ATC Roster

Roster of Air Traffic Control men who served at Dak To

This is my attempt at listing the men who served in Air Traffic Control at Dak To. There was the original team of about 10 men, of the 125th ATC. More men rotated in and out between June '67 and April '68. Then the 366th ASD took over control. Hopefully, over time, this roster will be filled in. btw, dates are in M/D/Y (non-military) format.
-Ernie Camacho-

names without a photo:
Sp5 Severance left for ETS 11/12/67
PFC Slaughter arrive 10/11/67 radar tech
PFC Saot
SP4 Cabanaw - generator man?
SSG Dalton, NCOIC of Mobile Team II, replacing Hess, arrived 3/6/68
PFC Gardner, arrived 3/16/68
PFC Silver, arrived 3/16/68

366th ASD
Joe Sobonia
William Callander
Mills Beale KIA LZ Oasis
Malcolm Bell KIA LZ Oasis
Thomas Bumgarner KIA LZ Oasis

Original Crew

SP5 Smith "Smitty"
Arrived 6/15/1967
Left

NCOIC (non-commissioned officer in charge), Supervisor

SP4 Ernie Camacho
Arrived 6/15/1967
Emergency Leave August 1967
Left for DEROS 3/25/1968

GCA, Tower

Tom Theobald.
Arrived 6/15/1967
Left for Da Nang 2/20/1968

Tower

TOM THEOBALD
6/4/2021 08:30:08 am
Read the daily report.
Benny M Benton had the knee click for perfect cadence, obviously needed.
When I left for the north I ended up at the airfield just west of the Citadel. Pure VFR and no one willing to pretend ATC was there. Two VNAF O1s collided, one on short final, the other on high base turning final. Tower had cleared both while reading; a Playboy possibly. Two dragonflies mating noisily then bouncing and suddenly awakened tower giving good imitation of a shriek of my name.
No fatalities, a couple cuts and an immediate 100% adherence to procedure. VNAF who disdained helmets started wearing them in the crappers and tower taught himself a good lesson.
The ramp was PSP and had mounds of sand we needed to clear. There were probably twenty VC or NVA underneath with bags of ready to go satchel charges mixed in the goo and bone. The charges were maybe four ounces of C4 with a friction fuse attached to a wrist loop and wrapped in palm leaf. Clever people these Viet Nam fellows.
We separated sand, bones, goo, and bombs. Burned the first three and blew the rest in a trench. We had gotten a stick of TNT and blasting cap and fuse off various AVN. Since I had spent time reading Field Manuals I got to pile satchel charges in the trench, squeeze the cap onto the fuse behind my rump, fire the fuse and book, wait twenty minutes to peek over to see the cold match, light it better and run.
I had spent an hour doing mouth to mouth to a dead guy a month before basic.
Thought you would like to know.

John W. Wiley (I believe this is his name, not sure of the spelling)
Arrived 6/15/1967
Left July, 1967

Tower

Had a psychotic episode and was taken away.
Fantastic pinochle player.

SP5 Arnold?
Arrived 6/15/1967
Left 10/11/67

Tower?

Had a fancy camera case and camera equipment that he wouldn't use.
Stayed in bunker for last weeks in country.