Gene,Heinie could do more with a nylon rope and a junk pile than the generals up North could do with a big budget. One particular General whose name i have forgotten because he was soon forgotten when the value of asymmetric war proved him wrong. When he took command i invited him down to brief him on what we did and could do. Henie told me that he hated us and that it would do no good. I said Henie "we might as well know where we stand." I will have you do the briefing---"Your nuts" was his remarks. It happened and i could tell that Henie was making points as I watched the General face during the Briefing. After the briefing the general took me aside and said "he is a maverick and will get you in trouble you had better move him on." I told him that we needed him. He looked hard at me and said "OK but if he screws up you are both gone." Heinie stayed on and did great things.

The rope- In the beginning since PACAF would not give us chopper support for our downed commando airmen he taught them to fly a perfect circle with a rope hanging down (it had a heavy weight at the end). It enabled the downed pilot to grab the rope and get flown away. The rope- In 1962 when we were helping defend a pass in the Himalayas he used a 100ft length of Nylon with a heavy weight and a special clip on the package chute. The rope went first and as the weight hit the ground it decompressed the rope which opened the chute giving you minimum float time. This allowed Air resupply at those altitudes and viscous wind currents. This was not his first encounter with those high rocks. In a previous assignment he showed them how to park heavly loaded aircraft flying the Hump so they did not have to taxi thus allowing heavier loads. There was always a way with Heinie. The junk pile- He dreamed up the idea of taking an old C-47 and using our "Bicycle Shop" he installed side firing guns and thus invented "Puff the magic Dragon" which has developed into a fearsome AC-130 gunship.

There were many things that came out of that "Shop" that were used in SEA by our great Air Commandos But the most important thing that Henie did was take care of his men! That was always uppermost in his mind. I miss him,
Bob Cardenas

From: Doc Ball <mailto:docball@stic.net>

I have a very small story that might be of interest. As everyone knows, I was in AFRTS at NKP when we had the new building (Radio only) built. One of the "features" was an auxiliary studio, or "production studio", which was sound proof, as most of the rooms in the building were. Now, also, everyone knew about the on-going BATTLES Heinie had with the "powers that be" about what he could or could not do. It was common kn owledge that he kept a stack of "unafavorable communications" on the corner of his desk. What they probably DON'T know was that, according to my boss, the station manager, was that periodically, late in the evening, Heinie would show up at the studios with a six pack and he with the station manager would retired to the production studio, turn on the "ON AIR" light, and they would discuss the state of the world at that moment. When the six-pack was gone, he'd leave - stress reduced considerably - and we'd get on with the AFRTS broadcasting. Only Heinie and the station manager at that time, an ancient sergeant named Jack Mc Afee were in the production studio, and only those two old-timers knew what they talked about. But as a stress- reducer, our sound-proof room was a hum-dinger!!! Doc Ball Then-SSgt AFRTS-NKP 1966-67

From: gsbrem@aol.com

Subject: Heine

Eugene,

It was sometime before December 14, 1966. On that occasion Heine had the personnel that were not actively engaged in productive activity conduct a sweep of the NKP runway. The rocks and pebbles in the PS were being picked up by the A-26 props and dinging them pretty severely. I missed the entire show as I was out on patrol during the activity. After the sweep was complete Heine bought the beer for everyone involved. One who was there when this took place is Bill Tilton (billtilton@cox.net) who has a better memory than me and can fill you in with more detail.

Glenn Bremenkamp Gombey/Nail '66

From: tom schornak <mailto:schornakt@comcast.net>

Subject: General Aderhold Rememberence....tom schornak here

Gene, I rather suspected you would be doing something great for our leader. Good for you!!

In the book, 'The Skyraider in Vietnam: The Spad's Last War', Wayne Mutza has a story of mine (pgs 76 to 78), relating a most unfortunate incident for me; but in fact describes Gen. Aderholt's unusual style of management & personal compassion for his men. Anyone who knew him will identify with the end of the happening. Yes, a true story!

The narrative is titled, "How Heinie Aderholt Saved My Butt From The firing Squad".

Here are a few direct excerpts from that account: By the fall of 1964 I was checking out in the A1E.... What could go wrong?..... Even now, 40 years later, it is not fun telling this story.... I really thought I would be grounded and sent to Thule Greenland as snow removal officer.... I was at the end of my string..... Even my cat ignored me! That night I got a call from the Wing Commander (Gen Aderholt). I hardly knew the guy.... On the fishing trip, he (Gen. Aderholt) followed the example or another extraordinary person in history, "He went fishing for men instead of fish"..... That day he won over me and I would follow him Anywhere, Anytime-Anyplace.... No doubt the next day he did a similar thing for another Commando in his family.

Sound interesting? Hopefully you have a copy of Mutza's book to check it out? If not let me know, I must have a copy around here somewhere.

Thanks again for remembering, 'Commando 1'

Regards, Tom Schornak,

From: Robert Arnau <mailto:rra@earthlink.net>

I am going to put together stories about Heinie for his 2 July Memorial, for the web site and for the next ACA Newsletter. He had the damaged O-1 he had to hide, the A-1 shipped from sea at the end of the war etc. Anyone having stories on Heinie, funny or serious, which would be appreciated by everyone, send them to my email and I am shooting for end of June to finish it. I will give you credit for your stories along with your email address.

Gene,Unfortunately, I never had the good fortune to meet Gen Aderholt but certainly have read of many of his exploits. The attached article relates some of his actions in securing the US aircraft that were flown to Utapao when Saigon fell. The USAF Base Commander at Utapao was Harold Ausin, a friend and fellow Daedalian who lives here in Riverside. You may be aware of all these details but hope it will be of some help.

ESCAPE TO U TAPHAO

One way out of Saigon was on a Marine helicopter from the roof of the U.S. Embassy. The other was with a South Vietnamese Air Force pilot making a break for Thailand.

by Ralph Wetterhahn

Henry Le remembers everything about his last morning in Vietnam. Then a 22-year-old second lieutenant in the South Vietnamese Air Force, he had landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base outside Saigon the day before, too low on fuel to make it back to his home base at Can Tho. At 4 a.m. on April 29, he was awakened by the concussion of rocket explosions. "I was in a bunk on the second floor of the barracks," he recalls. "I sat up and for a few moments tried to understand where I was."

Today Le is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve, having flown S-3 Vikings on active duty patrolling for submarines in Subic Bay and A-6 Intruders in the Persian Gulf. On that morning 21 years ago, he was a newly trained A-37 pilot with only a handful of combat sorties behind him. The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly was a small but capable attack bomber equipped with a 7.62-mm gun and able to carry as many as six 500-pound bombs under its wings. Le and his fellow A-37 pilots had been supporting ground troops and trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to slow the Northern assault that by then had tanks and artillery moving in a solid column down Highway 1 toward the capital. But not until the rockets began raining down on the suburbs of Saigon that morning did he know the war was lost.

Most of the Americans involved in the conflict remember seeing the end coming long before Saigon fell. One of them, Air Force Brigadier General Harry "Heinie" Aderholt, commanded the U.S. military's assistance and advisory operations in Thailand (MACTHAI). Aderholt had begun his career in southeast Asia in 1960--as the senior air officer in covert operations in Laos--and spent most of the next 15 years there. He trained Laotian Hmong guerrilla units for incursions into Tibet and is today a leader of a volunteer organization that helps settle Hmong refugees in the United States. In the war stories he tells, Aderholt is a rascal who made general, and he still has a rascal's glint in his eye. He does not suppress his distaste for past U.S. policy in southeast Asia, and recommends one history of that period with this endorsement: "It'll show you what bastards we are. How we always desert our allies."

Aderholt was chief advisor to the Royal Air Force in Thailand before going to the MACTHAI in 1973. By 1974 he had already begun to worry about Vietnam's neighbors--Thailand, Laos, Cambodia--all of the small, poor countries vulnerable to what would soon be an enormous air power. For as the United States drew down its forces in South Vietnam, it pumped up that country's arsenal. By the end of March 1973, in accordance with the agreement signed that January in Paris, only 50 U.S. military officers and 159 Marine guards remained in the country. But the Republic of Vietnam Air Force had grown to the fourth largest in the world, from 482 aircraft in 1969 to 2,276 in 1973. Aderholt saw that the ultimate benefactors of this military aid would be the North Vietnamese, and he wanted to reclaim as many airplanes as he could for the United States and its allies.

Aderholt was particularly concerned about 150 Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighters, 40 of which were E and F models that had just come off the production line, and 78 A-37s. The F-5s were Mach-1.6 fighter-interceptors that, with the capacity to carry 6,200 pounds of rockets, bombs, or missiles, doubled as attack aircraft; they especially would pose a significant threat to Thailand, a country with a far smaller, far less modern air force. In the beginning of 1975, Aderholt sought permission from the U.S. Embassy in Saigon to begin bringing aircraft out of Vietnam. He had no authority himself to remove assets that had been loaned under the Military Assistance Program. After U.S. forces withdrew from Vietnam in 1973, military decisions there were made by the state department.

