Rob Carson's patch
(1970)
on display at
Wright Pat AFB
Museum
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Eighth
Aerial Port Squadron, USAF
Aerial
Port
Mobility
Operations
"the 8th MOB"
aka
Aerial Port
Mobility Team (AMT)
HOME OF "THE FLYING FORKLIFTS"
an
integral part of Tactical Airlift in Vietnam,
1965-1975
(III Corps & IV Corps)
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Cary Louderback's
patch (1971)
photo by daughter
Angie |
"These
guys
were
airmen
living
a
soldier's
life
at
remote
air
strips
deep
in
the
VC-infested jungle... "
"Some of us saw more than the average Air force guy" - Mike Warren '68-70
Since we were all volunteers, and since not all volunteers were
accepted,
and since many times the 'volunteers' were chosen to join MOB by
existing members,
we were also known as
"The
Chosen
Few"
In June of 68, Mobility
unit was called
CMT/Combat Mobility Team.
It
was sort of the disciplinary unit for the "bad boys" of the 8th Aerial
Port Squadron.
We were somewhat uncontrollable, ragged looking, not always in
sync with the brass, so we were sent out of sight and out of mind of
the main base at Tan Son Nhut.
But today, we are known for what we did - by the people that
mattered - The Special Forces teams we served, the air crews we
augmented, and others who needed our help
to get the job done.
SSgt Dick Hageman - Mobility and
Det. Tay Ninh, 1968-69
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Welcome Home, Iraq War Veterans!
Thank you for your service
And we hope the soldiers still fighting in Afghanistan come home soon, too!
- 8th MOB's Vietnam Veterans
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Welcome to
8thMOB.org
for
assistance
or to
ask a question or add your story, please contact the webmaster using
this form
A Bit of History from the Air Mobility Command Museum web site:
Between 1962 and 1973, Military Air Transport Service/Military Airlift
Command and Tactical Air Command transports airlifted more than 7
million tons — passengers and cargo — within the theater area.
By
comparison, Allied aircraft carried about 2 million tons during the
Berlin Airlift and ¾ million tons during the Korean War. As in World War
II and the Korean Conflict, tactical airlifters again proved in Vietnam
that they could deliver the goods.
Their success cost dearly, however,
as 53 C-130s, 50 C-123s and 20 C-7s were lost along with 269 crewmembers
either killed or missing in action.
8th APS Commander Col. Victor Lisec reported in 1970 that he presented 18 Purple Hearts
to members of the 8th Aerialport unit since he took command in November
of 1969 - and two of them were awarded to one member - possibly the
only aerial porter to receive two Purple Hearts during one tour in
Vietnam.
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THE PHOTO WE'D BEEN
SEEKING FOR ALMOST TWENTY YEARS
Sgt Neil Brown and
his 10kAT at Budop, November, 1969.
Sgt Brown had been separating Fuel
Bladders
and Pallets of Live Ammo during a mortar attack when an incoming mortar
round ignited a
fuel bladder right behind him. He could not move forward; he could not
back up. He was
trapped in the blaze and had to abandon his forklift and escape on
foot. The ensuing fire and explosions continued for hours, effectively
destroying the entire supply of both fuel and ammunition - from small
arms to howitzer shells, as can be seen in the foreground.
After the fire was over and explosions had died down, this was
what was left of the 10 K Adverse Terrain forklift.
This is the photo we have been trying to track down for many
years.
A framed copy of this photo was on the wall outside of 8th APS Squadron
Commander Col. Lisec's office at TSN and was the first photo many of us
saw of
the MOB teams at work in Vietnam when we arrived there in January
of 1970.
photo courtesy of Connie Lisec from the collection
of
Colonel Victor Lisec.
See
another photo of this AT as it was burning.
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