Comments for TINS! "Hello, Operator?"

TINS! "Hello, Operator?"

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:44:07 -0600

It all started a couple of weeks ago when one of the shooters who lives in our hootch was chowing down with an SF-type he served with in northern Af-stan and said, “See those guys over there? They were doing Special Ops when it was just a mission, and not a branch.” He was pointing at J.J. (a pseudonym) and me. Long story short, now there are a select group of Operators1 who join us for supper.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * There are a couple...

Comment from Carol Kirk on 2010-01-08

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:23:52 -0600

Sorry I missed your post on the other forum. I have to be careful about how much time I spend on VN boards or it does bad things to the old psyche.

I'm not sure but it may have been George then who took me up in a cobra after Frank was killed. We flew up to Vinh Long and I got to call in to the tower, "Vinh Long tower this is Knucklebuster 4 over the gravel pit and inbound for landing", then got to hear tower stutter for several seconds as they tried to figure out what the Hell was going on.

From Vinh Long we went on up towards the mouth of the Mekong and he let me play in a free-fire zone. Blowing up a sampan about that time made me feel a whole lot better!

Then we landed at Vung Tau. Some older crewman came around an opened the AC's canopy, then walked around and opened mine. About that time I pulled my helmet off. He just stared for a minute, shook his head and said, "God damn, they'll let anybody fly these days."

-Carol-

Comment from BillT on 2010-01-08

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:17:16 -0600

Heh. None of us blamed Frank for being -- ummmmmm -- cautious. And George Hawkins was the pipe-smoker.

I did a post a few years ago memorializing the guys we lost over there. Your husband recognized the patches, gave me a nice comment mentioning the VHPA reunion happenstance, and said he thought you might enjoy hearing from guys who knew Frank. I posted a note at the vet forum I hang out at occasionally, but never got any feedback. I didn't feel I could add anything, since I'd only known Frank from having him fly cover for me on a couple of CAs -- as soon as he'd finished flying, he'd hop in a jeep and zip over to Binh Thuy

*grin*

for some reason...

Comment from Carol Kirk on 2010-01-08

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:54:04 -0600

Bill, it's kinda sad but I don't remember many of the guys from the 162md. Frank sort of kept me to himself I think (grin!). I sort of remember Ken Loveless, I think. Did he by chance smoke a pipe?

I ran into Tim Messett, Jim Willard and some of the other Vultures some years back when the VN Helicopter Pilot's reuninion was in Nashville. I wandered around the hall to see if there was anyone there I knew and saw a bunch of guys in Vulture T-shirts sitting in the lobby. I walked over to them and said "Hi, I'm..." and before I could say anything else Jim yelled "God damn, it's Frank's nurse!" The next year they dragged me to the reunion in DC, and then my husband and I went to their mini-reunition at Tim's house in Florida.

After Frank was killed I extended and spent an extra 6 months in Vietnam, but I left the Delta and went up to the 45th Surg in Tay Ninh. I stayed in the Army over 20, retired, then got called back for Desert Storm before retiring again.

-Carol-

Comment from BillT on 2010-01-08

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:41:44 -0600

Well, I'll be dipped, Carol -- we *did* meet, very briefly, in December '69! Ken Loveless and George Hawkins dragged me over to the club at Binh Thuy to grab some supper -- Frank brought you over to say hello, and after a couple of minutes, the two of you returned to your table.

You'll probably just remember me as the dumb 1LT who was too stunned to do anything more than mutter "Hi..."

Funny you mentioned Tim Messett -- the only times we ever flew together, we just got hit in oddball parts of the aircraft, like the skid crosstubes and the synch elevator...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2010-01-07

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:02:01 -0600

Carol - my server stuttered, not your computer. All better. Welcome to the Great Hall Echo!

Comment from Carol Kirk on 2010-01-07

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:35:12 -0600

Well shit! Didn't know the damn computer stuttered.

-Carol-

Comment from Carol Kirk on 2010-01-07

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:05:03 -0600

Hi Bill, We may have crossed paths over there. I was just up the road in Binh Thuy. I was the nurse that Frank Brinson was dating. I'm still in touch with a bunch of the guys from the Vultures including Jim Willard and Tim Messett.

