Royal Australian Air Force
This is a short history of how the RAAF Vietnam Veteran FACs and 35thRTFV getting Air Medals some 40 years late. When I was in graduate school in 1969 one of my classmates was RAAF Wing Commander Trevor Kaine. We were assigned to the same class, group and work teams. I got to know him pretty well and developed a fondness for Australians as a result of this friendship. I had been to Vietnam in 62 and to Laos 69-70 and some of our R&R trips were to Australia which I wanted to visit but I had other things in the US. It was the best place for R&Rthe weather was warm and balmy, fantastic beaches, great food, and the girls were the talk of the people returning from their Australian R&R. Ron Workman, a Vietnam Veteran, attended the Air Commando Association (ACA) reunion at Hurlburt in 1994 and 1996 and we became friends. In 1999 I received an email from Colin Benson of Mackay, Queensland asking for some help in generating interest and PR in the US for their B-17C Memorial for 40 US Serviceman killed in a fatal crash near Mackay in WWII. What caught my attention in Colin’s email was that 40 people perished with one survivor in an R&R flight from New Guinea to Mackay, Australia in a B-17C which crashed on takeoff at Baker Creek, which is near Mackay, on 14 June 1943 while returning to the jungles of New Guinea. Normally a B-17 carried a crew of 6-10 people in WWII. This B-17C had been damaged in a raid against the Japanese on 24 Dec 1941 and could no longer be used as a bomber so they used it as a transport since they were short of aircraft. As our emails transpired I found out that they had built a monument to the B-17C aircraft and its crew and passengers and held yearly memorial services there on the 14 June (it is called the Baker Creek B-17C Memorial). They got crews from visiting American Navy warships to Mackay to participate in the parade and festivities (don’t think the USAF participated until 2000). They had the whole community of Mackay involved. This impressed me that I promised Colin I would be there for the 2000 Memorial service and that I would get some US recognition.
During the June 2000 memorial service I was introduce to a number of RAAF Vietnam veterans and they included Ron Workman of the 35th Royal Transport Flight Vietnam (RTFV) who flew Caribous with the 315 Air Commando and Garry Cooper who flew low and slow as a Forward Air Control (FAC) in an O-1 Bird Dog who would find the enemy in hostile environments and direct fighter air support against the enemy and Keith Payne who won the Victoria Cross in Vietnam. They were all working for their mates trying to get US decorations for their aerial achievements in the Vietnamese War which the Australian Government wouldn’t permit up to this time. Ron Workman had been working for some 20 years and Gary Cooper some 10 years to obtain US recognition for their RAAF units’ aerial contributions to the war. They explained to me how the Australian military decorations system worked and why they could not receive US decorations in Vietnam since their Government did not permit it. Ron provided a draft overview of the 35th RTFV submission for Air Medals. Some ten years ago the Government policy changed and the RAAF Vietnam Veterans were now permitted to receive US decorations for their duty in Vietnam. From this meeting we started to get organized. Ron Workman had considerable information on the 35RTFV (some 800 members) already gathered and Garry had a lot of organized data on the 36 RAAF and 14 Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) FACs. I had to return to the US and work on how belated medals could be given to foreign military. After much correspondence with the USAF, DOD, my Congressman and a few others we started to organize our efforts. The effort had to first go through my CongressmanGary Miller-standard for all belated decoration submittals. After getting educated on how we do this with foreign military we started to gather information required for submittal. Back in Australia a research started on locating members who were alive, who wanted to be decorated, and who could provide required data for the award and then consolidating this information to email, fax or ship to the US. I received the Australian data, organized and massaged the data and then submitted it through Congressman Miller. In this process it was returned a number of times because an agency wanted different information, more information or organized a different way. The data had to first go through my Congressman who massaged it for their requirements. This was then sent from the Congressman to the AF Office of Special Investigation (AFOSI), the Defense Intelligence agency (DIA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the US Embassy in Australia who then had to coordinate it with the host Government. During these 7 years papers were lost and time was extended due to other priorities at the agencies and they would come back for more work or additional information or having the right person signs it. There were a lot of administrative delays and sending paper from California to Washington DC and to Canberra, Australia where it’s encountered other problems with time and occasionally lost paperwork plus lost time involving new people such as the USN attaché administrative person that volunteered to go to Iraq which really hurt things. We sent some things by email or by faxes which could help if they were acted on right away. The system to honor both American and foreign military, after a war and with passage of times, is no simple task particularly when they are foreigners. They were approved at the end of 2007 but then came the competitive conditions of a current war in Afghanistan and Iraq where many decorations are generated. Each decoration requires a written citation, a decorative certificate which comes in a blue vinyl folder, orders must be cut, and the medals themselves must have a budget and then ordered. Then these items must be shipped some 10,000 miles to Australia.