"I presented a plan to [Graham A. Martin, U.S. ambassador to Vietnam] for the evacuation of all U.S. supplied aircraft" in the early months of 1975, Aderholt says. "But the plan was scrapped. Martin said he would entertain no defeatist attitude.' "

On March 10, 1975, General Van Tien Dung, North Vietnamese commander in the South, attacked Ban Me Thuot, a strategic city in the central highlands of South Vietnam, beginning the last offensive of the war. Seven weeks later his victorious army marched through the gates of Saigon's presidential palace. In the interim, 933 VNAF aircraft fell undamaged into enemy hands. But not Henry Le's A-37.

When the second salvo of rockets lit up the night, Le leapt from his cot, jumped into his flightsuit, and rode on his motorcycle to the main gate of the air base. "I grabbed a packet of documents including flight training certificates--all important for starting over in a new country," he says.

The base guards had orders to keep all personnel outside until the attack was over. Frustrated, Le listened to details of the ongoing battle via a tactical radio in the guard shack. He heard a pilot call the tower.

The pilot was orbiting in an AC-119 gunship over the base at 7,000 feet, desperately trying to locate the source of the rocket fire. He requested permission to drop to 4,000 feet to get a better fix on the enemy location. Le could hear the roar of the AC-119 but could not see the aircraft because the pilot was operating without lights. Le remembers that as dawn turned the sky gray, the AC-119, a bulky, black transport with guns mounted along the port side of the fuselage, swept into view and laid down a sheet of 7.62-mm fire on the enemy position. "It was the final act of bravery I saw in the battle to save my country," Le says.

As Le watched, an SA-7 shoulder-fired missile sailed wide of the attacking gunship. Then a second missile appeared, its exhaust tracing a crooked line as the SA-7 adjusted its course to follow its target. It struck the airplane's right engine. As the airplane dove, the right wing caught fire. A crewman bailed out but his chute got tangled in the tail as the aircraft started to break apart. Flames billowed behind the gunship. It rolled inverted and made three-quarters of a turn before slamming into the ground.

The guards, who had also witnessed the crash, now allowed Le onto the field. Inside the gate, pilots rated in all types of aircraft were searching for airplanes they could fly. There had been no briefings or plans for retreat. Just two weeks earlier in a radio address to the nation, General Nguyen Cao Ky, former South Vietnamese prime minister, had urged his forces to stay and fight, vowing to fight to the death himself. That morning on the base Le watched Ky board a helicopter that flew east toward the U.S. fleet.

The pilots gathered to discuss their options. Conversation was tense and chaotic, but the choice was simple: Evacuate all flyable aircraft or blow them up.

Over the previous two weeks, Le and his friends had discussed the destinations that would be available to them if the worst happened and Saigon fell. They could attempt to fly to U Taphao Air Base in Thailand, some 350 miles to the northwest, or, if they had enough fuel, to Singapore, 580 miles southwest. Another option was to head for the U.S. Navy carrier fleet off the coast to land aboard ship or ditch. Long-range airplanes, like C-130s or -123s, could try to make it to Subic Bay in the Philippines, 785 miles to the east. A final option was to simply take off and eject wherever fuel ran out.

At 9:45 a.m., the base intelligence unit broadcast a warning that a massive rocket attack was about to begin. Pilots and crew members ran for their aircraft as VIPs loaded staff cars in a mad dash to escape. At 10 a.m., rocket salvos began rolling across the base.

"Friends got together with friends," recalls Le. "All of us ran, checking aircraft to see if we could find one that was flyable." Le found an A-37 with fuel, and he, a pilot friend, and a maintenance crewman crammed themselves into the two-seater. That eliminated the ejection option for Le's friend and the maintenance crewman. "I promised them I would ride the airplane into the ground with them if necessary," Le says.

Le started the engines and taxied. "It was a mess," he says. "No one was manning the tower. Aircraft jockeyed for position, trying to get to the runway and into the air before being damaged by rockets." An Aim-9 missile lay in the center of Le's path. Empty fuel tanks littered the area.

Inside the A-37, Le listened on the tower frequency, awash with confused and panicky calls as pilots asked for directions that would never come. As he waited for his chance to take off, Le watched the chaos around him.

"In the distance, a twin-engine C-7 [Caribou] rolled down the runway. The pilot had forgotten to remove the control locks," Le recalls. "The plane never got airborne. Instead, it plowed into the overrun and burst into flames. People came crawling from the wreckage. Some ran, others limped back to the ramp looking for other aircraft to board."

Finally, Le took his turn on the runway. To the north, raging fires and towering columns of smoke marked ammunition dumps that were being blown up before the arrival of the Communist forces. Le added power, took off, and headed west.

Colonel Harold R. Austin, commander of the U.S. Air Force 635th Combat Support Group at U Taphao, was in some ways prepared for the problems he faced on the morning of April 29, 1975. During the U.S. involvement in the war, Strategic Air Command B-52s had been based at U Taphao for strikes against North Vietnam. Some 20 of the big bombers were still standing by, protected in three-sided revetments. To support the B-52 operations, SAC had installed a 12,000-foot runway and taxiways, a stroke of good fortune for the pilots who were now landing their airplanes on both ends of the runway without clearance.

But by 9 a.m. things at the flightline were already out of control. Helicopters settled onto the grass between the runway and taxiway. One landed amid the revetments. A C-47's landing gear collapsed on touchdown. The airplane, a military version of the DC-3 built to accommodate 30 troops, had carried 100 passengers out of Vietnam. The accident blocked the runway, but pilots continued their attempts to land.

"We got all the SAC airplanes on the ground as soon as we realized what was going on," Austin says today. "I had the tower broadcast [to arriving aircraft] on all available channels to be on the lookout for airplanes without radios.

"You have to understand we weren't fighting a big war," Austin says. "We were standing by to fight. So I had 6,000 people with not a whole lot to do. And everybody pitched in--SAC guys, MAC guys. I had excellent cooperation."

GIs in any vehicles available towed A-1s, C-47s, O-1 Bird Dogs, and all the smaller aircraft onto the grassy infield, making room for incoming jets and the larger transports. Others painted out VNAF markings. Under the extreme circumstances, aircraft were parked without chocks, their canopies left open. Maintenance crews de-armed the combat aircraft, stacking ammunition in piles along the parking ramp.

By the end of the day, 165 VNAF aircraft were at U Taphao, including 31 F-5s, 27 A-37 Dragonflys, nine C-130A Hercules transports, 45 UH-1 Bell helicopters, 16 C-47s, 11 A-1E and H Skyraiders, six C-7A Caribou transports, three AC-119 gunships, 14 Cessna U-17 Skywagons, three O-1 Bird Dogs, and a handful of civilian aircraft. The airplanes were crammed among 97 Cambodian aircraft that had arrived since April 12, when Phnom Penh fell.

In addition to trying to keep the runway clear and securing aircraft and weapons, Austin had to manage the flood of refugees. "Most of them were very emotional, hungry, and dehydrated," Austin recalls. "They were scared to death." Many had suffered horrible losses in addition to losing their homeland. Austin remembers one group in particular that had flown in on a C-130. Passengers had been boarding the aircraft at the Tan Son Nhut base when rockets started to fall. The engines were already running, and the pilot began to taxi. The copilot's wife had been leaning outside, helping load passengers at the front entryway. As the plane lurched forward, she fell. The left main gear rolled over her, crushing the woman. No one told the copilot until the aircraft landed in Thailand.

Austin had to get the refugees fed and made as comfortable as he could. He kept the families together and set up temporary living quarters for them in the hangar area and in the airmen's annex. He sent the single males to the U.S. Navy maintenance facilities, where tents were being set up for additional shelter.

Henry Le was one of the refugees who spent the night in a tent at U Taphao. He had landed with his passengers at about midday, when the ramp was overflowing, and was shocked by the number of airplanes already on the ground. As he was taxiing in, several GIs stopped him, painted over the insignia on his A-37, then waved him on.

As Austin was organizing food and shelter for the refugees, he was also conferring with foreign service officers at the U.S. Embassy in Thailand. "The Thais had made it clear that they wanted the Vietnamese nationals out of the country in no uncertain terms," Austin says.

"The Thais were afraid that the Vietnamese would take vengeance on them," says Aderholt. "Besides, they had been there before. During the exodus in 1954, northeast Thailand had many Vietnamese infiltrate and become homesteaders. They were still there. So the Thais had no love for the Vietnamese."

