CATKILLER STORIES:

1lt Jermyn was engaged to marry. His Fiance and both families were in Hawaii preparing for the wedding and he was leaving the next day to join them on R&R. He drew an easy mission that morning flying cover for a Marine Company out of Con Thien. They were dug in on a ridge a few miles southwest of base and were not moving. It was a clear day with strong winds from the Southwest. Bob's engine started running very rough and would not develop any power. There was a dirt road running right through the Marine Company and straight into the wind. Bob was in perfect position to land. He would have a short visit with the Marines, a helicopter ride back to base and all was well. On short final his engine started running smooth again. He evidently thought everything was now OK. He broke off his approach near the ground and turned south for Dong Ha. Just as he turned the engine quit again and he was too low and too slow to do anything but ride it in. Bob died in the crash. I don't remember the date but it was in the summer of 1967.

Our little group had never spent any time in Phu Bai and we did not know the people in the other platoons. We were attached to MAG 16 and had very little to do with the rest of the Company. We were a long way from the flag pole.

Hope you can post this little tidbit to your memories web site in honor of Bob. Thanks

John Holihan, Sr

I was in RVN from May 1966 to May 1967. During that time, there were 3 operational platoons. The company headquarters was at Phu Bai, however, none of the flying platoons were located there. The platoons were at: Quang Ngai in southern I Corps (3rd Platoon, I think); Marble Mountain airfield in Da Nang (1st platoon, I think); and, the platoon I was in (2nd platoon, I think) which was at the airfield in the Citadel at Hue. We lived with the 1st ARVN Div advisory team on the south side of the Perfume River in Hue and the Citadel Airfield was on the north side of the river.

 My platoon supported the US 3rd Marine Division and the 1st ARVN Division and it's advisors. Our area was from the mountains just north of Da Nang to the DMZ. Late in my tour we also flew into North Vietnam.

 Some of the pilots in the Hue Citadel platoon, whose names I can remember, and their ranks at the time, are: Captain Palmer Haines (he was the platoon leader for about 1/2 of my tour; WO Ernie Cerna (he lost an engine just south of the DMZ and flipped a bird dog - he was not seriously hurt); 1LT Richard (Dick) Bielot; 1LT/Capt Jerome (Jerry) Tastad; and me I was a 1LT/Capt. Jerry Tastad and I were promoted the same day to both 1LT (in flight school) and Cpt (promoted in RVN while in the 220th). (Palmer Haines, Jerry Tastad and I were in the same flight school class.)

 The people from the company headquarters in Phu Bai I can remember are the company commander while I was there, Major Smalley. Major Smalley was killed somewhere in RVN on his 2nd tour sometime in the late 1960's, I believe; Captain Chico Fernandez, (I believe he was the assistant operations officer at the company headquarters in Phu Bai). Zack Bouge

I was working in the Valley, the back seater was an ARVN Lt. "ChungWi".

We were just inside the 'Valley' About 10 miles west of Bastogne firebase and maybe 5 So. of Tiger Mountain. I remember hearing a Mayday on Guard from an Air Force Pilot that said they had problems and were going to attempt to make it "Feet Wet" it sounded as if they Were to the west of me "probably in or near Laos". We continued our mission "Recon". It seemed About 20 Min. later that I saw a shadow crossing below us and the and the aircraft was very low, close to the shadow, the C-47 proceeded to crash. I put the info out on our UHF, and Scott Burke said, "send out a "May Day" which I did. Two OH6's were near and responded. I watched the crew exit the aircraft, there were seven of them, the pilot died on impact.

The Loch's arrived to pick up the survivors, all were "under fire". The first Loch took three of the crew and barely got off the ground.

That left four crew members I guess the number 2 loch didn't want to leave one behind. The rest got aboard and the loch attempted to take off, the "Valley" at that location was about 3000' MSL. The Loch started forward but could not get airborne and the craft struck the ground.

