I recently received an email from a Mr John Bemiss. He had been reading through my various posts about Ubon Ratchathani at around the time of the Vietnam war (you can find all these posts grouped together here) and decided to make contact.
I am glad he did as like everyone who has provided this blog with information about old time Ubon it makes for compelling reading and viewing.
John has given me permission to share some of his photos and a little of his time in Ubon. I will let John take up the story with his own words and photo captions….
Sign you see after getting off C-130 flight from Bangkok, home for the next 12 months.
John Bemiss in front of A1E9
“My job classification was weapons mechanic (462X0) munitions loader. Prior to Ubon I was at a SAC base (B-52) in NY. I was sent TDY to train on C-130 gunship repair and had orders to work in the gun shop at Ubon.
FG 433rd squadron with pave ways loaded.
When I got to Ubon end of January 1970 the gun shop was fully manned and they assigned me to the 408th munitions maintenance squadron. I was the third crew member on a four man load crew that loaded munitions on the F-4 fighter (pictures show what we loaded). We worked the 6:00 pm – 6:00 am shift 6 days a week (sometimes 7 days). There were 4 squadrons of F-4s let me see if I can remember them 25th TFS, 497 TFS, 435 TFS, 433 TFS. My crew loaded mainly the 25th but we loaded the others when needed.
Trailer of napalm waiting to be loaded, remember the white phosphorous fuses delivered in ammon cans filled with water. Some bad stuff.
FO 515 435th returned with damage.
We lived in a 2 story cinder block barracks which were originally open bay.
Hooches to the right and enlisted quarters at the end of the road.
We used old bomb crates and plywood to make rooms for 4 guys. We had house boys that did our laundry and to this day I can remember the rice starch they put in our fatigues. Told them after a while no starch, you would sweat and your fatigues would get all sticky. I wish I could remember the house boys name – nicest guy. He would bring us fresh pineapples and we would grab a bunch of apples from the mess for him as Thais loved apples.
Trailer with 200 lb pave way bombs.
Trailer with CBU's cluster bombs waiting to be loaded.
Load of AIM 9 Missles.
Load of Mk 82s with fuse extenders.
Rice bugs were something else, we had a line supervisor who had a bungalow and girlfriend down town so during brief down time from loading he had us collecting rice bugs that were attracted to the flight line lights. Thais would roast them or pop their heads off and eat them, never had the courage to try one Night shift was the best not many supervisors around we would race the jammers (bomb loaders) on the flight line for fun. I haven’t thought about this in years.
A1E fully loaded. Awesome to watch at night when they took off.
C-130 leaving Ubon
Thai Air Force T 28, don't ever remember them doing much, buzz the flight line every now and then.
Ubon flight line
Part two with more about life in Ubon and photos of the city will follow shortly.
Great piece, John! Love the Flt line photos. F4 Radar tech Jan 69-70. Would love to post this on my blog, Ubon Tales. There is a link on this blog. Looking forward to more!! Thanks. Have you cked out FB/ Ubon Vets?
Was in the 435th 7/67-7/68 and never saw napalm or A-1′s in revetments. Must be after I left.
John you arrived-1/70 the same time I left. I was there 1/69-1/70 and worked the flt line. Glad to see these photos since I never took any of the flt line and find it impossible to describe what all my toys looked like. lol
Thanks to John Bemiss for sharing those great, old photos! Looking forward to Part 2.
Hope these photos are declassified. Great stuff.
If I disappear all of a sudden then you will know the answer!
If any one is interested, all of the photos I took of Ubon are located on http://www.lastcow.smugmug.com go to military pictures password is thailand. Andrew selected a few but there are many more and for you Ubon vets you may get a kick out of them. FC we loaded a lot of napalm during the dry season and the 2 A-1s may have come shortly after the sapper attack in January 70. I think they were TDY from NKP but I may be wrong
While doing a little “research” on “Rice Bugs of Thailand…”, I chanced upon this blog page for John Bemiss. I haven’t had much time lately to check for new Ubon USAF related website material, and am thinking this may be one of a few more new adds to the web. Our group was the Combat Photo Reconn Squadron, 601st Photo Flight, Detachment 3, at Ubon. my website, posted about 12 years ago, is dedicated to our group, circa mid 1968 to mid 1969. I’m always interested in updating my site, with additional photo material. See http://www.601st.com , and feel free to email me at alsterling@earthlink.net During my year in the photo detachment, my last name was “Priebe”… Ssgt Al Priebe.
Thank you for all the great photos and memories. I was in the 408th MMS and assembled CBUs, Paveways, 105 Howitzer shells, napalm, etc., from June ’71 – ’72.
Hi Craig,
Great to have you drop by – I bet you have some stories to tell as well!
Nice pictures.
I worked in the preload facility, 69-70. Just before I left in July ’70 I was banished to the holding area fuse shop.
Banished huh? SOunds like a good story there!
