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An Loc


sluggo
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I had the wonderful privilege of flying 7817 here at LRF yesterday. This is the aircraft on which Col "Budda" Caldwell earned the Air Force Cross. I wondered if there are retirement plans for this old warship and how Bill is doing?

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Tim, are you sure of that tail #? I think it was 62-1787 that was shot up at An Loc and

John Sanders was killed and Charlie Schaub should have been awarded the MOH....The crew did a great job in recovering the plane at TSN and deserved the AFC.

Also assigned to LR AFB is 62-1788...another well decorated airframe...crew was awarded the Silver Star for action on the last day of SVN hostilities. And about a year ago the crew recover the plane and brought it home safely after having a severe 4 engine roll back.

Muff Millen

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Sluggo, it is nice to see that the AD has not taken the nose art off of that airplane. You are the reason I worked so hard to have the nose art put on it. I wanted every person who had the priviledge of walking through that crew entrance door to see just what they would be flying. It is a living piece of history.

To answer your questions. Yes the airplane is slated to go to the AF Museum in Dayton and Bill Caldwell is a retired O-6 living in O'Fallon IL.

You will find a thread on this website called Spare 617/62-1787 which will tell you some of the story. You can also google the article "A Tennessee Loadmaster" which was written by Sam McGowan. Although the article does not reference the actual tail number, this is its story.

KEEP THIS STORY ALIVE!

Brian---154 TRS Load Section

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Tim, are you sure of that tail #? I think it was 62-1787 that was shot up at An Loc and

John Sanders was killed and Charlie Schaub should have been awarded the MOH....The crew did a great job in recovering the plane at TSN and deserved the AFC.

Also assigned to LR AFB is 62-1788...another well decorated airframe...crew was awarded the Silver Star for action on the last day of SVN hostilities. And about a year ago the crew recover the plane and brought it home safely after having a severe 4 engine roll back.

Muff Millen

I was flying on 62-1788 last Friday night headed to Maxwell for a fun filled weekend TDY. While running the decent checklist we noticed that there was a vertical support structure in the tail that was snapped in half! Needless to say we went home alpa 3. These old hercs are doing the best they can, but they sure are getting old.

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I went back to Vietnam arriving one year ago today. I was a C-130A pilot with the 35th TAS out of Naha 1969-1971. I went back in the C-130E with the 61st TAS out of Little Rock in May 1972. Driving through An Loc, I stopped to visit the famous "soccer field" that we dropped CDS everyday in May and June 1972. They have built a school there now; but, the whole town knows the story. A also visited Loc Ninh, Tay Ninh and Bu Dop. The next day we went to Dong Xoia where the runway is now a major boulevard. Qui Nhon is the same way. The last time I visited this sight someone had put a pictire up of Dalat Cam Ly showing a C-130 on the ground that had been damaged in a landing incident. That was a 35th bird. If anyone has a copy, I would appcreciate getting it. I also visited Kon Tum, NhaTrang and Danang. Many of the revetments and hangars that loolked like quonset huts are still in place. I have attached a picture of my youngest daughter Emily and I walking down the abandoned airstrip at Bu Dop where I had some challenging times during the invasion of Cambodia in the Spring of 1970.

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