Several years ago I was able to contact an old Air Force buddy (Frank Budic). He said he had no pictures

from our time at Takhli RTAFB so I put together this page for him. Since then, I've updated a bit of the info

for clarification. All of the Americans on this page were part of our Doppler shop during my time there (9/68-9/69)

 

Takhli RTAFB was one of seven Air Force bases in Thailand. All had the "RTAFB" signifying that they were a

"Royal Thai Air Force Base" and not an Air Force Base originally built by the Americans. I'm not sure about the

others, but our on our base, we shared the runway with the Thai Air Force. One side of the runway was the

"American" side and the other side were for the Thai Air Force, who flew older model jets. The Thai Army was

heavily responsible for base perimeter security and for providing guards on our flightline.

-----------------------------------------------

 

Takhli RTAFB 1968-69

 

I put this page together from a few different Air Force related pages I created over the years.

 

First, here is a quick history on me since leaving the Air Force.

 

After leaving the Air Force in 1970, my wife, son and I moved back to St. Louis. I worked three years for Honeywell Information Systems

on their big mainframe computers. Then three years for Raytheon Data Systems working on their mini computers and a few Honeywell

systems they had under contract. In 1976 I started my own computer maintenance company, working only on Honeywell mainframes and

peaked at about 35 systems in 12 states. They eventually became obsolete and in 1988 I moved to Las Vegas. There I worked in the

media, including an all-sports radio network, and the final14 years as a data analyst for the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

Retired in 2013 and in 2015 we moved to Lake Ozark, Mo, which is about 130 miles from St. Louis. Along the way, I'm on my 3rd (and

final, she says) wife...have two sons, one grandchild and several step-grandchildren. I'll turn 70 on the 27th of June and knock on wood,

outside of high blood pressure and cholesterol (and about 30-40 lbs overweight), I guess I am in decent shape for an old man, playing

golf twice a week and fishing (not exactly strenuous exercise) off of our dock. Cell phone number is 702-677-1341.

 

In 2004, I did a Google search and found Phil Ormes. He was retired and working at an Air Force base in Georgia.

Found out he had married the Thai girl he was with at Takhli. Her son at the time lived in the St. Louis area, where I am from.

Bill Sternberg lived about 20 miles from StL and J.D. Young about 80 miles from StL, so we arranged for a gathering in StL in 2004.

Hope you remember all these people!

 

J.D. Young and friend (Greeneville, IL)

--------------------------------------------

 

2004 - Bill, J.D. Young (Greeneville, IL) and P.T. Ormes (Kentucky)

_______________________________________________________________

Ormes and his lady, now his wife.

 

 

Ormes and his Thai wife

Several years later, I tried to find Ormes again and found he had a heart attack in Kuwait.

______________________________________________

 

 

 

My upper bunkmate in the new dorm - Bill Sternberg, also a Doppler Radar tech. Bill is from Granite City, Illinois.

 

 

 

2004 - Bill Sternberg (Granite City, IL) and me.

____________________________________________________

 

1968-69 Takhli, Thailand Doppler Shop - Bill Brown and P.T. Ormes (Kentucky)

_________________________________________

Baht Bugs

_________________________________________

Doppler shop pics

 

 

 

 

 

--------------------------------

_____________________________________________________________________

F105 crash on takeoff, just outside our barracks

 

 

(Crash on Friday, July 18. He died on July 19)

 

Another U.S. Air Force F105 fighter-bomber crashed in Thailand Friday afternoon, the second this week,

and the pilot was seriously injured, U.S. officials announced Saturday.

The plane, loaded with ordinance and en route to a mission somewhere in Southeast Asia, crashed on

takeoff from Takhli AB, 100 miles north of Bangkok.

The pilot, Maj. Fred W. Shattuck Jr., of Hampton, Va. jettisoned his bombs and fuel before the crash,

but stayed in the plane.

He received second degree burns over a large portion of his body and was evacuated to a U.S. military

hospital at Camp Drake, Japan, where a special burn unit is maintained.

Officials said there were no civilian casualties or damage. The plane came to rest within the air base.

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

The JE tail number means it was a Korat bird. I think this was when they were down at Takhli for a few weeks.

 

Although the statement below says Korat, this actually happened at Takhli in 1969, not 1968.

