Dudley F. Waters Collection - For those of you who may be 
interested in a part of the actual historical record, Texas 
Tech has built the second largest collection of memorabilia 
about the Vietnam wars.  So far I have donated about 170 of 
my personal items for their entry into the virtual record.  

All of my donated slides were taken by me or of me during 
my time (March 1967 - March 1968) flying the C-7A Caribou 
performing combat support missions over there. To check it 
out, go to Texas Tech Vietnam Archives,
then click on The Virtual Vietnam Archive, then click on 
"Search the Virtual Archive".  

Then type in "Dudley F. Waters Collection".  That should 
get you to my donated slides.  You will even be able to 
see some pictures of the python I had as my pet while 
I was over there!  

The Vietnamese are descendants of nomadic Mongols from China 
and migrants from Indonesia. According to mythology, the 
first ruler of Vietnam was Hung Vuong, who founded the 
nation in BC 2879. China ruled the nation, then known as 
Nam Viet, as a vassal state from BC 111 until the 15th 
century AD. 

A century later, the Portuguese were the first Europeans 
to enter the area. France established its influence early 
in the 19th century, and within eighty years conquered the 
three regions in which the country was then divided into: 
Cochin-China, Annam, and Tonkin. 

Japan took over military bases in Vietnam in 1940, and a 
pro-Vichy French administration remained until 1945.

Ho Chi Minh's declaration of Vietnamese independence 
after World War II sparked violent confrontations 
with the French, culminating in the French military 
defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. 

At the 1954 Geneva Conference the country was divided 
along the 17th parallel of latitude into Communist North 
Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh, with its capital at Hanoi, 
and pro-Western South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, with 
its capital at Saigon. Political and ideological opposition 
quickly turned to armed struggle, prompting the USA and 
other countries to commit combat troops in 1965. The Paris 
Peace Agreements, signed in 1973, provided an immediate 
cease-fire and signalled the withdrawal of US troops. 

Saigon eventually capitulated to the Communist forces on 
30 April 1975. In April 2001 reform-minded Nong Duc Manh 
was appointed general secretary of the ruling Communist 
Party, succeeding Le Kha Phieu.

Based in Tokyo
The ONA crews were temporarily based in Japan for the
Vietnam round trip flights out of Tokyo.
 READ MORE

I had a flight once from Honolulu/Wake/Okinawa 
and from there ferry to Tokyo. Mostly I was assigned to the flight route McGuire/
Anchorage/Tokyo roundtrip and some time to Guam. I had one Vietnam trip from Tokyo 
to Vietnam. I think it was Da Nang. The cabin crew wasnt allowed to leave the aircraft 
but had to stay on board. Me being male was allowed to deplane to clear paperwork before 
departure. I know there was talk about bulletholes on the fuselage, but cant say 
whether it was on our plane or someone elses - everybody were very quiet and serious. 
It was very nervous. Anyway we left very soon and went back to Tachikawa AFB Tokyo. 
Dispatch after that didnt want me on any more Vietnam flights since they rather assigned 
beautiful ladies on these flights! I was put purser on DC-7B to transport homecoming 
deserting / delinquent GIs, flying Oakland / Corpus Christi and Fort Smith. 
Those were horrible flights. The MP werent allowed any weapons in the cabin and 
the delinquents were loosened from their handcuffs. They were served box lunches. 
The only cabin crew assigned on those flights were me, being the purser and another 
steward Jurand, I think he was Russian. I dont remember the Vietnam flights very much 
but these other flights I remember well since they were really rough and from what I 
understand dangerous and risky. Captain Billy Tedder told me that the cockpit got 
etxra money for performing these flights, but cabin crew had no extra money! I have 
kept my cabin-checkout for DC-7B among my memorabilia. 

 I remember the Viet Nam flights.  
I tried to take pictures from the ramp of the aircraft as the attendants 
weren't allowed to go into the terminal.  The pilots told me to get inside 
immediately as a bomb went off in the distance.  I also remember seeing helicopters 
flying over the terrain as we landed watching for snipers.  The most moving thing 
to see were the troops joking and laughing, probably nervous anxiety as to what lay 
ahead.  On the return trip, the troops were solemn and just looked out the window. 

I was on the first crew flying into Viet Nam in 1966 and was based in Tokyo 
for 2 months flying back and forth into Da Nang and Bien Hoa. 
Fifi LaBine flew from McGuire AFB and Teddy Pakosta was based in Alaska. 
Teddy of course was number 1 on the seniority list but wanted to go to Alaska 
and said Nettie, you go first to Tokyo so I was very lucky to have had 
that experience. More to come as soon as I get my act together!
  I am also anxious to hear about other ONA crew experiences! 