The why of supporting this effort for many years, frustration with bureaucracy and the long communication line in this effort are many. I did it, as well as the other contributors, was simply to honor those who have honored Americans, their long persistent effort, and their support of a difficult engagement which I personally had firsthand experience with. The Australians treated me royally in the two times I have visited Australia and this beats the hell out of other countries I was stationed in such countries as Panama where I was chased out of town yelling kill dirty gringo during the 1964 riots. There were other countries that were a little unhappy with Americans who would treat us shabbily. The Australians have always been great to Americans and the numbers of WWII monuments, plaques, aviation museums etc are visible all over the country. Australia is the only country we gave a B-52 which is in the aviation museum in Darwin. It makes you feel proud having Australia as an ally.
The US Embassy in Australia has received all of the 128 Air Medals for the RAAF. The 35th RTFV flew the De Havilland DHC-4 Caribous in Vietnam and were under the control of the various 315th Air Commando and Special Operations Wing--it's names changed a number of times in Vietnam. Ron Workman, a RAAF Vietnam Veteran of the 35th RTFV, spent over 20 years trying to get the unit and mates recognized for their support of the USAF and to receive decorations as their USAF mates received. He finally achieved his long sought out objective through persistence and the typical drive of a champion/professional rugby player which he was. The 35th RTFV Vietnam Veterans will receive their Air Medals on 4th April 1400 hours at the Australian War Museum in Canberra. It is an open ceremony to all who may wish to attend and they expect 350-400 to attend. The US Ambassador Robert D. McCallum, JR (http://canberra.usembassy.gov/ambassador/) is scheduled to presents the decorations. Major Australian TV, radio and media will be on hand to record this event. The FAC Air Medal presentation will be held on 24 April 1600 hours at the US Embassy and is not open to the public for security reasons. According to the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) this is the largest single presentation of Air Medals at one time. The Australians have also indicated this is the largest single US decoration presentation in Australia. The RAAF is sending a C-130 to pick up the Vietnam Veterans receiving the Air Medals since Australia is as large as the US with about 24 million population and the veterans live the width and breath of the country.
The 315 Air Commando Group received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and the Presidential Unit Award but did not include the 35th RTFV. A request has been sent to the Air Force to include the 35th RTFV in these awards. Presently it is work in progress and unknown when a decision will be made.
President Bush, Secretary of Defense, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chief of Staff of the Army are expected to send letters of congratulations for the RAAF FACs and the 35th RTFV Vietnam veterans to be presented during the award ceremony. Their offices have indicated that they are working on it.
A list of people who were instrumental in getting these decorations finalized, approved and signed are as follows:
a. The wives of Ron Workman, Garry cooper and Eugene Rossel. It would have been impossible to do this without them
b. “Colin Benson” , and ACA member, who started it with an email from MacKay to me.
c. "Ron Workman”, an ACA member, who was the most dedicated and persistent Australian responsible in getting the medals for the 35RTFV and moving others to contribute their talent.
d. "Garry Cooper" , an ACA member, persistence, writing ability, superb organization and desire to help his fellow FACs.
e. “Lt Tony Snyder” of the US Defense attaché office in Canberra who was a very positive force to help us gets it done at the Embassy.
f. "Graham Neil" who added his influence to move things in Australia.
g. “Congressman Gary Miller’s” local representative David Varnam was so instrumental to get this done and his patience putting up with me for all these years. It could not have gotten through without his support.
h. “Jeffery Simmons” who probably wanted to get rid of me with all my persistent faxes, emails, telephone calls but he stuck with me to the end.
i. "Col Douglas Galipeau", an ACA member, was an excellent friend and supporter at the Secretary of the Air Force. As an old Air Commando he wouldn’t let us down.
j. “General Heinie Aderholt”, an ACA member, provided his signature for the FAC submittals which meant everything for getting the FACs Air Medal.
k. “The Air Commando Association (ACA)” who contributed many things to help with this effort.
l. Col David Fleming, USAF Ret former commander of the 315ACG in Vietnam. Ret USAF commander of the units who had the 35RTFV fly under his organization and who started the process back in the 60s in Vietnam but had to keep the Australian decorations for the 35RTFV locked in his desk because of the Australian Government policy. Probably some VC who later found them wondered what the hell this was all about.
