25. AIR FORCE RADIO OPERATORS

Sir,

What a great site! I served at Kontum 8/67-8/68, with the "Elliot" FAC's. I was one of the two radio-operators there, call sign. "Carbon Outlaw 28." I'm sure that over the period we communicated at some point. Our Net Control Station was located at Pleiku, and we were in and out of most of the A-Camps in II Corps. I am searching for any and all photos of Kontum and those A Camps for my own photo album. Those you provided on your site bring back many memories, especially those of Polei Kleng! I got to "muck around" in the area outside the camp where we Air Force personnel were not supposed to be. (What's new?)

My partner took a photo of Polei Kleng (?) which was an unidentified A Camp until, as I understand, you identified it! It's strange, but for an episode that only took 1 year of my life to experience, there exists a never-ending need to revisit and discuss with my Vietnam Brothers our experiences there!

Regards, An Air Force Vietnam Veteran

REFLECTIONS: "...there exists a never-ending need to revisit and discuss with my Vietnam Brothers our experiences there!" Many of us who stayed on active duty after our Vietnam tours were lucky. We were able to stay in the flow and "decompress" over time. Many of the soldiers who served in Vietnam came straight out, dropped off their uniforms and tried to assimilate immediately back into the civilian world they once knew. For many it just didn't work. We all have coping mechanisms to deal with stress in our lives and for most of us they work fine. The e-mails I have received tell me that many who served are still dealing with stuff. Vietnam veterans as a group, are better educated and are more successful, in terms of social status, than any other veterans group. That doesn't mean we have forgotten.