the date of this order. Our own 2LT Rodney Richie, Saigon Detachment (1968–69), appears on the only page of this order’s list but Jack Lynch does not. Special Order 307 dated 28 December 1967 lists John F. Lynch, SP4, 58th Avn Det (Support), MOS 67G20, as promoted to Specialist 5 on that date, so Jack did not move and the unit was still at Fort Campbell at the end of 1967.
Not all of the soldiers on the below list actually moved to Vietnam with this unit (Major Maurice G. Hilliard is one, based upon a recent TELCON with him). One site states, “The 5th Aviation Detachment was redesignated the 58th Aviation Detachment Support, effective 13 January 1968.” If the 58th Aviation Detachment moved from Fort Campbell to Vietnam it is not logical that this unit was redesignated from another detachment sized unit:
The first letterhead order in hand from Jack and the USARV Flight Detachment follows, signed by the unit commander on that date:
LTC William H. Cox, 0839060, assumed command of the Command Airplane Company (Provisional) from LTC Pelham G. Helton on 1 July 1968. SOURCE: Unclassified Operational Report
Statement regarding his early assignment by Alan Smith (unedited):
After finishing flight school at Rucker in December 1967, I stayed and went through a 4 week U-8D transition. My orders to Vietnam had me assigned directly to the USARV Flight Det. When I got to Long Thanh in Feb 1968 the 210th Bn folks informed me that the Flight Det didn’t have U–8’s anymore and they sent me to Phu Loi to to the 74th RAC to fly Birddogs. After getting my 140 hours in 20 days, I had my first day off. The Cdr, Maj Al Walters, as I recall, called me in and asked it my father was a senator or some such big shot, I told him I didn’t really know anyone important. He then informed me that I was going back to Long Thanh to get an in-country checkout in the U-21 and would be with what was, or was becoming CAC. Maj Ron Roe checked me out in the airplane in March of '68 and within a month or so I was moved to the Saigon Detachment. In early '68 the CAC was crawling with field grade types. The Cdr was LTC Pelham Helton, a gray haired fellow that looked about 60 (that doesn’t seem old now!) I recall him looking at me, a 20 year old 1LT, at a safety meeting and commenting that we were getting too many young guys and we needed more gray hair in the cockpit?? The boss in Saigon was LTC Steve Farrish. The Saigon guys flew MACV missions and the Long Thanh guys got their missions from USARV.
Will’s comment about the generals thinking there were too many field grades just flying makes sense. I learned later that the reason I was pulled out of the 74th was that some general somewhere in the chain of command ordered that records be searched and that any Captain or below in RVN that was multi-engine qualified in anything beyond flight school would go to CAC. Turns out they turned up three, me and two guys who had flunked out of CAC.
It looks like sometime in late 1967 USARV Flt Det went away and Long Thahn North and CAC came into being. All about the same time the U–21’s arrived. Also, the bird that landed wheels up at Cam Rahn Army was 007, the one in the Beech promotional photos.
Alan “Smitty” Smith
1ST AVIATION BRIGADE OVERVIEW, 1 MAY 1969:
FIRST LOOK AT THE U–21?
This historic photograph of tail number 12902 originates from what appears to be a subtle marketing announcement by the Aerospace Division, Beech Aircraft Corporation, which was first published in Army Aviation (Magazine), dated 30 April 1967, but it does not specifically identify the aircraft as the U-21:. To view a larger resolution version, please open the photo in a separate window:
The full magazine in PDF format is here copied and added for further perspective and information:
Army Aviation, Volumn 16, Number 4, 30 April 1967I then sent the file photo via email to a group of CAC aviators for comment, which I now share and also solicite additional comments from those who were not on the initial email sent out:
Comments:
All I know is that the first actual U–21 was tali number 001. Tail number 007 was on the one on all of the Beech publicity photos. It landed at Cam Rahn Army wheels up. Was on jacks awaiting a retraction test and was blown off the jacks by a Chinook during the night. As I recall something serious broke and it was junked. Would have been nice if they were pressurized.
