Note: We are in need a new FAC Newsletter Editor. This is Claude Newland's last edition. If you're willing to help with this important Association function, please contact Randy Hetherington.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: - Randy Hetherington, FAC Assn. President: The Reunion is on!! Lets all finalize our plans and attend the reunion in Hawaii this coming April.

I ran into the annual reunion for the 1st Air Commandos from WW II during a layover in Philadelphia the first week of October. I asked them if their attendance was down because of the attacks on America. Their answer was no, it was better than previous years because these senior veterans wanted to show the enemy that they would not be intimated. One of the C-47 pilots said "We may not be able to fight on the front lines any more but we can provide an example to the American people that you must stay united, rally around the flag and resolve to fight this enemy to the end."

So lets set an example in April and unite in Hawaii, rally around the flag and show our support for the men and women who will fight this enemy to the end. Make your reservations now and I will see you in Hawaii.

THIS IS THE LAST NEWSLETTER AND REUNION REGISTRATION FORM YOU WILL RECEIVE BEFORE THE 2002 REUNION, SO GET YOUR RESERVATIONS IN NOW.!!! (SPECIAL HOTEL RATES ARE PROTECTED ONLY TILL 5 Jan 02)

FAC ASSOCIATION INCORPORATION COMPLETED: - Charlie Jones, Chairmen, Charter and By-Laws Committee: Be advised we are now incorporated under the laws of the great State of Florida as THE FORWARD AIR CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION, INCORPORATED, a 501(C)(3), not for profit corporation. No problems encountered........cost was $87.50. Our corporate document is duly signed and sealed by the well known Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris. A copy of Charter and By-laws will be available for review at the 2002 reunion. ( Editor's note: Well done By-Laws Committee. You do fast work!)

MEMBERSHIP KEEPS GROWING: - George Ferkes, Treasurer: The FAC Association now has 604 Charter members and we expect our numbers to keep growing. Thanks to all of you who have joined the association and are supporting our efforts to promote our Association's goals ---which are threefold: 1) Support FAC reunions 2) Promote FAC camaraderie, and 3) Preserve FAC history. If you haven't joined yet, but would like to do so, please send your charter membership application to us immediately. (Application form is at end of this newsletter.) Each charter member will receive a free copy of the recently published 84 page FAC Trivia Booklet.

CHARTER MEMBERS-YOUR FAC TRIVIA BOOKLET IS IN THE MAIL: - Claude Newland. The 84 page FAC Trivia Booklet, prepared by Chuck Johnson, was mailed to each charter member of the FAC Association in late November. If by chance you haven't received your copy, contact George Ferkes, treasurer, at: beachflyr@aol.com or 850-581-4953.

NEW FAC SEARCH COMMITTEE HEAD: Glenn Bremenkamp has volunteered to chair the FAC Search Committee --replacing Jon Alexaitis who was a real workhorse in getting our FAC database started for the 2000 FAC reunion. Our thanks to both Jon and Glenn for their support! We know there are still a lot of FACs whom we haven't located. If you have any unit orders containing names of those in your FAC outfit, or can provide names to the Search Committee, please send them to Glenn Bremenkamp, 23 Terra Mar Drive, Huntington, NY 11743 or contact him at: gsbrem@aol.com.

FAC REUNION 2002 DATES: - Hen Min Hi: Reunion Chairman: Come to Hawaii April 10-14 and make FR2002 the "Mother of All R ∓ R s." Many of us R ∓ R'd in Waikiki and got off the bus only a block away from the Ilikai Hotel to meet someone special; surely a week never to be forgotten. Also, be a part of the dedication ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific recognizing the contribution FACs made to the war effort in SEA. And meet our banquet guest speaker Gen. Bill Begert, one of our own (O-2A FAC with more than 300 combat missions,) still on active duty as Cmdr. of PACAF.

This time, do your R∓R without the angst, and enjoy a leisurely reunion with your fellow FACs. Introduce them to your family, talk about the whys, hows, and wherefores of the experiences that make you proud to be an American. And don't forget to have a drink with our Aussie and Kiwi friends who were the instigators of this reunion.

Please sign up NOW. We need to know how many are coming. That information is crucial to our budgeting process and negotiations with the Ilikai Hotel (Rennaisance) and the tour operators. Those who wait till after January 5, 2002, will be at a distinct price disadvantage, so be forewarned. Also, lean on your friends to come to FR2002 with you and yours. Sign up at www.eemtours.com or www.dallasdmc.net . If you haven't received a confirmation, please call EEM Tours to be sure they have received your registration application/reservations.

