April 75
1. Jolly 794 (Capt Jacobs, Lt Siebert, SSgt Bounds, SSgt Brown & A1C Hernandez) have gyro problems with control inputs on return from Korat. Capt Jacobs prepares crew to bailout but forgets the 3 magic words. Lands safely but somewhat unorthodox @ Korat.
8. Even Korat, cannot survive VanWormherder's revenge. Off alert last night @ Korat O-club, he decided to herd the worms.
11. Crews & support personnel sent to Ubon to sit strip alert for Eagle Pull. First wave (793, 785, 786) depart at 0525L with second flight (794, 364) 10 minutes behind. 358 stays behind awaiting engine change FCF. 795 in phase and no parts. 784 & 792 heading east from Korat.
12. Execute Eagle Pull - 1st flight of Jolly's (1-7 flight) composed of 793 (Backlund & Weikel), 785 (Pacini & Newland) and 786 (Guilmartin & Vallimont). Cross the fence and head for PP. 793 goes into PP out of holding and inserts Combat Control team then returns to hold. 786 has main xmsn chip & returns to Ubon. Marines handle majority of evacuation. Fifteen people from Combat Control team left in LZ awaiting pickup. They're told they'll be picked up by the Knives. Wrong. "Hell no!" They say, "Send us the Jolly's!" 793 & 785 land on Cambodian soil, pick up the 15, wave to the fans and depart.
Battle Damage:
793 - Appears this aircraft "strayed" to close to the river and pissed off the Commies on the west bank. Took an armouring-piercing round just forward of the ramp. Possible causes:
a/ Pilot error
b/ Lucky commie shot
c/ Sabotage
d/ "Trolling"
e/ All of the above
Additional damage to 793 -
Jolly Green 32: 1
Seagulls :0
32's express route entrance to PP (below the TV antennas at 155K) was evidently made in the wrong lane. Appears Lt. Backlund forgot that they don'tdrive on the "wrong side" of the road in Cambodia. Hence, the south bound Jolly ran into the north bound seagull.
794 - Piloted by Capt Jacobs & Lt Brown took a hit in the TR at 8500' and 100 NM south of Ubon. Amazing. Lost 1 1/2' section of blade pockets (inboard end). Incidentlly, Capt Jake proved that his HH-53 would fly @ 43,000 lbs. If anyone was wondering that's the reason for his running take-off Friday on the deploy to Ubon.
785 - This aircraft can only be considered battle damage qualified if a Marine taking a shit in his steel pot counts for battle damage. One member of the CCT couldn't wait to get back to Ubon nor did he have the decency to leave his shit in Cambodia.
17. Cambodia throws in the towel.
18. Here we are jumping threw assholes again. Looks like these Gomers only fight wars on weekends. Game plans for Saigon are being drawn up - what a mess.
19. Deploy 7 aircraft to Utapao - Plan to have 3 Jollys & 4 crews on carrier with Dustys.
20. 0230 wake-up, briefings, breakfast, preflight
0600 - T.O. for carrier
364 - McMonigle & Brown
793 - Backlund & Gradle
784 - Guilmartin & Nickerson
786* - Sheffield & Vallimont
Jacobs & Dube = spare crew
*Replaces 792 (Pacini & Newland) which had Main XMSN chip light on run-up.
0630 - Airborne spares
385 - Kurtz & Norman
794 - Greer & Leimbach
792 - Pacini & Newland
No spares needed - 358, 794 & 792 return to Utapao - then to Ubon
Alert @ Ubon lives again with 4 birds this time.
785 - Blough & Cooper come down from NKP/ Cocker on alert
794 - Greer & Leimbach cocked
358 - A-3 - lost 1st stage
792 - Pacini & Newland cocked
21. Nothing
22. 2 Jollys will be taken off carrier and replaced by 2 Knives/ intend to fly non-stop carrier to Ubon.
Develop problems short of Utapao. One has blade pocket missing (364), other has fuel problems (793) and cannot refuel.
Primary SAR birds scrambled out to follow the fence & intercept
794 - Walls & Comer
785 - Pacini & Newland
Hold @ 260/80 - RTB when Jollys arrive safely in Utapao area.
23. 793 (Backlund & Gradle) arrive from Utapao/Col Mac still awaiting blade change.
24. AM - Col Mac arrives and hops on 793 w/Lt Backlund goinf to NKP as courier flight.
PM - 793 returns w/mail, parts and goodies, plus a very sick AC. He even pulled out his barf bag.
25. Zero/still waiting
358 (Greer & Leimbach) goes to NKP. Breaks of course.
26. Greer returns from the North/Brings some more goodies and Rudy.
Trying to fly LCL a day (3.5 or 4.0 hrs)
Today's LCL (364/Kurtz) terminated after .6 for moderate 1:1 lateral
27. AM - LCL today is 793 (Backlund) - quits after 1.2 with loss of utility.
PM - Let's go home. Two birds and 3 crews stay @ Ubon.
792 & 364/Walls & Comer
Greer & Gradle
Blough & Cooper
4 birds come home.
785, 358, 794 & 793 all at NKP by dinner time.
28. Status of "The Big Mish"
Big Mish - 1 = Eagle Pull completed, closed, filed, erased, rescinded, deleted or whatever on 12 Apr 75.
Big Mish - 2 - Pending
Big Mish - 3 - Pending
Big Mish - 4 - Pending
29. Medevac - Jolly Green 32 - Lts Backlund and Siebert & Jolly Green 63 - Lts Pacini & Newland flew out of NKP @ 0313 to aid a man with a broken back on a ship 2 hours flying times from Utapao (in S. Vietnam)
Message this morning says 2 US Marines KIA @ Ton Suhn Nut plus a C-130 destroyed in rocket attack. Looks pretty grim. If Big Mish -2 is going to go, it better go soon. Latest figure is 954 to evacuate.
All following info written after the fact on 23 May:
3 crews and 2 airplanes left on the carrier. Capt Sheffield & Vallimont, Maj Guilmartin and Capt Nickerson and Capt Jacobs and Capt Dube (784 & 786).
Choppers get the go ahead to evacuate Saigon.