During this time "guard" was alive with Air Force Fighters and Bombers wanting to help out, I had them stacked overhead in holding patterns. I watched six people exit the Loch and run for cover. A couple of Huey's arrived and picked up the survivors, all had been injured by both the crashes and enemy fire. All were taken to the "MASH" at Phu Bai, I had become low on fuel and was relieved by CWO Burke "34" I think the Fighters and Bombers took turns on the "Bad Guys"

  After the Pilot's body had been removed the C-47 had to be destroyed due to the contents which were "sensitive" I guess.

Mark Duenow Cat Killer "21"

The best that I recollect the 220th was reactivated in May of 1965 and at the time was headquartered on North Fort in Fort Lewis, Wn. For those who read this and know Ft Lewis we were in the brick buildings for the orderly room and in WWII barracks as sleeping quarters. This was done under top secret orders and the eventual deployment destination was also TS. Remember, at the time visits to RVN were limited to RA enlisteds, with a top secret security clearence.

I was US with a confidential clearance. So Much for regs. I was an E4 military pay specialist with lots of officers pay experience and

a good working knowledge of general personnel regulations. Good to have when a unit is being built. And, I well connected to the people who counted in pay and personnel in Ft Lewis, and knew all of the short cuts.

For the first few weeks we spent most of our time goofing off and enjoying three day weekends .That ended. As best I can recollect,

on board at the time were Capt Chancellor as acting CO/XO ( Maj Curry came later) SSgt Sandoval (Cook), Capt Wm Schmale (sp?),

our 1st Sgt whose name escapes me (though we traveled to Portland together every weekend we could go) a PFC , and an SP5 mechanic

(on his second tour believe it or not and came to us with a footlocker riddled with shrapnel holes from a mortar attack). Typical confusion

and problems of a start-up outfit, but a fine group of men.

Soon we were all full of more vaccinations than I care to recall, but I don't think they gave us anything the runs, and boy did we get that.

Best of the memory serves to ship us over as a unit, such as we wereat the time...far from strength, leaving Ft Lewis by convoy one PM to SeaTac destination Hawaii. We still had not been told "officially" were we were going...it was secret. This on July 2, 1965. Arrived in Hickham (now I have been in Hawaii), on to Midway (where they give speeding tickets for going too fast...on your bicycle) and on to glorious Clark AFB in the Phillipines. Have any of you heard of ths routing before?

Next stop, Nha Trang. Now we were aware officially of the country we were going to, destination to be advised. About thirty of us hung out untill someone figured out who we were etc, a got us on a plane headed North. Phu Bai was not at all like the photos on the web site at that time.

It was just getting dark when this gang of newbies arrived. And promptly started filling up sandbags. Our facilities included a mostly sandbagged ops CONUS container, and about three GP tentsThe fancy one with the parachute liner was the ordert\ly room and CO'S and XO's quarters. We shared a mess hall, but we did not have any food, so we did not eat.

Well after dark, sweaty, dirty and hungry they told us to sack out.

Right about then, 105's at a nearby firebase let loose, flares went up all along the perimeter. Small arms fire all around us. You have never seen so many "soldiers" react in so many diffrent ways. Yes, we were scared. Thank God that there were 1500 US Marines guarding the facilities and keeping us alive. The word came down. Happy 4th of July.

Seems we left the USA on 2 July, travelled under prop power quite a long ways, and incidentally crossed the International Date Line while in transit. Fourth fireworks on our very first day . Welcome to the 220th'!'

"Nuff for now, if you want more, let me know.

Bruce Jones

 The 220th Cat Killers were located in Hue/Phu Bai , Da Nang, and Dong Ha, Republic of Vietnam . The pilots and observers flew recon to spot for artillery, air strikes, and off shore strikes for many different units. including the 3rd Marines, 108th Arty and the 101st ABN. They flew L-19 O-1 Bird Dogs into very difficult and dangerous situations often putting themselves in harms way.