Austin communicated the dilemma to his headquarters at the Pacific Air Force in Hawaii. Twenty C-141s were ordered to U Taphao the next day to airlift the Vietnamese, Henry Le among them, to Guam, where a tent city had been erected to receive them. But as the first transports arrived, Austin faced a new problem.

Sixty-five of the Vietnamese arrivals, all from one C-130, wanted to go back to Vietnam. Led by 27-year-old Second Lieutenant Cao Van Li, these VNAF personnel had not realized they were leaving the country when the aircraft took off from Saigon. They had left their families in Vietnam, and now they threatened suicide if their request to return was denied. "They were all youngsters," says Austin. "We told them we were sending them to Guam. They'd never heard of Guam."

Austin enlisted the help of a VNAF colonel, who pointed out to the men that they would almost certainly be shot if they returned. An American chaplain also helped with the negotiations. "He worked his tail off," says Austin. And as the C-141s came and went, all but 13 Vietnamese agreed to leave for Guam. With 3,900 refugees already airlifted out, Austin continued trying to coax the last group aboard. "U.S. Embassy and Air Force interpreters informed the refugees that under Thai law they could be categorized as illegal immigrants and as such would be jailed and shot," Austin says, but the Vietnamese were adamant. Austin's medical personnel suggested sedating the remaining 13, a practice they had used before when dealing with medical evacuees who were apprehensive or whose condition required immobility during travel. With the lone C-141 holding on the ramp for departure and the Thais threatening to put the rebels on by force, Austin approved the sedation.

The first Vietnamese to be sedated was carried into the medical trailer. The remaining 12 hesitated but did not resist. Austin directed four Air Force security policemen and a male nurse to accompany the aircraft.

When the aircraft landed at Guam, Lieutenant Cao Van Li protested his treatment to officials there. "I am not a Communist," he said, "but I want to go home. My family is there. They need me." The press picked up the story. Suddenly Austin found himself the focus of an international incident that eventually resulted in his removal as commander of the 635th. "I'd make the same decision today," Austin says.

A few days before the exodus from Saigon, Aderholt had sent Air Force Captain Roger L. Youngblood to Trat Field on the Thai border with Cambodia. Flying a Royal Thai Air Force AU-23 (a derivative of the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter that could handle the short runway at Trat), Youngblood orbited in the area with a Vietnamese co-pilot. The co-pilot stayed on the radio giving the tower frequency for U Taphao and trying to direct pilots to land there. Not all of the pilots made it.

On the night of April 29, Aderholt, who had advisors all over Thailand, started receiving information about airplanes that had landed in fields, on roads, in any clearing the pilots could find. An A-37 that had landed on the highway near Korat Air Base, north of Bangkok, was sitting near a school. The pilot had taxied off the road and into a schoolyard before shutting down. The airplane still carried bombs under its wings. Aderholt dispatched an Air Force captain from Udorn to fly the A-37 back to that base.

The reports continued to come in, and on May 1 Aderholt ordered U.S. Army helicopters detailed to MACTHAI to ferry pilots and 55-gallon drums of jet fuel to locations in Thailand and Cambodia where airplanes and helicopters had landed. Youngblood flew back to Trat with former forward air controller Briggs Dogood to make one of the trickier recoveries.

"We went by jeep to a nearby rice paddy where an O-1 was stranded on a cart path with barely a foot clearance on either side of the landing gear," Youngblood recalls. "Dogood paced off the length of the path, put some gas from a tanker truck into the plane. Then he got in and in a cloud of dust flew the O-1 off the cart path."

When it became clear to Aderholt that the North Vietnamese were going to claim the airplanes and helicopters that had escaped into Thailand, Youngblood also flew aircraft out of U Taphao. Aderholt learned that the Hanoi government's first move would be to send a delegation to Thailand to inventory the VNAF aircraft. The Thai government, intimidated by Hanoi, ordered the aircraft impounded. "The aircraft were Military Assistance Program assets and as such still belonged to the U.S. government," says Aderholt, but he wasn't sure that he could count on the Thais to see it that way. He decided to get as many of the aircraft as he could to the United States fast.

Aderholt first gave five F-5As to the air chief marshal of the Royal Thai Air Force to get the Thai military on his side. He had no authority to do so; the U.S. Embassy, in negotiation with the Thais and the North Vietnamese, was responsible for the final disposition of the aircraft. But, Aderholt knew, it would be difficult for the state department to take back the gift.

Aderholt learned from Pacific Command in Hawaii that the USS Midway was on its way to a Royal Thai Navy Base near U Taphao, to offload U.S. HH-53 helicopters that had taken part in the evacuation of Saigon. Says Aderholt, "The Midway was given a new mission: Load the most valuable VNAF aircraft currently at U Taphao."

On May 5 the aircraft carrier pulled into port, and Austin hurriedly began the transport of jet aircraft by helicopter to its deck. Two F-5s fell from the helicopter slings: One dropped 25 feet onto the dock and the other into the water. The remaining aircraft were then moved overland by truck to the port at Sattahip, and no more were lost.

Loading only the most valuable aircraft aboard the Midway meant, of course, that older combat aircraft, like the A-1 Skyraiders, would be left behind. These propeller-driven aircraft had proven effective in close-air-support and rescue operations, and Aderholt was not about to let them fall into Vietnamese hands. With the blessing of the Thai military, Aderholt ordered Youngblood and Major Jack W. Drummond, both pilots who had flown Skyraiders years earlier, to U Taphao to fly the A-ls to a "less conspicuous location."

"Start, taxi, and run up were accomplished and the thrill of sitting behind the single 3350 [Pratt & Whitney engine] came rushing back," wrote Drummond of the incident in a recent A-1 Skyraider Association newsletter. "Takeoff was no sweat. Both of us felt that we had probably made the best landings of our A-1 careers!"

They delivered the airplanes to Ta Khli Air Base in central Thailand and parked them out of sight in a hangar. (Aderholt was familiar with the base because he had worked with the CIA there to send U-2s on missions over China.) The two pilots returned to U Taphao and brought another pair of A-ls to Ta Khli. When the U.S. Embassy in Thailand found out about the F-5s that were given to the Thai air force and the movement of A-ls, Drummond and Youngblood were returned to their regular duties, and the remaining A-1s stayed at U Taphao.

While the U.S., Hanoi, and Thai governments arm wrestled, the Midway and several other Seventh Fleet ships slipped port loaded with 142 VNAF aircraft bound for Guam. At least one C-123K also made it out of Thailand. Today tail number 54-00592 is at Avra Valley Airport in Marana, Arizona. No one remembers the details of how it came to be there.

Aderholt retired from the Air Force in 1976, but he stayed in Thailand for four more years--long enough to arrange transport home for the four A-1s he had sent to Ta Khli. He says today that he knew those aircraft had become rare in the United States and he wanted to make sure a few were preserved.

Aderholt rented tractors to pull the airplanes from Ta Khli to the Chao Prya River. He had them loaded on four barges brought up from Bangkok, which immediately got mired in shallows. Aderholt bribed the keeper of the Chainat Dam with 20,000 baht ($1,000 at the time) to open the flood gates. The barges floated down river to the port, and the aircraft were loaded on a ship. Later, warbird collector Dave Tallichet brought them to Los Angeles and stored them at Orange County Airport until 1986. Tallichet still flies one of the Skyraiders out of Chino Field in California. Another is on display at the Santa Monica Museum of Flight in California.

No aircraft were sent back to Vietnam by the Thais. The Midway delivered its load of 101 VNAF aircraft to Guam, making it possible for 21 F-5Es to come back to the States through McClellan Air Force Base in California. Each had logged only 64 to 115 hours flying time. Most of them found their way to Williams Air Force Base in Arizona, where they were used to train foreign pilots. Of those, five were moved from Williams to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada in 1977. For the next 12 years, the F-5Es were used in the 57th Wing Aggressor Squadrons to demonstrate Soviet Bloc tactics to U.S. pilots (see "Grounded: The Aggressor Squadrons," Feb./Mar. 1994).

In 1988 and 1989, the F-5s were sold to Brazil and Honduras; some spent a brief period with the U.S. Navy. But the U.S. pilots they had helped train went on to establish a 41:0 kill ratio against Soviet-trained Iraqis in the skies over Baghdad in 1991. No small part of that triumph can be attributed to the efforts of the VNAF pilots. Many of the airplanes they flew out of Vietnam are still flying missions around the world. Their own air force ceased to exist on April 30, 1975. Its official history covered 20 years, during which its pilots knew not a single moment of peace.

Originally published in Air & Space/Smithsonian, December/January 1997. Copyright 1997, Smithsonian Institution. All Rights Reserved.

From: GENE ADCOCK <mailto:gene.adcock@embarqmail.com>

WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE 21st CENTURY AIR FORCE?

