366th. Security Police Squadron, Sentry Dog Section Đà Nàng Air base, Republic of Vietnam
November 1968 to January 1970 by Monty J. Moore (Thursday, March 20, 1997 11:28 AM)

In early 1969, the Air Force Sentry Dog Section at Đà Nàng Air base consisted of approximately 45 sentry dog teams, one kennel attendant, and the Kennel Master. The Kennel Master, SSgt Carl Wolfe, had been in-country for several years. He later taught at the Dog School at Lackland AFB, Texas, in the mid-70's.

The dog teams worked on the base perimeter, between defensive M60 machine gun positions and the actual perimeter fence. The machine gun bunkers were at the rear corners of our posts. One post was located on the Air Force side of the base and 37 posts were alongside three Marine companies from the 3rd MP Battalion. There were two posts located in the off-base bomb dump, located near an ARVN camp and the Marine ammo dump. From time to time, special posts were developed as needed, such as the temporary post located in the interior of the Napalm dump. One handler had been during a rocket attack.

The most lovable dog in the section was Cinder handled by Jerry Cox. Cinder was the only female dog and was not very aggressive. But as Cox said, if someone farted on the perimeter he knew it.

The biggest dog was Lance, always weighing over 100 lbs. Lance was prone to turn on his handler, but he would let anyone take him out of the kennels. You just didn't give him any commands. He also loved to play with rocks. Lance and his handler had been in the one of the bomb dumps when it had been blown up. They crawled out using the ditches. Lance's neck was so big that a regular choke chain wouldn't fit him. His choke chain was improvised from the "old, old" kennel chains that had a choke chain in one end.

The meanest dog was a tie between Blackie and a dog named Baron. Baron would try to nail another handler for talking to his handler on post. Blackie would take his chow pan to the back of his kennels and dare you to come in and get it. The dog least likely to be mistaken for a German Shepherd was a big hound dog named Marblehead. He looked and sounded like a Blue Tick hound, but he had a hell of a nose and was fairly aggressive.

Newcomers to the three Marine companies, Alpha, Bravo and Charlie, were always surprised to find Air Force dog teams with them at night on the perimeter. All of the handlers preferred to work the Marine perimeter rather than the Air Force post. Alpha CO lines ran from the main Air Force cantonment area to a gate located on the south side of the base. The road out of this gate ran past a silk factory, leading to one of the bridges over the river.

Alpha Company's CO was a Captain Swartz. He checked posts almost every night, and usually stopped to talk to each handler. We regarded him as having "brass ones" because of the way he ignored dogs agitating on him. He would walk up so close that it took a determined effort to prevent a dog from biting him. I believe that Bravo CO had two platoons on the bridge south of the base and silk factory, and one was overrun.

On Đà Nàng, Bravo CO lines were short. The aforementioned silk factory was located at the gate, off base next to the perimeter fence. Past the gate, Bravo CO lines were on the perimeter fence with the on-base bomb dump behind them. We only had a few posts here. They were between the perimeter fence and an inner chain link fence, with a road used only in the daytime and a high dirt revetment. The bomb dump was on the other side of the revetment.

The area of the silk factory was the scene of sapper and sniper activity in the TET's of 1968 and 1969. Some of us had to low crawl from our posts during those attacks. In the Feb 23, 1969 attack, VC moved into the silk factory. Alpha CO attempted to take the factory, but met with heavy resistance, with one Marine killed. The VC were hiding in large drainage pipes under the floor.

The Marines contacted the Security Police Squadron and asked for dog teams to go into the drains. By this time most of us were in the rack attempting to sleep with the noise, small arms fire, F-4's taking off and explosions. The first two handlers found in the hut area agreed to go. When the dog teams entered the drainage pipes, the VC immediately fled into the factory. Alpha CO then took the factory with no more friendly causalities. I think that one of the handlers was Gary Beck, handling Sparky.

The Freedom Bird due to land that morning, circled the Air Base for several hours before landing. When it finally did land, fires were still burning from the attack. That flight also brought in about 7 new handlers from a pipeline sentry dog class. Three of those handlers were Bill Grife, Gill Perry, and Pete Koenig. They later described how it felt circling the base, looking down at the smoky fires. Talk about a welcome wagon!

