A-4C Vietnam

[Finn]

A few interesting pics of Marine Skyhawks can be seen here:

 

https://www.facebook.com/pg/VMA225/photos/?tab=album&album_id=433823763356321

 

Jari

[ChesshireCat]

most of the pics are 1966 or 1967 photos. The runway was rebuilt in the late summer of 67, and a second 14,000 foot strip was added. They also built in an arming pit, and a storage area. There were two Marine Air Groups stationed there, but it wasn't uncommon for an odd one to roll thru for a month. There also was an Air Force presence. The POL we see in the photos was not the one used to refuel aircraft. That's the old napalm bomb dump (blown up in Tet 68). Just to the west of it was the iron bomb dump (also blown up). Much further west, and close to Highway One was the base POL that had three huge bladders containing jet fuel. They were blown up during Tet in 68. Next to that was the Air Force mess hall, and was known for the best food in Chu Lai. The helicopters are at the top of the hill to the north east of the base. It's actually just a refueling area manned by an Army NG outfit from Indiana. When I first hit Chu Lai there was a Hawk Missile battery a couple hundred yards from the Army chopper pad.

       The photo of Boyington was take at the Charger Academy site on the beach. We all went thru there. Prior to late May 68, it was rare sight to see a Chu Lai aircraft doing a strike south of the 17th Parallel. They always went from the south end of the runway and headed due north to North Vietnam or vectored out by Khe Sahn. Our air strikes almost always came out of DaNang. The river in the picture of the A4's looks like the one that ran by A102, but may also be the one just south of Chu Lai. I'm betting A102.

Sometime in mid 67, they brought in F4's. There was a plane in the arming pit 24/7. Used to watch the coming and going from Gator or out on an LP

       Many of us here have heard people talk about "Fat City" from movies and things. The original Fat City was about six miles north of Chu Lai on Highway One (across the road from Five Four). The second Fat City is right across the road from the north end of the runways. Actually it's call Anton, and not Fat City. I know few guys that were introduced to Penicillin after a visit there<g>!! (not me)

       To add to this, I was on Gator when the 82nd Airborne came in country. They flew in on C141's. They wings were wider than the runways, and they flew in every half hour during daylight hours for a week or two. The strikes took off from the east and west runways in between C141's. Place was flat crazy during those weeks.

gary