Vietnam1966-67

Man on a stand. Try this on for size. Anyone ever stood on a B1 stand and jumped the starter solenoid out until the engine lit off? I have and I done it in Vietnam on A/C 62-1855 with mortars hitting the ground. CW on aircraft 62-1855 Vietnam 1966-67 and yes I have orders assigning me to this aircraft at CCK Taiwan. I was also in the Congo 1964. I am quite sure that A/C 62-1855 was the last aircraft flying in the 314th Little Rock Ark and was the flagship. They had some kind of special send off from Little Rock when they flew it to the bone yard in AZ. Article I read said the former crew chiefs were in attendance. Not so. No one ever contacted me and I was the one who was CW during it's days in Vietnam. I slept on her at night, top bunk, escape hatch open for air in Vietnam. Sappers took out two C-130's at Danang AB Vietnam right before we arrived. This was always in the back of my mind when I would try and get some shut eye at night after a late flight to some fire base. Trust me this will come back to haunt you in your old age. If I get 4-5 hours of sleep at night I am extremely lucky. I write this at 3:45 am.

This is probably not the right place to put this but I got to get it off of my chest. I ran across an article at this site http://www.amc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/145357/1855-a-special-tale/ In the article it says this, "At the retirement ceremony on Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., retired Airmen who were crew members or maintainers for 62-1855, the 314th AW or other C-130Es were in attendance. Several are Sliver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross recipients. " Darn I guess I missed out on that because no one ever contacted me. I was the Assistant Crew Chief on this aircraft 62-1855 when it flew into Vietnam 1966-67 from CCK Taiwan. The Crew Chief a 20 year lifer Staff Sgt was a drunk. He would never fly so I had to take all the flights into Vietnam. Not so? Well I have the orders assigning me to this aircraft at CCK, Taiwan. You have the story then you have the real story. I could write a book on this aircraft and the days I spent with it in Vietnam. She was as tough as nails. She never let us down. She would fly when the other would not. There was something special about this aircraft. Now I feel better. I am now 71 years old and there is one thing you never forget. You never forget your tail number. I never forgot 62-1855.