When I got back to Fairchild I began certification training. This was training that taught me the lessons that I would be teaching the aircrew members. Once again a lot of research and writing lesson plans. I would observe a whole class first. Then start teaching a lesson or two and after six months be teaching the whole trip.
It was great. Our instructor training class was the second class at Fairchild so there had been only a year of aircrew classes using the woods. The woods were almost untouched. We could take our crews out across the creeks and mountains and not see any signs of people except to run across an old homestead or logging camp or another crew once in a while. At that time all the crews were at least 13 men. I say men because there were no women going through the training at that time. Women did not go into combat.
Let me tell you a thirteen man crew kept you jumping both on base and in the woods. What a responsibility. I was nineteen years old and I was responsible for the health and well being of thirteen men. At that time, 1968, the class leader was a full Colonel. Sometimes some of the element leaders were full Colonels, but most of the time they were Lt. Colonels. The crews were much tougher back then. The last few years of my career they were pretty pathetic. I think life was making them soft.
Anyway, I want to tell you about one Colonel I had for an element leader. He was an older man, I don’t know how old because I was a young man then and older men looked older. He impressed me so much I never forgot him. The training was pretty hard on him. For students, there was not much food, some abandon aircraft rations like we had when we were going through training, a rabbit and some beef, potatoes and onions. The beef was to be split. Most of it went into making jerky for the trail. The rest was used for cooking with the potatoes and onions. While in static camp I taught shelter site selection first then shelter construction since that was the most time consuming for the students to do and they had to have a place to sleep that night. I demonstrated two parachute shelters. Half the element built one kind and the other half built the other. Then the next day they would tear their shelter down and build the other. Imagine watching, critiquing and helping thirteen students.
Just hang on, I’ll get back to the Col.
While in static camp I also taught food procurement, water procurement, night navigation, signaling and vectoring, talking on a radio and directing and aircraft to your position. In those days we vectored a fixed wing aircraft, I think it was called a Beaver. Col. Mosier the commander was the pilot. He evaluated the ground to air signals the students put out and dropped a food packet to the element that had the best signal.
I’m still getting to the old Col. After two days in static camp we began mobile training. The students carried everything they had in their improvised packs. I don’t know how heavy their packs were but I imagine they were at least forty pounds. Once we started this Col. never stopped except when we took a long break for instructions. He was slow and when I went back to check on him he would say he was doing just fine. When I allowed the element to take a five minute break, the Col. wouldn’t be with us. When he reached us he would tell us to get off our ass and get moving. So we did.
While on the trail I taught walking techniques, terrain recognition, map and compass work and always taking the opportunity to teach anything as it presented its self. Our trek route was maybe 5 or 6 miles and when we got into camp that evening I taught how to make evasion shelters using a poncho that they carried and camouflaging them. The squad leaders would be at the point until all the crews got in to make sure everything was ok and none of the students needed medical attention. After that they went back to the command post and we didn’t see them again until the next evening.
After finishing with the students the instructors would make a camp together. We also carried everything that we would need while on the trail. Our packs averaged 50 to 60 pounds. Some of the best times of my life were spent in those camps. To be with good friends around a campfire at night, eating, laughing and just having a good time discussing the events of the day.
The next morning we began teaching evasion lessons, camouflage, travel techniques in a hostile environment, food and water procurement in a hostile environment etc. When the students were all camouflaged we hit the trail.
While traveling in an evasion mode there should be enough distance between students that they can just make out the student in front of them and if they were to turn around the student behind them. So my element of thirteen men could stretch out two or three hundred yards, depending on the terrain and vegetation. I had to keep an eye on all of them so I was constantly moving to the front, then the back, sometimes being off at a distance just watching them to critique them later. Instructors usually traveled almost twice as far as students during mobile and evasion.
During evasion training there were opening and closing times at the points so we had to be there when the window was open. Usually it opened at twelve o’clock and closed at one. Prior to the point opening and turning our students over to AEF we divided the crew into travel teams of two or three men. Usually paring one who was good at survival skills with one who we thought would have troubles.
After we had made contact and turned the students over to the assisted evasion forces the instructors went back to the command post and showered and ate.
We went back out at mid afternoon as aggressors hunting the students. As aggressors we had a twofold purpose. Capturing those students that were doing something wrong and giving them in roll hints as to what they were doing wrong and how they should do it right. They had Evasion cards with a list of infractions and we would mark each infraction they committed and send them on their way, but most importantly we were there for the safety of the students. They all carried whistles and if they got injured or in some sort of danger they were to use the whistle to attract attention and get help. After the student’s final point for the day had closed we would have to go out searching for those students who hadn’t made it yet. That usually wasn’t too difficult but occasionally a team or two would get totally lost and sometimes it would be almost dark before someone found them. I remember one time we had to call off the search because it did get dark and it was unsafe to have instructors in the woods searching. We didn’t have helicopters then. After we got them the search was easier. We resumed the search the next morning at light and eventually found them.
The final point for the students was usually a fun place to be. In the early days whoever was running the final point in the winter would get a big fire going and put on a garbage can of water to heat. It was a special garbage can that was only used for that purpose. When the water was hot we dumped a lot of coco mix in so the students could warm their insides and outsides. It was fun standing around listening to them talk about their experiences. Then as your students came in you could go over and talk to them and see how they did.
When everyone was in the buses were loaded and the instructors loaded up in their trucks and we all went back to the base.
