1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
SOS. 89 The message effectively stopped all pending
relocation actions for Combat Spear.
The Combat Talon unit remained at Nha Trang
AB until 1972, closing out its operation shortly
before the deactivation of SOG. Although earlier
attempts by the Air Force to withdraw the unit
from South Vietnam were unsuccessful, these attempts
did focus high-level attention on the unit
and thus enabled the Air Force to acquire more
comprehensive management information on the
unit’s activities. 90
Business as Usual at Nha Trang Air Base
Colonel Newell continued in command of the
15th SOS until 23 February 1970, when he relinquished
command to Lt Col Leo W. Tubay. Training
requirements continued to be a high-emphasis
item for the squadron. Three additional surfaceto-air
recovery demonstrations were performed—
two on 25 February (one at Lop Buri, Thailand,
and a second at Nha Trang AB) and one on 14
March at Clark AB, Philippines. The Nha Trang
AB demonstration was for Maj Gen Wilburn
Dolvin, chief of staff, MACV. The Lop Buri pickup
was for approximately 50 delegates to the Southeast
Asia Treaty Organization. The pickup at
Clark was in support of the Pacific Jungle Survival
School. 91
The year 1970 started with a record few combat
missions being flown. Aircrews and support
personnel were kept busy, however, performing
logistical and training missions. President Nixon’s
Vietnamization policy continued to reduce US
forces stationed in SEA. The bombing halt continued
in effect, thus eliminating any combat operations
into North Vietnam. The Fulton system, designed
to extract downed crew members from
deep behind enemy lines, was not the system of
choice for recoveries where rotary-wing aircraft
could be employed. Therefore, the Fulton recovery
mission was virtually eliminated as an option for
tactical employment. Relocation options for the
squadron would be a major point of discussion
until October 1970, when CINCPAC successfully
killed all relocation initiatives. 92
During the spring quarter, the 15th SOS sustained
moderate battle damage from ground fire
on aircraft 64-0568. One loadmaster crew member
(John C. Stumpf) suffered a bullet wound to his
left arm. The aircraft was flown to CCK, Taiwan,
for repairs that could not be accomplished at Nha
Trang AB. 93 Another live surface-to-air recovery
demonstration was performed for the Pacific Jungle
Survival School on 23 May. 94
When the 14th SOW moved from Nha Trang
AB to Phan Rang AB in mid-1969, responsibility
for managing maintenance personnel assignments
shifted to the 483d Tactical Support Group
at Cam Ranh Bay. Resultant manning support
proved to be unacceptable for the 15th SOS due to
a large decline in skill levels and in shortages of
assigned personnel. To correct this situation, effective
1 January 1970, Seventh AF/DP began
managing all personnel assignments for the 15th
SOS. Resultant improvements in maintenance
personnel manning were considerable. This policy
was changed, however, effective in September
1970, when the 483d again assumed manning responsibility
for the 15th SOS. After this time the
Seventh AF retained manning responsibility for
enlisted aircrew manning, including AFSC’s
A293X2E, A431X1A, A435X0A, and A607X0. 95
On 10 September another live surface-to-air recovery
was performed at Clark AB. The demonstration
was delayed for an approaching typhoon and
later for aircraft maintenance. As in previous dem -
onstrations for the survival school, students and
faculty alike were appreciative of the support. 96
Late summer brought about a reapportionment
of billets previously occupied by 15th SOS officers
at Nha Trang AB. USA personnel had been assigned
to the base when the 14th SOW relocated
to Phan Rang AB the previous fall. A new agreement
between the USAF and USA assigned 50
percent of available air-conditioned rooms to Army
personnel. Room assignments were made based
upon crew duty status and on date of rank. The
two 15th SOS technical representatives also lived
in the air-conditioned quarters shared by USAF
and USA officers. Officer morale remained high,
with movies and shuffleboard in the officers’ club,
and tennis courts, the library, and a stereo taperecording
center all within one block of their assigned
quarters. A close social relationship sprang
up between Air Force and Army officers sharing
the barracks’ facilities. Enlisted personnel spent
many man-hours participating in self-help projects
designed to improve the quality of their
quarters. These projects included remodeling the
hallway on the lower floor, laying tile in all rooms
and in the hallway, and converting the lounge
area into a small movie theater. 97
As was the case during the previous two summers,
there was a near 100 percent turnover of assigned
squadron personnel during the summer of
1970. July witnessed the heaviest turnover. With
many replacement crew members not arrivin g until
August, a serious degradation of combat-ready
110