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| Dave Stevenson U.S. Air Force
Ed. Note: Elsewhere on this website, I describe a trip I made from Clark AFB to Trang Sup in Viet Nam to retrieve the radar after Detachment 7 was deactivated (Return to Trang Sup). Dave, a Supply Specialist, had the good fortune to join me on that trip. On this one, he was on his own...thank goodness.--T.P.W.
Dave in 'Nam
Adventures With 5th TAC
When the Pueblo was captured in 1968 by North Korea, 5th TAC worked 'round the clock to send radar and radio relay teams to South Korea. In November, I was recruited to be a courier again. I had to go to Osan or some such place. I don't remember how many days it took me to get there or by what route I traveled. I do remember getting to whatever place I was going on Thanksgiving Day. I arrived too late for turkey and had to settle for a hamburger for my holiday meal.
The 5th TAC guys were staying in Korean War type tents with stoves that burned diesel fuel for heat. Let me tell you, going from 100 degree days in the PI to freezing days in Korea with only a light field jacket was a shock to the body. Then the tent was so cold at night I couldn't sleep. I did go out on the town with several of the guys one night and got to know one of the local gals. Anyway, I was bringing back a loaded 6x6 and I think we had to drive down to an air base near Seoul.
I got a flight on a C-130 and headed for Japan, first stop on the way back to Clark. Maybe 20 minutes or so after take-off, I looked out the window and saw that we were near the coast and getting close to the ground. We kept getting closer to the ground and the plane was making strange clanking, banging noises and we were getting lower and lower and all of the sudden we hit the ground.
Dirt was flying by the window and we were bouncing and bumping and the 6x6 was straining against the tie down chains. Since I knew we were supposed to be going straight to Japan, all I could think of was that, either we had made an emergency landing or we had done a controlled crash. When we finally bounced to a stop, the loadmaster went over to the side exit door and pushed it open. My heart was pounding out of my chest and I yelled to him and asked what the hell had just happened.
He replied that the pilot was dropping off a couple of officers to do some pheasant hunting in the wheat field we had just landed in. Sure enough, a couple men got up and retrieved their shotguns from up front and climbed out. We turned around and took off in the opposite direction with the same bouncing, bumping, and straining and flew off to Japan. Later, Dave
Dave the Skydiver
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