The Graybeards - Korean War Veterans Association

“Ground combat pay for Air Force men
you say,” “There were no Ground COM-
BAT AIRMEN in Korea” That was the
voice of a stateside First Sergeant to an Air
Force Korea returnee who was requesting
his $45.00 a month combat back pay for
performing his duties while in Korea.
Well, the Sarge was wrong and ate crow
later as he found out that this new airman
was a Ground Radio Operator assigned to
the 6150th Tactical Control Squadron in
Korea.
His duties with those of his two partners,
one as a Ground Radio Mechanic and
the other being an Officer designated as
Forward Air Controller or FAC comprised
a group known as a Tactical Air Control
Party. (TACP). Their place of duty was
along the front line close to enemy positions.
Their equipment was a Radio Jeep
or a radio back pack. No desk to report to,
no details to perform other than be alert.
Sometimes the jeep was at a fire control
center or at an outpost. Wherever it was
needed to work air strikes against the
enemy, it was there.
We were US Air Force personnel
assigned in a temporary duty status with
the US Army. British Forces, Canadian,
Turkish Brigade, South Korean you name
the force we were there. Men scattered out
along the front not knowing each other
unless we went back to the main base for
R&R or to move to another unit and out
we went again. Some stayed where they
were, they were comfortable as a team and
did not need change. The FAC, he came to
us from flying units, served his tour and
went back to complete his flying missions
of 100 and return home. Some enjoyed the
rough life up with the troops and extended.
The unit wasn’t always marked as the
6150th TCS. Not very long before the
push by North Korea south, the unit consisted
of men from all areas close and even
some from the states. They were pushed
out to find the enemy. They were there to
direct air strikes against the enemy. These
men of Detachment A, 6132 Tac Con Gp
became the first TACPs to experience
hand-to-hand combat, the fighting with
their counterparts as if they were Army
Infantry. Some fought backwards up hills
to escape and evade. Some ran “The
Gauntlet” in valleys, ditches and the such
to stay alive. Some gave their life and
some were captured never to return. It is
OUR
AIRMEN
ALSO
SERVED
By Richard L. Souza, TSgt, USAF, Ret.
said that these people were among the first
of the US Air Force casualties in Korea.
The TACPs next became the 6164th Tac
Con Sq. But, by 25 April 1951, the proud
and elite 6150th Tac Con Sq made its
debut. Most of the 1950 troops rotated in
1951 but were replaced with other Air
Force men who continued the tasks of the
TACP.
The young came and soon aged into a
fighting force that was admired by all their
Some of the troops, officer
and enlisted, volunteered
for jump training with the
US 187th Regimental
Combat Team and were
qualified to jump behind
enemy lines. A few teams
did with the 187th RCT.
Today, these men wear their
Parachutists Badges with
pride.
counterparts. We were welcome every
where we went. We were extra insurance
to the fighting force: Napalm the enemy,
bomb him out of his deep ditches, deplete
his fuel supply in caves and keep him on
the run. Night time found the TACP back
in the Fire Control Center working flare
ships to keep the combat areas illuminated.
Some volunteered the task of loading cannon
along side artillery troops.
Some of the troops, officer and enlisted,
volunteered for jump training with the US
187th Regimental Combat Team and were
qualified to jump behind enemy lines. A
few teams did with the 187th RCT. Today,
these men wear their Parachutists Badges
with pride. With the pride came the losses
and the sorrows of fallen comrades. The
FAC who survived his tour and went to his
home base to complete his mission, came
back out to fly around the area where he
served. Some met their end in doing so as
they were shot down and became casualties
of war. In his honor for the FAC duties
on the ground up front, he is depicted in
the Korean War Memorial as one of the
bronze statues at the Washington DC Mall.
He wears no helmet, has wings on his
beret, and has a radio pack on his back and
carries a carbine. He represents the US Air
Force.
We had our heroes. They did their job.
Some received Bronze Stars with “V” for
valor. Some received Purple Hearts for
their wounds. There is no confirmed count
to KIAs and MIAs and POWs. We know
our units can account for 101. Pilots,
ground forces, even some close to the
main base by mortars tucked away in the
hills. Some died in POW camps. One of
our WIAs died 3 months later on his way
home. He performed his duties with pride
the day he was wounded, but he did not
survive to talk about it. He is now listed as
KIA.
During my locator search for our
Mosquitoes I was most interested how one
of our men that was not yet found earned a
Silver Star as our records had indicated.
The search carried on for two years. We
finally got from his rotating orders that he
was somewhere in California. As time
went by and the search became difficult, I
requested as a last resort, help from one of
our government agencies. They notified
me he had passed away in Oct 1997. I submitted
an open letter to the agency in
Page 50 The Graybeards