Vietnam CSAR Channel on Youtube

[AWP]

I am quite torn on whether this belongs in AFSOC, the podcast thread, or here, but I'm no longer on staff so suck it, @Ooh-Rah.

Kidding aside, for everyone but especially @amlove21 and @Johca, here's a healthy dose of Vietnam CSAR stories. A lot appear to be focused on the A-1 Sandy side of the house, but still...

Mad respect for CSAR teams, but especially from Vietnam.

https://www.youtube.com/@militarytales/videos

 

[Devildoc]

Kinda, sorta related, I had met a guy, a Naval aviator, who was an F-8 Crusader pilot. During Vietnam he transitioned to A-1s because he wanted to actually participate in the war, not just fly carrier CAP missions and engage the odd NV fighter. He loved it, said his true calling was proving CAS to guys on the ground, and he supported a lot of CSAR missions.

I look forward to watching this over lunch today.

 

[Johca]

I am quite torn on whether this belongs in AFSOC, the podcast thread, or here, but I'm no longer on staff so suck it, @Ooh-Rah.

https://www.youtube.com/@militarytales/videos

The operational overlap of the Air Force SAR and Special Operations missions make it legitimately be posted on both. Now I got some videos to watch. :)

Already watched A 1s over Burma A Top Secret Mission. When the Second World War ended the OSS was dismantled rather quickly other than in the SEA region. OSS kept a Detachment presence in Burma that crossed over to the CIA when it was established in 1947. The China-Burma-India Theater during the Second World War is the operational origins for pararescue and Air Force Special Operations.

Although Army Air Force Air Rescue Squadrons and ad-hoc parachute rescue teams existed NLT 1941 (can't find an exact date), it is the ad-hoc parachute rescue team inserted to rescue a downed aircrew in a remote area of Japanese army occupied Burma in 1943 that is the asserted origins of USAF Pararescue. It established an interrelationship of parachute rescue team members with the OSS during the Second World War that continued with the CIA (est. 1947) until NLT 1955 for SERE training as CIA SERE training support and SAR support as needed afterwards.

The interrelationship was somewhat cemented in that ARS established in 1946 and subsequently ARS requesting to establish permanent and better trained parachute rescue teams in 1947 had a significant survival training course infrastructure. The first survival course to emphasize escape, evasion and for lack of a better descriptor stay behind survival was the last remain survival course OL of the original pararescue school (simplified summary). It only existed for a year or two at McCall, Idaho. It's demise was the transfer of survival training from Air Rescue Service to the Air Resupply and Communications Service (1951-1954) in 1952 concurrent with all survival training beginning to be consolidated under the Air Training Command (now Air Education and Training Command).

FYI: The Air Weather Service was also tasked to provide instructors, but the staff roster of U.S. military service members was all PJs.

 

[Devildoc]

That was a great vid, @AWP . He's 86. He looks like he's 75. I had to laugh when he was talking about his friend's son..."he looks like an alien...", describing his development issues. Ain't no PC in that. But his stories about VN were outstanding.

 

[Gunz]

Awesome interview. You all know how I feel about Spads and CAS. The CSAR stories are great.