Attack on Ubon Royal Thai Air Base
by Mike Potter
I attended the first Patrol Class ever conducted for all branches of the
military in summer of 68'. So when the Patrol dog was accepted after a trial
period, it was decided that all AF Sentry dogs would be eventually retrained or
phased out through attrition. It was a natural, after I received orders for Ubon
and was sent there, to start the retraining of the Sentry dogs there to become
Patrol Dogs. This only lasted for awhile, because we were short on handlers and
dogs for perimeter duty. I was assigned Duke 56M9 and began night patrol around
July 1, 1969. To the best of my remembrance, all care for our dogs; grooming,
visits by the vet, training, etc. had to be done on off duty time and I can't
remember any dogs being neglected. I believe all my K9 brothers were
conscientious about their dog's health and welfare. I can remember spending two
hours one day cleaning my dogs teeth, without anesthesia (the vet wasn't
available for some reason). We even put demos on for the brass occasionally and
some were quite elaborate with simulated attacks by the enemy.
Each night before we went out on patrol, we would receive an intelligence
briefing on area suspected enemy activity. I'm sure that some of those reports
were trumped up to increase our vigilance, but they still scared the Hell out of
you. At this point, they would ask for volunteers for the areas of patrol that
were expected to "catch Hell". Anyone gung ho or feeling their oats
would volunteer and early on I would even volunteer, until I begin to get short.
I can even remember them asking for volunteers to do duty as "door
gunner" on a Huey, on off duty time, crazy. That's one offer I never took
up, I felt I was risking enough as it was. What made it so risky, was that we
were walking patrol, on the perimeter, in front of the bunkers and mortar pits
that set back quite away. This is where it really paid to know who was in the
bunkers and mortar pits and made sure they knew you were out there. That worked
fine, until they would call out the augmentee's because of an expected attack,
then you had to worry about some trigger-happy augumentee. On top of that, we
didn't have the Army or Marines on patrol outside of the perimeter and no clear
free fire zones (had huts almost right up next to the fences in some areas). All
we had outside the wire was Thai police and they weren't considered reliable. I
understand that after I left that the Thai army did start patrolling to some
extent.
On the two attacks that took place at Ubon: The first attack took place on
July 17, 1969 and I was on patrol about 3 hundred yards from where sappers
penetrated the perimeter and set satchel charges in two C47 aircraft, a mobile
ground control unit, and a radar unit. The elephant grass (as we called it) was
so tall that the sappers were never detected until they were preparing to exit.
That's when A1C Kenneth D. O'Dell and his dog (seemed like his name was Blackie)
detected them an opened fire. A1C O'Dell and his dog were both wounded and we
don't know if the enemy suffered any casualties (none were killed). I remember
hearing the weapons fire and seeing the satchel charges going off; in fact I
remember watching the radar shack going airborne and coming back down. I heard
that there was actually someone in it and they were only shook up a little
(lucky guy). The two C47's were damaged and satchel charges were still being
found by EOD, two days later. It was really crazy that night; the base was not
really prepared for that attack, even though us guys were fully trained for it (AZR).
When the attack started, somebody got the bright idea that we should go
"Stealth" and turned the runway and apron lights off! Then they sent
up Blind Bat flare ships and started dropping flares to illuminate the area, go
figure; we already had perimeter lighting, if someone hadn't turned them off! It
is a wonder someone didn't get killed. I had an empty flare canister land next
to me (about 10 yards away) with a thud and all I could think of was, is that a
dud rocket or mortar round waiting to go off? It took me awhile to get the nerve
up to check it out. That was one long night, till the sun come up and we made
our sweeps to clear the areas. After that attack, the base went through a major
build-up: They cut the elephant grass, built new bunkers and installed mortar
pits, installed two double rows of concertina wire with a row on top, new
weapons, new combat vehicles (APC's, V-100 armored cars, etc.).
By the time the second attack come in January of 70', we were ready. When
that attack came in January of 70', we had received an intelligence report that
it was going to happen, but wondered if it really would. That question was
answered and cost the enemy dearly with 5 of their sappers killed. We had one
dog KIA (King, handled by Larry Bridges) and one dog wounded (Jodi was his name), and
one handler wounded (Sgt Thomas Cartwright). What made so bad that night, is
that we had augmentee's on duty, and through no fault of their own, were nervous
as street walkers in church. I shouldn't be prejudice against augmentee's, but
to me that is like someone being a part time dentist! This time the sappers
didn't get a chance to blow anything. SgtCartwright and his dog Jodi both
received the Purple Heart. I was present when our wing commander, Colonel
Cummings, awarded the Purple Heart to Jodi. Sgt Cartwright held Jodi at a
close, tight leash, as Colonel Cummings attached the Purple Heart to his choke
chain. Even if Jodi had nailed him, I don't think it would have phased him, he
was a tough old bird, having two F-4 Phantoms shot out from under him and still
going!
Mike Potter & Duke 56M9
Ubon
RTAFB Dogs of Ubon
The Handlers The Thai Handlers
Attack on Ubon
Ubon - Story
Photo Gallery
First Dog with Testicular Cancer