The above photo is of the 377th APS, Tan Son Nhut. I took it and sure wished I had a wide lense. I believe it was about Mar 1966, Kailey and others would know. At that time among other things, we were conducting ammo escorts from Nha Ba to Ben Hoa and one of our personnel was wounded by shrapnel. [Anyone know who was wia then? (A2C Roy H. Cook)] This was the ceremony to award him his Purple Heart. I was fortunate to have had taken the picture and estimate that it was only about 55-60% of our unit.

Bill Price,
MSgt, USAF, LE Supt.
and later "B" Flight Commander, Security,
6250/377 APSq, TSN RVN 1965/1966.

Bill,

I remember something about the AP that got wounded. A few of us went to see him at his barracks when he was released from the hospital. I can't remember his name but he was a young A2C. He told us that while they were escorting a convoy of bombs to the base, the VC set off a command-detonated-mine on the side of the road. He was standing up behind the M60 and a piece of shrapnel hit him in the upper arm. He pulled the gun and pintal off the post and sat down then started spraying the side of the road where the mine went off. The convoy took off at full speed and made it to TSN without anyone else getting wounded. If I recall correctly, the section that handled those escorts was known as "Dry Dock".

The formation in your picture was held the same day he got out of the hospital but I wasn't in the formation because I had to go on post. I believe that everyone that wasn't on post was in that formation. As far as I know that A2c was the first member of our squadron to receive the Purple Heart.

Roger Bleile
6250th/377th APS 11/65 - 11/66
"B Flight and Customs Section

Does anyone happen to know what part of the flight line that photo was taken? Looks like it is around the F-4 area/north-south runway but what is all that buildup in the far distant?

Frank Ybarbo
Tan Son Nhut AB, 377th SPS
1967-1968

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I am writing in response to a letter and picture sent by Bill Price MSgt, 377th APSq 1965/1966 regarding his blurp on an INCOMING message and info regarding PARADE REST. I would like to answer his question to the fact that the airman wounded was A2C Roy H. Cook AF14809798. Roy Cook enlisted in Jackson, MS on May 28, 1963.

I for one volunteered on the Dry Dock assignment in Biên Hòa, and Roy Cook was one of my best friends. We were very good M60 gunners, along with the other 12 (dirty dozen). I transferred off the Dry Dock assignment three weeks before my tour was up and pulled the flight line duty at Tan Son Nhut to save my ass before flying home.

I also visited with Roy while he was recuperating. I have found several of the guys but Roy seems to have slipped pass my computer searches along with a couple of others. Could you somehow get this info to Bill Price as my computer couldn't or wouldn't get onto his page?

Thanks,
Don Weiland, A2C
Biên Hòa AB, 3d SPS
Tan Son Nhut AB, 377th SPS
1965-1966