George Pupich
Vietnam Memories
I initially turned down the assignment as Aide de Camp to the Commanding Officer of 2nd Air Division, because I wanted a flying job in RVN, but after conferring with Lt. Col. (Red Leader) Morrison in the Pentagon, took the job. I arrived some time in April 1965.
Lt. General Joe Moore asked me if I was glad to be there. I said, "yes, but I wanted a flying job as well." He picked up the phone and called the boss at Bien Hoa, and I was given an A-1E slot in the 602nd Air Commando Sq., as well as the Aide job.
Got to see a great deal of the inside activity pertaining to the war by being Moore's aide, but that was a mixed blessing. I became very disenchanted with McNamara and Lyndon Johnson. Those observations led me to resign my commission exactly one year after I completed my RVN assignment.
A combat-loaded A-1E: 602nd SOS
The A-1 flying was wonderful. Being a Headquarters guy with the 602nd resulted in a whole lot of flying as Spad 4 in a flight of four. Initially, it was, to say the least, challenging, because I had never flown a big prop job or delivered ordinance. It came around, and I particularly remember a mission in which I took Dick Matthews with me when he came over on a visit with the then Commandant of USAFA, Ted Seith. A ton of low-level delivery and exciting yanking and banking. I also remember R.G. Head coming in from an early morning mission to a memorable location--Khe Sahn. He was glassy eyed and understandably so. It was one dicey mission. Finally, General Moore and I flew up to Da Nang the morning after the VC hit the base there. As we were walking in front of the damaged area, a wall-eyed Ron Yates emerged. He couldn't hear very well due to being in a very close proximity to the satchel charges that were tossed in and near his alert revetment.
Got to work a lot with Ken Tallman, General Westmoreland's Chief of Staff. He and I closed down a few bars and then had interesting rides home on my motorcycle. He telephoned me one day and said Westmoreland wanted to present some awards to his AF brethren. I made a search and found the perfect solution. None other than Howard F. Bronson III was up for (I think) a Silver Star for his work as a FAC. How proud I was to read that citation in front of a full-bore press conference that Tallman put together. Westmoreland couldn't get over how a small guy like Howie could have played O line and D linebacker. He made quite a to-do about it at the presentation.
Many flying events and political ones, as well, that are too many to elaborate on (scheduling Hq. aircraft on missions that--coincidentally--went to locations at times that allowed Roy Jolly, Earl Van Inwegen and Alf Miller to meet their brides). It was, without question, the most stimulating year of my life.