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FOX<= /span> FAX

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Journal of the 19= 9^th Recon Airplane Company RVN 1967-70 Vol.&nb= sp; 4, Issue 7 Jul 07

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

Reunion Coordinator C&C &nb= sp; &nb= sp; Don Nicholson - Fox ?? &n= bsp; lontri= ps0@aol.com

Treasurer &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; 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 = ; Ray "Doc" Jennings - Fox 032A r.jenning= s@KTIS.net

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WEB SITE www .SwampFox199thRAC.co= m

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A FLIGHT TO SA DEC<= /span>

In = later 1967, I was one of two 199th RAC pilots assigned to = Kien Phong Pr= ovince. Our aircraft, Bird Dogs, were based at Cao Lanh= , and I seldom went beyond the province except to Vin Long on Company business and Long Xuyen to visit our Platoon Headquarters. O= ne day, I met a visiting Navy Lieutenant who expressed an interest in flying o= ver our area. He was stationed at Sa Dec which= was located in another province down the Mekong River between Cao <= span class=3DSpellE>Lanh and Vin Long. I agreed to pick him up at <= span class=3DGramE>Sa Dec later in the week to do the requested VR flight= .

Never having landed at Sa Dec, all my information about the strip came from an airfield directory. As I remember, it was a lo= ng, narrow, one-lane road running across rice paddies. To land, you circled the field and guards at each end would lower gates to stop traffic. As I recall, you could only turn around at the ends because it was so narrow. The road w= as apparently heavily traveled which required road guards to block off traffic= .

At the appointed time, I arrived and circled the field. I could see t= he guards lower the gates and traffic come to a halt. I landed and taxied down= to the gate, picked up my PAX, and with some difficulty was able to turn around for a departure in the opposite direction.

As I began my take off, I saw a large crowd of people and a cyclo(Rickshaw) movi= ng in my direction. The guard at the other end had apparently opened the gate. I qui= ckly ran through my options, none looked good. Stopping at this point would have blocked the road and trying to communicate with the guard at the other end would have required me to leave the aircraft and walk to the other end of the strip. A decision had to be made and soon.=

The crowd was approaching fast, but I thought we could beat them to the lift-off point. At maximum power, we rushed toward the oncoming horde. I was beginning to have some doubts about the outcome. The C= yclo and walkers kept up their pace and I was closing on them fast. The people b= egan to move to the side using what little space they had to avoid me but the Cyclo, with driver sitting tall in the saddle, was no= t giving up any space. He, like me, had made his decision and was sticking to it. I pulled back on the stick at the last minute -- praying it would fly. People were whizzing by on each side; then, out of the corner of my eye I saw the = Cyclo flash past. I think the leading edge of the wing missed his head by inches while the wing strut almost caught the edge of the buggy he was pulling. With inches to spare we were off and running. Once I stopped shaking I told the back seat that after the flight I would drop him= off at Cao Lanh and find him another way to get bac= k to Sa Dec.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Donald Nicholson

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Swamp Fox ?

Coming Events

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= 199th RAC “SWAMPFOX” And &n= bsp;= 221st RAC “SHOTGUNS”