Alan M. Amith [CAC, 1968, 1971]
Thanks for sharing. I have not seen this article before. Looks like a Ute to me, however.
Mickey Evans [CAC, Jan 1969–Jan 70; Jan 1973–inactivation]
Haven’t seen it before. Pretty good sales pitch. Must have worked.
Joe Tilghman [CAC, July 1968–June 1969]
Interesting. Question whether the aircraft pictured is a U–21 or a variant painted similarly. What was used in Vietnam was unpressurized and had rectangular side windows, one at the cockpit followed by a space and then a cluster of three with a small round portal window in the door and last a triangular widow aft of the door area on both sides.. My understanding then was that the U–21 had a Queen Air fuselage mounted over a King Air wing, with derated 550 SHP engines. Also, the paint job on the wings and nacelles was different than pictured here. What’s pictured looks slightly larger than the C–90 that appears to be pictured in the back ground and could possibly be a early C–100/200 due to the extra side window. Sure nice to see again. Miss flying it!
Frank S. Bracken [CAC, 1970–71]
Search YU–21 and read Google Book to find that this first called NU8F was prototype U–21. Constructed in 63 and Army tested in 64. First U–21 A was delivered 16 May 1967. The serial number is 63-12902!
I had heard that the Air Force had pitched a fit and would not allow Army to have a pressurized passenger aircraft, since THAT was their (the airforce) job. and the Army needed to stick to helicopters since the AF had ceded RW to the ARMY for the most part. Army made a deal with Beech, after testing YU21 for four months in 1963, making the U–21 a UTILITY non–pressurized A/C to get around AF position. The contract was let and the first U–21 A (what we flew in Viet Nam) was delivered to Army 16 May 1967.
It did have King Air wings, gear, and PW 550 hp turbines. It had the Queen Air Fuselage, and added a cargo door. Recall the fuel Panel on the L/H side of the cocpit read Gallons not pounds of fuel. YU21 had 500 horse engines. Would be interesting to find out if it were pressurized hence the round windows.
Larry V. Green [CAC, Dec 1970–Dec 1971]
This is the first time I have seen this. Sure appears to be what we knew as the U–21. Helluva fine airplane. Wish they had been pressurized.
Curtis B. Harvey [Sept 1969–Sept 1970]
I’m qualified in the U–8 and F and the picture doesn’t look like anything I flew!
Joe W. Lynn [CAC, Jan–Dec 1971]
NEW NAME, SAME JOB:
The text sheet of each organization shows Command Airplane Company (Prov) stationed at Long Thanh, APO 96530. For a higher resolution version, click here.
Chapter 10, Aviation: 165th Aviation Group: [page 111, Stanton]
12th Aviation Group: [page 110]
- Unit: Command [Company] (Prov), [Type] CAC, April 1969 - May 1972/ Transferred to 12th Aviation Group.
- Command [Company] (Prov), May 1972 - March 1973/ Departed Vietnam.
The Command Aircraft Company was part of the 12 Aviation Group as of 1 January 1973 as the following organizational chart depicts this command relationship:
HISTORICAL OVERVIEWS:
The final page in the Aviation Section showed this:
Aviation Companies in Vietnam: [page 123, Stanton]* "This list is admittedly an incomplete compilation of aviation call signs encountered during the book’s research…."
- Unit: Command Avn** [Type] CAC - USARV, [Callsign*] Long Trip, 1 July 1966 - 28 March 1973, [Location] Tan Son Nhat, [Previous Station] Vietnam, [Vietnam Service], [Authorized strength] 1965: (blank); 1966: 94; 1967: 94; 1970: 115.
** "Command Aircraft Company formed from the USARV Flight Detachment on 25 September 1969"
These data segments support a conclusion that the USARV Flight Detachment inactivated in May 1968 and the Command Aircraft Company began operations the month before and probably absorbed missions for both MACV and USARV.
