FROM: Captain Verna
SUBJECT: EAGLE PLATOONS
TO: All Military Fighting Men
of the 3rd SPS
1. PURPOSE: To provide Biên Hòa AB a reaction
force to be deployed behind the enemy for harassment and interdiction
following a mortar attack.
2. Concept of operation: The 57th and 58th Regional Forces will share alert standby duty on a rotating basis
with the 3rd Security Police Squadron. A flight
of 45 men will be stationed at the 145th Aviation Battalion each
night from 2200 hours until 0400 hours. In the event a mortar
attack occurs and firing positions are identified, this force will
be deployed to preselected landing zones behind the enemy position
to engage or harass them during their retreat.
3. TRAINING: The 173rd Airborne Brigade Jungle
School will provide training on tactics and maneuvers. The
start date is tentatively scheduled for 11 September.
4. Manpower Requirements and Selection: To perform
this duty and to minimize the commitment, I am requesting 45 men
from "A" Flt and 45 men from "B" Flt to join
this program. With two groups of 45, each group will stand
alert one night out of every six nights.
a. Because of the training provided,
personnel with retainability are desired. This should not
prevent "Short Timers" from signing up. With the
number of personnel required "Short Timers: will be required
to get us over the large loss of personnel training this squadron will sustain between
1 Oct and 31 Dec 1967.
5. Program Start Date: We
are hopeful that this program will be operational before 1 Oct 1967.
A great amount of training, procurement, coordination and planning
is still ahead of us.
6.
Deadline: All volunteers should have their names affixed to
the roster NLT 1600 hours, 1 Sep 1967.
7.
General: I have been extremely proud and honored to be
associated with this squadron to date. Your day performance has
been outstanding and your support of squadron policy and mission
has been the finest I have witnessed in my career. Your cooperation
and backing are necessary to make this program an effective and
practical weapon against the Viet Cong. It will require personal
sacrifice from each man in the form of reduced free time and comfort
and exposure to hostile environment. I am convinced, however,
after three months in this squadron, you are prepared to make this
sacrifice.
JOSEPH
B. VERNA JR., Captain, USAF
Security Operations
Officer
Forty plus members of the squadron volunteered
and were trained by the 173rd Airborne. We made a helicopter assault
right before dusk, spent the night in a perimeter defense and the
next day spent 6 or 7 hours patrolling through the jungle back to
the base where we were met by Red Cross Donut Dollies. To my knowledge,
this was the only helicopter assault behind enemy lines [in South Vietnam, 1967] by a USAF
Security Police unit.
Kent Miller
