Today, the facility has been redeveloped as Pleiku Airport, In January 1962, the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam requested the Department of Defense contract construction agent, the U.S. Navy Officer in Charge of Construction RVN (OICC), to design and construct a 6,000-foot (1,800m) runway at Pleiku. REAL ID Act Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 22:37, "Headquarters MACV Monthly Summary April 1970", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Camp_Enari&oldid=1138837841, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 22:37. The struggle started with communists fighting the French colonial power in the 1940s, then the US military intervened in 1965. Through an action as simple as a handshake, former President Jimmy Carter made an enormous impact on countless lives in and out of office. Chandler Baker South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu and Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky visit Plei Me High School and review Montagnard troops in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Skojack caught a moth Lake outside of Pleiku Main Entrance 11 min ago. When these attacks failed to draw a military response from Washington, the NVA staged a massive attack on the strategic town of Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands. Army base east of Pleiku in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. Pop. During the four-day battle the RVNAF flew over 200 sorties, inflicting heavy losses on the PAVN, but to no avail. Staff Sergeant Joseph E. Fitzgerald 3rd Brigade Missing: 05/31/1967, Recovered: 2/7/1994. President Thieu and Vice President Ky walk past lined up schoolgirls. With the drawdown of United States forces at Pleiku Air Base in the early 1970s, the South Vietnamese Air Force established the 72d Tactical Wing at the base with its own squadron of A-1 Skyraiders (530th FS), along with two Bell UH-1H helicopter assault squadrons (229th, 235th) and the 118th Liaison Squadron, with Cessna O-2A, U-17 forward air controller/light reconnaissance aircraft. This article is converted from Wikipedia: Attack on Camp Holloway. I was with 633 SOW 6th SOS at Pleiku Air Force Base was not in the Army but so many Army camps surrounded us. Pleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. General William C. Westmoreland pins up a medal onto General Peers. When these attacks failed to draw a military response from Washington, the PAVN staged an attack on Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands. Thompson would later retire as a chief master sergeant. The 633rd supported many different units: the 1st Air Commando Squadron, a flying unit of 25 A-1 Skyraiders and four U-10 Super Couriers, the 9th Air Commando Squadron, which flew 18 O-2 Skymasters and six C-47 Skytrains, and the U.S. Armys 4th Infantry Division. One of the initial United States Air Force advisory units in South Vietnam, aircrews of the 1st Air Commando Squadron operated the A-1 Skyraider, flying interdiction along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, but its pilots and planes also flew cover for pilot rescue missions, and it continued to fly close air support missions for U.S. and South Vietnamese ground forces. The RVNAF established the 72d Tactical Wing at the base with the 530th Fighter Squadron equipped with A-1 Skyraiders, along with two UH-1H helicopter assault squadrons (229th, 235th) and the 118th Liaison Squadron, with Cessna O-2A, U-17 forward air controller/light reconnaissance aircraft. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Pleiku was strategically important during the Vietnam War because it was the primary terminus of the military supply logistics corridor extending westwards along Highway 19 from the coastal population center and port facilities of Qui Nhn. On 1 September 1967, the squadron relocated to Nha Trang Air Base, where unit was being broken up and the pilots were transferred to Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base. The 1st ACS also trained USAF and South Vietnamese Air Force aircrews in the United States and South Vietnam in unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency, psychological warfare, and civic actions. 68 OPCON 28th INF. President Thieu and Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam seated. [11] Its mission was to provide close air support, day and night interdiction, and visual and photo reconnaissance. Ban Me Thuot controlled Highways 14 and 21, vital lines of communication from the southern Central Highlands to Saigon and the coast. My AC-47D had returned from a fire support mission this 7 am. Early Sweet Pepper Varieties: Which is Best for Your Climate and Taste? Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. Plieku is a market town in the central highlands of Vietnam. [1]:66. Douglas A-1G Skyraider drop two Mk.82 bomb on open flat terrain in support of Operation MacArthur in Vietnam. Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Gilmore, 14 July 1966-5 July 1967. [2] In December 1962 Pleiku Air Base was activated by the RVNAF as Air Base 62 and in March 1964 Air Base 62 became the RVNAF 62nd Tactical Wing. No aircraft were lost in the air, but three A-37s at Pleiku were destroyed by 122mm rockets on 11 March when the PAVN rocketed the airfield. Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition. It's easiest to create a Word docume, Get Free Seeds & Taste the Delicious Flavor of Estler's Mortgage Lifter with Edweather's Generous Offer, Estler's Mortgage Lifter is an heirloom tomato variety developed by William Estler in the mid-1920s. - Veteran J. Reuter. After 30 years and learning the computer and finding VetFriends, I went to my first reunion of the USS Navasota AO-106. As the years pass and the number of our Vietnam era members diminish, we have opened our Association to include any service member, from any branch of the military, that served at or around Pleiku Air Base during the Vietnam war. In 1974, the SVNAF had the following units assigned to Pleiku Air Base: By the early spring of 1975 North Vietnam realized the time was right to achieve its goal of re-uniting Vietnam under communist rule, and so launched a series of small ground attacks to test U.S. reaction. Pleiku AB, Map. Ron Chromulak, who served as a 633rd CSG life support supervisor. Shingleton, however, had gotten sick and missed the flight to An Khe. At Pleiku airfield sixty-four aircraft were abandoned with little effort to destroy them before evacuating and large quantities of fuel and ordnance were left behind undamaged and ready for the enemy to use. Estler's Mortgage Lifter is ideal for growing in northern climates due to its ability to withstand cooler temperatures better than other varieties. The unit was originally designated as the 633rd Combat Support Group when it was activated at Pleiku in April, 1966. Fierce fighting continued for three more days but by 14 March the situation was hopeless. With its diverse units, a wide variety of propeller-driven aircraft operated from the base, along with a large number of helicopters. Created/Published: 1965 Scale: 50,000 Dimensions (Width x Height): 24x30.1 If you are looking for a specific area map of Vietnam, please use the "Contact Us" page and provide information on what you are looking for and we will get in touch with you with what we have. By early 1968, the area around Pleiku had become a huge cluster of bases. Location: Pleiku South Vietnam Date: 1968 Duration: 2 min 37 sec Sound: No Color: Color Clip Type: Unedited Language: None Clip: 65675075474 Douglas A-1G Skyraider drop two Mk.82 bomb on open flat terrain in support of Operation MacArthur in Vietnam. It was hard to believe this small plot was a USAF Base and this small village is where I would be for at least the next year, but it was better than some other places I had heard about, said retired U.S. Air Force Tech. This article incorporates public domain material from the .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}Air Force Historical Research Agency. On quieter days, there were also unique opportunities for Airmen and Soldiers to relax. In March 1964, the tactical elements at Pleiku were Formed into the VNAF 62d Tactical Wing. [8], The 1878th Communications Squadron was designated and organized at Pleiku Airport on 1 November 1965, part of the 1964th Communications Group. Thank you for the generous documents and photographs I have received thus far. About Us | Featured Collections | A sign in Vietnamese reads ' Plei Chi' the huts of Montagnard village. The former USAF control tower and large fire department building with garages for the large fire engines on the flightline remains standing; their current use is undetermined. The 633d Combat Support Group was activated at the base on 14 March 1966 taking over the duties of the provisional 6234th Air Base Squadron which had managed construction and other activities at the base after the RVNAF moved to Nha Trang. The day Ban Me Thuot fell, President Thieu called an emergency high level meeting at Cam Ranh Bay. One of the initial United States Air Force advisory units in South Vietnam, aircrews of the 1st Air Commando Squadron operated the A-1 Skyraider, flying interdiction along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, but its pilots and planes also flew cover for pilot rescue missions, and it . The RVNAF 817th Combat Squadron equipped with AC-47s deployed alert aircraft to the base. ZA 18-35 2km W Catecka Airfield Village - Tea Plantation. 1996-2022 Historycentral.com Inc. All Rights Reserved. Over those years, an OCE (Office of the Chief of Engineers) Liaison Officer routinely traveled to . Tour guide told us to be very discreet taking photos out of the bus windows because photos of military installations are not allowed. Our website is dedicated to the preservation of our memories and experiences in the highlands of II Corp, Pleiku, South Vietnam.