Phan Rang Air Base, Vietnam
315th Special Operations Wing
History note: The city of Phan Rang's original name, in the Cham language, is: 'Paduranga'.
The "twin city" of Phan Rang is: 'Thap Cham'.
Web Host: Mike Vogel c 1995
35th Combat Support Group
315th Special Operations Wing
315 CAMS, Phan Rang, RVN (68-69)
APO San Francisco, 96321
(PACAF)
"usage permission - Flightline Fabrications 2011"
BEFORE EARLY AUGUST 1968<<<>>>AFTER EARLY AUGUST 1968
315 Wing History
Note: Red Text designates when Wing was assigned to PRAB.
Established as:
315 Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on 23 May 1952.
Activated on 10 Jun 1952.
Inactivated on 18 Jan 1955.
Redesignated:
315 Air Commando Wing, Troop Carrier,
and activated, on 21 Feb 1966.
Organized on 8 Mar 1966.
Redesignated:
315 Military Airlift Wing (Associate) on 29 Jan 1973.
Activated in the Reserve on 1 Jul 1973.
Redesignated:
315 Airlift Wing (Associate) on 1 Feb 1992;
315 Airlift Wing on 1 Oct 1994.
USS New Jersey, last battleship of the US Navy to see action,
fires her huge 16" (406 mm) guns. I remember witnessing her
rounds flying over head, at PRAB, and hitting her target, but
just don't recall the date when this was....sometime in 1969.
Do any of you vets recall the day she fired her guns over PRAB?
The Following detailed update note provided by: Robert Davison
"My brief notes record that the USS New Jersey supported us with 10 rounds sometime on March 22, 1969. My notes also show that the cong hit us at
2300 hrs on the 21st and we went back to condition yellow at 0005 hrs on the 22nd.
I do not remember how that info on the USS New Jersey came to me at the time."
Thanks for the information Robert.---Mike
Flight line at Phan Rang AB (photo taken shortly
after take off on C-123).
Zoomed-in shot of above showing my squadron area.
The four aerial shots of PRAB, shown below, were provided by
Jim Alvis who was with the 71st SOS (AC-119G) at PRAB 2/69-6/69.
A Phan Rang C123 (54-603) shown at a local aircraft museum (Anoka, MN).
A few panorama shots of the inside of a C123.
This web site is not only a tribute to the great officers and
enlisted men who served with our proud 315 ACW/SOW (C-123K)
but also to all the troops who served at Phan Rang Air Force Base.
Without their scans and comments, shown below, this site would not
exist. Thanks all for your service and sharing your memories of our
old stomping grounds at Phan Rang AFB. Regards---Mike Vogel
"PRAB articles"
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---Phan Rang AFB Reunions---
I've wanted to have a web page that we could show pics
and comments of some of our more recent reunions we've
now made with friend and co-workers we knew at PRAB.
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"PRAB memories"
At this site are a series of pages provided by vets
from PRAB giving their description and sharing
their scans and memories of their tour there.
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Here are scans of early PRAB construction
and of the initial 1st Tour personnel on base.
Scans were provide by:
1LT Donald Taylor
Base Munitions Accountable Officer
435 MMS (65-66)
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Here is an interesting site on the initial
fighter squadron at PRAB in 1966.
Scans and comments provided by:
Alan Goodin
who was with the 389th TFS
(Tactical Fighter Squadron).
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Here are some interesting scans and comments
with a US civilian's point of view from:
John Hosking
who lived and worked out at
Phan Rang's beach during the war with the
'Alaska Barge & Transport Company' (2/67-9/68)
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Here is a web page from one of my longer PRAB contacts
I've been in contact with for the past 15 years.
Lt/Col Phil Garey was a Commander of the
35th Headquarters Squadron at PRAB (8/1/69-5/1/70).
Phil has had a very full military career from his
enlisted days during WWII to his officer days serving
until shortly before the end of the Vietnam War.
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A series of photos taken by:
Lt/Col Chuck Bailey
PRAB, 35th AMS Commander (9/70-2/71)
35th TFW Chief of Maintenance (2/71-7/71)
315 CAMS Chief of Maintenance (7/71-9/71)
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Here are scans of the recent Phan Rang area provided
by Dave Landis (35th CSG, 2/71-2/72) who has recently
returned to the Phan Rang area for the second time
(August 31, 2001). Here are a series of scans of
photos he took including some interesting views
of 'Ninh Chu Beach' and 'Po Klong Garai Temple'.
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MY EMAIL ADDRESS - vogelmj at comcast dot net
Note: email address is included in text in
"human-readable" form to help prevent spam.
Below are a few of my
favorite PRAB web sites.
I had the privilege to get to know David Foote
during the time he and I were first designing
our web sites. David was stationed at PRAB with
the 2 Sqd of the Royal Australian Air Force
[RAAF] (69-70). David has since passed away
on 4/24/98. He had a great PRAB website but his
website provider discontinued their free service.
Rest in peace buddy.
Don Taylor is another friend I got in touch with through
David Foote's guest book site. Don was stationed at PRAB
during the early 'Gray Eagle period' days (65-66). Don has
a few pages showing scans and comments of his tour here at
my site but he also has a great web site telling more about
the early PRAB days with lots of narration, scans, and
comments, I think you will enjoy seeing at: http://www.members.tripod.com/donstaylor1/index.htm
Jim Alvis was with the 71st SOS (AC-119G) at
PRAB 2/69-6/69. Jim allowed me to use his
four, excellent, aerial, scans, you see of
PRAB above. Thanks Jim! The 71st flew and
maintained the AC-119G "Shadow". Most of
us recall viewing her strong light and
tracers scanning beyond the base perimeter
nightly, which gave us quite a protective
feeling. Jim's informative 71st site is at: http://www.71stsos.com/