Eugene Rossel, LTCol USAF Ret
6083 Rosa Ct
Chino, CA 91710
Tel/Fax 909-591-7342, email aircommando1@earthlink.net,
Web site http://www.specialoperations.net/
The breakdown of Air Medals are as follows:
35RTFV 105
FACs 22
Total 127 Air Medals
RAAF 35th Royal Transport Flight Vietnam Veterans Veterans Receiving Air Medals Apr 04 at the Australian War Memorial are as follows:
Angus, Douglas John SGT
Baggett, William D. FO
Bonett, Stewart Hampton SGT
Bosley, Keith John SGT
Boss, Neil Raymond SGT
Brown, Barrie I. FO
Brown, Noel Peter LA
Calvert, Michael Sandro PO
Cassels, Cunningham McIntyre FO
Clark, Stanley SQL
Connor, Robert John FO
Connors, Kerry John PO
Cooper, Richard William John PO
Cooper, Stuart Douglas PO
De Boer, William SGT
Etheridge, Trevor R. PO
Gardiner, Denis James PO
Geraghty, Colin John FO
Glew, Ronald Thomas CORP
Gracie, Barry SGT
Greenwood, Robert M. SQL
Grierson, John David FO
Griffiths, John Charles PO
Gustafson, Peter PO
Gwin, David Michael SGT
Hammond, Brian FO
Harrison, George Arthur LA
Harvey, Douglas C. SQL
Henderson, Kevin B. FO
Henry, David Allan FO
Heuke, Frederick William FL
Howard, Kenneth Laurence SGT
Hudson, Allen Radford SGT
Huggett, John Raymond PO
Ingate, Barry Thomas SGT
Innes, David R. FO
Jordan, James Donald FL
Kimberley, Gareth FO
Laing, John Robert LA
Lancaster, Donald J. FL
Lane, Malcolm G. LA
Lewis, Maurice Alexander FO
Lindner, John Ernest FO
Lovett, Desmond PO
Lumsden, Geoffrey FO
Lundberg, Eric E. FO
Maguire, James Neil LA
Marion, James Alexander SGT
Marland, David M FO
Marsh, Horton Douglas GC
Marsh, Michael H. FO
Martin, Frederick Barrie FL
Martin, Gary Alexander FO
Martini, Alexander Francis SGT
Maxwell, John Howard PO
Mc Dougall, John SGT
Mc Gregor, Rodney John FO
McAlister, William Stewart FO
McQueen, John FO
Meares, Robert Francis PO
Mercer, James C. SGT
Milligan, David Seaforth SGT
Mills, Thomas Charles SGT
Millsom, John FO
Milne, Albert Grant PO
Mitchell, Stewart Cosman SQL
Nicholls, Gordon Phillip LA
Nicholson, Graeme Alexander FO
Pedrina, Jeffrey A. FO
Perrett, Mark L. FL
Peters, William Sydney AC
Pettigrew, Michael David LA
Pike, Frederick William FO
Pollock, Don Thomas FO
Pratt, Kenneth A. SGT
Pratt, Trevor John SGT
Prowse, John Grenfell PO
Ranger, Rodney Joseph LA
Raymond, Ronald George FL
Rich, Geoffrey Peter PO
Richards, Brian SGT
Robinson, Frank William PO
Rockliff, Reginald William PL
Rogers, Neville J. SGT
Rose, Malcolm Robert SGT
Seager, Richard J. PO
Shanley, Michael Terence FO
Sharman, Barry Allan SGT
Simpson, Richard Norman PO
Spinks, Stuart Gregory PO
St. John, Robert P. SGT
Staal, Jan FO
Story, Gregory Laird FO
Stringfellow, Barry John SGT
Sugden, Christopher J. SQL
Topping, Terence SGT
Trappett, Jeffery P. FO
Van Kessel, Dirk Peter AC
Wilcocks, Mark John PO
Wilson, Maxwell George LA
Winckel, Robert Charles PO
Workman, Ronald Samuel SGT
Yates, Peter FO
Young, Anthony FO
Young, Glynn James SGT
RAAF Forward Air Controllers Vietnam Veterans Receiving Air Medals at the US Embassy April 24 are as follows:
Ackland, Colin L. WGC
Butler, Raymond J. FL
Condon, Peter D. FO
Cooper, Garry G. FL
Cottrell, Macaulay FO
Ennis, Gary J. FO
Fooks, Brian H. FO
Kelloway, Richard N. FO
Mirow, Chris B. FO
Mitchell, Kenneth J. FL
Mouatt, Bruce John Stewart FO
Neil, Graham W. SQL
Ramsay, Rex S. SQL
Riding, Douglas John Sruart FL
Robson, David P. FO
Schulz, Barry M. FL
Searle, Bruce FL
Semmler, Kenneth I. FL
Sibthorpe, Arthur C. FL
Slater, Ronald A. FL
Smith, Peter Graham FL
Wood, Bruce R. FL