Johnny D. Friday
Air Force Technical School training (Sheppard AFB, TX, 1970) laid the foundation for me to serve as a C-130 aircraft maintenance crew chief. My first three duty assignments were with Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadrons: the 76th at Hickam AFB, HI, the 31st at Clark AFB, Philippines, and the 55th at Eglin AFB, FL. While an aircraft crew chief apprentice at Hickam (1971), I studied hard to grasp the skills others knew that I needed for meeting the demands that lay ahead of me. At Clark (1971-1972) as a crew chief assistant and later as crew chief, my greatest concern was for the safety of the aircrews who used our aircraft. During the North Vietnamese military's 1972 Easter Offensive into South Vietnam, our HC-130P aircrews flew across the China Sea into the Vietnam DMZ to inflight refuel "Jolly Green" helicopters, used to rescue downed aircrew members. With no spare aircraft available, I nevertheless grounded an aircraft for having a 12" inch crack up the right forward main landing gear track. In 1973 at Eglin, as a crew chief I frequently traveled abroad with the aircraft on various mission assignments, like when our squadron supported NASA's first nighttime launch of the spacecraft Skylab I. That same year I participated in a Top-Secret mission overseas. Several hundred aircraft mechanics from across the USA were quietly assembled at an airbase in Washington state. From there we were flown incognito via commercial jetliner to Southeast Asia. As it turned out we helped carry out operations in conjunction with the return of our POWs by the North Vietnamese government. Months later, having returned to the USA, I began cross training for aircrew duty on AC-130A,H gunship aircraft as an Illuminator Operator (IO). The last of several survival schools I attended, taught me how to survive in the jungle (1974). Afterward, I proceeded to Thailand, reporting to the 16th Special Operations Squadron, known as "Spectre." During the Vietnam Conflict/War, "Spectre" flew numerous combat sorties in support of the U.S. mission in South Vietnam from Ubon RTAFB, Thailand. A few months after my arrival at Ubon (1974), our entire squadron was moved to Korat RTAFB, Thailand. In April 1975, AC-130H Spectre gunships flew support for joint military forces Operation Eagle Pull (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) and for Operation Frequent Wind (Saigon, South Vietnam) that evacuated U.S. Embassy personnel and others out of harm's way. Then in May 1975, our squadron flew support for the joint Navy/Marine-Air Force operation to free the crew of the USS Mayaguez cargo ship from the hands of their Khmer Rouge Cambodian captors. Several AC-130 gunships were reassigned stateside. In June 1975, my last aircrew mission was to bring back one of those aircraft, island-hopping across the Pacific Ocean. At Andrews AFB, MD (1975-1977) I served first in the 89th OMSq, and then the 89th FMSq. By 1977, I had attained the rank of E-5/staff sergeant. I left the Air Force to attend college full-time.
For more personal insite from this Veteran, you can view Johnny's Share Your Story interview here: Johnny Friday Share Your Story Interview