The Hawaii FACs (HIFACs) invite you to the best reunion site in the USA. Great weather, great food, great entertainment, and great company; all the things that give meaning to the word ALOHA!"

REGISTRATION FEE: The Reunion Registration Fee is $35.00 for FACs and $25.00 for spouse /each guest. (See Registration Worksheet enclosed.) This fee covers costs for: Welcome Reception, Name Tags, FAC Hootch, Meeting Rooms, Transportation to the FAC Memorial Service (Punch Bowl), and misc. reunion expenses. Everyone attending should register.

REGISTRATION METHODS: All Reunion Registration will be handled by EEM Tours. Make all checks payable to "EEM Tours" and designated for FAC Reunion 2002. There are four methods to register:

1. Mail: Send enclosed FAC Reunion Registration Form to EEM Tours @ 4703 West Lovers Land, Dallas, TX 75209.
2. On-line Registration: @ FAC website: www.fac-assoc.org (or www.dallasdmc.net) and select the 'Hawaii Registration" hotlink button. This hotlink will access you to a special EEM Tours Reunion Registration website that is interactive in "real time." That is, you can make your reservations and selection of tours and activities on-line and charge it to your credit card.
3. E Mail: EEM at: info@eemtours.com Attention Carolyn or Toni
4. Fax: EEM Tours at: 214-366-9888.

Confirmation: A confirmation notice will be sent to all registrants by the method they registered, i.e., if you registered on-line you will receive your confirmation on-line; if you registered by mail, confirmation will be by mail, etc.
If you have any questions, Call EEM Custom Tours at 1-888-TOURS12 (1-888-868-7712) .

ALTERNATE HOTELS: The nearby military HALE KOA HOTEL, 2055 Kalia Road, Honolulu, HI 96815-1998, (Fort DeRussy) can be used by active duty, retired military, Reserve and National Guard, DoD civilians, and all foreign military with orders assigned to a U.S. military installation. For information and reservations on-line, go to web site: www.halekoa.com. or call 1-800-367-6027. Reservations are being accepted now on a first-come, first-served basis!

The WAIKIKI TERRACE HOTEL will be the overflow hotel. It's within short walking distance of the Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel. EEM Tours can assist with reservations.

AIRLINE TICKETS, RENTAL CARS, TOURS TO OUTER ISLANDS, AIRPORT TRANSFERS: EEM Tours can assist you to get discounted rates for these requirements; Firm airline fares are now available.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION IN HAWAII: To and from airport: $6-8 shuttle, $20-25 taxi each way. Rental cars available through EEM Tours. Best bus system in USA (but not suitable for to and from airport since they can't take baggage aboard).

HAWAII FAC MEMORIAL DEDICATION CEREMONY: - Bill Ernst, bternst@hawaii.rr.com: A committee of FACs residing in Hawaii have designed and are now in the process of acquiring a granite marker commemorating the accomplishments of all Southeast Asia FACs. The monument will be installed along the Memorial Walk within Punchbowl, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. It will be dedicated during the April 2002 reunion with an appropriate ceremony, military honors and a missing man formation. This is a significant location for a marker of this type, because Punchbowl is second only to Arlington National Cemetery as a final resting place for our nation's veterans.

DONATIONS ARE NEEDED FOR FAC MEMORIAL FUNDING: To date $2,507.00 has been donated by fellow FACs for the FAC Memorial which will be dedicated in Hawaii. It is expected that the total cost will be approximately $5,000.00 . Funding for the memorial is from private funds: consisting of donations from FACs, friends and supporters. The monument has been designed, ordered and will arrive in time for the April 2002 FAC reunion. Please help support our FAC memorial effort and immediately mail your contribution to: "Hawaii FAC Association", PO BOX 894213, Mililani, Hawaii, USA 96789. Make your check or money order payable to: Hawaii FAC Association and enclose your name and address. Time is critical. On behalf of all FACs and our fallen comrades, we thank you for your support!(Hawaii FAC reunion committee).

FACs LOSE A FRIEND - Don Echelberger, Hurlburt FAC Memorial Committee: Mr. Gary Tayman, a civilian employee at Hurlburt Field, and former NCO who served in Vietnam, died suddenly this past summer. Gary was "Mr. Air Park" at the base, working under the Civil Engineers office and involved in every aspect of development and maintenance in the Air Park. When we first floated the idea of a new FAC Memorial almost three years ago, Gary embraced the concept, encouraged our efforts, and worked tirelessly to help us bring it to fruition. No matter what the request or problem (and there were a lot!) Gary always found a way and did it with a smile. He was a great friend of our 'FAC Community', and we will miss him dearly. The base is looking at ways to honor his contributions, and the Hurlburt FAC Memorial Committee has offered to assist.