WOW, i JUST RAN ACROSS THIS SITE RANDOMLY. I WAS ONLY STATIONED IN UBON 6 MONTHS IN 1972, BUT I MET THE LADY I HAVE BEEN MARRIED TO FOR 39 YEARS. I DON’T REMEMBER MUCH. I SPENT MOST NIGHTS UNTIL CLOSING AT THE PLAYBOY CLUB. I SPENT A TOTAL OF 4 1/2 YEARS IN THAILAND. I RETURN AS OFTEN AS THE THAI WIFE WILL ALLOW. IN 2011 AND 2012 I SPENT 2 MONTHS BOTH YEARS VISITING HER FAMILY OUTSIDE OF WARIN. I WENT TO UBON SOLO, THE WIFE’S HEALTH SCARES HER SOMETIMES. THE THAI RELATIVES KNOW VIRTUALLY NOTHING ABOUT FARANG PLACES EXCEPT BIG C, LOTUS AND ROBINSONS.
I WILL BE RETURNING TO UBON AS SOON AS SHE GIVES ME PAROLE AGAIN. I WILL NOW BE LOOKING FOR MORE OF THE FARANG SIDE OF LIVING IN UBON. SADLY, MY WIFE DOES NOT SHARE MY FONDNESS OF UBON. IN ALL OF MY TRAVELLING, UBON HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVORITE PLACE TO HANG MY HAT.
Hi Don,
Wonderful to hear from you! There certainly are many different places were some foreigners tend to gather from time to time. Some places are mentioned within my pages but all are mentioned in one way or another through other blogs/webpages in the area. Do searches on Peppers Bakery and Cafe, Spagos, Wrong Way Cafe, TC Kitchen, NJoy pub just to name a few.
Most foreigners tend to keep to themselves out in the country side with the occasional jaunt into the big smoke for supplies but there are enough around at the places mentioned above that I am sure will keep you amused in one way or another!
First – Thank you for your service. Now as a member of your veteran family and a County Veterans Service Officer I know you are all aware of your exposure to Agent Orange, the diseases it causes, and which AF bases & when the VA has already acknowledged. If you served in Thailand please get to know your Veterans Service Officer who works for your county/ parish/district or talk to your local veterans service organization (they have VSO’s) about the agent orange presumptives.
If you won’t do it for yourselves then do it for your families. It is a lot harder for us(VSO’s) to establish the hard evidence that may be neccessary for a widow’s claim if you are already dead. Not to say we haven’t done it just that it is easier and quicker when you are the one answering our questions. Find your CVSO: http://www.nacvso.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=10
SFC (Ret) Patricia Babcock, CVSO
Hello, my name is Dean Wiley and my reason for writing is to share my experience in Thailand which I truly believe led to my having Parkinson’s today.I am not complaining, but it is so very hard to swallow one’s pride and file a claim. My AFSC was Life Support Systems and home base was Korat In late January or early February of 69 our squadron, the 469th, went TDY to Ubon for approximately 6 weeks while some repairs were done on our flight line and runways. On arrival we were quartered in an encampment occupied by what I recall an Australian engineering contingent (79th …or something ?) in support of our forces. We were told the Aussies were reassigned out of the country due to an accident where some Thai civilians were killed by an incident involving the Australians.I can remember some details of the encampment like an amphitheater and a few other structures constructed of bamboo.The photos I took are long gone, so my plea to any one who might have been there and have pictures of that camp,I would sure appreciate a copy to present in my claim. The entire area was overgrown with heavy thickets of vines and brush. We had the hooches adjacent to that area which they mowed and sprayed with what I was told with Agent Orange. Close to the hooches, the area was mowed and a little further out from the camp, maybe 70 yards or so, they sprayed out of 55 gallon drums with what looked like bung hole pumps.The heat of the day (98 – 105 degrees) and breezes carried the oily stench toward the hooches and, no doubt, some of that mist blew through the hooch screen half walls while we were out on the ramp during the day. Before we returned to Korat, the foliage browned in a matter of a day or two.I developed a rash like hives on my back, stomach,arms, and legs.I went to our flight surgeon and was diagnosed with a heat rash and/or a possible allergic reaction to the weeds since I saw him earlier in the year for allergies. In time it went away and for about a year the rash would return. I used Calamine for months and it eventually went away. In trying to substantiate my claim, I went to the National Personnel records Center here in St. Louis to pull my From DD214 and any other records to fulfill the claim requirements set forth by the VA for those of us in Thailand service. My shock came when no records were found showing the TDY, no medical record of the rash treatment, and no evidence that should have existed with regard to the “boot on the ground” evidence of my time in country. I was warned by others who’ve been through this claims process that I would probably have to stand on my head to get it through but I hold no resentment and I feel in the long run, we’ll be treated fairly. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to be patient.
p.s. If anyone remembers that abandoned Aussie camp and might have some pictures, please contact me through the proper channels. Thanks.