Phu Bai is located just south of Hue about 8 miles. Between the two towns was Camp Eagle where part of the 101st Airborne Division was located. If I remember right, there was an ARVN basic training camp just outside Phu Long to the North of Phu Bai. (I believe they(ARVN's)trained a company of NVA there once in 1969. )

 I am looking for someone who has some information, which ever the case may be, that can tell a little about our part of the Vietnam conflict and how we contributed to it. I would like to hear from the pilots, crew chiefs, supply, orderly room, motor pool, ASA, and mess hall or forward observers (back seaters) who flew with the pilots. Tell us what you did while at the 220th.

I was with the 1st MIB(ARS) from May '68 to May '69 and in Phu Bai with Det E from June '68. Our Operations jeep had the motto "Phu Bai Is All Right" painted in large white letters below the windshield. (I have a .jpg of if you would like a copy.) It almost always received the "one finger salute" from the gate guards. But compared to life at HHC in Saigon Phu Bai was truly "All Right". HHC actually had "junk on the bunk" inspections every Sat. morning. In Phu Bai we had more important things to do. We looked mainly at imagery from the 460th (Tan San Nhut) and 432nd (Thailand) TRWs, RF-4Cs, as well as the Marine and Navy recce. squadrons. But we did from time to time receive visible imagery from the 131st. We had the most fun though flying with the 220th RAC in O-1 Bird Dogs taking hand-held imagery with Nikon F and Pentax 35mm SLRs with big lenses. We monitored the old air base at Khe Sanh, the east end of the DMZ along the coast and the old SF bases in the A Shau valley. Not as exciting as the Ho Chi Minh Trail at night but we had our moments.

John Nichols

I knew Paul Bates as one of the FNGs. He was a serious but likeable guy. He was lost after my DEROS. Lee Peters was another FNG, a young WO fresh out of flight school. I say young but I was only a year older. He and his observer died in a takeoff accident at Dong Ha. It still makes me mad. Larrie Landershiem was one of the old guys when I arrived in country. He was quiet and always had a smile and a kind word. One of those pudgy cherub like faces. He went down in a C&C Huey while preparing for a Special Forces Delta Force operation out of Mai Loc. I took over the mission the day after his memorial service.

Bob McComiskie

Captain Paul Jennings Bates, Jr.; shot down in the DMZ area 08-10-71, coordinates 165158N1064301E. All I know was he and his back seater went down, crashing up under some trees. Initial search of the area by an OH-6 crew turned up nothing. The Aircraft

was intact and not burning but nobody was seen from the hovering OH-6. A short time later the aircraft burned.

Dick Wells

I also remember when Capt.Bates was shot down,he was supposed to go home the same day as me. That was during LomSon 719, they

were using a lot of 37mm and the planes were coming back more and more full of shrappnel. They tried to go in and get them or see if anyone was alive but enemy fire was to intense even for the jollygreen air rescue. It was a great loss for the Catkillers.

Gary Singer

One of the guys who got killed while I was there was W2 Larrie Landersheim. He was killed while a passenger on a C&C Huey belonging to the Special Forces out of the Mai Loc camp. They were hit with an RPG-7 and lost the tail rotor. Everyone aboard was lost.

Glen Stewart

The guy I hung around with most was Jay Faust. He and Jim Toschlog and Frank Fetera stopped up to see me here in CT sometime around 1972 or so. Frank was in the engine shop down at the hangar (I think he was in charge of the engine shop crew) and I forget now if Jim was

in the engine shop also or if he worked on the hangar floor. Jay worked on the hangar floor and I think he was in charge of one of the periodic inspection crews. Haven't heard from any of those guys in years.

I also drove the pol truck for awhile. That was my first job when I came into the company after I was assigned to the flight line. I remember

riding shotgun on the pol truck the day before Hue was overrun during Tet in '68. One of the supply sergeants drove (can't remember his name) and we took a load of avgas up to the platoon in Hue to top off their fuel bladder. Guess they didn't get to use much of it. I remember then seeing the citizens of Hue scurrying around and thinking that they must know that something was coming up.

Thinking of the pol truck brought back another memory. We used to degrease the birddog engines by filling an "indian tank" type of hand pump with avgas and spraying the engines with it! One day I eliminated the middle step (filling up the hand pump with gas from the pol truck) and turned the nozzle of the pol truck directly on an engine. Worked fine. But the resulting puddle kind of made a soft spot in the tarmac in front of the line shack.