BRONCO PILOTS IN DEMAND. NEED A JOB? - Doug Aitken: >as received from his former 3 star boss, John Fairfield, who now works for DynCorp. ) DynCorp just won a contract to operate the California Division of Forestry airplanes for fire fighting - 16 OV-10's and 27 SA-2's!!! They will be based at McClelland. Average age of the incumbent pilot force is - --------- 67 1/2!!!!!! Help!!!! We need pilots!!!!! Together with the 14 OV-10's we are flying in South America for the State Department, DynCorp is the largest operator of OV-10's in the world. If you have "access" to anyone out there in FAC land that wants to fly and operate five radios at one time - we'd love to hear from them!!! Contact John S. Fairfield, DynCorp, at jfairfield@juinolcom or Doug Aitken at 919-387-8519

DOCUMENTARIES: - Darrel Whitcomb, FAC Assn. Historian: One of the best ways to tell our history is through TV documentaries. Discovery, TLC and the History Channel have created a cottage industry in these productions. To date, we have been successful in getting our FACs on four shows. I am in contact with four production companies and am constantly pitching show ideas to them. If you are contacted by a production company, please contact me at nail25@aol.com or 703-359-7824. I would like to open up any proposal to the larger group so that we can get the story presented as accurately as possible and get as many of our guys as possible on TV. Thanks, Darrel Whitcomb

REUNION SPONSORSHIPS: - Byron Sutton:.) If you have any contacts for potential sponsors for the FAC Assn., or our upcoming reunion, please contact Byron Sutton at: 407-876-6209 or wtcor@gdi.net.

20th TASS O-1 and is from the Sam Pool Collection

Our objective is to have an abbreviated example of what the book will look like at the 2002 FAC reunion. As you can from the table below, this book will probably be the most comprehensive FAC book ever written on FAC operations in South East Asia. Section Stories % Complete Page Estimate.

HERE'S OUR CHALLENGE TO YOU: Sit down today and write out the details of your most memorable mission(s) or day(s) as a SEA FAC. You've been wanting to record these events for some time, and now's the time!! Please send your stories to Charlie Pocock. (address in previous paragraph).

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the appropriate POC (point of contact) listed below.

Our objective is to have a first 'draft' of the FAC Book available at the April 2002 FAC Reunion. Some of us enjoy access to the Internet, while the vast majority do not. That is why this newsletter is so important. It is the only contact that many of us have. So please use it. If you are confused about your POC (or any other matter), please contact one of the Book Committee Coordinators: Jack Webb 420 Jones Ave. Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 with ordinary mail, or by phone at 920 563-7249, or Charles Pocock, 910 Forest View Road, Monument CO, or phone at 719-488-9056.

Our thanks go to all of you who have already contributed to this effort and also to the Rustic FACs who recently provided us a 16 page unit history of their mission supporting our Cambodian allies from June 1970 to August 1973.

SECTION 2: The Early FACs, 1961-1963 (prior to the 19^th TASS), including early Air Commandos and Butterflies Scott Freeman, 7812 Hilo Court, Diamondhead MS 39525, freeman.james1@worldnet.att.net And Early Ravens, Craig Duehring, cwdueh@kreative.net

SECTION 3: 19^th TASS: Mike Morea, 3858 Timber Ridge Court, Palm Harbor, FL 34685, moreas@ij.net and Noel Wilson, 1119 Oriole Dr., Starrville MS 39759, sewilson@futuresouth.com

SECTION 4: 20^th TASS: Bud Jones, 65 E. River Rd. #20, Rumson NJ 07760, covey583@yahoo.com and Tim Eby, Rt. 22 Box 8BB, Hico TX 76457, teby@htcomp.net

SECTION 5: 21^st TASS: Byron K. Sutton, 505 W. 2^nd,Windermere, FL 34786, Bsutton310@aol.com

SECTION 6: 22^nd TASS: We need a volunteer for this section, but in the meantime send submittals to Jack Webb, 420 Jones Ave, Ft. Atkinson WI 53538, spider@compufort.com

SECTION 7: 23^rd TASS: Ron Russell, 9811, Summerday Dr., Burke, VA 22015, ronrus@gateway.net

SECTION 8: Our Gone But Not Forgotten Brothers: Jim Roper, 4646 Kashmire Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, jroper3531@aol.com