Charlie CO lines were the longest. They stretched from the POL tank farm on the northwest Marine side of the base, around a large swamp that was north of the ends of the two parallel runways, to the POL tank farm located on the northeast Air Force side. Our posts, beginning with Kilo-1, were between bunkers manned by 1st Platoon, Charlie CO, with the last post on Charlie CO lines being Kilo-14. Kilo-15 was on the Air Force side. Kilo-16 started with Alpha CO.

The Đà Nàng kennels had earlier been located near the Air Force area on base known as "Tent City". By my late 1968 arrival in-country, the kennels had been moved to the side of the base near the terminal and the main compound housing base headquarters. The kennel was located just off of the main road that circled the base, behind a SAC detachment, and had a POL tank farm located on the north side.

Charlie CO's last bunker was near the rear of the kennels. The new kennels had a steel roof over the cinder block and chain link dog kennels. An air conditioned kennel support building housed the office, supply room, kitchen, and the veterinarian's office.

Security Police lived in a compound between the base headquarters compound and the main AF compound. We lived in barracks that had been built by the French. We went out at night and worked along side Marines, but came back in the morning to the luxuries of the Air Force side of the base. Handlers lived in one of two huts. One hut was for the party crowd, the other for the more sedate handlers. The party hut had a "get together" every morning. A few drinks (the definition of a few drinks varied for some of the guys!) and we would hit the rack and attempt to sleep until the heat of the day and aircraft noise woke us up. We would go have our evening meal in the chow hall, then started getting ready for post. Our weapons were kept in our wall lockers, until someone shot up the NCO hut next to ours in late 1969. An armory was soon built thereafter. We were dropped off alongside the main road and walked to the perimeter, and then walked parallel to the perimeter until we reached our post.

As we walked past bunkers manned by Marines, we were always asked if our dog knew any tricks. Handlers quickly learned that showing off a few dog tricks would guarantee cordial relations with the Marines manning the bunkers. They would give up a sandwich or two from the "midnight rations" delivered to the Marines on the perimeter. The sandwich was a welcome break from the C-rations that we were given. The sandwich was always split with the most important member of the sentry dog team, the dog.

Đà Nàng was nicknamed "Rocket City" due to the large number of attacks by 122mm and 140mm rockets. Most of the sentry dogs displayed a specific behavior pattern or alert whenever there were incoming. This few seconds warning was greatly appreciated. We realized that the dog's superior senses, was sensing something but there was still an aura of mystique about this. I now realize that it was just a case of pure Pavlov conditioning. The dog would hear a rocket either going overhead or on either side of his location, and anticipate the "excitement" that always accompanied the rocket. One dog named Sugar, would jump up and snap at the air. My dog Kobuc would start pulling to the closest bunker. I only had to crawl, he would navigate.

In mid-1969, The off-base munitions dumps exploded and burned for hours early one morning after we had come in from post. The Marine kennels, located near the munitions dumps had to be evacuated. Their dogs were brought to our kennels, staked out to the fence, with shipping crates used as dog houses. I remember that one of the Marine handlers had his leg in a full cast. After a few days, they were moved to the Navy sentry dog kennels at China Beach. A short time later a K-9 party was held at the Navy kennels for all of the Đà Nàng handlers. I don't remember too much about the party, but I do recall seeing the beach from the kennels.

We had two other Kennel Masters in mid to late 1969, each for a short duration. One was a SSgt Doctor, the other was a TSgt Faust, who wasn't a dog handler. Both went home for emergency reasons. Several handlers were on their second 'Nam tour. The Air Force had more dogs in Vietnam than elsewhere, so it was pure math with a four year enlistment.

Hillard, Comer, and several others had been in 'Nam at other bases. Many handlers came to 'Nam from other overseas bases. Cox, from Okinawa, and Bill Humpla, from the Philippines. The size of the Sentry Dog Section at Đà Nàng Air base varied, depending on the number of posts manned. In January 1970, the section was reduced. When I came back from my 30 day "free" leave for extending, I discovered that 9 other handlers and I were being transferred to Phu Cat Air base. Excess dogs were shipped to other units. My dog was shipped to Phu Cat Air base. It is my understanding that the Đà Nàng section was increased sometime in 1970.

Thanks to the VDHA, I have been able to contact another handler who worked Kobuc after I did. Steve Janke and I have shared pictures and fond memories of "our dog," whom we both loved and Kobuc in turn gave each of us his love. There probably aren't anymore Vietnam Sentry dog handlers on active duty. I wish that other handlers would combine their personal experiences in their sections or units so that a history of the military dog program could be recorded, or perhaps compiled. Monty J. Moore