Photos and comments courtesy of:
Richard (Rick) Markel
C-123K Aircraft Mechanic
Communication Shop

315th Consolidated Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron (CAMS)

315th Special Operations Wing

Phan Rang AFB, RVN
1/69-2/70



Mike Vogel [left] and myself [right] in front
of our Quonset. Rough duty that day for that
dapper-looking duo, whatever it was!  (Mar/1969)


This panorama scan was from three photos I took
from the NCO club parking lot.  (Oct/1969)
Scroll to right to view more of the pan >>>>


Nui Dat with a rainbow. This was always a special
photo to me. Even us grubby old G.I.s deserved
a little rainbow every once in a while!  (Nov/1969)


A shot of one of our Quonset huts (Q9) where both
Mike Vogel and I lived along with a few others Mike
was able to get in touch with lately (e.g, George
Sloan, Don Heimerl, and John Ryan).  (Mar/1969)


Yours truly standing in front of Q9.  (Apr/1969)


Morning on the front porch of Q9. Notice the mosquito
spray-bird (probably "Patches") and the guys starting
to gather for the bus over to the the CAMS side.
Just another workday in Happy Valley.  (May/1969)


In front of the NCO Club (The bamboo Viper).
Didn't you just hate those rolls, back down
the hill, after downing a few?  (Oct/1969)


This shot of our new indoor (Viking) theater was taken
shortly after it opened. Even a bad movie there was
great because of the air conditioning.  (May/1969)


"Patches", UC-123K, tail number 55-4362, on one of her
weekly mosquito spray runs, coming right over the house.
The bird now resides proudly at the USAF Museum in Dayton,
Ohio, right by Wright-Patterson AFB, in honor of her title of
MOST SHOT-UP AIRCRAFT OF THE VIETNAM WAR,
taking over 1000 hits (to my knowledge).  (May/1969)


The building on the left was our new chow hall in our
C-123/CAMS area. It was named the "Richard A. Brown
Dining Hall" after the pilot of the C-123B that crashed
outside of Chu Lai, RVN, on 12/17/68. In the pan you can
also see our CAMS tower with the tiger logo.  (Sept/1969)
Scroll to right to view more of the pan >>>>>>>>>>>>>


This black-n-white shot shows our revetment area
during an early morning launch. Our water buffalo
(in the foreground) was the unit us maintenance people
used to get water for most of our cleaning needs.  (Mar/1969)


Yours truly riding the "REDBALL" truck. Yeap,
we were all ten feet tall and bullet proof
back then, weren't we?  (Sept/1969)


Two aircraft maintenance guys ("Fritz" [left] electric
shop and Stacy [right] instruments shop, I think)
riding the morning "REDBALL" truck  (Nov/1969)


Mike Vogel (CAMS hydraulic shop and web-host) [left]
and Mike Ginn (CAMS MA shop or Admin-not sure) [right]
in front of our Quonset barracks.  (May/1969)


Don Heimerl out on the "patio" at the new
barracks. Note the road, in the background,
going up Nui Dat. I think Don was in the
"out-processing mode" about then.  (Jan 1970)

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