11-14 October 2007

FOUR POINTS by SHERATON

1325 Miracle Strip Pkwy

Fort Walton Beach, = Florida 32548

1-800-874-8104

850-243-8116

Note: registered=3Dregistered to atte= nd, hotel=3Dregistered at hotel

reunion roster = 2007
ID	name	call sign	years	status
27	Agee, = Damon	SG ?	?	hotel<= /span>
37	Baker, (1)Charley	SF 46<= /span>	67-68<= /span>	regist= ered
38	Baker, (2)Kathy	guest<= /span>	-	regist= ered
22	Brinke= rhoff, (1) Tim	SG ?	?	regist= ered
23	Brinke= rhoff, (2) Joanne	guest<= /span>	-	regist= ered
30	Calver= t, Richard	SG ?	?	plans = to attend
15	Caylor= , Monte	SG 36A= crew	70-71<= /span>	hotel registered
28	Clayto= n, Bob	SG 36<= /span>	?	regist= ered
12	Collin= s, (1)Hank	SG 46<= /span>	65-66<= /span>	hotel registered
13	Collin= s, (2)Irene	guest<= /span>	-	plans = to attend
16	Conner= , (1) David	SF 13<= /span>	69	plans = to attend
17	Conner= , (2) Donna	guest<= /span>	-	plans = to attend
14	Diliman, David	SG ?	?	hotel<= /span>
48	Doran,= Dennis	SG ?	?	regist= ered
46	Durossette, Darryl<= /span>	SG 22<= /span>		regist= ered
52	Estes,= (1)Tom	SF 16<= /span>	69-70<= /span>	plans = to attend
53	Estes,= (2) Mary Lynn	guest<= /span>		plans = to attend
49	Gentle= , Howard	SG 33<= /span>		hotel registered
51	Gingra= s, Herb	SF ??		plans = to attend
1	Givhan= , (1) Sam	SF 31<= /span>	68-69<= /span>	hotel<= /span>
2	Givhan= , (2) Lynne	guest<= /span>		hotel<= /span>
47	Gunther, Frederic	SG ?	66-67<= /span>	hotel registered
18	Hobbs,= (1) Fred	SG ?	66-67<= /span>	hotel<= /span>
19	Hobbs, (2) Sandy	guest<= /span>	-	hotel<= /span>
20	Jacobs= , (1) Standlay	SG ?	?	plans = to attend
21	Jacobs= , (2) Carol Nobel	guest<= /span>	-	plans = to attend
4	Jennings, (1)Ray "Doc"	SF 032= A crew	67	regist= ered
5	Jennings, (2)Joanne	guest<= /span>	-	plans = to attend
35	Johnso= n, Emmet	SG ?		plans = to attend
32	Kinder= man, Brian	SF 22<= /span>	67-68<= /span>	plans = to attend
50	Kirby,= Kevin	SF 23/= 25		plans = to attend
29	Loftis, (1) Don	SG 35<= /span>	?	regist= ered
41	Loftis, (2) Wifette	guest<= /span>		regist= ered
24	Marlow= , (1) Mike	SG ?	?	hotel registered
25	Marlow= , (2) Kathleen	guest<= /span>	-	hotel registered
9	McGraw= , (1)Jim	SG ?	?	hotel registered
10	McGraw= , (2) Fran	guest<= /span>	-	hotel registered
44	Modica, (1)Don	SG	65-66<= /span>	hotel registered
45	Modica, (2)Betty	guest<= /span>	-	hotel registered
36	Moore,= Ned	SG ?	?	plans = to attend
3	Nichol= son, Don	SF ?	67	hotel<= /span>
31	Poinde= xter, Al	SG 11<= /span>	?	hotel registered
33	Poor, = (1) Bill	SG ?	?	hotel registered
34	Poor, = (2) Ann	guest<= /span>	?	hotel registered
6	Preble, (1)Cline	SF24, = SG21	67-68<= /span>	plans = to attend
7	Preble= , (2) Judy	guest<= /span>	-	plans = to attend
11	Spain, (1)Al	SG ?	?	hotel registered
42	Spain,(2) Joanne	guest<= /span>		hotel registered
39	Standley, (1) Jake	SG ?		regist= ered

See the web site for more information

Even if yo= u have not registered please let me know if you plan to attend.<= /p>

r.jennings= @ktis.net

= ;

www.= druid-consulting.com/reunion_07.htm

199^th RAC Swamp Fox Reunion 2= 007 <= /b>

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and

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221^st RAC Shot Gun Reunion=

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219^th RAC HeadHunters Reunion Sept. 2007 Atlanta Georgia=

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9/17/2005 HEADHUNTERS decide to hold their NEXT REUNION scheduled for <= b>SEPTEMBER 2007 in ATLANTA, GEORGIA. The hosts will b= e Steve Butler (RVN 1/68-1/69 Pleiku) and Tom Mo= rris (RVN 7/65-7/66 Nha Trang= , Tuy Hoa, Phan Thiet & NonCo).= The host location will be Peachtree City South of Atlanta. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

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www.219h= eadhunters.com/Reunions.htm

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Birddog Store - www.druid-consulting.com/bird_dog_model.htm<= /a>

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Patch and shirts

If you want to have a shirt or two monogrammed with the SF logo, ple= ase order early to insure availability for the reunion. Gary has a few Swamp Fox patches left as well. Contact Gary Simon @ GaryLBB@aol.com for details. Rem= ember, you have to provide the shirt(s). Turnaround time is about 3 wee= ks.