I also remember the day the Air Vietnam DC-4 crashed and I can still see it in my mind's eye. I happened to be standing out in front of the hangar and saw it come in. It was very slow, nose high, and the engines were turning over so slowly you could count the blades. It looked like the pilot was attempting a full stall landing! However, he touched down just short of the runway and there was a sharp 18" to 24" drop off there. The left main landing gear hit that and either collapsed or broke off and the left wing dropped to the ground. I can still see the props continuing to turn and bend backward as the plane slid along. Fortunately it was clear of the runway when it stopped sliding. I think it was Bob Lewin who was in the line shack then who "rescued" a couple of the DC-4 seats so visitors to the line shack could relax more comfortably. I think he also "rescued" some of the avionics but then didn't know what to do with the stuff.

There was another time when I was walking down to the hangar early one morning to take over for the overnight guard so he could go get some breakfast, when a C-130 tried to taxi past the hangar with about 3' of his wingtip inside the doorway. Put a deep gouge the width of one of those rusty old metal beams framing the doorway in the leading edge of the wing. They just threw the C-130 into reverse and backed off the hangar. Afterwards, the pilot walked over to me as I was sitting there guarding the hangar and apologized to me for damaging the hangar! It was hard for me to keep a straight face at the time - both because he was an officer and I think I was an SP/4, and because he probably would have done us a favor to knock the hangar down! The hangar doorway was always a little bit wider after that with a kink in it high up on the left side.

Then there was the time someone discovered that if you started up a birddog, stood on the brakes, opened the throttle, and pushed the stick

forward that the tailwheel would come right off the ground! One of my missing pictures documents what happens when this is carried a little too far. I think the official story was that wind got under the tail and flipped it up on its nose.

Another time, a birddog ground looped on landing and the airframe was damaged enough so that it had to be taken to Da Nang for repair. They attempted to sling it out with a huey. We tied planks to the tops of the wings to kill the lift but apparently that wasn't enough. As the huey left with the birddog slung beneath it, the birddog weathervaned OK with the nose forward, but it started to swing sideways back and forth. They had taken off toward the west and about the time they got out over Rt. 1, the birddog's wingtips were swinging high enough that they were about level with the huey's rotor. Anyway, the huey crew decided they better get rid of it so they let it go. It came down beside Rt. 1. I couldn't see it hit, although it seemed to glide fine with the planks tied to the wings, but I understand the civilians on the road really scattered when they saw it coming! I went and found John Kovach since he was the maintenance officer to let him know what happened. He was having coffee with another pilot in the mess hall. As I remember, he seemed largely unconcerned and just went on drinking his coffee.

Anyway, after I got out, I got my BS in Natural Resource Conservation, got a private pilot's license and basic ground instructor's license, got some flight time in Citabria's and even got a few hours in a Decathlon, and made a kind of pseudo career out of assembler programming on IBM mainframes. I've more recently been doing some computer consulting but I'm kind of "between gigs" now as they say and haven't flown any in about 10 years. Maybe I'm easing into retirement. I got my ham radio license about six years ago and have gotten interested in building my own low power CW equipment. I've managed to work both Panama and England running less that a quarter watt output power. That's about half what one of those little FRS walkie talkies runs for power. And about 1/20th the power of a birddog radio. Of course my antennas are a little larger than a walkie talkie antenna. :-)

I logged several hours in the rear seat of a birddog behind John Kovatch since it was part of his job as maintenance officer to test fly planes after we'd worked on them, and it was part of my job as tech inspector to go for the first ride after I'd inspected and signed off the work. I logged over 50 hours total in the back seat mostly on test flights if I

remember correctly. I haven't flown in a birddog since I left Vietnam. I remember my last flight there because I had talked my way onto a real "mission". This was a familiarization flight for a new pilot in the company and it was a two plane mission solely for the purpose of showing the new pilot the local landmarks. I think we were up for about two hours and I have a (lost) photo of Khe Sanh as we flew over just south of it headed west into Laos. We flew a couple of miles into Laos then turned back. Those were interesting times.