September 18, 1947 - Washington, DC - As World War II ground to a close, the Armed Forces demobilized and reorganized. The United States Air Force was created when the National Security Act became law on 18 September 1947. On that day, Senator Stuart Symington became Secretary of the Air Force, and on September 26, General Carl A. Spaatz became the USAF's first Chief of Staff. Major reorganization issues, the Berlin Airlift and the Cold War soon became the USAF's highest priorities. As a result, USAF pathfinder and most tactical airlift issues took a back seat to the immediate challenges in Germany and the building of a long-range, strategic air force to fight the Cold War and Communism.

Reluctantly, the USAF modified their position when they established the first Combat Control Team in 1953. Then in April 1961 a unit was created at Hurlburt Field, Florida, by then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Curtis E. LeMay to train Air Force members to fight unconventional, "non-textbook" air warfare. This was in response to Soviet-supported insurgencies springing up in Third World countries. Borrowing the namesake from its Army Air Force forefathers, the unit trained Air Commandos and had a two-fold purpose: counterinsurgency training and combat operations. It was the first unit of its kind in the new U.S. Air Force.

<<< Heinie Aderholt - WWII (left) and Vietnam (right)

"The Air Commando concept was to have a self sufficient, self-contained force that could deploy anywhere in the world and conduct operations," said retired Brigadier General Harry C. "Heinie" Aderholt, a commander of Air Commandos in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. As Aderholt answered questions about the Air Commandos, during an Airman magazine interview, it became clear why he's known by many as the "father" of Air Force special operations. From air dropping agents deep in North Korea during the Korean War, to commanding clandestine flights into Tibet during the anti-communist guerrilla uprising, to helping plan the Bay of Pigs invasion, Aderholt has had unique experiences qualifying him to talk about operations that were often carried out in secret.

Air Commandos like Aderholt operated in wars at locations worldwide, but it was in the Vietnam War that commandos made some of their greatest contributions. Initially deployed to Bien Hoa Air Base in 1961 as part of Operation Farm Gate, Air Commandos flew combat missions with South Vietnamese pilots, training them to conduct counterinsurgency warfare from the sky in the AT-28. As a result, Air Commandos flew some of the first combat missions in the conflict.

Operations required specialized equipment, Aderholt explained. Propeller-driven aircraft, like the AT-28, and others like the A-1 Skyraider, were better for the job than fast-moving jets. "In a jet, you burn fuel at an incredible rate, and you go too fast to maintain sight of a target. In these aircraft, pilots could remain over a target for longer periods, and maintain visual contact," Aderholt said.

In response to requests for support in countering North Vietnam's intrusion into Laos with the Ho Chi Minh trail, Air Commandos trained Laotian and Thai pilots to interdict the supply line in Operation Water Pump.

Counterinsurgency operations expanded to include combat operations directly supporting U.S. ground forces, more of which were being committed to the war. The need for close air support increased as the Vietcong, the South Vietnamese communist sympathizers conducting insurgency in South Vietnam, attacked and often overran friendly encampments. The "gunship" was born out of this requirement, and Air Commandos were the ones to turn its heavy firepower on the enemy.

The AC-47, a modified C-47 firing three mini-guns out side windows, was the first gunship. The AC-119 and later AC-130 brought technological advances and increased effectiveness to the gunship idea, including night-vision equipment and heavier armament, some of which are still used today.

"The gunship was an amazing airplane, not a single friendly fortress was ever given up to the enemy when a gunship was overhead," Aderholt said. "I think we should have gotten them sooner and made more of them. It would have changed the outcome of the war in my opinion."

A wide variety of other aircraft were used for operations, from light airplanes to helicopters. The A-26, a twin-propeller light bomber-type aircraft, similar to ones used in World War II, was tested on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1966. Air Force records show it was extremely effective in the interdiction mission.

While "truck kill" statistics generated by Air Force leadership showed Air Commandos were more effective than conventional forces at interdicting the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Aderholt said he met more than his share of resistance from all-jet force advocates while trying to get the resources required to fight.

Aderholt remembers a humorous wager with a wing commander that proved his confidence in special operations. Convinced the Air Commandos could not interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail as effectively as conventional jet forces, the commander accepted Aderholt's bet: the winner would be the person whose unit destroyed more trucks on the trail that night. While he can't remember the exact statistics, Aderholt chuckles as he recalls how the margin he won by spoke for itself.

One of the most notable missions the Air Commandos participated in was the Son Tay prisoner of war camp raid of 1970. Army and Air Force special operators conducted the nearly flawless operation to free POWs from the camp. Although the North Vietnamese had moved all the prisoners, the operation was a watermark for the potential of special operations.

Jerry Rhein, an A-1 pilot during the raid, said the whole operation was shrouded in secrecy. He reported to Southeast Asia for the mission without knowing why until shortly beforehand. "We took off in radio silence the night of the operation," said Rhein. "The wing commander was up in the tower and was told that A-1s would take off at a certain time, and to ignore them."

It is important to note Air Commando contributions were not limited just to air operations. In fact it would take volumes to account for every story of heroism. "You name it, we had 'em: pilots, combat controllers, medics, combat weather teams, forward air controllers, everything we needed to be a self-sustaining force," said Aderholt.

This self-sustaining nature of the Air Commando force put every member through training above and beyond that of the average blue suiter, and every commando "pulled more than his own weight," according to Aderholt.

Aircraft mechanics would load bombs and work in the orderly room if need be. Medics, who were not officially qualified as surgeons, often acted as such when necessity dictated it. "Every one of my commandos was trained to use the radio; every single one of them could call in an air strike if it was required," said Aderholt.

Carlos Christian served with the 1st Air Commando Group in Burma during World War II, and as an Air Commando squadron First Sergeant during Vietnam. "I had a dozen jobs I could do, and there was no saying that you couldn't do a certain thing. That's how we got the job done - you just did it," he said.

Combat Control Teams were jump-qualified communications experts who went behind enemy lines to set up landing zones, drop zones or call in air strikes from hidden ground positions by radio. "The art of being a combat controller is being able to communicate with your fellow countryman, and ours were the best in the world," Aderholt said. So good in fact, that they operated for a time, contrary to Air Force policy, as Airborne Forward Air Controllers, according to Aderholt. In summary, Aderholt said:

"For a while no one knew who was controlling the strikes that were going on in Laos, but the job got done, and it was done well." He said, there was never a "bad bullet or a bad air strike" while combat controllers served as FACs. "The esprit-de-corps and teamwork among these people was tremendous."

"There wasn't any talk of AFSCs - if there were airplanes to be moved, medics and maintainers moved them together," he said. "It was always a tight team. They believed they could do just about anything, and when you believe like that, you often can," Aderholt said.

From the beginning to the end of the Vietnam War, Air Commandos showed a diversity of capabilities and missions that could never be documented on just a few pages. Close air support, interdiction, civic affairs, psychological operations, medical, and defoliant operations were but a few. At the peak of their strength during Vietnam, the Air Commandos never accounted for more than 5 percent of the total Air Force effort. Yet five of the 12 Medals of Honor awarded to Air Force people during the war went to Air Commando/Special Operations people.

In July 1968 the Special Air Warfare Center at Hurlburt Field was redesignated the USAF Special Operations Force. Subordinate units were redesignated special operations wings and squadrons, and all reference to "Air Commandos" was officially dropped.

Aderholt, who was the last general officer to leave Southeast Asia, remains a strong advocate for special operations.

"Special operations is one of those subjects that nobody wants to talk about, until it's really needed, that is - then it gets called on big time. "Look at special operations today, for example; these people are gone TDY a majority of the time. There is obviously a need."

After several realignments and combat operations since that time, Air Force Special Operations Command was created in 1990. These modern day Air Commandos carry on the World War II legacy as they refine the training and equipment required to conduct unconventional warfare. A prime example is the AC-130U with a pressurized cabin, and improved sensors and armament.

So far, the modern commandos haven't airlifted any mules or horses as the old outfit did in China, but they have still had a wide variety. For example, in Vietnam their cargo has included live chickens -- there's no refrigeration in the jungles -- rice, rubber soled canvas shoes, propaganda leaflets, ammunition, and of course, troops. Sometimes their high-value cargo has been a tape recorder with a loudspeaker system slung under the fuselage. They delivered messages of freedom, hope and security. In the 21st Century, the 193rd Special Operations Wing EC-130 Commando Solo aircraft are used to conduct psychological operations (PSYOP) and civil affairs broadcast missions in the standard AM, FM, TV and military communications bands.

In 2008, Lt. Gen. Michael W. Wooley, Commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command noted that AFSOC troops increasingly are soaring into uncharted territory. Modern-day Air Commandos are adapting to the emerging difficulties of fighting counterinsurgency wars in the U.S. global war on terrorism.

"Our force is maturing to the point where we can be assigned a geographic area and

be held responsible for that piece of ground," Wooley said in an interview.