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WEB SITES of INTEREST

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4th SOS update<= /o:p>

4th SOS panoramic vi= ew

Bases, aircraft prep= are for Hurricane Ivan

The 4th Special Oper= ations Squadron gained four new aircraft equipped with two 30 mm (Bushmaster)guns to replace the 25 mm Gatling-gun and the 40 mm <= span class=3DSpellE>Bofors cannons. (Courtesy photograph) &nb= sp;

Home of the Air Commandos since 1961, Hurlburt Field= today accommodates the 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW), Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), an Air Force major command, and a numbe= r of associate units. Named for First Lieutenant Donald Wils= on Hurlburt who was killed in an aircraft crash at Eglin Auxiliary Field #9 in 1943.

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Point = of interest during our October Reunion

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http://www2.hurlburt.af.mil/=

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OSHKOSH! By gosh!

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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007!
July 23 - = 29, 2007

www.airventure.org

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Be sur= e to check out the videos.

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This i= s the EAA's BIG a= ir show.

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EAA calendar

http://www.eaa.org/= events

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Birddo= gs of Vietnam and Laos

www.t= alkingproud.us/HistoryBirddog2.html

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Here is an interesting article I have found at The Sweetwater Jaycees' Annual Rattlesnake RoundUp: http://www.rattlesnakeroundup.net/main/modules/content/index.php?id= =3D1

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Thunde= r over Michigan 2006 high lights

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http://www.richard-seaman.com/Aircraft/AirShows/Ya= nkeeAirMuseum2006/Highlights/index.html

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IBDA

www.ibdaweb.com/merchandise= .htm

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Lots of new stuff on the IBDA web site.

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www.ibdaweb.com

from= the "Bark"

HERE'S SOMETHING YOU REALLY DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW.........................

but is classified as top notch Birddog trivia. When Major Bung Ly escaped Vietnam during the Fall of Sa= igon he flew his wife and five children out to sea in a Birddog. They were fortu= nate to find the Aircraft carrier Midway and land on it (if your not familiar with this story it is incredible and worth reading in totality). As we know the Navy kept the Birddog and it is now mounted on the ceiling in the Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida. If you stare at the Birddog l= ong enough (OK, that's just weird me) some interesting things are observed. For example: Geiss gear, double puck Cleveland brak= es, splicing of skins below the pilots cabin (indicating major repair) and that= it has the 2800 pound upgrade. Sounds like the Birddog we all have been dreami= ng about!

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HERE'S SOMETHING YOU REALLY MIGHT NEED TO KNOW...........................

if your in the market for a newer iss= ue flight suit. Next time your visiting the outstan= ding Army Flying Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama, depart via the main gate. About a quarter mile past that on the west side, = is a Custom wheel and Military Surplus store (I could not make this up!). Inside there are literally hundreds of late model Nomex flight suits lying all over the floor in big piles. Most looked to be in excellent condition, with little use. Cooter said Billy Bob gets $35 bucks a piece for them, which is really a steal. So if you need to get a flight suit and have been turned off by the high retail prices, this might be the deal of the Century= !

Courtesy of IBDA "Bark"

SWAMP FOX NETWORK

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Please = let me know if your e-mail address changes. =

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Status Quo

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Soldiers Angels

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Do check out this we= b site if you are looking for a charity to support our troops.

www.soldiersangels.com

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Site News

Added = current information to the reunion page

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Added = page for Sweetwater and sub page for Larry Joyce

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

I try to publish = the week end following the fifth. Sometimes I am even on time.=

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NOTE: = NEW e-mail address below

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

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