Narrated Combat Film – Cambodia 1971

Target #1 was an enemy transshipment point south of Kratie, Cambodia, on the east side of the Mekong River.

Coordinates:            12°26’54.60″N            106°01’43.30″E

Target #2 was a “Known Enemy Location,” or KEL, near Chhlong on the south side of the Mekong River, south of Kratie, as the river flows to the west. Then First Lieutenant Tom Case, Rustic 30, filmed this airstrike from the right seat.

Coordinates:            12°15’32.90″N            105°57’28.70″E

Target #3 was a “Known Enemy Location” southeast of Kompong Thom, or KPT as we referred to this provincial capital. My roommate, then First Lieutenant Steve Hopkins, Rustic 45, filmed these airstrikes.

Coordinates:            12°39’16.00″N            104°58’47.80″E

A-37 attack aircraft based on alert at Bien Hoa Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, were used on all airstrikes filmed in these sequences. Their call sign, when launched from the alert pad, was “Hawk.”

Rustic Primary Area of Operation (AO)

The dashed line represents approximately the 313-degree TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation) radial outbound from Bien Hoa, an oft-used route to the AO. (Source: The Rustic FAC Association with annotations by Don Mercer)

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