Đông Hà Air Field
DET-1/620th TCS
Korat RTAFB
1966-1967

by Terry Sandman ,
Sgt USAF Security Police

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Korat RTAFB was a self contained compound, about 150 yards long by 150 yards wide, located in the northeast corner of the larger Marine Combat Base. Two Air Force radar sites, Waterboy and Sky Spot, were located at Đông Hà Air Field. The base was about 12 miles south of the DMZ, well within NVA artillery range. There were 20 to 30 Air Force Security Police personnel assigned to the detachment with a Tech or Master Sergeant in charge.

1) Đông Hà Air Field, November 1966. Detail returning from escorting USAF surveyors near
Quang Tri City. Taken in front of Security Police Operations and Armory Building.

The names left to right are:
A2C Terry G. Sandman
SSgt Eugene R. Castellow
A2C Donald W. Cuddyer
A2C Richard V. Kordas
A2C C. Edward Way

I finally found the correct names through Ed Way. The group of 5 SPs standing in a row near a jeep in front of the SP Operations and Armory Building had just returned from escorting Air Force surveyors checking out a site near Quang Tri City. As we were unloading from the vehicles one of the AF surveyors asked us to group together and took this impromptu photo. Several weeks later, each of us received a copy of the photo from the surveyor. Needless to say, I was very surprised. I always wished that I had been able to thank him for that.

2) Đông Hà Air Field, 1967: Waterboy Radar site which controlled air traffic in the area. Typical
bunker position manned by USAF Security Police, with minefield and barbed wire in front.

  
3) Sky Spot Radar site, which directed missions. View is of main gate entrance
to the site with Security Police post behind sandbags on the left. This site took some direct
hits by NVA 130mm artillery dug in to the DMZ. I hear the radar site had to eventually
be moved to another base south, and out of range of NVA artillery.



4)Me and Mascot Josephine in front of one of our hooches.


  

5) Me again on the north berm perimeter bunker area. The material behind me is indicative of the constant construction that was going on to improve our conditions at Đông Hà Air Field.

6) I'm at Bunker #9 on the north berm perimeter. The barbed wire behind me marks the location of another minefield.

7) The south perimeter showing barbed wire and minefield. In the distance
are some Marine bunker positions at the east end of the runway.



8) View of the road leading from Bunker #14, on the north side of the Air
Base, to the ARVN compound and the town of Đông Hà Air Field beyond.


 
9) US Army Battery quad .50 caliber, located on top of an old French concrete bunker. This
position is located just north of the Sky Spot radar site. The bunker was manned by our
Security Police Detachment until the Army took it over in early 1967 and mounted the quad 50.



Close up: US Army quad .50 caliber.

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