The duty driver was assigned on a daily basis, and was responsible for driving the detachment’s vehicles (usually a pickup truck, jeep, or covered, stake-sided truck), to deliver flight crews from the barracks area to the operational spaces near the flight line, and to return the crews back to the barracks at the end of their flights. While not flying, OB recalls being assigned to more mundane duties, including duty driver, courier, and sand-bag filler. On his arrival the first week of February, 1971, Tom O’Brien (“OB”), like others who were new to the detachment, was referred to as a “new guy”, or “nug” for short. In addition to flying, Spooks were assigned other duties outside of flight operations. Although some of the rockets were targeted at the west side of the base occupied by Spooks, there were no recorded casualties among them.ĭespite the relative quiet, flight operations continued at about the same pace. These attacks resulted in 44 casualties, five of which were KIA. The net result for Da Nang and the Det was a relatively quiet year, with only 13 rocket attacks against Da Nang recorded, for a total of 58 rockets impacting throughout the airbase. By the beginning of 1971, the US policy of “Vietnamization” was in full swing, and troop strengths were being rapidly reduced.
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