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United States Air Force
• Distinguished Unit Citation with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster •
• Air Force Outstanding Unit Award •
• European Campaign Medal with 5 Battle Stars •
• Vietnam Service Medal with 6 Battle Stars •
• Vietnam Campaign Medal •
• Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Leaf •
•19 May 1943 - - - Originally constituted as the 776th Bombardment Squadron to fly B-24 Bombers with the 464th Bombardment Group in WW2 Special thanks to Big John, Sam McGowan, and others who helped compile this history.
•22 Jun 1944 to 9 Sep 1944 - - - Rome Arno Campaign
•25 Jul 1944 to 14 Sep 1944 - - - Northern France Campaign
•14 Aug 1944 to 14 Sep 1944 - - - Southern France Campaign
•10 Sep 1944 to 4 Aug 1945 - - - North Apennines Campaign
•5 Sep 1945 to 8 May 1945 - - - Po Valley Campaign
•31 Jul 1945 - - - 776th Bombardment Squadron inactivated
•1 Feb 1953 - - - Reactivated as the 776th Troop Carrier Squadron
•Sep 1954 - - - Relocated to Pope AFB, North Carolina - - The 776th was the first squadron at Pope AFB to convert from
C-123s to C-130s and one of the first in the USAF to fly the C-130-E models.
•28 Nov 1961 to 1 May 1963 - - - AFOUA, DAF Special Order G-152/64
•1964 - - - The 776th flew relief missions to Anchorage, Alaska following the earthquake. They were deployed TDY to France
after returning from the relief mission.
•Early 1965 - - - Operation Eagle Jump
•April 1965 - - - Operation Power Pack, mission to the Dominican Republic
•Nov 1965 - - - Alerted for movement to Southern Asia - - - In the spring of 1965 the 776th was deployed TDY to Kadena AFB.
When TAC sent 8 full squadrons PCS to PACAF, the 776th was one of them, possibly because the 776th was already operating
out of Kadena and Naha. The 776th was held at Tachikawa while CCK AB was being prepared to support the C-130s
•1 Jan 1966 - - - Operational at Tachikawa AB, Japan, Support Southern Asia
•14 Mar 1966 - - - Frag order #3, 315 ADIV, Ops order #352-66 directed squadron to be in place at
Ching Chuan Kang AB, Taiwan - - - The 776th was moved to CCK AB in April or May of 1966 to join the 314th
Troop Carrier Wing which came over from Stewart.
•1 Apr 1966 - - - The 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron operational at CCK
•1 Jan 1966 to 30 Apr 1966 - - - Cam Ranh Bay Shuttle (Operation Blue Light)
•May 1966 - - - Nha Trang Shuttle (Operation Peach Tree)
•Dec 1966 - - - ABCCC (Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center)
requirement, Da Nang AB, Republic of Vietnam
•Jan 1967 - - - Operation Junction City, Georgia, NC.
•15 Jan 1967 - - - ABCCC moves to Udorn, Thailand
•Sept 1967 - - - Bangkok Shuttle begins
•Oct 1967 - - - Tuy Hoa Shuttle begins
•20 Jan 1968 to 31 Mar 1968 - - - Battle of Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam
•Apr 1968 to Jun 1968 - - - Operation Delaware (A Shau Valley Campaign)
•4 Aug 1968 - - - Operation Banish Beach
•Jul 1969 - - - Commando Twist and Commando Image
•Aug 1969 to Dec 1969 - - - Katum, Bu Prang, An Hua Operations
•Feb 1971 to Apr 1971 - - - Operation Lam Son 719
•May 1971 to Aug 1971 - - - Operation Lam Son 720
•Oct 1971 - - - Cam Ranh Bay shuttle begins
•Exact date unknown - In a purely paperwork move, the 314 TAW returned stateside and the wing at CCK became the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing. Crews and aircraft remained assigned to CCK and only the name of the wing was changed on official records.
•15 Apr 1972 - - - Beginning of the Battle of An Loc, Republic of Vietnam (Easter Airlift)
•1972 to 1973 - - - Maintainence and support at Ching Chuan Kang AB, Taiwan / Detachments operating out of
Ton Son Nhut, AB Vietnam / U-Tapao AB, Thailand / Nakhon Phanom AB, Thailand.
•27 Jan 1973 - - - A crew from 776 TAS and a crew from 345 TAS flew into Honoi to bring a North
Vietnamese delegation back to Ton Son Nhut near Siagon.
•Some time after 1973 the 776 TAS moved to Clark AFB, Phillipines
•29 Apr 1975 - - - C-130 with a crew from the 776 TAS was the last fixed wing aircraft to leave
carrying refugees out of Ton Son Nhut as Siagon was being over run by the North Vietnamese
•Oct 1975 Aprox - - - 776 TAS deactivated
During the Vietnam era the 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron flew Lockheed C130E Hercules aircraft. The C130 is a large cargo aircraft capable
of many types of missions. These aircraft do not require paved runways and can take off or land in a very short
distance. The C130 is 98 feet long with a 132 foot, 7 inch wingspan. These aircraft can carry up to 45,000 pounds of cargo
in a cargo compartment that is 40 feet long, 119 inches wide, and 9 feet high. Additional cargo can be carried on the ramp.