MEMBER COMMENTS:
MAJ Edward H. MIler (LTC, retired), 5th Aviation Detachment, 1965:
After completion of the Caribou transition (a lot of good came out of that experience) course at Rucker in 1965, I was sent to Vietnam to join a CV-2 unit, but on arrival my orders were changed to read CO of the 5th Aviation Det, attached to the USARV Flt Det. I never again saw the cockpit of a CV-2! The 5th Avn Det had two personnel, me and an E-5 who was the crew chief of our one U-8D, and a CONEX container full of supplies for our aircraft.
Our unit was under OPCON of the USARV Flt Det, which was in turn OPCON to the MACV Flight Detachment. I served as CO from 10/1/1965 until 5/21/1966, when I was transferred to the 125th Air Traffic Control Company.
Three of the Operations Officers of the USARV/MACV units were: Captain Carl C. Yoder, Major Francis P. McDermott, and Major Charles R. Mesnier. All of this was a year or so before the Flt Det became the nucleus of the Command Aviation Company and was moved to Long Binh.
I have nothing in writing which lists the other pilots assigned to the Flight Detachment. A few names I recall were: Houston Garner. He and I flew a U–8D from Saigon to Okinawa, via Hong Kong and Taipei, once; Willy Hardwick, another great Guy. He an I were roommates at the USARV billets in Saigon; LTC Bob Bayne, I had known him from the Seventh Army Flt Det at Stuttgart, Germany, then a major. He checked me out in the U–8D. One other name from the MACV Flt Det was Toolson.
Early USARV Flight Detachment History: U–8D to U–21:
I originally was in the II field Forces Viet Nam stationed in Nha Trang. We did business pretty well in the Northern half of S Viet Nam and had a variety of aircraft , Birddogs, Beavers, U-8 D, G & F models as well as some helicopters. We had about 6 or 8 pilots from time to time and lived in an old French Villa in Nha Trang about 1 mile from our operations at the airfield. Two of the three field grade officers we had were pilots that had retired from the Army as Captains and were offered the opportunity to come back with no command responsibilities as pilot for a two years and with a promotion to Major. Both were interesting individuals.
One day I returned from a flight to learn that we had been replaced with an newly arrived flight Detachment that had 2 U–21’s — I also learned at that time that my bunk at the Villa had been appropriated, sheets, blanket and mosquito netting, by a Major who was fast asleep in my bunk. Interesting dilemma as I was also scheduled to fly the next day with a 6 AM takeoff —the new commander said I could stay overnight at a local hotel some 3 or 4 miles from the operations — and rather than have someone pick me up around 4:30 AM let me have a jeep to drive myself (gave the jeep a good inspection the next morning too). After that, I was reassigned to the USARV Flight Detachment in Saigon.
The Detachment was in the process of receiving or replacing their U–8 fleet with U–21’s and the Long Thanh North Airfield was under construction. I remember some of the field grade officers in the Detachment drove out to see the work in process and came back with a Boa Constrictor that went down one side of the jeep across the hood and back up the other side. When in Nha Trang, I remember some of the Long Trip planes coming through from time to time and was always surprised that everyone seemed to be field grade officers, and at the time they all were flying U–8F models. I think some general officer noticed the field grade officer situation also and ordered that the Field Grade officers be given duties other than airplane drivers and to get some company grade and warrant officers in the unit (that is what I heard at the time).
Long Thanh was competed before Christmas, and maybe before Thanksgiving, 1967 [ See last Edotor’s note below], so just over half of the UASRV Flight detachment was reassigned there and a small group remained in Saigon (I assume to be more immediately ready to respond to any needs from MACV). The living at Long Thanh was a bit spartan at first and took some time to get it shaped up—no air conditioned club or hooch, etc.. The Utes had nice facilities though and the airfield was very good. When we first moved to Long Thanh, we had no place to put our clothes and belongings. A few weeks into that, I was flying about three Sergeant Majors out of Bien Hoa — they asked how things were at Long Thanh and when I told them about the no wall locker situation (but that they were on order), they asked how many we needed. I said about 300 or so would probably do it — they said to send a deuce and a half over and they would load us up with all we needed. I still think that is why I was made Tech Supply Officer — I replaced Major Holmes who rotated home and there was no shortage of captains and majors to put in that job.
