Brian Willson

And let me assure you, I did NOT volunteer to be a part of any USAF “Ranger”/Light Infantry unit, and
during the training at Schoffield Bks.;
it soon became apparant that MOST of the Airmen there did not volunteer to be a part of any USAF “Ranger”/Light Infantry unit either.

Truth is, a friend of mine and I, then stationed at Otis AFB volunteered to serve a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam just to get away from the intolerable cold of the Cape Cod Winters.

Were selections for assignment to the 822nd based on a “Gung-Ho” attitude?
I do not believe so. And that belief is based on my months at Schoffield Barracks, where we got to know each other very, very well. Not one time did i ever hear of anybody volunteering for membership in an “Elite, USAF Light Infantry Unit”. I do feel many of us, perhaps most of us, were selected because we were less than ideal Airmen and the local Air Police units we belonged to would see this as a chance to get rid of us. I readily admit that I was probably one of those. But on the other hand, the buddy whom i volunteered to go to Vietnam with was a model Airman, which makes me believe that orders were cut for ANYBODY who had volunteered for duty in Vietnam as well as those who did NOT volunteer.

Take care, Jim Kirby

I have now added a photo to this essay of some of the 823rd CSPS, Section 6 fire team members standing in formation at Phan Rang AB in June 1969. Are you identifiable in the photo?

Brian Willson

Yes, as a 1st Lieutenant I was commander of 823rd Combat Security Section #6, Flight B, and you were one of my Fire Team members. My roster shows that Sgt Frank DiClaudio was your Fire Team #28 leader. I have retained my records from that assignment. I do not know what a “complotter” duty was – never heard of it.

You may not have remembered me personally but I was already quite anti-war in attitude, and tho I did not discuss these views with the enlisted men, I had plenty of discussions with my superiors, especially those located at Tan Son Nhut (Capt Joel Thomason)and at Phan Rang, our in-country 823rd HQ (Maj Maynard Allington, and Commander Kalmon Simon). I also irritated a number of the NCOs of the 632nd Security Police Squadron at BT, as well as its Operations officer, Capt Robert Tonner, and its commander, Major Rupert.

You might not remember, but Sgt Dan Sanders was your initial Section 6 NCO until Tech Sgt Jim Dorrance arrived in April 1969.

Because I was also operating as an intelligence officer, I spent a lot of time during daylight hours off Binh Thuy, both in Can Tho City, and in Vinh Long Province north of the Bassac River, whose southern flank, as you may remember, flowed at the northern end of BT’s extended flightline.

I was routed out of VN due to my anti-war views on Aug 2, which was more than 30 days prior to the end of our 179 day TDY when we were to have returned to the USA, when I assumed you and the others returned. I lost track of everyone in the 823rd from that moment, tho I kept in touch with several of the officers of other 823rd Sections stationed elsewhere in VN. They are all deceased now.

I was threatened with courts-martial, but fortunately for me one was never convened, and I was Honorably separated as a Captain on August 30, 1970.

I did not write any reports on any of the men in my Section 6 since I was effectively removed on August 2. Your superior would have been Tech Sgt Jim Dorrance (now deceased, I believe). Our Flight Capt Commander Joel Thomason (my immediate superior) died in 1979 of Agent Orange-related kidney disease. Your Fire team leader DiClaudio might have submitted notes to Dorrance. I have no idea of DiClaudio’s whereabouts or if he is alive.

The 823rd Operations Officer, now retired Lt. Col. Maynard Allington, still lives in FLorida, and we have corresponded on occasion since I have been writing my political memoirs.

I can only attest that you were in my Section 6 as a Fire team member, and did not receive any disciplinary actions during the time of my stay there, March 7 or 8, thru August 2, 1969.

What have you been doing with yourself the past 40 years? Are you filing a claim with the VA?

I can describe the circumstances at BT during our security duty there if need be, since it was part of my job to keep records – 14 mortar and recoilless rifle attacks, with at least 3 of the attacks where rounds exploded INSIDE our perimeter. The enlisted mess hall was severely damaged in one of the attacks. There were several suspected sapper penetrations but we never received any damage from them.

I think you might have been with us when we were dispatched to Phan Rang in June for nearly 3 1/2 wks to provide extra security and building new bunkers. There were 4 rocket attacks while we were there, including one that killed a Security policeman and his K-9 dog.

I hope this is helpful. If you need anything more, or want to add questions of comments, please feel free.

S. Brian Willson
Pacific Northwest