The C130 can reach a speed of 345 MPH at
an altitude of about 20,000 feet. The range is about 2,000 nautical miles. The aircraft is equipped with four Allison
T56 engines which produce 4,200 prop shaft horsepower each. Each engine has a variable pitch prop which can operate in
forward or reverse. For short field landings the engines are reversed as soon as the landing gear makes contact with the
ground resulting in very short airstrip requirements. The C130E is capable of carrying out cargo, airdrop,
med evac, passenger, or paratroop drop missions. Other specialized missions are possible. For normal operations the
C130 requires a 5 man crew. The normal crew consists of a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer, and loadmaster.
The C130E is a very tough and reliable aircraft.
During the early 1970s the 776 TAS carried out missions all over Pacific area, including Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand,
Japan, Korea and many other countries. Missions were also flown to many of the islands in the Pacific. All types of cargo
was transported. Although much of the cargo was general, fuel and explosives were also hauled. Passengers were transported
and medical patients were evacuated to hospital facilities. Passenger missions often included foreign nationals and
sometimes prisoners of war. The C130s were often used to transport those killed in action from remote airfields to the
larger air bases. In times when a defensive position was surrounded and no supplies could get in, the C130s would
fly through heavy anti-aircraft and ground fire to drop needed supplies to the friendlies on the ground.
During 1970 and 1971 the 776 TAS was operating out of CCK, Taiwan with Det 1 at Ton Sun Nhut, Vietnam and Det 2 at Utapao, Thailand. Crews were rotated to the detatachments on a TDY basis. There was also a shuttle operating out of Bangkok, Thailand. As the U.S. involvement in the war began to wind down, Det 1 in Ton Sun Nhut was closed down and the 776 crews began operations out of Nakhon Phanom ,Thailand. Missions were still being flown into Vietnam, but no [U.S.] C-130 crews were assigned TDY to Vietnam.
And it came to pass as the fourth hour before the dawn approacheth
The birdmen, awakening, mutter into their beards and revile the
Then they gathered together in the sanctum known as briefing,
And the birdmen go to their machines and prepare their rituals
And they go once more to their iron machines, and there ariseth
And the birdmen goeth into the places of darkness, even unto the
Then the skies become dark with mist and the birdmen stray and miss
And some falleth into the land of darkness, others meet with the
SO IT WAS.....IN THE 776 TAS
Old News Clippings From CCK and Det 1, 834th Ton Sun Nhut
HerkyBirds.com - Everything C-130! Pictures, Patches, Forum, More!
Graywolf / 2004
into that known as the land of the rising sun, a messenger goeth
forth into the tents of the birdmen, and he spaketh unto each
Saying verily, "Arise and don thy garments and go to the gathering
place, for THE MASTER has decreed that it shall be thus!".
messenger, saying his mother has no morals, and that his father
knoweth him not, and they arise and seek out their socks and
goeth forth to bread, and one breaketh his tooth upon the
bread and did vent all manner of vile recriminations thereupon.
and their voices are hushed, for they are in the presence of THE
MASTER. And so it came to pass that disciples arise in turn and
spake unto them saying routes, altitudes, and mission, for this is
their manner of speaking. And at last THE MASTER ariseth and sayeth
unto them, "Yea, verily, thou art indeed fortunate, for the weather
is wretched but does naught to oppose ye.....Go ye forth therefore
and gird thineselves for flight, and let him who would abort beware,
for my wrath for him will be great!".
and gird their loins for battle. Some are beset by trembling and
redness of the eye, for they had partaken freely of wine, and
they seeketh out their friends and speak unto them saying, "Yea
many times thou hast been a brother unto me and I unto thee. Willst
thou not therefore take my place in flight this day, for I am indeed
infirm." And their friends answereth saying, "Thou soundest faint
and I cannot hear thee. Go thou then and disturb not my meditations."
a great clamor as they make ready to go forth, and the great birds
are arisen into the air, all save one who aborteth because of
fuel leaks. THE MASTER curseth this one saying, "Thou shalt
know the full measure of my wrath!!!"
doorway of the evil one, called by name....Davy Jones.......
their observations and are lost, and they find not their way, and
they are sore afraid, and THE MASTER'S people call out saying,
"Spare, Oh Spare, indeed wherefore art thou? Come thou to me,
reversing thy way". And the birdmen replyeth, "Verily, thou
shouldest fall in expiration, Herman, for my wings are heavily laden
with ice, and by my beard, my fuel runneth low."
evil one known as Davy Jones, and one or another scurryeth like
mice and returneth to THE MASTER.
News Clippings about CCK operations and C-130 Crews from 1970-1973. Includes the CCK Paper, Vietnam Airlifter, and Det 1 Report with stories and pictures of Southeast Asia operations.
An Loc - The story of the An Loc airdrops by Sam McGowan
A Tennessee Loadmaster - The story of Charlie Shaub and the An Loc
airdrops
United States Air Force Museum - History and aircraft pictures
Vietnam Wall Home Page - Locate names on the wall / See pictures
The American Legion - A patriotic, mutual-help, war-time veterans organization
The VFW - U.S. Veterans of Foreign Wars - Assistance and service to war veterans
The USO - United Services Organization
bringing entertainment and comfort to American servicemen
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