Charles Gordon Williams
Era: Vietnam
Military Branch: Air Force
Williams enlisted in the Air Force on April 8, 1968. He was a Sergeant E-4 with the 412 Munitions Squadron, Pacific Air Command (PACAF). On April 15, 1970 he was separated from active duty. He is a member of the Veterans' Memorial Hall Advisory Committee.
Williams submitted a four-page survey of completed questions.
“In my senior year at Washburn High School they told us not to bother making a lot of plans for the future, because we were prime candidates for the draft. I was talking to the Air Force recruiter. He made a lot of promises, but I couldn’t decide what to do. I received my draft notice just before my 19th birthday, which really helped me make up my mind. I was still able to enlist in the Air Force, but had to go in right away.
“I will never forget the induction physical. Everybody went too the same place in Minneapolis, no mater what branch of service. At the end of the physical they brought us all into a room and said all draftees line up against one wall, Navy against another, Air Force against another and so on. We were all standing there in our underwear when a big sergeant came in and went over to the line of draftees and said, ‘You, you, and you are now Marines.’ I think he picked out the ones whit he longest hair.
“Vietnam seemed like a big adventure as I stepped onto the airplane to head over. Upon getting to Vietnam I could not believe the heat and humidity. It was hard to breathe. The smell – I’ll never forget the smell.
“Being in the Air Force and living on base, we lived quite well compared to some. We had two-story barracks, divided into rooms with two to a room in Phu Cat. In DaNang the barracks were open. Most had a latrine in each with showers and hot and cold running water. The bunkers were separate from the barracks, made out of plywood and sand bags. In DaNang rocket and mortar attacks came quite regular. Most of us just stayed in bed and put our pillows over our heads. A lot of guys got hit going to the bunkers. There were a lot of snakes and other creepy things living in those bunkers especially in the rainy season.
“When I enlisted, the recruiter said I could be in the motor pool, but after basic I found out my AFSC would be munitions maintenance (bomb mechanic). I went to tech school at Lowrey AFB in Denver, CO. After tech school they sent me to Hill AFB in Ogden, UT. Hill was good duty, close to the ski resorts where I spent a lot of time. I spent about a year there when I got the inevitable orders for Vietnam. My orders were for me to be stationed at Phu Cat Air Base in the central highlands. There were already about six of us that had been together since basic. We were already becoming good friends. Our first stop in country was Cam Ranh Bay, where we waited most of the day for another plane going to Phu Cat. When we got to Phu Cat, we were told not to unpack because we all had TDY (Temporary Duty Assignment) orders to DaNang. This was not good news – DaNang was known as ‘rocket alley.’ One of the Air Force’s largest bomb dumps caught fire and blew up. According to an article I have since read, 40 percent of the Air Force Logistic Command’s ammo went up in smoke. We were assigned to EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) teams to pick up and destroy all the unexploded ordinance. As this was very hazardous duty – we were only supposed to work four hours a day. We picked up everything from general-purpose bombs to rockets and small arms ammunition. We loaded everything in trucks, hauled them off base, set charges and blew them up. The worst were the cluster bombs, the bomblets (like grenades) were all over. There were some types that you could not tell if they were armed or not. Most of us were lucky, but when we returned to Phu Cat there was one less of us. The duty in Phu Cat was more routine, 12 hours on and 12 hours off, seven days a week. I worked in the bomb dump and hauled munitions to the flight line as needed.
“There were enlisted men’s clubs on base that were open all the time, they sold beer and snacks and sometimes had entertainment. We partied a lot in the barracks. Someone always had a guitar, and there was a lot of singing and drinking. If I had a day or two off, I could go the flight line, catch a plane to another base to visit a friend or to the beach at Qui Nhon. We also had a massage parlor on base. In Phu Cat I had a part time job cooking in the officers club, which gave me access to real eggs and steaks, etc. This made me a very popular person.
“I did not go on R&R, but I did have to take emergency leave when my father passed away about nine months into my tour. Emergency leaves where handled by the Red Cross, they did an excellent job and I will always be grateful. With in a couple hours after I got the news I was on a C-47 heading for Cam Ranh Bay, from there a large cargo plane to Tokyo, commercial plane to Hawaii, Seattle, then Minneapolis. At every stop there was someone from the Red Cross to meet me. They asked if there was anything I needed or anything they could do and made sure I made the next flight. When leave was over, it was very difficult to get on the plane to go back.
“I don’t remember any real bad experiences when I returned home, maybe some indifference. I remember, in a VFW club, being introduced as a Vietnam vet and someone saying, ‘Too bad that wasn’t a real war.’
“Now I am active in the George and Mark Klobuchar Post 4456, Veterans of Foreign Wars, in Gilbert, MN and also belong to Pratt-Volden-Mickelson-Anderson American Legion Post 239 in Virginia, MN. I served as Gilbert VFW Post Commander for six terms. I am also in the honor guard for military funerals – this is one of the most important things the VFW does for veterans.”