From the determination in his voice, it is absolutely clear that his 21st Century Air Commandos are more prepared than ever to take the fight to the enemy - Anytime, Anyplace.

From: L.D. Strouse <mailto:loongles@gmail.com>

Gene,

Since you mentioned Col. Doyle! I will tell this story. I would prefer to refer to him as Col. X.

I was covert Red Forces during Swift Strike III flying out of Spartanburg, SC. Heinie was commander of Red Forces. Col. X was commander of Blue Forces. Somehow, Heinie got word that Col. X had his enlisted troops police up all of the pine cones in their bivouac area. Heinie arrived at Red Forces bivouac area with a bundle of burlap sacks. All present looked questioningly. What Col. X had done was explained and Heinie said that he wanted as many pine cones as he could get so that the Red Forces C-46 could drop them on Blue Forces bivouac area that night. Since Col. X was not liked by very many people it was all axxholes and elbows collecting pine cones. The mission proceeded successfully. Psy warfare, Heinie style.

Later during the exercise Col. X had leaflets printed up depicting Heinie as a strong racist. They were spread around the exercise area. Hey, this exercise was in North and South Carolina! Race was still a big issue there in 1963.

The umpires lectured Col. X about his lack of decorum.

One more Swift Strike III story.

Col. Aderholt came to see me one day. I was assigned to the Army and covert, so was not in the normal Red Forces area. He asked if I knew anything about Fort Campbell, KY. I did not and said so. He asked that I find out as much as I could about the marshaling area and mess hall that were used during prep for large exercises. He needed me to drop 100,000 safe conduct passes on them. The 101st was coming into the exercise the following day.

I talked with as many Army guys as I could and got a general layout of Fort Campbell. I did not dare tell them what I needed the info for.

I commandeered a Blue Forces call sign and flew my U-10 to Fort Campbell at about midnight. Practiced a few GCAs, using them for my visual recon. I located the areas of importance and after the fourth GCA the tower asked what were my intentions. I just said, "watch the little airplane" as the leaflets started streaming out!

BTW Fort Campbell was outside the exercise area. That did not bother Heinie. He gave me a big "attaboy" and advised me NEVER to go close to Fort Campbell cause someone there had to pick up all of those leaflets and they probably knew who dropped them. The perp, ME, would definitely suffer severe punishment! LOL

I have a couple of other Heinie stories. Will see what I can do in the next few days.

Les Strouse, Professional Pilot (Ret), Too Lazy to Work, Too Nervous to Steal

From: L.D. Strouse <mailto:loongles@gmail.com>

Subject: Heinie Stories

Gene,

The picture is of three airplanes that we were using for side by side testing. Sometimes they actually were landed side by side but this story does not relate to that part of the test.

Our testing was finished and everyone was packing up to go back to Hurlburt or where ever they came in from. The U-10 and the Porter came from Hurlburt. The U-5 was based at the field we were using for the test. CRS, either field #3 or #5. It was a CIA operating base.

The U-10 hit a foot locker that was left sitting in the runway. It knocked one of the wheels off the U-10 resulting in major damage to the airplane as it crashed to the runway! No personal injuries. Everyone departed to Hurlburt in the Porter. Sometime later I got a call from Heinie. "Les, Capt. X is going to take you up to Field X. He will leave you there. Contact Mr. Y. He has arranged for you to return Zero Nine Six back to Hurlburt." I knew that Zero Nine Six could not possibly been repaired in that short a period of time. But I went to FieldX and was escorted into a hanger that housed several black, painted black, U-10s and one grey one number Zero Nine Six. So I flew IT home.

A month or so later I got another call from Heinie. "Les, take Zero Nine Six up to Field Y and bring Zero Nine Six back". "Yes Sir, I replied. And I did as I was requested.

A few months later I received another call from Heinie. "Les, the IG is reportedly coming here to investigate an accident cover-up." " Do you know anything about that?" "No idea what you are talking about, Sir!" "Good, I'll keep you advised." The subject never came up again.

One more story.

I was one of the O-1 FAC IPs in the initial FAC training program at Hurlburt. We had several accidents early on in the program and were shut down while everyone who knew anything about L-19/O-1s gave us a going over. "When an O-1 starts to ground loop, chop the power and go for the ride." "Do not fight it." After that admonition we did not have any major accidents but did have a couple of wing scrapes. I had one of those and Gen. Sweeney was going to fire me but would not release me from active duty. I applied for release and was turned down. Heinie knew all of this. A couple of months after I got the turn down Heinie called me at the U-10 section of 319th TCS.

The conversation went something like this. "Les, Heinie here, do you still want to get out?" "Yes Sir." "Do you want to go to work in SouthEast Asian?" "Yes Sir". "Come to my office." "Yes Sir." He was acting Wing Commander. I presented myself to his secretary and she told me to go right in that Col Aderholt was expecting me.

Heinie told me that he had to send someone up to The Pentagon to get some passports. He wanted me to fly that person up to Andrews AFB in a U-10. While the Airman was getting the passports I was to go to Air America for an interview and when that was finished to go to CIA for another. Air America said that they would hire me as soon as I was released from active duty. My release was not likely! CIA said they had no openings at the moment but would keep me advised.

The next day we flew back to Hurlburt. Much to my surprise there was a message from HQ USAF waiting my response, asking when I wanted to be released. We agreed on 30 days.

Heinie had managed to back door a 4 STAR General.

After my release from active duty I was immediately hired by AAM and went to SouthEast Asia. I had several dealings with, by then, General Aderholt during the time that I was with AAM and CASI in SEA. I owe him a lot. The best Boss that I ever had.

Les Strouse, Professional Pilot (Ret), Too Lazy to Work, Too Nervous to Steal

From: Patrick.Sweeney@notes.udayton.edu

Subject: Aderholt Stories

Gene: Here is an Aderholt story in our book "Nail 66-67". have fun pat sweeney 937 903-8626 cell(See attached file: Aderholt.docx)Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base (NKP), 10 January 1968, a few hours later in the O'Club

The noise was building in the bar as it was nearly 3am and the night fighters were mostly in and drinking too much. But this was not the problem as a very loud noise was emanating from the "non-flyers" area as they began pounding their empty beer bottles on the tables and all in unison. "What the hell are they doing?" said Ross Parker, a new NAIL FAC, to the group of guys sitting along the bar.

"It is just two old colonels trying to see who is the toughest. That son-of-a-bitch from the Air Commando group is doing it again." Said Bill as he downed his 5th Budweiser and flipped the bottle in the trash behind the bar.

"What do you mean again?"

"Every time we get a new Colonel, in here, like this new Personnel weenie, the big commando has to show he is tougher than they are. Watch this; it will be fun."

The festivities began immediately as the big commando yelled, "Grease pencil, grease pencil." He raised his right hand knowing full well that some one would stick a grease pencil in it as they always did. And they did it again.

With grease pencil in hand, the big commando walkedif you could say that is how a drunken 56 year old would walkto the wall at the end of the bar room and, with the pencil, drew an "X" about 12 inches square. He then turned to the crowd, stretched out his right hand with the grease pencil clutched in his fist, bowed to a lieutenant sitting near the wall and said "Lieutenant, I commission you the keeper of the grease pencil. You will guard this with your life and give it only to me. Should you fail, you will be shot….tomorrow morning. Any questions?"

"No, Sir," replied the lieutenant very loudly.

The old commando relinquished the pencil, stepped up to the wall, took a deep breath, and then plunged his head through the ¼ inch plywood wall. As he extracted his head from the wall, some of the splintered wood caught his left ear and caused some bleeding, but that did not stop this guy. He returned to the lieutenant and said, "Lieutenant, the pencil, please."

The Lieutenant gave the pencil up and the old commando walked back to the wall and drew a similar "X" about six feet to the right of the hole in the wall. He then threw the pencil off into the crowd of onlookers and returned to the table where the other colonel was still sitting. Not surprisingly, the new colonel's eyes were big as saucersblood shot and big.

"Colonel, I have marked your target and assume that you will want to show us all how tough you are."

"You bet your sweet ass, Colonel. Don't bother getting up; just order me another Jack on the rocks." He then got up and proceeded to the wall, not walking any better than the first wall banger.

He got within arms length of the wall, stopped, took a deep breath (because the other guy had done that), and crashed his head against the wall….and bounced off. He shook it off, then reset himself, took a deep breath and crashed his head into the wall again. Same result. Now it was clear that he was really concerned, and really hurting. He had split the skin on his bald head, but nothing was going to stop him and he hit the wall again, harder this time. He fell unconscious to the floor in a heap.

Several onlookers immediately jumped to assist the fallen colonel. Some one threw a pitcher of beer in his face, apparently to wake him up. And it did. He was very groggy, wobbly and weak as he was helped up by the lieutenant and a captain and mostly carried back to the original table.