SECTION 9: Our Legacy to Others: Bobby Mack, 637 Emerald Lane, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32547, bobby.mack@baesystems.com

SECTION 10: Prop Wash - Appendices, Glossary, Slang and Jargon, Call Signs, Trivia, Songs, Poems, Jokes, Sayings: Index; Etc. Chuck Johnson, 225 Brian Circle, Mary Esther FL 32569, chuck.johnson@baesystems.com and Larry Hughes, 11712 Admiralty Way #G, Everett, WA 98204, larryh@w-link.net

Last Name: ___________________First Name:_______________________________
MI:__ Nickname:_________________

FAC Call Sign(s):________________Aircraft Type(s) ______________________
Dates Flown: _________________________________________

TASS(s)______________________________
FAC Location(s): _________________________________________

Home Address:____________________________________________ City: ____________________________State: __________Zip: _________

Phone: (________)____________________________
E-mail Address: _____________________________________________________________

Approximate Date: ________________________
Story Title _____________________________________________________________
( Each story should have an Author's title)

I grant my permission for my story and/or pictures to be used in the FAC History Book:
Signature:______________________________________________________
Date:____________________________

Or go to this page in the book section and print it out http://www.fac-assoc.org/book/P5how_to_submit_your_stories_and_p.html

SAS, pronounced "sass" was the Aussie Long Range Recon Patrol unit. The US Army called theirs "LRRPs" but "LRRPs" did not have the aggressor mission that distinguished the Aussie SAS. SAS are the Australian version of the famed British Special Air Service. These guys had balls of pure brass. They, 5 to 10 men, went out on three to 10 (or more) day patrols, inserted by chopper, and spied on Charlie in his own back yard. As a general rule, they would take note of a spot for a most productive ambush during their patrol and spring it just before extraction. They would also generate air strike and 'Skyspot' targets. They maintained communications with home plate by the old telegraph dot - dash key set. They carried a UHF radio for communication with the extraction team and we FACs that supported them.

We only knew their approximate whereabouts by a pre-planed box of coordinates. We usually stayed clear, but passed over randomly during a VR mission in case they wanted to talk. When the patrol leader did, it was always in a whisper. I would hear (faintly) "Jayed?" in my headset and would answer, "Roger, loud and clear." He would then give me a message to relay to ATF (Australian Task Force) operations. This message, simply because it was in the clear, usually meant a serious change of plans. For example, they had located a major VC occupied camp and their presence was getting to be a hot item. Or, they wanted to be extracted earlier than planned and a new LZ designated. On one mission, I recall, the planned LZ for extraction was too close to the targeted VC camp and they wanted me to give them another on a heading from their current location. Since I didn't know their location, we played a game of "click when I'm over you" until I had a tally on them (all the while flying randomly for obvious reasons). I gave him a heading and distance to a suitable LZ clearing and he confirmed acceptance of it. He then set the time for extraction, such as "as planned minus 1 hour" and it will be hot, indicating they would have attacked the enemy camp and would probably be being pursued by an angry mob.

On return to home plate, I confirmed the information with SAS Operations, who laid on the extraction force of gunships and slicks. We would normally order two sets of fighters with high drags and nape for the extraction time and wait for the show. On the mission I have recalled, the extraction was hotter than a Saturday night special in a gang fight. One of the choppers took 26 hits but managed to land safely at a Special Forces camp. No fatalities, everyone was present and accounted for. A big post mission party was held at the SAS mess.

Now that post mission party was a memorable event. These guys had not shaved, bathed or used any kind of unnatural substance on their bodies for three or more days before they entered Charlie country. They claimed Charlie could smell them otherwise. They had been living in their clothes in the jungle, sleeping in the dirt and sweating without letup for a week. Oh my heavens, the fragrance was grand. Give me a pint, quick.

As I recall, and the Aussies will correct me I'm sure, the SAS left Vietnam with a record unsurpassed in accomplishment. They had the VC terrified and constantly looking over their shoulders. As of my departure in May '68, they'd had only one fatality, died of wounds, shot in the back entering the chopper. The Aussies could not claim an enemy KIA unless they brought evidence back with them, usually a weapon, so the VC body count of 125 by the SAS was only a count of the weapons they had taken off KIA VC. Their actual accomplishment was many times that number.

My hat is off to the incredible accomplishments and courageous men of the Australian SAS.

By Gary Dikkers, Mike 57, MACV-SOG 1970, Ray Janes, Rash 41, Nail 28, 1969 and Larry Hughes, Weapons, Quan Loi, 1669