Vietnam
1965-1966
© 1997 by, Don Poss, LM 37
23rd ABG/AP; 6252nd APS; 35th APS; 366th APS/SPS
APO for Đà Nàng Air Base was APO San Francisco, 96337
Telling it like it was!
Photo is a composite of three photos taken by Don Poss in Jan 1966. © 2013 by Don Poss.
Jan 25, 1966, A2C James Bruce Jones was assigned the POL Storage Access Control post. He had five hours to live. An Air Police QRT Jeep stops by to check on JB (photo: center, near post shelter). All is well, but the night is coming. The POL post is as safe Russian Roulette at Da Nang AB can be, in fact, JB's newly constructed hut is within 100 yards. Around 0200 hours, January 23, 1966, the quiet night was shattered by the first of a dozen 122 mm rockets to arc toward Da Nang Air Base. Mortars began krumping across the flight line, sounding much like a heavy oak doors slamming shut.
Launched from between Marble Mountain and Da Nang, the mortars and rockets began thumping in the outer perimeter, skipped the flight line, and pockmarked the fields between the taxiway and only active runway. JB starts to cross the POL road toward a large sandbagged bunker. A 60mm mortar bursts in the road within feet of him (above photo: about nine feet to the left of where the jeep stopped). He has more than 100 shrapnel wounds above the waist, but still lives until the QRT jeep races to his position. Dead, his body is transported on the jeep's hood to the AF dispensary med unit located about two blocks away.
US casualties were one KIA and six WIA, and SVN casualties were five KIA and 25 WIA. Days later, a VC POW was captured who participated the stand-off attack. JB was the second Air Policeman KIA in Vietnam. The list of dead AP/SP would continue growing to 111.
POL Storage
1. Da Nang AB, JBJ: Close up of A2C James Bruce Jones (JB) ready to go to post. 1966.
2. Da Nang AB, JBJ: A2C James Bruce Jones (JB) read to go to post. 1966.
3. Da Nang AB, JBJ: POL Access Control AP observing post. 1966.
4. Da Nang AB, JBJ: POL Road runs N/S and T-intersects with POL Service road that forms the south border of AP Tent City. 1966.
5. Da Nang AB, JBJ: Airman Charles McIlwain inspects damaged AF POL Pickup truck. Fragments riddled the driver's side. 1966.
6. Da Nang AB, JBJ: POL Pickup Truck. 1966.
8. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Close up of Pump Station with patched mortar crater in foreground. 1966.
9. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Closer view of Pump Station with patched mortar crater in foreground. 1966.
10. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: POL road's patched mortar crater within yards of POL AP post. 1966.
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11. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Satellite view as of 2013. POL Farm Tanks are directly North of AP Tent City.
Note the red astrisk denoting lockation of mortar crater strike. 1966.
12. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: POL Road runs N/S passing the AP Tent City's West AP Access post.
Across the street in the field is a growing boneyard of destroyed aircraft debris. 1966.
13. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: March 1966, an AP Memorial Day Room, in memory of
TSgt Terrance Jensen (KIA 1 July 1965) and A2C James Bruce Jones (KIA 25 Jan 1966).
14. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: AP squadron members await start of dedication at
Day Room entrance. 1966.
15. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: K-9 Airmen wait dedication ceremony. 1966.
16. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: A2C Tom Baker (RIP, Agent Orange, 2007),
tentmate of JB, sets quietly. 1966.
17. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Col Eisenhower, Đà Nàng AB Commander, and LTC Arthur G. Phillips Jr., 35th APS Commander
join the Chaplin as he prays. Airmen and focused and silent during the ceremony. 1966.
18. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: The new base commander, Colonel Eisenbrown, a full bird,
pinned
a well deserved Air Force Commendation Medal on Major Rupert. 1966.
19. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Base Commander, Colonel Eisenbrown cuts red dedication ribbon,
officially opening the Day Memorial Room. 1966.
20. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: LTC Arthur G. Phillips Jr. and
Captain Ownes look on as ribbon is cut. 1966.
21. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Major R is presented the Air Force Commedation Medal. 1966.
22. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: 35th APS Airmen and officers of the Squadron entered the Day Room.
Rank forgotten. Quiet words exchanged over too sweet punch. Photos snapped.
Memories filed away. Faces seared into future dreams. 1966.
This is the content for Layout P Tag
23. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Don Poss (center), A1C Lee Miller (right).
After an hour or so, the crowd began to thin.
Men reported to duty. Rank reassumed. Some eager to leave. 1966.
25. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Some brought guitars and strummed a Peter Paul & Mary favorite, singing softly a voice
alternately choked with
emotion then clear and haunting. No one applauded, but all appreciated the song was the real service that lay memories to rest. 1966.
26. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: AP Helment and MSgt's shirt is draped over a chair. 1966.
24. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: An hour later only a dozen or so men were left. 1966.
28. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Airman sings a meloncoly song. 1966.
29. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ: Duties resume. Airmen report for duty,
go back to tents or huts for some rest. 1966.
30. Đà Nàng AB, JBJ:James Bruce Jones,
sleeping hard after a long shift around Christmas 1965.