The guy I knew from B-40 (which was I believe at Don Phouc) was Mike Canavan who was dating my best friend.

-Carol-

Comment from Cricket on 2010-01-07

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:19:29 -0600

I guess you would have been aiding and comforting the enemy with the leaflets...might have been softer than what they were using...tree bark, rice husks..

Bwahahaha...

Comment from BillT on 2010-01-06

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:48:52 -0600

Uhhhh...WOW! Thanks, Bill! Got more?????

Sure. Click on the archives by category and then open up "This Is No Sh*t!"

I had good friends in SF, mostly with B-40

I went to collitch with one of the guys in B-40, but the patrol was from A-341. When were you there, Carol? You may have flown with one or two of the lurkers here -- although V29 *does* jump into the conversation every so often.

Comment from Carol Kirk on 2010-01-06

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:50:36 -0600

Oh my but that brings back a lot of memories. I saw a bunch of the Delta from that altitude and lower courtesy of some of the pilots from Can Tho. I remember some of those triangular fortifications.. most left over from the days of the French. I had good friends in SF, mostly with B-40

Comment from V29 on 2010-01-06

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:28:37 -0600

I must admit there were times when the crew did forget to open the bundles. I hated those missions, we were nothing but a huge target and I seldom heard of a Cheu Hoi walking in carrying one.

Comment from Sean Maloney on 2010-01-06

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:24:39 -0600

Uhhhh...WOW! Thanks, Bill! Got more?????

Change the green for desert dust and I'm back in AFG on Route FOSTERS.

Shit! Did I just write that???? I've been the one going on about how AFG isn't VN.....

Comment from Justthisguy on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:22:11 -0600

Some things never change. I recall reading the memoirs of a Great War pilot, in which he complained about having to drop leaflets, or "bumf" (bum fodder) on the Germans. He said they generally didn't bother to untie the bundles, just tossed the whole lump over the side. That way, they might either actually

a. Hurt somebody, or

b. Provide a nice store of a$$wipe, all in one lump.

He said the one with the Fourteen Points made a particularly huge and heavy lump.

Comment from ChrisP on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:57:10 -0600

Thanks, UnkaBill!
Takes me back about 40 years!
You rock!

ChrisP

Comment from Old Fat Sailor on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:42:00 -0600

Triangle shape let us river rats put supporting fire over two thirds of the wire and at the same time cover the dock for insertion or extraction

Comment from John (Not The Armorer) on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:03:30 -0600

DIttos on Boq's instantaneous seeing this as the Jamestown fort.

Thanks for the story, and the ancient service that provided the opportunity to regale us young 'uns about the olde days.

Comment from Barb on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:30:08 -0600

Good story, Bill :-) Always learn something new here, that I do !

Comment from olga on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:41:51 -0600

Oh, a TINS!!!!
Yeah!!!
[Jumps up and down clapping hands]
Thank you, Bill!!

Comment from Neffi on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:57:17 -0600

As a taxpayer, I sure hope we printed those leaflets on *single-ply* paper... 8^)

Comment from Andrew on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:56:04 -0600

That's not an outpost, it's a small fort! A soldier from the French and Indian War/Seven Year's War in North America would consider that a major fortification. Which begs the question, why make it a triangle? A Vauban fort would be harder to attack.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Vauban+fort&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Comment from AFSister on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:35:06 -0600

'tis been a while since we've been graced with a TINS.... AND I'VE MISSED THEM!!
Thanks, Twin!

(and speaking of TINS... did you get the package I sent last month?? )

Comment from bad cat robot on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:43:23 -0600

Jamestown probably had comperable numbers of mosquitos, too -- but fewer enraged water buffalo, so there's *that*.

Cool story UnkaBill!

Comment from Boquisucio on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:52:21 -0600

How little have military fortifications advanced in these past three hundred years. That Cai Cai FOB looks just like the Jamestown Palisade.

Comment from Felicia on 2010-01-05

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:42:23 -0600

Hello, my name is Felicia and I came from Sweden. In school have we worked about war and I've gotten really interested in the subject of war and I would like to write a book about it. I looking for a person how have experienced war in Iraq or other country, how want to write a book whit me about it. Contact me