The Rolling Thunder missions flown from Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base were accomplished in spite of extremely difficult conditions for both the men and the planes.  At Takhli were pilots whose exploits earned them two "Congressional" Medals of Honor, countless Distinguished Flying Crosses and Air Medals.  They were assisted by thousands of airmen who worked around the clock to help them carry the war to the enemy.  It was great to be one who got to work with them on a daily basis. May this web page honor them all. And as you read this, I ask you to reflect on all the things you have done and seen in the last forty odd years - and remember that some who served with us at Takhli have missed it all.

Those efforts were made even more difficult by a bureaucracy which micromanaged many aspects of the bombing and left other important details to the daily, sometimes hourly, whims of planners thousands of miles away.  My experience level at that time hardly made me an expert on strategy, but this problem was evident to anyone who worked with the pilots and those working with the FRAG (target and ordnance) orders on a daily basis.  It was so pervasive that inside the Tactical Operations Center, where I was fortunate enough to work often, there hung on the wall a humorous attempt to represent this.  It was a wheel with an arrow in the center which could be spun, with various targets represented around its perimeter.  A very goodly portion of the wheel was dedicated to bombing Washington D.C. and the Pentagon, rather than Hanoi and Haiphong.  While that wheel was intended as a joke, it did portray the frustration many felt, and which has been well documented by many more knowledgeable than I – to include Jack Broughton in "Thud Ridge"and Gene Basel in "Pak Six".  This page is however, not intended to further discuss the impediments, but instead to remind those who read it of the dedication and teamwork that allowed the mission to work at all.  And to also serve as a gathering place to share memories of the place, planes, and times for those who served there.

My small contribution to the effort was as a weather weenie in Detachment 12, 10^th Weather Squadron, Apr 67-68.  The sister page to this one (www.takhli.org/rjw/index.htm/) was created by Dick Williams, also from the same unit; he beginning his tour about a year after I returned to the land of the big BX.  We share the hope that other "Takhliites" will either join our efforts, or put up their own pages with their own real "war stories".  The more we share, the more we reminisce, the more we document - the longer Takhli and its role in the Vietnam Conflict will live.  Please join Dick and I – if you do not feel the literary urge, please contribute anecdotes, scanned photos or memorabilia.  We promise proper credit for all contributions in return.  Further, I have many photos myself, so if there is something you would like to see that I might have, please email me and I will try to accomodate.  I will try to rotate photos over time, so keep checking back!!  This site will be under construction for the foreseeable future, again another reason to return from time to time.

Flightline 1967 – F105s, EB-66s, KC-135s in background

Republic F-105 Thunderchief From Takhli Tower	EB-66 Destroyer On Taxiway	F-111 Combat Lancer From Takhli Tower

I also have things I am searching for. I am particularly interested in photos of Takhli City, base buildings, and night life.  If you have some, but are unable to scan, let me know and we can work something together.  Missing coworkers include Dale Van Dyke and Richard "Jack" Armstrong - also weather weenies.  If you have any information on their whereabouts, please either contact me, or have them contact me if you feel that is more appropriate.

Finally, many thanks to those who helped me with this endeavor - Dick Williams who inspired me, and Robert Newingham who tutored me.  My results do not reflect the extent of their assistance, please bear with me as I learn.  Contributions, comments, and criticism accepted at bkkbob1@hotmail.com.