Where was home

[herky130fe]

Looking at the threat about Herky Hil brings a question about how much we were all moved around. It was really terrible. I was at CCK in 67-78 and 69-70 but as a flight crew member we neve stayed there. For many months we lived out of suitcases as we traveled southeast asia. We spent three weeks in country then back to CCK to go somewhere else. At least us e model guys never had a place to call home, it was fly, sleep and move somewhere else.

I remeber Herky Hill as a place to rest our head before we headed out the next day but never had enough down time to see anyhting of the base. At one point during Cambodia we were even given stop and go pills by the flight surgeons.

You maintenance guys (who were the best) at least could go back to the same bed each night; we flying guys just packed our bags and moved on to somewhere different.

Actually it was pretty sad how the Air Force treated us all.

[tinwhistle]

I obtained the micro film of the maintenance and some history of the 776th at CCK for the year 1966. The base commander was really bent because of the way PACAF took over his aircraft and crews, including maintenance. In one notation he says that the average "home" (CCK) time for his flight crews was 19 hours a month. He also stated that he had no control over what and where his aircraft and crews were doing. He was really upset over his aircraft arriving back at CCK with battle damage and he had no in formation, even the name of the operation in country, until after the fact. For the most part we maintenance types would spend as much as 60 to 90 days in country. A good part of my time was assigned to OMS and wherever the airplanes were, we were there as well. The best month I spent in Vietnam was the month I was assigned to ABCCC at DaNang. Lived in a wood floor tent that was at least off the ground. Aircraft seldom had maintenance problems. ......Chris

[nascarpop]

I remember spending two or three days at a time on the flight line helping repair bullet holes and broken windows. When our plane left, we got to go to Herky Hill and eat or sleep. Sand everywhere, food, soap, bed, everywhere! When you got tired on the flight line, you sat in the cockpit and caught some zzzzzz's.