"I guess I am the toughest old bastard in the bar," screamed the old commando as everyone began cheering. The noise was unbearable as it seemed like every beer bottle in Thailand was being slammed on the tables. It was one of the few times that the non-flyers really seemed to enjoy the bar scene here at NKP.

Back at the bar with the NAIL contingent Ross said, "He almost killed himself."

"Yeh, you can do that when you try to butt your head through a stud."

Historical Note: This head butting occurred nearly every time a new colonel arrived at NKP. The instigator was Air Commando One, Colonel Henie Aderholt. Many at NKP during these times have attested to these incidents, but as best we know Col. A. has never admitted that he participated.

From: Brad Wright <mailto:wrightbj@bellsouth.net>

Subject: Heinie Aderholt story

Gene,

I put this one on the net several years back, but I look back on it with fonder memories now.

I was stationed at Laredo AFB post SEA and in those days there was a FAC gathering/reunion held for a couple of years in conjunction with the ACA get together at Hurlburt Field. My recollection is that this story takes place in late 72.

We put together a two ship together to head to the gathering. In the aircraft were three FACs and supposedly the Wing CC, Leroy "Swede" Swenson (sp?). At the last minute the ATC CC called Swenson and told him to get his ass to Randolph to answer questions of his handling of an incident on base involving a group of black enlisted folks who took over the mess hall. (whole other story). Well, we intrepid FACers needed a fourth to play two ship and we recruited another IP and we headed for FL. The four of us involved were: Tim Black (A-26 guy), Barry Headquist (Nail/Covey/Hammer), Phil Frischmuth (Rustic) and yours truly (Covey). Our enroute stop was at Barksdale AFB where we changed into our party suits and snuck back out to the jets lest we gather the wrath of SAC. Upon arrival at Hurlburt, they parked our a/c on the Doolittle runway and brought us to Base Ops. Now all we wanted to do was to head for the gathering and drink beer but one of the Ops clerks asked if we were the crew from Laredo and when Headquist owned up, he was handed a phone. The next thing we know, Barry is in his best VMI brace answering questions about the where abouts of Swenson from none other than Heine Aderholt. Seems he had not gotten the word that Swede wasn't amongst us and wanted to know "Where the Hell is Swenson?" Barry did his best to explain and when we got to the club Col Aderholt greeted us warmly and we all had a good laugh.

I can still remember the look on Barry's face trying to yes, sir/no, sir/ I don't know, sir to this somewhat irate voice on the other end of the phone and the other three of us just glad it wasn't being called on the carpet for unauthorized flight suits.

While none of us had personally met Heinie Aderholt, I believe we all knew precisely who he was. I had the privilege of attending a dining in during UPT at Reese AFB where he was the guest speaker. I don't remember what he said or much else about that night but I do remember him and the Wing CC, Col Morganti, loading up his T-28 with lots of Coors to take back to FL in 1969.

Wow, I just now remembered about the dining in part of that story.

My condolences to his family on his passing and a slow hand salute to a legendary warrior of our war.

Brad Wright, Covey 251

* * * * * * * * * * * *

From: tom schornak <mailto:schornakt@comcast.net>

Subject: General Aderhold Rememberence....tom schornak here

Gene, I rather suspected you would be doing something great for our leader. Good for you!!

In the book, 'The Skyraider in Vietnam: The Spad's Last War', Wayne Mutza has a story of mine (pgs 76 to 78), relating a most unfortunate incident for me; but in fact describes Gen. Aderholt's unusual style of management & personal compassion for his men. Anyone who knew him will identify with the end of the happening. Yes, a true story!

The narrative is titled, "How Heinie Aderholt Saved My Butt From The firing Squad".

Here are a few direct excerpts from that account: By the fall of 1964 I was checking out in the A1E.... What could go wrong?..... Even now, 40 years later, it is not fun telling this story.... I really thought I would be grounded and sent to Thule Greenland as snow removal officer.... I was at the end of my string..... Even my cat ignored me! That night I got a call from the Wing Commander (Gen Aderholt). I hardly knew the guy.... On the fishing trip, he (Gen. Aderholt) followed the example or another extraordinary person in history, "He went fishing for men instead of fish"..... That day he won over me and I would follow him Anywhere, Anytime-Anyplace.... No doubt the next day he did a similar thing for another Commando in his family.

Sound interesting? Hopefully you have a copy of Mutza's book to check it out? If not let me know, I must have a copy around here somewhere.

Thanks again for remembering, 'Commando 1' Regards, Tom Schornak,

From: James Horton <mailto:jsh001@earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: Need Stories on Heinie Aderholt on his exploits and unconventional management style for the ACA Newsletter, ACA web page and possible use for his 2 July Memorial

Hi Gene,
I have a very short story about Gen Aderholt that kind of reflects his "get it done" personality. The time frame is either 1978 or 1979, Ubon RTAFB, Thailand. I was in the JUSMAG and had flown up to Ubon and a couple other RTAF bases in the Northeast to support the in-country IMET Mobile Training programs I was developing. My boss, LTC Dave Bouchard, USAF, was with me. The pilots were probably Bill Maddox and Bruce Wiliamson but I really do not

remember. Anyway, immediately after we landed the C-12 and were walking across the ramp toward Operations, we noted an individual walking around a really beat-up looking C-47. Turns out it was Gen Aderholt and he was actually preflighting the aircraft for flight to some undesignated location,

perhaps Don Muang but I really don't know. I was kind of surprised to observe him doing the preflight by himself due to the poor looking condition

of the C-47. It looked like it had just been sitting there for quite a long

time. We engaged in a short friendly conversation and then the Gen wished us well, climbed into the aircraft alone, got the engines running, waved to us from the cockpit window, taxied out to the runway and flew away. This probably does not sound like much of a story but he sure as hell impressed me. I never did find out what he was going to do with the aircraft but was left with the impression that he owned it the moment the wheels cleared the runway. One other item that may be of interest to some folks is that Dick Graham, the JUSMAG/AMEMB dentist for about 30+ years was hired by Gen Aderholt. When the Military had to pull out in 1976 Dick was just out of the Army and was "touring" Thailand for a few months. The JUSMAG medical unit was being cut from the manning document and included the dental doctor(s) and personnel. Gen Aderholt contacted Dick and offered to hire or otherwise get

him put into the JUSMAG manning document. Dick asked him if it was legal to

do so and the General simply said who cares. By the time they figure it out, you will be institutionalized as the JUSMAG/AMEMB dentist. And that is

exactly the way it played out. Dick shared this story with me a few years ago which is why I know. I was in the JUSMAG in 65 & 66 but did not know anyone who later served from 78 - 85. I met the General a number of times during my stay in Thailand which runs from 1964 to 1998. I know or knew at one time many of the people who worked

for the General. In case you don't remember me, I am one of the Morse Radio

Operators who were TDY to Vietnam in 64 in support of Project Hawkeye. Regards,
Jim Horton

From: "Christine Lukasik" < christine.lukasik@gmail.com <mailto:christine.lukasik@gmail.com> > Subject: Heinie, Remembered ACA,Over the past day and a half since Heinie's passing, we have all been overcome by sadness. Call it a God-meeting, a blessing, call it what you will, but I happened to be TDY to Hurlburt for 36 hours, during which time I was able to say my farewell to Heinie. Upon completion of my official duties, I boarded a flight back to Las Vegas, NV, my current duty assignment. During this time, it was with a heavy but grateful heart that I wrote the following thoughts and experiences with Heinie. Please feel free to disseminate (or not) as you wish, but it is only fitting that I share my thoughts with my ACA family. God bless, Christine Lukasik

Entitled: My Friend

All called him "sir." Many called him "visionary." Some called him "family." To me, he was a friend. BG Heinie Aderholt will forever be revered as a legend in the Air Force Special Operations community, having left a legacy of unparalled vision, commitment, and persistance. Some might even call him bullheaded in his tactics. But it was his ways that defined him, that enabled him, and which allowed him to grandfather the most notable endeavor the US Air Force has ever known.

Unlike his peers and most of his work associates, I only knew Heinie for a few years, a few quality years. Sure, I had met him at the 2004 ACA reunion when I became an honorary lifetime member and again at the 2007 reunion when I humbly spoke as the guest speaker, but it was not until after the 2007 event that I truly began to know, understand, and learn from the man behind the glasses. Suddenly it was as if all the stories my grandma and pop-pop had told me over the years came to life. You see, I consider myself extremely lucky. It would seem that I got more of Heinie's life story than many.

My grandmother is Dee Roberson, and as many Air Commados know and as Heinie often reiterated, she served as his personal secretary and right hand while he served as commander at Hurlburt Field. My grandfather, Robby Roberson, also served under Heinie during the same time. From these familial ties stemmed my introduction to and core understanding of "Heinie," the only term by which I recall the general referrenced during my childhood. And so with personal stories of Heinie in the 1960s and 1970s, I built a more personal relationship with the general starting in 2007 which lasted the remainder of his life.

