Operation Sting
by
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THE INITIAL CONTACT
14 Jan 1963
Ray Ballard, Dave Youngblood, Bob Stevens and I were on a TDY which had taken us from Dickinson, North Dakota to Finley, North Dakota and finally to Grand Marios, Minnesota. We were modifying some FPS-6 height finders (those were radar sets which were used to determine the altitude of an aircraft – hence the name height finder). The antenna was shaped like a banana; it rocked up and down in a rocking chair motion and could be rotated 360 degrees to track a target in conjunction with the search radar.
When we arrived at the radar site in Minnesota, we were told there were no quarters available. Since our travel orders always guaranteed us aircrew type accommodations (usually the Bachelor Officers Quarters – BOQ) we were allowed to move into a motel down the hill from the site in a quaint little town. Another thing we liked about living off site was that we drew $16 a day per diem. We doubled up on the rooms and it only cost us about $5 apiece per day for the room. We could eat breakfast and lunch at the mess hall on the site for about $1, so we had money for a good dinner (at that time a good steak was about $3.95) and money to party on.
At the end of our first workday, we decided to stop by the NCO Club (Non-Commissioned Officers Club) and have a few drinks and something to eat before we went back down the hill to the motel. We thought it was odd when we arrived at the club, because there were all types of people in civilian clothes wandering around in front of the building and people were carrying file cabinets outside and loading them on a truck. What was really odd was that most of the civilians were armed and there were three AP’s (air police) standing near the truck with carbines
There were a couple of NCO’s standing to the side watching the action and we walked over to them and asked what was going on. They told us that there had been a shakeup of people associated with the club, because there was a great quantity of money missing and some people were being brought up on charges. The site commander had been shipped out almost overnight to Greenland and two Chief Master Sergeants were being housed in the local jail until a general court-martial could be convened.
We were told the civilians were FBI agents who had been called in to investigate, because the crime had been committed on federal property. After hearing this tale, we decided to go back to the motel and figure out something else to do for the evening.
When we got back to the motel, we noticed that there was a little tavern right next door with the infamous flashing red neon signs that said FOOD. We walked over and ordered some beer and sandwiches. While I was eating, a couple of the guys decided they would try out the dartboard hanging on the far wall.
I was sitting at the bar when this guy walks up and asks if the barstool next to me was occupied. I thought this question was really stupid, because there was not another soul at the bar, but I didn’t give it a second thought.
He looked over at me and asked, "Are you from the radar site?" (We were all still in our fatigues, so it was easy for him to tell we were in the Air Force.)
I said, "No, but I’m here to do some work there."
He asked, "What type of work are you going to do?"
I just said I did some electronics type work. He then began to ask some technical questions regarding the type of radar at the site, what frequency they operate at, and what type jamming capability they have. I just looked at him and did not respond.
He just kept hammering away, so I finally yelled, "Ray, call the AP’s at the site."
Ray said, "How come?"
I told him, "This guy here is asking some questions that ain’t none of his damned business and I think he needs to explain himself to some authorities."
All three of my buddies rushed over and surrounded this guy in a heartbeat. This guy reaches in his windbreaker and pulls out a leather wallet looking thing and opens it and shows us his FBI credentials, which identifies him as Tom Parker, a special agent.
Now I’m becoming concerned, because here I am sitting at a bar drinking beer and I’m only 20 years old. My good buddies immediately decided they would go back to playing darts. Ha!
Finally the agent pats me on the back and says, "Good job."
I was totally surprised at that comment and asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"
He explained that he was part of the team of agents investigating the incident at the club and decided he would check out our sense of security. He laughed because he said he wondered how I intended to hold him for the authorities if Ray would have called them.
I told him I figured we could have contained him without any trouble, especially since Youngblood was a former golden glove boxer and some of us were playing around with learning karate from one of the other team members. The agent just chuckled and said he thought we probably could have gotten the job done.
We were at the site for about another week and each night we migrated to the bar. Two nights in a row Parker and some of his buddies joined us and we sat around telling jokes and Tom, and one of the other agents, told us about some of their experiences. Some of their stories were quite thrilling – they had while involved in investigations; stakeouts; high-speed pursuits and a couple of shoot-outs.
I jokingly asked Tom one night how I could become an agent. He said it required a college degree and an application. He asked why I found it interesting, and I said I liked adventure. He asked me for my address, so I gave him my post office box number at Chanute and explained that I wasn’t there very often, but if I was going to be any one place for any length of time I usually had my mail forwarded. He indicated he might send me some literature about the FBI.
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About the Book
My novel, titled "Operation Sting," is based on a CIA sanctioned mission involving a military and civilian comprised A-Team in Southeast Asia in 1963, prior to the official start of the Vietnam War. The story evolves from a flashback dream of one of the A-Team members (David Roberts) and he ends up telling his wife the story of what happened 24 years earlier. Up to that point his wife had no idea that he had ever been in Vietnam.
