Lt. Col. John Halliday (USAFR, Ret.) Page 5

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Karst 

Karst

Q. What were the general flying conditions in and around NKP? Weather?

A. Except for the rainy season, the weather was excellent. Aside from dodging flak, the Laotian karst and jungle were our second-worst enemies.  [F-105 pilot] Karl Richter bailed out in broad daylight into these razor-sharp mountains. Jolly Greens picked him up immediately, but he bled out en route. This is typical of the karst we were forced down in at midnight, dead behind enemy lines, blind and mapless.

Q. Some of the units flying from NKP flew in civilian clothes, flew unmarked aircraft, and so on…it must have seemed somewhat surreal flying for and with a force that was obviously American, but which was officially unknown. Or was that not the case?

A. It was surreal. Candlestick crews flew in civilian clothes in the early days, then later in sanitized flight suits that were never going to fool the enemy. The sole item we were authorized to carry was this silk blood chit:

Chit

Blood chits featured our flag with an appeal in 14 languages: “I am a citizen of the United States of America. I do not speak your language. Misfortune forces me to seek your assistance in obtaining food, shelter, and protection. Please take me to someone who will provide for my safety and see that I am returned to my people. My government will reward you.”

Q. What was the general morale and mood of the men you flew with out of NKP?

A. We took care of each other. While some men were gung-ho, many were frightened and depressed. But rock ’n roll was our salvation. We were the Woodstock generation dragged off to war, so we duffle-bagged our music along for the trip. Rock was the oxygen tent that kept our souls from suffocating.

Q. Was there much intermingling, socially or professionally, of the crews flying the various types of aircraft out of NKP?

A. No. Each squadron stayed to themselves. But we did hang out with “Nail” forward air controllers doing the same job.

Q. Describe the bonding between your crew.

A. Blood brothers. After thirty-six years, our navigator Charles who saved my life that night called. He’d seen the book jacket and instantly knew it had to be our story of trying to land at Long Tien, Laos in pitch dark. We yakked for hours; it was as though no time had passed. I saved his life and he saved mine… a bond for life.

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