All,
I have cut and pasted an
article done for the
Navy's aviation magazine, The Hook, by Capt. Don East. Don spent a tour in
VQ-2 in the early 60's, and later was commissioned and made additional tours
with VQ-2, including serving as their Commanding Officer. He wrote this
article about VQ-1's history.
The period of the Vietnam service is very short compared to
its impact on many of us...there are longer articles on the VQ-association
website, but these brief paragraphs highlight what we did very well. While
we were in the squadrons, whether in VQ-1, and its various home ports, or in
VQ-2, Operational Security was always stressed, and hints of higher
classification put us in a secretive mode, even with those we loved. Wasn't
sure how much most of you knew about the missions we flew. This is a very
decent snapshot. If any of you have any questions, please feel free to
email me at any time.
Capt. Henry (Hank)
Schultz
From the article:
CDR T.E. Moore assumed command of VQ-1 25 January 1961. During his
tenure VQ-l grew to a total complement of 75 officers, 383 enlisted and 10
civilian personnel. Then in 1961 ominous developments began to unfold with a
civil war in Vietnam. The crisis there would continue to build with the
assassination of President Diem in 1963, the coup in January 1964, and
finally the Tonkin Gulf incident in August. This action would prove the
beginning of a long-term U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia during the
Vietnam War - one in which VQ-l would play a major part in the Navy’s role.
In fact, VQ-1 began flying missions in Southeast Asia as early as the spring
of 1962.
With the building storm in Southeast Asia VQ-1 continued electronic
reconnaissance missions in support of both Navy and national intelligence
collection requirements through the early 1960s. Commanders J.W. Jenkins,
W.J. Wacker and A.T. Holt led VQ-1 through the period December 1961-November
1964.
While the conflict in Southeast Asia heated up, VQ-l began preparations for
establishment of EA-3B detachments on board Seventh Fleet aircraft carriers.
According to aviation history summaries, aircrew carrier proficiency
qualifications began in late 1962 and the first detachment embarked in USS
Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) in May 1964. Records available through September 1966
show VQ-1 detatchments operating from these other carriers off Vietnam: Bon
Homme Richard (CVA-31), Constellation (CVA-64), Coral Sea (CVA-43),
Enterprise (CVA(N)-65), Hancock (CVA-19) Independence (CVA-62), Midway
(CVA-41), Oriskany (CVA-34), Ranger (CVA-61), Franklin D. Roosevelt
(CVA-42), and Ticonderoga (CVA-14). During one of these EA-3B detatchments
the seven members of LCDR Cunningham’s crew won the Navy Unit Commendation
for their part in the U.S. response to North Vietnamese aggression during
the Tonkin Gulf incident of August 1964. However, for most of the Vietnam
War, the EA-3Bs were primarily land-based at DaNang because of the lack of
deck space on the war-loaded carriers and better facilities at the South
Vietnamese base.
On 25 November 1964 CDR F. Carment Jr. assumed command of VQ-1 as the United
States began to enter the Vietnamese War in earnest. During the next nine
years VQ-1 would operate its land-based EC-121Ms and EP-3Bs from DaNang AB,
Republic Of Viet Nam; NAS Cubi Point, Phillipine Islands; Bangkok, Thailand;
Tainan, Taiwan and several other bases, while the EA-3Bs flew primarily from
Seventh Fleet carriers and DaNang. These missions were flown in support of
USN and USAF air strikes, U.S. Army and Marine Corps land campaigns and
national intelligence collection requirements.
Specific types of support provided by the VQ-1 aircrews were MiG and SAM
warning services, electronic order of battle (EOB) updating and electronic
intelligence collection in support of combat contingency planning. The VQ-1
SAM warning services were especially crucial to the survival of Navy carrier
aircrews flying over North Vietnam because of the lack of deceptive ECM
(DECM) systems on tactical aircraft at that time.
In recognition of these vital electronic reconnaissance missions, VQ-1
aircrews were presented innumerable awards of the Distinguished Flying
Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, various campaign
medals and two Navy Unit Commendations (NUC). In the citation to the Navy
Unit Commendation presented to VQ-1 for the period 1 December 1965 through
30 November 1967 the squadron was cited as “carrying out an extremely broad
program of electronic warfare and special intelligence collection of
national importance”, The citation further stated that VQ-l “provided
invaluable direct tactical support to combat commanders prosecuting the war
against communist subversion in Southeast Asia, VQ-l has won unqualified
praise from all branches of the United States Armed Services, and from
national intelligence agencies, and is widely considered the unquestioned
leader in the field of electronic warfare tactical support under combat
conditions”. Finally, the citation acknowledged that VQ-l “has been directly
instrumental in saving countless lives of U.S. air combat pilots and crewmen
over North Vietnam”.