Memoires of a Trash Hauler

About the Book

Did you ever wonder why Air Force Special Operations Command came into being? The many roles and missions of tactical airlift blossomed and grew during the Vietnam conflict to such an extent that the Air Force later established an Air Force Special Operations Command to retain and use those skills. They were combined with skills developed by Air Rescue and Recovery Service outside of the normal range of rescue. The remarkable capabilities of the Lockheed Hercules aircraft made much of it possible. Of course, the normal mission of moving cargo and people was retained. But added to that were flare dispensing, assault landings and takeoffs, electronic surveillance, forward air control, propaganda dispersion, personnel extraction and recovery, long-range air rescue, air refueling, gunships, helicopter landing pad establishment, and airdrops of both cargo and people at low, normal, and high altitudes. While many activities were accomplished before or after battles, there were occasions when the desperation of the need dictated landing or departure during a battle. This book attempts to capture the essence of these many missions.

About the Author

Henri L. Bailey, III was born in Washington, D.C. in 1938. When he was 3 & ½ years old, his family moved to Maywood, Illinois; where he was raised. He attended grade school in Maywood, high school on the west side of Chicago, and graduated from Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago. He later added master and doctoral degrees. Maywood was unique in that it lost an entire National Guard Tank Battalion at Bataan in the Philippines during WWII. There were 13 Gold Star Mothers with a total of 27 Gold Stars on his block. His home was located about half way between Chicago Midway and Chicago O’Hare airports. Early on, he developed a love for aircraft and a desire to fly. After graduation from Roosevelt, he pursued that desire. Six and one-half years of his life are concerned with flying in or to Southeast Asia in the C-130A Hercules and the C-141A Starlifter aircraft. This book contains some of his most salient experiences during that time. Later in his career, he flew cold war missions in the F-4C and F-4E Phantom tactical fighter.