Charlie Fitts

Donald Lee Harrison, a close friend and classmate of mine. He went down in North Vietnam on 10/29/68. We also lost Hugh Byrd, MIA, early in '69. Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, the birthplace of army aviation, might be a good place to reunite. Plenty of hotel rooms, easy to get to, plenty to do, important military history, and I'll bet the post would accommodate us.

Quinton Anderson

I was in Phu Bai from Feb 71 till stand down and was then assigned to a Huey Co in De Nang because when Lt. Bates was shot down, in August as I remember, he had a KY-28 radio in his airplane and I was the OIC of all the Crypto stuff. What a mess besides loosing a good friend. It cost him his life and only cost me a few extra months in RVN. I think Bates may still be listed as MIA yet today. All of us in the 1st Plt. flew out of Khe Sahn for about 6 months that year, may have been longer, sure seemed longer. Too many memories flooding in now to keep going.

Richard P. Smith

I asked Brown if he remembered the lyrics to one of the songs which was popular in the 220th. He sent these lyrics...Thanks Brown

"Oh Phu Bai Oh Phu Bai's a hell of a place,

the organization's a ____ing disgrace,

With Captains and Majors and light Colonels, too

Their thumbs up their ____ ____ and nothing to do.

They stand on the runway they scream and they shout

about many things they know nothing about,

For all they are doing they might as well be

shoveling ____ into the South China Sea.

OHHHHHHH Ring-a-ding-ding, blow it out your A__

Better days are comin' bye and bye - BULL ____!

Oh you'll wonder where the yellow went when the napalm hits the Orient

Nuke 'em! Nuke 'em! Nuke 'em! Hoooo Chiiiiiii Miiiiiinh Suuuu-uuucks!"

Two fellows who were pretty important to me were Robert Garth, a captain and the platoon leader and Lloyd Rugge, a first lieutenant. The planes had armor, of sorts, that you could place under the pilot's and AO's seats and which could bolt around the pilot's seat. Some liked it, most didn't because of the weight. Captain Garth didn't like it, but did permit the armor under the seat. I guess, but don't know for sure, that they'd been talking about putting the full armor in all the planes, and he'd said something about it to me, but said not to put it in his plane. Two days after that conversation, he took off with a Marine AO. Later, they turned to look over a single VC near some trees and, as they passed, six others stepped out with AKs and began firing. One round passed through the door, into his right side and upwards.

He died almost immediately. The AO, on his first flight, managed to get the plane back and land it, though it flipped and was destroyed. I can't remember his name. Captain Garth was probably the finest man I ever met.

Lloyd Rugge was a really fine man, too. I flew more with him than any other pilot, I think. He took off with a Marine AO, and they got hit, but managed to put it down. Choppers were enroute to pick them up, but Charlie was in sight and they had to run. The Marine said he was a little ahead of Rugge, dived into the river and, just as he dove down, heard what he thought was a grenade and a scream. The AO broke off a reed and managed to stay under water breathing through this hollow tube for 10-15 minutes while Charlie looked for him. When the choppers arrived, Charlie was gone and so was Lt. Rugge. We later heard that he was paraded through one village, tortured and killed. His body was found, we were told, a couple of months later in a shallow grave.

Marine Captain Ramsey, known to us as the Red Baron and was in the back seat when the pilot (possibly Lou Keevin) was hit in the head. He radioed in that the pilot was wounded but that he would finish the mission. He was told (ordered) by Major Clark, the CO to come back, but did not. The pilot (I'm ashamed that I can't remember his name) died as we pulled him out on the flight line there in Phu Bai.