Then came the TET Offensive. The day before it started, LTC. Harvey Lohr, along with 2 lieutenants, and I were selected to take 2 Utes to Hue Phu Bai along with our personal effects for an indefinite stay. At the time Khe Sanh was under siege [summer of 1967] and on the flight up from Long Thanh we were listening to calls on the emergency channel asking for air support. Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhut were asking for gunships to make a run on the runways as they had VC on the runway, Ban Me Thout, Pleiku and all the population centers along the way were being hit. Things got worse as we got to Danang and Hue. At Hue, I sat with the engines running for about 45 minutes before we could be cleared to taxi in and park — seems that the field hospital was behind the control tower and the helicopter pilots landed there to offload their wounded crewmembers that had been wounded because it was much closer to the hospital than the medical helipad was. Then, of course, they had to bring out wheels to haul the Chopper off as it had been shot up too! The weather was turning stinky about that time so we got in a lot of instrument time on approaches and departures. During several days on takeoff I was on instruments after 40 knots or so.
After a few weeks, it was back to Long Thanh North for a more routine life and to return to the states in July. I remember the last flight I made was to accompany the Maintenance Officer to Cam Ranh Army airfield to begin the recovery of a Ute that had made a gear up landing. I do not recall the tail number or who the pilot was though.
The Deployment letter orders for the 58th Aviation [above] has a list of pilots—one is CPT Gary G Bailey who was the IP that gave me an in–country checkout in the U–21 (have no idea what that date was). Two others are 2LT Rodney Richie and Robert W Hutto who were both assigned to Long Thanh. Hutto was one of the 2LTs that was assigned to Hue Phu BAi during the Tet Offensive along with me. These two were characters—both had completed flight school and become WOs and then decided they wanted a commission so went to OCS at Ft Benning. Richie was my buddy at Long Thanh as he had a M–79 Grenade Launcher and a sack full of grenades—that is until LTC Helton found out he had it and made him turn it in.
At the time we arrived in Hue, the Air Cavalry division had suffered a serious loss of Helicopters, I am told, due to their locating their POL on top of a hill with their choppers around the POL. Seems the POL caught fire which ran downhill and burned a lot of their fleet. Wwe flew many Helicopter pilots to various places around Nam to appropriate other Helicopters to get the unit operational again. A result of this was that when we returned from our daily courier flight we had to land at DaNang to refuel before commencing on to Hue. Weather was pretty ugly so we typically came into the area at 8,000 or more, depending on height of clouds, and got on top of a spiral to land at DaNang and refuel, then punch through to the top again to get in the landing pattern at Hue, typically added about 2 hours to the day!
I read with some interest about the loss of 18007 as I flew with LT Barnes before rotating out in July 68—good guy and I liked him a lot. Except for a few war stories that occurred along the way, that is about all the history I can come up with. I will pull some papers out to see what names and service numbers I can come up with later — but my next to last Long Thanh roommate was CWO Larry Kniep who I notice from the website died in an airplane crash near Ft Stockton, Texas. It’s a sad fact to me as Larry was a good friend and also an excellent pilot (I did not have another roommate long enough to remember) .
Will Morris
EDITOR’S NOTE: Elements of the 34th Engineer Group (Combat) were responsible for the construction of Long Thanh North. SOURCE: Operational Report of HQ, 34th Engineer Group (Combat) for Period Ending 31 July 1968, page 10.
The Meritorious Unit Commendation was awarded to the 93rd Engineer Battalion (Construction) for its work in Vietnam, which included “extensive land clearing operations and the construction of Long Thanh North Airfield (period 1 February 1968 to 30 June 1968).” SOURCE: The 93rd Engineer Battalion (Construction. 93d Engr Bn units (HQ, A and D Companies) were relocated from Long Thanh North to Dong Tam during June–July 1968.
Defensive Measures, Long Thanh North, D Company, 92d Engineer Battalion: Constructed 2300 meters of 8’ high berm and placed triple standard concertina with single apron fence along berm. Constructed fighting bunkers and lookout tower bunkers. Project completed 14 February 1969.
Please bring inconsistences and corrections to the attention of the Webmaster, Don Ricks.
