Page 63 - Stand Down Vietnam

I was in Subic Bay only a short time; I was sent back
to Japan to finish my tour. I finished my tour by
training the Japanese.

I was also sent to the Japanese Command Center. I
worked in the Central Japan Territory. Each territory
(North, Central, and Southern), was run by a King.

Basically, the CIC was a big room with a bunch of
tables with telephones. The Japanese had mortars set
up. Our job was to protect Japan from flight attacks
coming in from China, and North Korea.

If an incoming plane entering our air space didn’t
squawk his code, we’d scramble two Japanese F86 jets to
check it out. I had a couple of times that an American
plane failed to squawk his code, I would send two
Japanese planes to fly by and check it out.

One incident, the Japanese pilots reported the incoming
was an American and asked what to do, I said “go scare
them”; the Japanese pilots flew about 4” on either wing
of that American plane. It scared the pilots alright.
The American pilots came in and said they wanted to
file a flight violation against the Japanese. I asked
if he was sure he wanted to do that.

I advised him that if he did, he would lose his wings

for failing to squawk his code when entering Japanese
air space. He immediately said he’d drop it.

I worked in the Command Control Center for another four
or five weeks. Then I got my orders to report to
Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, South Carolina. I
also worked in Air Operations there – G3. I worked as
a dispatcher. I’d write up tickets and report that a
plane had departed at such and such a time. They were
headed to stations scattered around the world. I did
that for about a year.