It's been a long time since I thought about the Catkillers. I even apparently forgot how to spell Quand Ngai. I notice you don't have Captain

Trent's name on the roster either. He wrote the Catkiller song to the tune of Wabash Cannonball. After my e-mail to you, I opened a bag of "stuff" from the Army and saw a poor copy of it. I'd hoped I had the name of the first pilot killed with Captain Ramsey. Mr. Kimsey was a very nice guy. I recall how hard everyone took his loss. I am glad they've found him and are bringing him home. I guess reading about that opened up stuff I've buried for years.

I hope you can find documentation about Captain Garth and Lt. Rugge and include them on the site. I don't seem to be articulate enough to tell you just how fine these men were. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to know them and, I think, to let them know before they were lost how important they were to me (others felt the same way). I remember one very personal conversation with Captain Garth not long before his death that I'll always cherish in my memories of special things.

Robert (Bob) Lewis. I was a sergeant E-5.

This is Jerry Hutchinson i was a sp/5 and the soldier of the month once in 71 had to give up some r&r time to go before the soldier of the year board.I worked on the flight line and in the company area for capt sapp on my six month extension. which i was unable to complete because i was burned in a accident. And medivact out to japan and then to the states.I tried to stay but was unable to because of the burns i recieved.[Im no longer on your personnel list] I was in the 220th 70/71 i came in from the 355th skycrane out fit when it was sent back to the states i spent 13 months in country. and was burned on friday the 13th at 1300 hrs.I spent about 9 months of my time in country with the 220th.

  Pictures of Vietnam - Dalat Cam Ly - Approach

DA LAT RSVN Was the Location of, The South Vietnamese Military Academy.

I traveled there 3 times, from 1969 to 1970, but because the alert state was at the highest level, I could not leave the US Army Military Air Strip from my assigned 185th Recon Airplane Company (RAC). The 185th RAC had four or five O1-G Bird Dogs assigned there to provide Aerial Recon for Enemy Activity.

Da Lat, I was told that it was a beautiful City. And the Viet Cong wanted to take control of it.

The soldiers at the Military Academy, were from very rich South Vietnamese Families, hoping there sons's would live longer as Officers in the South Vietnamese Military, hoping they would aspire and rise to higher ranks within the military, as opposed to being Infantry, Field Artillery, or Combat Engineers, even though Rangers and Special Forces were offered to them.

It is amazing how we want to forget, what this USA country wanted to do, to help the South Vietnamese Country, fight the spread of communism.

Most of all, 13 years of the USA History was devoted to fighting the spread of communism and training the country of South Vietnam to protect itself. The soldiers of both countries who sacrificed there lives, for a beautiful country like South Vietnam, are not recognized in our children's School History Books to help them understand what a threat Communism was to the United States of America. Now all we hear about is Terrorist from Iraq and Iran, and the Oil Prices that keep going higher to destabilize our Economy and Government.

Strange that after 30 Years we are not fighting Communism, but something Different.

What will our Politicians allow to be put in your Children's School History Books for this Era of 1990-2025? Will Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Bosnia/Serbia, Somalia, Iraq Invasion 2003 have one page in our Children's History Books?

Maybe I will Continue to Have Bumper Stickers on My Car/Truck/SUv to Remind those who see me can read and reflect upon.

Will Any of this make a difference?

Or should I continue to let my memories and moods bring out the memories and grief for the young men and women who gave their lives for their country and it's future.

My question to all Veterans, when will the memories stop coming back?

June 14th, 2006 is Flag Day. I ask All Veterans to Fly their Flag of this Wonderful Country Proudly for all Military Veterans who have made the Sacrifice for this USA Country, and what Freedom really is.

Retired USA 1988

SFC Michael Horst

Vietnam Veteran (RSVN) 1969-1971, II Corp CTZ, and I Corp CTZ

USA Army Aviation

Crew Chief/Engine Mechanic O-1G Bird Dog Recon Airplane Company

Crew Chief U-6A De Havilland Beaver

Cambodian Invasion

Lam Sam 719 Laos Invasion 1971 (Qhaung Tri, Khe San, Laos)

I want to thank all those who have contributed to the page and signed the guest book. This has been a lot of work, but enjoyable work. I still need to hear from more enlisted men. I hope to meet with you guys some day.

Scott

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