As a Leutenant and a Captain, I often visited the general at his home in Ft. Walton Beach to discuss "life" over lunch or a drink. There was no such thing as a quick visit. I was always a captivated audience, and no matter what else I had going on, Heinie had my full attention. Our discussion of "life" inevitably resulted in the in-depth analysis of the USAF's current, poor resource management (read: the pouring of money into the F-22 program, et al programs instead of a more practical, cost effective aircraft such as A-1s, perhaps?). We talked about prop planes, jets, unmanned aerial systems, national strategy, tactical strategy, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Hmong whom he loved so much, his command and integration of the first African-American squadron, current events, politics, and leadership. There was never a road map, and even if there was, he would not have followed it. He marched to his own beat, and it appeared that he did so for the entirety of his 91 years. He mentored me. He imparted wisdom upon me, much of which, I fear, never made it into his book. But there inlies my challenge and the challenge that he left to each and every one of the Air Commandos that he enabled and left to survive his legacy. Undoubtedly, there will be future publications and pages written depicting his legacy, but for now, this is the most concise, encompassing narrative in which I can articulate what I learned and what I believe to be Heinie Aderholt's greatest contribution:

First and foremost, take care of your people. Be a solid, unwavering leader. Take charge. Lead with your heart, and be passionate about your job. Be smart and embrace the SIMPLE solution: less will go wrong and it is cheaper. Speak up. Be honest.

To all who knew him, these truths resound. To all who have but only heard of him, may these truths guide you in your understanding of a great leader, and perhaps more importantly, may they serve as the most successful paradigm for leadership.

It was an honor to know Heinie, both through the historic memory and stories of my grandparents as well as through our weekends spent on his porch balcony. While saying my final good-bye to him in person on the evening of 19 May 2010, I thanked him. I thanked him for all the lessons that he taught me, the inspiration and perspective that he provided me, and for being my friend.

You have, indeed, flown a "High Flight."

High Flight by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

From: JIM STAMPHER <mailto:stampher@innernet.net>

Subject: Re: [NKPNET] Help! Need Stories on Heinie Aderholt on his exploits and unconventional management style for the ACA Newsletter, ACA web page and possible use for his 2 July Memorial

Certainly not an earth shaking story, but an incident that I will remember. Then Col Aderholt was leaving NKP for his next assignment and visited my shop, Traffic Management. After we had completed all the documentation, eg shipping documents customs etc. He stopped and asked When I was leaving. I told him and when I added that I had been TDY at one time or another to every base in Thailand and really believed that NKP was tops he came over and grabbed my hand and started to shake and said, I really appreciate hearing that.

As I said just a short incident but one that remains one of my favorite memories.

Jim Stampher

From: tom schornak <mailto:schornakt@comcast.net>

Subject: General Aderhold Rememberence....tom here

Hi Gene, This morning I read your appeal once again for material for Heinie's memorial service. Last week I sent the following narrative; after reading it again this morning, and with your busy lifestyle, it did not make a lot of sense to me, so I added the underlined information to make my thoughts a bit more clear. If you can use essence of the incident (don't worry about even mentioning my name), fine, great! And, if you do not use it there is absolutely no problem what-so-ever...I know you have lots going on. Thanks for what you are doing! Regards, tom

From: tom schornak <mailto:schornakt@comcast.net>

Subject: General Aderhold Rememberence....tom schornak here

In the book, 'The Skyraider in Vietnam: The Spad's Last War', Wayne Mutza has a story of mine (pgs 76 to 78) he ask me to relate, relating a most unfortunate incident for me; but in fact describes Gen. Aderholt's unusual style of management & personal compassion for his men. Anyone who knew him will identify with the end of the happening. Yes, a true story!

Here are a few direct excerpts from that account: By the fall of 1964 I was checking out in the A1E.... What could go wrong?..... Even now, 40 years later, it is not fun telling this story.... I landed that damn A1E; Gear Up! (Mick Jones, great guy, was the instructor checking me out... but I was the pilot and it was totally my fault!) I really thought I would be grounded and sent to Thule Greenland as snow removal officer....

I was at the end of my string & thought my Air Force career..... Even my cat ignored me! That night I got a call from the Wing Commander (then Colonel Aderholt). I hardly knew the guy....And, even though I had just crashed one of his airplanes....He invited me to go fishing with him the next morning. It just did not make sense to me. At the end of our fishing trip he said, "Tom, tomorrow morning you are on the flying schedule".

On that fishing trip, Colonel Aderholt followed the example or another extraordinary person in history, "He went fishing for men instead of fish"..... That day, in my darkest hour, he won over me and I would follow him Anywhere, Anytime-Anyplace.... No doubt the next day he did a similar thing for another Commando in his family.

Sound interesting? Hopefully you have a copy of Mutza's book to check it out? If not let me know, I must have a copy around here somewhere. You could just use the story and not my name; for heavens sake it still remains the most embarrasing episode in my life. Heinie saw through the incident and what he did for me that day, he would have done for any one of us.

Thanks again for remembering, 'Commando 1'. Gene, if this vignette does not fit into what you are looking for....it will not bother me in the slightest, no problem. All I was thinking, it would be a story of something compassionate he did for me but would have done (and most likely did) for the next guy just as easily. If you see any utility in using this...you don't even have to use my name...after all who wants to go down in the books for landing a bird gear-up???

Regards, Tom Schornak,

From: Joseph Holden <mailto:aceusaf@earthlink.net>

Subject: Stories about Heinie

I can't remember exactly when I met the General but it was either late 1962 or early 63, I was working in Wing Ops and he came in early one morning and asked me if I knew where he could get a set of Lt/Col insignia, that was the first time I met him, my boss was Lt/Col Eugene Muller so I volunteered to see if I could liberate a set of insignia from his desk, I was assured that they would be replaced,I never knew whether he had just made L/C or why he didn't have the proper insignia but he told me that he had an important meeting I guess a staff meeting. In fact I ran into him frequently after that. I recall I used to be his radio operator during rehearsals for the day demonstration and sometimes funny things happened, I recall once he was apparently reading from a script and he would tell me call the HALO guys and tell them a certain jump time and this went on till the show really started I don't recall exactly what happened but recall telling him we should really keep this part in the show, he looked puzzled and I said look pointing up and the HALO guys were out then I said look the C-123 is on final for his extraction, and almost flying formation with him is the YAK-28 for a STOL landing. Another time he was not happy with the U-10 making STOL landings and told me to tell him to stop and wait for him to show him how to make a STOL landing,unfortunately Heinie didn't have the time to polish his U-10 skills and didn't do to well he stopped, got out and said well he at least knows what I want. another time at Udorn he dropped in (this was 1965) and we had six T-28Cs to pick up at Ubon and I asked him if he would like to fly one back from Ubon and he agreed, I made the mistake of having him fly my wing that was OK until we entered initial at Udorn then it was really exciting until the pitch, I have no idea when the last time he flew a T-28 was but he needed to brush up on his formation flying, but he had the balls to do it.

When I got passed over for Major for the second time I went to the Pentagon to find out why, I checked my ERs and yes I could walk on water along with the other 98%

of the Officer Corps. I requested an audience to ask why I had been passed over. To my surprise I ended up in a little cubicle with a full bird, he got the records of the promotion board and told me that the reason I didn't make Major was because I was a Reserve Officer, He said that they could keep me on active duty as long as they wanted as a Captain but if they passed over a Regular officer for the second time they had to boot him. I figured I would retire as a Captain, I returned to Water Pump for the second time in Sept of 65, I hadn't been there very long when I got a call from General Aderholt asking me how I would like number seven on the promotion list to Major, he had called me from Clark AFB and of course I was elated.

The General was always good to me and kept me from making some serious mistakes. I recall that he retied after he completed his tour at NKP I think in 1968. I heard that he bought a stake in a Florida Beer Company and had a distributer ship in the panhndle, not sure but think the brew was called Spearmen,. If I had known he was going to be recalled I probably would have stayed in the Air Force.

Joseph Holden, aceusaf@earthlink.net

From: Bob Gleason, rlgleason22@aol.com

I first meet Heinie Aderholt in May 1964. At that time I was rotating from my first tour in VN where I was Commander of FARMGATE following Col. King's return several months earlier. I requested that I be allowed to visit and fly some missions with Air America who were working out of Thailand at the time. King had done the same thing when he rotated earlier.