CAMH RANH BAY, VIETNAM, SPRING 1967

 On the photo I am standing right by the plane and was off 
the aircraft only minutes since we were ushered onboard again, just so that we could say 
we had touched Vietnamese soil with our feet! It was very hot and we had the thick new 
uniforms on. In my hand I have a small roll of paper that a GI gave me and asked me to 
phone the person he had noted on the paper, I got several pieces of paper after the first one, 
I also got dollar bills to cover the phone call cost once I got back to the States. 



I was in Vietnam with Fifi LaBine as chief stew, Johanna Heinrich, Margarita Ortiz, 
and one more which I forgot the name of. Male crew was Bob Houlihan 
(ONA´s answer to Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt AND Richard Geere!) 
and Bill Whitesell, which I have on photos from that very trip, 
unfortunately I forget the rest of the names of cockpit crew. 

Flights to Vietnam originated from McGuire AFB New Jersey with first 
leg to Anchorage Alaska, that time. Then on to Tachikawa AFB, Japan and then 
finally to Camh Ranh Bay. 
From Camh Ranh Bay we ferried the plane, a DC-8, to Frankfurt Germany, 
to pick up next flight. I dont remember where the intermediate landing was from 
Camh Ranh, first Bombay and then probably Abu Dhabi or Kuweit. 
Some adventure! It was so weird having that big DC-8 to ourselves empty without 
passengers as we ferried to Frankfurt, contrasting the crammed flight we had 
from Tachikawa to Camh Ranh. 

In Tachikawa outside Tokyo Japan, we stayed at the Hotel Korakuen in Tachikawa, 
a real Japanese hotel. In the room was the bathroom with the Japanese bathtub 
kind of cubicle tub where you sit and bathe. The matresses were rolled out on 
the floor to sleep, 
there were small partitions between different spaces in the room and the partitions 
were dressed in rice paper, which made you feel you slept with seethro walls. 
In the room was a guest service pink kimono that I wore in the hotel garden! 
Returning from Vietnam to Tokyo, we stayed in the Tokyo Hilton in town.

After another ONA flight to Honolulu Hawaii in 1967 - 
New York - Los Angeles - Honolulu, I was on layover in 
Honolulu. The crew stayed a whole glorious week each time 
we took tourists to Hawaii.

I sat with F/A senior Marianne Meissner at a bar close to the Waikiki Beach. 
I was 20 years old and having a ball! The bar was kind of darkish tho it was afternoon 
and full sunshine outside. I came right out of the boondocks in Sweden a little earlier 
and life was thrilling and fast and I had to try everything! Beside me sat a nicelooking 
guy and we started  talking. He said he was on short leave from Vietnam for a couple of days 
and I was thrilled to pieces and couldnt quite grasp that one day you were in a war and 
then you got leave to have holidays. I dont remember where he said he had been to fight but 
after a while he hauled a jar with some liquid in it from his pocket and sat it on the bardesk. 
As I recall it the jar still had a brandname on it, a label, like a jar of peanutbutter would 
have.
- Do you know what this is, he asked. 
I looked and since it was rather dark in the room I couldnt make out what was 
floating in the jar.
- This here is a Viet Cong ear, he said.
He explained he had been in combat and had killed a Viet Cong gerilla soldier 
and had taken one ear as a kind of souvenir. I dont recall the guy´s name but 
the story stuck forever in my mind and I thought a lot about how he actually 
got that ear and still think about it often. The fear of dying that makes you 
go almost insane I can imagine, being in combat and waiting to get killed yourself, 
or kill someone. It really had impact on me, this happening in sunny Honolulu, 
sunshine paradise with leis and maitais, far away from the war scene.
 
These are my Vietnam memories. 

I was in Vietnam around the end of February in 1967. 
I remember so well since we celebrated my birthday there!
We were stationed for one month in Tokyo and had layovers both at 
Tachikawa AFB as well as in Tokyo proper, at the Hilton and another hotel 
called the New Hotel, that I heard has now burnt down. 
I remember walking in a beautiful hotel garden.

Senior stewardess on the Vietnam flights originating from Tokyo first to 
Danang, was Teddy Pakosta, junior stews were beside myself Eivor Johansson 
Hedin, Marie Warberg Curman and Ayla van Mynden, don´t remember male crew! 
As I recall it we only had one flight into Danang, since the situation got 
dangerous there and next flights we made went to Cam Ranh Bay, I think. 

I remember at Tachikawa AFB at layover I had photographed on the base 
(which of course was prohibited!) and an official came and took my film away!
But I had already at an earlier time taken photos which I will search for ..... 
I remember when at Camh Ranh we were not allowed to stand in the airplane doors 
due to risk of shooting - we examined gunshots on the airplane tail after 
returning to Tachikawa at one time.