Many times, back then, the students would ask you out to dinner that night. It was always a good time. I’m not sure that that happens now.
It was great. Our instructor training class was the second class at Fairchild so there had been only a year of aircrew classes using the woods. The woods were almost untouched. We could take our crews out across the creeks and mountains and not see any signs of people except to run across an old homestead or logging camp or another crew once in a while. At that time all the crews were at least 13 men. I say men because there were no women going through the training at that time. Women did not go into combat.
Let me tell you a thirteen man crew kept you jumping both on base and in the woods. What a responsibility. I was nineteen years old and I was responsible for the health and well being of thirteen men. At that time, 1968, the class leader was a full Colonel. Sometimes some of the element leaders were full Colonels, but most of the time they were Lt. Colonels. The crews were much tougher back then. The last few years of my career they were pretty pathetic. I think life was making them soft.
Anyway, I want to tell you about one Colonel I had for an element leader. He was an older man, I don’t know how old because I was a young man then and older men looked older. He impressed me so much I never forgot him. The training was pretty hard on him. For students, there was not much food, some abandon aircraft rations like we had when we were going through training, a rabbit and some beef, potatoes and onions. The beef was to be split. Most of it went into making jerky for the trail. The rest was used for cooking with the potatoes and onions. While in static camp I taught shelter site selection first then shelter construction since that was the most time consuming for the students to do and they had to have a place to sleep that night. I demonstrated two parachute shelters. Half the element built one kind and the other half built the other. Then the next day they would tear their shelter down and build the other. Imagine watching, critiquing and helping thirteen students.
Just hang on, I’ll get back to the Col.
While in static camp I also taught food procurement, water procurement, night navigation, signaling and vectoring, talking on a radio and directing and aircraft to your position. In those days we vectored a fixed wing aircraft, I think it was called a Beaver. Col. Mosier the commander was the pilot. He evaluated the ground to air signals the students put out and dropped a food packet to the element that had the best signal.
I’m still getting to the old Col. After two days in static camp we began mobile training. The students carried everything they had in their improvised packs. I don’t know how heavy their packs were but I imagine they were at least forty pounds. Once we started this Col. never stopped except when we took a long break for instructions. He was slow and when I went back to check on him he would say he was doing just fine. When I allowed the element to take a five minute break, the Col. wouldn’t be with us. When he reached us he would tell us to get off our ass and get moving. So we did.
While on the trail I taught walking techniques, terrain recognition, map and compass work and always taking the opportunity to teach anything as it presented its self. Our trek route was maybe 5 or 6 miles and when we got into camp that evening I taught how to make evasion shelters using a poncho that they carried and camouflaging them. The squad leaders would be at the point until all the crews got in to make sure everything was ok and none of the students needed medical attention. After that they went back to the command post and we didn’t see them again until the next evening.
After finishing with the students the instructors would make a camp together. We also carried everything that we would need while on the trail. Our packs averaged 50 to 60 pounds. Some of the best times of my life were spent in those camps. To be with good friends around a campfire at night, eating, laughing and just having a good time discussing the events of the day.
The next morning we began teaching evasion lessons, camouflage, travel techniques in a hostile environment, food and water procurement in a hostile environment etc. When the students were all camouflaged we hit the trail.
While traveling in an evasion mode there should be enough distance between students that they can just make out the student in front of them and if they were to turn around the student behind them. So my element of thirteen men could stretch out two or three hundred yards, depending on the terrain and vegetation. I had to keep an eye on all of them so I was constantly moving to the front, then the back, sometimes being off at a distance just watching them to critique them later. Instructors usually traveled almost twice as far as students during mobile and evasion.
During evasion training there were opening and closing times at the points so we had to be there when the window was open. Usually it opened at twelve o’clock and closed at one. Prior to the point opening and turning our students over to AEF we divided the crew into travel teams of two or three men. Usually paring one who was good at survival skills with one who we thought would have troubles.
After we had made contact and turned the students over to the assisted evasion forces the instructors went back to the command post and showered and ate.
We went back out at mid afternoon as aggressors hunting the students. As aggressors we had a twofold purpose. Capturing those students that were doing something wrong and giving them in roll hints as to what they were doing wrong and how they should do it right. They had Evasion cards with a list of infractions and we would mark each infraction they committed and send them on their way, but most importantly we were there for the safety of the students. They all carried whistles and if they got injured or in some sort of danger they were to use the whistle to attract attention and get help. After the student’s final point for the day had closed we would have to go out searching for those students who hadn’t made it yet. That usually wasn’t too difficult but occasionally a team or two would get totally lost and sometimes it would be almost dark before someone found them. I remember one time we had to call off the search because it did get dark and it was unsafe to have instructors in the woods searching. We didn’t have helicopters then. After we got them the search was easier. We resumed the search the next morning at light and eventually found them.
The final point for the students was usually a fun place to be. In the early days whoever was running the final point in the winter would get a big fire going and put on a garbage can of water to heat. It was a special garbage can that was only used for that purpose. When the water was hot we dumped a lot of coco mix in so the students could warm their insides and outsides. It was fun standing around listening to them talk about their experiences. Then as your students came in you could go over and talk to them and see how they did.
When everyone was in the buses were loaded and the instructors loaded up in their trucks and we all went back to the base.
Many times, back then, the students would ask you out to dinner that night. It was always a good time. I’m not sure that that happens now.
Later on I’ll reminisce about some things that occurred in the field and things that I thought about but for now let’s continue forward.
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