The story is told, as seen through the eyes of a 20 year old young man who is above average in intelligence, but very much a naive person who puts blind trust in "the system" that truth always wins in the long run.
Prior to becoming involved with this mission David was constantly in search of some daring type of assignment, such as volunteering for an inter-service transfer to become an Army helicopter pilot. Much of this desire for adventure stemmed from the fact that his father always belittled him and insinuated that he would never amount to much. Consequently, David was searching for something he could accomplish which would make his father proud of him.
David was assigned to a squadron of personnel who traveled extensively around the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Panama installing and modifying heavy ground early warning radar manned by the Air Force. Due to the fact that he did travel extensively, he had a great cover story without having to create one, because his wife was used to him taking off on the spur of the moment and being gone for extended periods of time. His initial contact with the CIA resulted from a conversation with a FBI agent whom he met while on travel to a radar site in Minnesota.
David was flown to Washington DC for a physical, including a psychological evaluation, and given a brief description of the mission. David decided he would like to pursue the opportunity and from that point on he was hooked.
All of the team members were provided with false identities and told not to discuss their true identities with anyone, including the other team members. They were told this was a security issue, that in the event that they were captured during the mission, they would not be able to readily identify each other. They were also encouraged not to be captured.
His training took place in several different locations and involved Special Forces training in various forms such as parachute training, survival training, language training, hand-to-hand combat, explosives, and small arms training.
The story describes the training, which took place with no indication of where the final mission would be conducted. The training was always being accelerated to accommodate the changing timetable associated with the mission. Even during the training, some bizarre things happen which seems to carry on throughout the story line - one SNAFU after another.
From there, the story moves to the actual mission and the subsequent debacle. Even the trip from the states to Saigon is somewhat an adventure with regard to the routes taken, weather, and aircraft problems.
Once the team reaches Saigon, the real problems are just beginning. It is discovered just prior to takeoff that the team has been issued the wrong equipment, which had to be corrected very quickly. The obvious equipment is exchanged, but subtle omissions are not discovered until much later. The team leader is informed that the Vietnamese person who is to accompany the team may be a double agent, but someone in authority commands the mission progress as planned.
The mission is doomed from that point on, beginning with the loss of the radio and radioman due to an apparent faulty parachute. When the team reaches their objective and are about to launch their intended mission, they are greeted by a murderous crossfire, which kills the majority of the team. The remaining four team members abort the mission and flee for their lives, but not before David disposes of the Vietnamese traitor as he was requested to do by the team leader.
During the trek out of the area in search for friendly troops the remaining team members are whittled down to two and one of them is very badly wounded. Sheer determination to reach safety and tell the authorities of the demise to his fallen comrades is the only thing that keeps the young Lt. going until they are finally rescued by a team of American advisors who are on a seek and destroy mission with their South Vietnamese counterparts.
Subsequent chapters deal with an investigation by some of the CIA higher authorities and potential cover-ups of some high-ranking officers, which is difficult for the young person to understand. He is cautioned numerous times during his debriefing that his comments are hedging on insubordination. However, this does not deter him from stating the facts of the botched mission and his steadfast defense of his fallen team members, requesting that something be done within the organization to preclude this type of ineptness from happening again.
He is built up as a hero and offered some additional perks (such as, award of some medals and a real commission as an officer) if he will trade branches of the service from regular Air Force to regular Army. However, in the end, the young man makes it painfully clear that he is not interested in continuing a career of deceit with regard to his wife and family and informs the folks he intends to separate from the service when his present enlistment is up.
The authorities caution him about ever revealing any details associated with this particular mission, because as far as the world was concerned, it never happened.
About the Author
The author was three years old when his father, whom he had never seen returned from WWII. His father instilled a love of history which sparked his interest in studying history associated with the war in which his father was involved. Mr. Akers, like many in his age group, has experienced the aftermath of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the many other armed conflicts that this nation has endured.
David enlisted in the United States Air Force in October 1960 at age 17 and served for four years, being discharged in October 1964 shortly after the official start of the Vietnam War. During his service time he traveled extensively throughout the US, Canada, and some non-CONUS sites.
During his military tour of duty, many military advisors were assigned to Southeast Asia. Their primary tasks were to assist the Governments in training personnel and clandestine missions involving intelligence units consisting of US military and CIA. These missions were conducted prior to the actual start of armed conflict. David worked closely with and, was personally acquainted with some of these team members and their missions.
After his discharge from the USAF, the author became employed by one of the largest defense contractors in the country and is still employed after 38 years of service in their Product Support Division. His assignments have included working with both US Navy and Air Force personnel by assisting them in supporting his company’s products. In doing so, he has kept abreast of the emerging technologies that support today’s War fighters.