DAK TO MEMORIES
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      • List-1 >
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        • Arc Light Bombing Run
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          • Nearby Countryside
          • Trip to Pleiku
          • Holloway Airfield, Pleiku
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          • Vung Tao USO show
          • Qui Nhon
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    • 4th ID - Norm Spaulding >
      • Norm Spaulding
      • 2nd_Indochina_War
      • Dec. 1967
      • Jan. 1968
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    • Casper Aviation - Tony Bolivar
    • 4th ID - Chris Ross >
      • SwampFox
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    • Ivy Leaf - 4th Inf. newsletter >
      • Nov. 19, 1967
      • Nov. 26, 1967
      • Dec. 17, 1967
      • Dec. 24, 1967
      • More Issues
    • Pacific Stars and Stripes >
      • Nov. 11, 1967
      • Nov. 15, 1967
      • Nov. 16, 1967
      • Nov. 22, 1967
      • Nov. 24, 1967
      • Nov. 25, 1967
      • Nov. 26, 1967
      • Nov. 29, 1967
    • News Items
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    • ATC reports >
      • 30 November 1967
      • 18 December 1967
      • 29 February 1968
      • 18 March 1968
      • Definitions of terms
  • Audio
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  • Contact
  • About Me
  • Site Map
About Me
My name is Ernie Camacho,
I served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969.
I graduated from Keesler Air Force Base's US Army Aviation School, Air Traffic Control course, class 12106C, on 14 Feb. 67.
I was in Vietnam from March 1967 to March 1968.
I was assigned to the 125 ATC (Air Traffic Company), of the 1st Aviation Brigade.
I worked in the control tower and Ground Control Approach at Camp Holloway, Pleiku from March to June, 1967.
I was in Dak To from June 1967 through March 1968, working first GCA, then tower.

My MOS (job specialty) was Air Traffic Controller. I went to Dak To in early June, '67, with about a dozen other ATC  specialists to set up the airfield (VFR tower, Radar Approach Control) in preparation for a large campaign that was about to begin. We heard that the Special Forces A camp at Dak To had seen enemy activity over the last few days (patrols had not come back), and that a large number of VC were suspected to be in the area. Little did we know.

What I thought was going to be a month or two in the field ended up lasting me the rest of my tour, and it was still going strong when I left the following spring.

During the nine months I was there, I took  photos and collected some newsletters from the 4th ID, along with some Stars and Stripes.

Dak To was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War.  I was directly involved with operations on the airfield, but neither I nor my team really knew what was going on.  We saw lots of cargo coming in, lots of helicopters carrying soldiers to and from the jungle around us, lots of bodies loaded into cargo planes, and we got mortared often.  At one point I said to someone that we would only learn about what was happening when a book would be written in the far future.  I was right.  I had no idea how much hell the infantrymen were encountering in the jungles around us.  I feel humbled by what they had to endure.  This website is dedicated to all those combat soldiers, and also to the many support soldiers, like me, who did all the other work needed in an operation as big as this.

Ernie Camacho
I'm asking for your help.  I didn't get around much while I was at Dak To, staying close to my hooch and tower.  A lot of other soldiers were at Dak To and I'm sure lots of photos were taken.  If you have anything that could be added to the Dak To story, please contact me.  I can scan photos, negatives, slides and documents.  I can digitize audio tapes.  If you send me your material, I'll give you back both your originals and digitized versions.  Also, If you know of another website with Dak To information, please point me to it.

You can email me at erniecamacho@comcast.net

​This website was created by Ernie Camacho.  All rights reserved.
All photos are copyrighted by their owners.  Please ask for permission if you want to use one.
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  • Home
  • Battles
    • Operation Hawthorne
    • Battle Of The Slopes
    • November Action Hills 823, 875
    • Defenders of Dak To 1969
    • Special Forces Camps >
      • Ben Het
      • Dak Seang
      • Dak Pek
    • Fire Bases
  • Photos
    • AirfieldPhoto
    • Airfield Landmarks & Map
    • 125 ATC >
      • List-1 >
        • Arrival, June 1967
        • Airfield Attack 671115
        • ATC facilities
        • ATC Team Members >
          • ATC Roster
          • Bartlett
          • Camacho
          • Saveski
          • Scott
          • Short
          • Other Team Members
          • Christmas 1967
        • Runway
        • Runway Ramp
        • Road
        • Shooting Range
      • List-2 >
        • Aircraft
        • Vehicles
        • Weapons
        • Soldiers
        • EOD - Explosive Ordinance Demolition
        • Fuel Fire
        • A1E Skyraider Emergency landing
        • Rope Extraction
      • List-3 >
        • Air Strikes, Artillary
        • Arc Light Bombing Run
        • Around The Field
        • Local Folks
        • Outside Dak To Area >
          • Nearby Countryside
          • Trip to Pleiku
          • Holloway Airfield, Pleiku
          • Around The Country
          • Vung Tao USO show
          • Qui Nhon
    • 4th ID-HQ
    • 4th ID - Norm Spaulding >
      • Norm Spaulding
      • 2nd_Indochina_War
      • Dec. 1967
      • Jan. 1968
      • Mar. 1968
      • Apr. 1968
      • May 1968
      • June 1968
      • July 1968
      • Sept. 1968
    • Casper Aviation - Tony Bolivar
    • 4th ID - Chris Ross >
      • SwampFox
    • Misc Photos
  • Documents
    • Ivy Leaf - 4th Inf. newsletter >
      • Nov. 19, 1967
      • Nov. 26, 1967
      • Dec. 17, 1967
      • Dec. 24, 1967
      • More Issues
    • Pacific Stars and Stripes >
      • Nov. 11, 1967
      • Nov. 15, 1967
      • Nov. 16, 1967
      • Nov. 22, 1967
      • Nov. 24, 1967
      • Nov. 25, 1967
      • Nov. 26, 1967
      • Nov. 29, 1967
    • News Items
    • Leaflets
    • ATC reports >
      • 30 November 1967
      • 18 December 1967
      • 29 February 1968
      • 18 March 1968
      • Definitions of terms
  • Audio
  • Stories
  • links
  • Contact
  • About Me
  • Site Map