 

 

JE 093 is now on display at the Texas Air Museum 

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

------------------------------------------------------

Every once in awhile we were able to jump in a helicopter when they had training missions.

 

Rick Forehand

 

 

Me and George Ulrich (from Baltimore)

---------------------------------------------------

Celebrating my 21st birthday

 

JD Young, me and friends

 

I believe this is when they were cooking food for my 21st birthday party. Myself and a few other

ended up in the hospital with food poisoning.

 

 

Bo Johnson and Richard Burkhardt. Do I recall his wife (Vicki, I think) flirting with you in Wichita???

Seems like she was playing "footsie" with you while we were all seated at a table. Strange the things

that we remember. I was told Burkhardt committed suicide many years ago. My funny memory of him

was his girlfriend at Takhli gave him some disease three different times and he told her if it happened

again, he was going to stop seeing her. Her response was something like, "OK, but this time doesn't count!"

Sure enough, he got it again.

--------------------------------------------------------

For my first few months at Takhli, I lived in a hootch before moving to the new barracks.

------------------------------------

 

 

 

----------------------------------

We were moved into newer barracks after a few months.

 

 

 

Heading home. That is Bo Johnson on the left (he wasn't leaving) and Warren Millar on the right.

Warren and I spent our last year together at Castle AFB in Merced, CA.

-------------------------------------------------

Our "room" in the newer barracks.

 

Oh yeah, fried spam.

 

Bill Sternberg

 

 

 Doppler Radar was part of A&E stands for "Armament and Electronics"

-----------------------------------------------

_______________________________________________

Down at Utapao for the Bob Hope show after a night in Bangkok. Then on to Pattya Beach with

Ronnie Drake, George Ulrich and Warren Millar.

KC-135 Tankers in Utapao RTAFB (Royal Thai Air Force Base)

-----------------------------------------------

 

 

 

B52s ready for next mission 

---------------------------------

Train heading to Pattaya Beach 

 

 

-------------------------------------------

J.D. Young and friend 

 

--------------------------------

George Ulrich and friend 

 

---------------------------------- 

George Ulrich

-------------------------------------------- 

Warren Millar at a Takhli bar

----------------------------------- 

Downtown Takhli 

 

 

 

Frank Budic, Rick Forehand, Ronnie Drake and a very drunk Rob Pagel.

------------------------------------------------------ 

 

------------------------------------------

Near our old barracks was the enlisten men's pool. 

 

Me and Warren Millar when we still lived in a hootch near the base pool.

-----------------------------------------------------

Attached to our base was a shopping area that Thai natives would sell their goods. They were limited to that section of the base.

A custom short sleeve shirt was $2.00. Long sleeve $2.50. I believe a three piece suit was $20. 

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------- 

? Dennis (forgot his first name) and Ormes

-----------------------------------------------

Ormes and his lady (who he later married). 

------------------------------------------

I was gouged by this bull. Should have applied for VA disability. 

 

----------------------------------

Many Thai temples close to our base. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------

We shared a runway with the Thai Air Force. This was their entrance to their side of the base. 

 

---------------------------

Simlar drivers to shuttle you around. 

 

 

 

 

------------------------------------------

Downtown Takhli meat market. 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------

EB-66 

---------------------------------

Jim Kania and Bruce Wayland - Usually in trouble, usually Kania was the instigator. Both were busted once.

I remember Kania wanted to try some pot and told us to lock him in his bungalow room and not to let him out

no matter what he said. I guess he thought he was going to go crazy like in that old movie, Reefer Madness.

Actually traded emails for a few weeks with Kania several years back. Found him on Facebook.

He was living in the Philipines.

-------------------------------------------------------- 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

 

----------------------------------------- 

Bangkok 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

------------------------------------

I think I paid $20 for a custom tailored suit. You couldn't go into the King's Palace without one at that time.

-----------------------------

Outside the King's Palace 

 

Me with Warren Millar at the King's Palace compound. It is amazing I didn't have white socks on!

 

-----------------------------------

King and Queen's Royal Barges 

 

 

-----------------------------------------------

A day trip by train to Chum Saeng for some type of festival 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

______________________________________________

Pattaya Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warren, George, Me and Ronnie D.

 

 

 

 

Ronnie D., Warren and George at Pattaya Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-----------------------------------------

This was along the Floating Market where Warren and I thought we were going to be killed! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Misc. Takhli and Thailand info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept. 1968-69