FOX FAX

&nb= sp;

FOX&nb= sp; FAX

---------------------------------------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------

Journal of the 199^th Recon Airplane Company RVN 1967-70 Vol. 5, Issue 1 Jan 08

---------------------------------------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------

Swamp Fox Coordinator 2007-9 &nb= sp; Woody Barnes Fox 35 swampfox35@bellsouth.net=

Swamp Fox Coordinator 2004-6 Bob Woolley - Fox 26 &n= bsp; bjdubu@ao= l.com

Reunion Coordinator C&C &nb= sp; Don Nicholson - Fox ?? &n= bsp; long= trips0@aol.com

Treasurer = &nb= sp; = Dan Aldridge - Fox 56 = ; &n= bsp; Deepsea3= @aol.com

Unit Historian = &nb= sp; Charley Baker - Fox 46 cbkbwdb@starpower.net

Patch and Shirt Project &n= bsp; Gary Simon - Fox 16 GaryLBB@aol.com

Web Master / Commo Chief= &= nbsp; Ray "Doc" Jennings - Fox 032A r.jennings@KTIS.net

IBDA Liaison &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Sam Givhan Fox 31 &= nbsp; s_givhan@hotmail.com

Quad-A Liaison &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Curt Herrick Fox 26 &= nbsp; herrickcurt@verizon.net

Chaplain &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Larry French Fox 35 lawrenceefrench@yahoo.com

---------------------------------------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------------

WEB SITE = www .SwampFox199thRAC.co= m

------------------------------------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------------

FREE AIRPLANE !! SEE EAA BELOW

Goals:=

To find as many of our old friends = as possible and get them talking to each other agai= n.=

To build as complete a history of t= he unit as possible and make it available to all the members.=

To perpetrate reunions.<= /span> The perps this year were Don Nicholson and Sam Givhan

&n= bsp;

Swamp Fox flight line Ft. Hood May 1967

The Great Army/Navy games Sampan Race= of '67

Swamp Fox vs. Sea = Wolf, Captain Herrick at the helm, paddling, sinking, sunk.

A FLIGHT TO SA DEC=

In later 1967, I was = one of two 199th RAC pilots assigned to Kien Phong

P= rovince. Our aircraft, Bird Dogs, were based at Cao Lanh, and I seldom went

b= eyond the province except to Vin Long on Company busi= ness and Long Xuyen

t= o visit our Platoon Headquarters. One day, I met a visiting Navy Lieutenant who

e= xpressed an interest in flying over our area. He was sta= tioned at Sa Dec which

w= as located in another province down the Mekong River between Cao Lanh and

V= in Long. I agreed to pick him up at Sa Dec later in the week to do the

r= equested VR flight.

Never having landed a= t Sa Dec, all my information about the strip came from a= n

a= irfield directory. As I remember, it was a long, narrow, one-lane road running

a= cross rice paddies. To land, you circled the field and guards at each end would

l= ower gates to stop traffic. As I recall, you could o= nly turn around at the ends

b= ecause it was so narrow. The road was apparently heavi= ly traveled which

r= equired road guards to block off traffic.

At the appointed time= , I arrived and circled the field. I could see the guards lower

t= he gates and traffic come to a halt. I landed and = taxied down to the gate, picked

u= p my PAX, and with some difficulty was able to tu= rn around for a departure in

t= he opposite direction.

As I began my take of= f, I saw a large crowd of people and a cycl= o(Rickshaw)

m= oving in my direction. The guard at the other end had apparently opened the

g= ate. I quickly ran through my options, none looked = good. Stopping at this point

w= ould have blocked the road and trying to communicate= with the guard at the

o= ther end would have required me to leave the aircraf= t and walk to the other end

o= f the strip. A decision had to be made and soon.<= o:p>

The crowd was approac= hing fast, but I thought we could beat them to the lift-off

p= oint. At maximum power, we rushed toward the oncoming horde. I was

b= eginning to have some doubts about the outcome. The Cyclo and walkers kept

u= p their pace and I was closing on them fast. The = people began to move to the

s= ide using what little space they had to avoid me bu= t the Cyclo, with driver sitting

t= all in the saddle, was not giving up any space. He,= like me, had made his

d= ecision and was sticking to it. I pulled back on the st= ick at the last minute --

p= raying it would fly. People were whizzing by on each s= ide; then, out of the

c= orner of my eye I saw the Cyclo<= /span> flash past. I think the leading edge of the wing

m= issed his head by inches while the wing strut almost = caught the edge of the

b= uggy he was pulling. With inches to spare we were of= f and running. Once I

s= topped shaking I told the back seat that after the fli= ght I would drop him off at

Cao Lanh and find him another way to get back to Sa Dec.<= o:p>

Donald Nicholson=

Swamp Fox ?

Bird= dog Store - www.druid-consulting.com/= bird_dog_model.htm

&n= bsp;

from Corky's - see the Bir= d Dog Store page

=

Patch a= nd shirts

&n= bsp;

If you wan= t to have a shirt or two monogrammed with the SF logo Gary has a few Swamp Fox patches left as well. Contact Gary Simon @ GaryLBB@aol.com for details.= Remember, you have to provide the shirt(s). Turnaround time is about 3 weeks.

&n= bsp;

=

WEB SIT= ES of INTEREST

&n= bsp;

EAA cal= endar

&n= bsp;

http://www.eaa.org/events

&n= bsp;

http://www.eaa.org/airventure/

&n= bsp;

6 Months 3 Weeks= to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008!
JULY 28 - AUGUST 3, 2008

EA= A AirVenture Oshkosh News

&= nbsp;

www.ibdaweb.com/merchandis= e.htm

=

Lots= of new stuff on the IBDA web site.=

=

=

=

www.ibdaweb.com=

FROM: The Bark<= /p>

IBDA has been very supportive of Birddog Unit Reunions and deserves our thanks. We can show it by joining up. Please follow the lead of the above pooch. It's only a few bucks. Well worth it for the magazine alone. - editor (RJ)

&n= bsp;

SWAMP F= OX NETWORK

=

=

=

Note: call sign Fox ?? means I don't have y= our call sign.

    &= nbsp;     Drop me an e-mail and I will fix that.

    &= nbsp;

    &= nbsp;      If you have a change of phone number, address or especially e-mail address.=

    &= nbsp;      Let me know so we don't loose people.

    &= nbsp;

    &= nbsp;      Thanks, editor

<= /b>

Soldier= s Angels

Do check out this web site if you are looking for a ch= arity to support our troops.

www.soldiersangels.com<= /o:p>

=

Site Ne= ws

&n= bsp;

stat= us quo

=

If you have something to add to the Fox Fax, I need= it before the fifth of the month.

I try to publish the weekend following the fifth. Sometimes I am even on time.

=

NOTE: NEW e-mail address= below

Cheers Y'all - Editor r.jennings@KTIS.net

=

=

(EOM)

&nb= sp;