Let me digress a bit and explain why this was so important. JUNGL JIM our home unit at Hurlburt had been lashed together barely a year earlier. Allowing several months for equipment procurement we had less than three months training and operational flying. Furthermore all of our pilots were from ADC or TAC jet fighter outfits. Ditto for our bomber and cargo crews and staff. Barely three months after we were fully equipped we somehow muddle through a USAF directed ORI and found ourselves in a counter insurgency combat situation in Vietnam, flying WW II type aircraft. I knew that we needed help and looked everywhere I could to find it. Thus the request to fly with AA

It was upon arrival at the Air America base (AA) in Thailand that I first meet Heinie who at the time was the USAF Liaison officer with AA. After I flew a few missions with AA Heinie agreed to fly me to Bangkok for a few days and discuss with me AA and counter insurgency operations (CI).

What occurred next is what I call a typical Aderholt moment. On the day of departure Heinie took me out to his assigned plane that he referred to as a U-10. I had never heard of one. After engine run he got clearance to take off on runway say 270. At the moment we were on the run up pad facing perpendicular to the runway. Heinie acknowledged the tower and then pushed the throttle wide open. We took off on 270 all right, except cross ways. At about 50' he banked about 60 degrees to the left and off we went towards Bangkok. Upon arrival at the hotel I quickly changed my underwear.

Heinie spent the next five days educating me on the essence of counter insurgency and covert operations. This was the education I so sorely needed and I soaked up every word he said.

It was no accident that when Col. King upon returning to Hurlburt he put in an immediate request to have Heinie assigned to the 4400 CCTS. And the rest is history.

Heinie and Jack Kelso the Primitive Weapons Instructor at the Stead Survival School were the only two people that King leaned on the Air Staff to add to the original Jungle Jim contingent.

Bob Gleason

Last week LA Times they had the story of John Wooden the winingest coach at UCLA who died at the age of 99. Coach Wooden had a 25 key behaviors of success in a pyramid building block philosophy. Apparently John Wooden's 1948 pyramid of success is used quite extensively not only at UCLA but in many other organizations. I looked at the pyramid and compared it to Heinie's philosophy of life and he lived it with a few modifications. Heinie was a jock when he was young and he also was semi-pro ball player at one time.

From: Richard Comer <mailto:rlcomer@cox.net> Subject: RE: Help! Need Stories on Heinie Aderholt on his exploits and unconventional management style for the ACA Newsletter, ACA web page and possible use for his 2 July Memorial

Heine was at the Hurlburt Gym every morning in the 1990s and early 2000s. He fought hard against letting his body age and he was there every day. He also watched for the Wing Commander or AFSOC staffers who might be there as well, and he often asked how things were going or asked what was going on in the AFSOC world. After 9/11 he was all over it. I was the AFSOC Vice Commander at the time and usually showed up at the gym at about 6 to find him there, mostly through with his workout and ready to keep me from mine. He particularly advocated airborne FACs, saying over and over that the fast fighter guys couldn't find or hit a target without them. The AFSOC Commander and I discussed his point of view a couple of times and thought that the age of precision munitions might not need the airborne FAC quite as much as Heine thought. Well, the wars progressed and we found Heine was correct about the need for airborne FACs, but with adjustments. The FACs now are often unmanned vehicles, and they carry sensors to aid in finding and tracking targets, send video around the battlefield, and are essential to the use of airpower. He was right all along, it was just hard for us to recognize. I'm very happy that a later Wing Commander at Hurlburt was able to get the gym named for Heine. I have no doubt that every morning Heine is there at the Aderholt Fitness Facility, whispering his advice to the wing and AFSOC leaders. Like us, they need to hear him.

Rich Comer, MajGen, USAF, Retired

I saw the movie Prince of Persia this last weekend. The prince reminded me of Heinie Aderholt with his unconventional efforts that were so effective in getting things done. The graphics in the movie were great but the story keep your interest but wasn't great. Which brings me to the stories we all have heard or were part of our life with the warrior Heinie Aderholt. His stories are so unusual and unconventional and at times defied military conventions. I first met him in 1962 when I was at Hurlburt with the Air Commandos. I was entering the ACA Headquarters wooden building when I heard this thunderous argument going on in the briefing with the chiefs. All I could think of was what kind of organization did I get into. Heinie later told me that he and Mike Doyle were in the CIA together and they had a fallen out. The argument that day was between Heinie and Mike (a power play) and Heinie won out and on all future discussions. Heinie became an icon in the Air Commandos and we all enjoyed his unconventional way of doing things and achieving success we all observed in his many endeavors. I am going to put together stories about Heinie for his 2 July Memorial, for the web site and for the next ACA Newsletter. He had the damaged O-1 he had to hide, the A-1 shipped from sea at the end of the war etc. Anyone having stories on Heinie, funny or serious, which would be appreciated by everyone, send them to my email and I am shooting for end of June to finish it. I will give you credit for your stories along with your email address.
Gene Rossel

From: JIM STAMPHER <mailto:stampher@innernet.net>

Subject: Help! Need Stories on Heinie Aderholt on his exploits and unconventional management style for the ACA Newsletter, ACA web page and possible use for his 2 July Memorial

Certainly not an earth shaking story, but an incident that I will remember. Then Col Aderholt was leaving NKP for his next assignment and visited my shop, Traffic Management. After we had completed all the documentation, eg shipping documents customs etc. He stopped and asked When I was leaving. I told him and when I added that I had been TDY at one time or another to every base in Thailand and really believed that NKP was tops he came over and grabbed my hand and started to shake and said, I really appreciate hearing that.

As I said just a short incident but one that remains one of my favorite memories.

From: Jack Knotts <mailto:jack90@msn.com> - Air America Helicopter pilot

Subject: RE: Need Stories on Heinie Aderholt on his exploits and unconventional management style for the ACA Newsletter, ACA web page and possible use for his 2 July Memorial

In May 14th 1975 Gen. Heine Aderholt organized the last mission of the SEA experience. Gen. Vang Pao and his CIA advisor Jerry Daniels had to be extracted from Long Tieng Laos under difficult conditions. The remaining air assets in Vientiane were Bird Air Bell 206s and Continental Air Services Pilatus Porter and C-46s. He was also able to secure a C-130. The plan was to have a refugee evacuee going on to distract the thousands of Hmong gathering at Long Tieng, many with weapons and high emotions, while a helicopter whisk VP and Jerry ( Call sign 'Hog' ) out of Long Tieng, one at a time, in a secret manner. This was accomplished. The refugees were taken to an abandoned airfield in Thailand called Nam Phong. The Thai Gov did not want the refugees to stay in Thailand so Heine was involved with the USA having to agree that the refugees and Gen.Vang Pao would later be removed to the America. which they were. Submitted by Jack Knotts a mission participant.

From: Brad Wright <mailto:wrightbj@bellsouth.net>

Subject: Heinie Aderholt story

Gene,

I put this one on the net several years back, but I look back on it with fonder memories now.

I was stationed at Laredo AFB post SEA and in those days there was a FAC gathering/reunion held for a couple of years in conjunction with the ACA get together at Hurlburt Field. My recollection is that this story takes place in late 72.

We put together a two ship together to head to the gathering. In the aircraft were three FACs and supposedly the Wing CC, Leroy "Swede" Swenson (sp?). At the last minute the ATC CC called Swenson and told him to get his ass to Randolph to answer questions of his handling of an incident on base involving a group of black enlisted folks who took over the mess hall. (whole other story). Well, we intrepid FACers needed a fourth to play two ship and we recruited another IP and we headed for FL. The four of us involved were: Tim Black (A-26 guy), Barry Headquist (Nail/Covey/Hammer), Phil Frischmuth (Rustic) and yours truly (Covey). Our enroute stop was at Barksdale AFB where we changed into our party suits and snuck back out to the jets lest we gather the wrath of SAC. Upon arrival at Hurlburt, they parked our a/c on the Doolittle runway and brought us to Base Ops. Now all we wanted to do was to head for the gathering and drink beer but one of the Ops clerks asked if we were the crew from Laredo and when Headquist owned up, he was handed a phone. The next thing we know, Barry is in his best VMI brace answering questions about the where abouts of Swenson from none other than Heine Aderholt. Seems he had not gotten the word that Swede wasn't amongst us and wanted to know "Where the Hell is Swenson?" Barry did his best to explain and when we got to the club Col Aderholt greeted us warmly and we all had a good laugh.

I can still remember the look on Barry's face trying to yes, sir/no, sir/ I don't know, sir to this somewhat irate voice on the other end of the phone and the other three of us just glad it wasn't being called on the carpet for unauthorized flight suits.

While none of us had personally met Heinie Aderholt, I believe we all knew precisely who he was. I had the privilege of attending a dining in during UPT at Reese AFB where he was the guest speaker. I don't remember what he said or much else about that night but I do remember him and the Wing CC, Col Morganti, loading up his T-28 with lots of Coors to take back to FL in 1969.

Wow, I just now remembered about the dining in part of that story.

My condolences to his family on his passing and a slow hand salute to a legendary warrior of our war.

Brad Wright

Covey 251