COMMENTARY>>Col. Howard Dallman – First Airlifter to earn Air Force Cross

By Chris Rumley
314th Airlift Wing historian

Feb. 5, 1968, Vietnam, the surrounded Marine Fire Base at Khe Sanh.

A C-130E, piloted by Lt. Col. Howard Dallman of the 314th Troop Carrier Wing, broke through thick cloud cover over Khe Sanh at 300 feet above ground level. Finding communications at the base inoperable, and having never landed at Khe Sanh, Colonel

Dallman chose to make a radar approach down through the mountains and into the clouds.

Perhaps with less critical cargo he would have chosen to land another day. As it was, the 35,000 pound load of ammunition, artillery shells, and mortar fuses was desperately needed. Colonel Dallman, an experienced pilot with 45 combat missions flying B-17s during WWII who survived being shot down and then survived a German prisoner of war camp, was greatly respected by his fellow C-130 teammates flying in Vietnam. He was also the right man to be piloting aircraft 62-1817 on Feb. 5, 1968.

Once safely on the improvised runway, the C-130 became an easy target for communist forces from Khe Sanh’s surrounding high ground. Marines there called the C-130s “Mortar Magnets” for good reason. As the enemy mortars began raining down, heavy machine gun fire tore into the fuselage of the aircraft igniting wooden ammunition crates and spreading to the wooden pallets holding artillery rounds.

Fearing the fire would result in an explosion that could kill nearby Marines and shut down the resupply operation, Colonel Dallman and crew remained on the aircraft and backed it to the far end of the runway. As he maneuvered the aircraft, his crew members fought the fire now spreading to other pallets and filling the fuselage with flames. Through their combined efforts, the crew extinguished the flames and began quickly unloading the cargo as enemy mortar fire bracketed the aircraft.

With the load safely removed, Colonel Dallman taxied the entire length of the runway to replace a front landing gear tire damaged by shrapnel. At one point, still under heavy enemy fire, the navigator left the aircraft to ground guide Colonel Dallman through a congested area on the runway. With the tire replaced, the crew prepared to take off only to have an engine knocked out by yet another enemy mortar round. After some hasty repairs, the crew taxied out onto the runway and launched the C-130 back into the air taking several more hits to the aircraft on the way out.

For his decisive action under fire, Colonel Dallman was awarded the Air Force Cross. He was the first tactical airlift crew member to be so honored with the Air Force’s second highest award given for acts of extraordinary heroism- second only to the Medal of Honor. His crew all received Silver Stars. Aircraft 62-1817 returned her crew home safely and had enough holes needing repair to earn the nickname “Patches”.

After service in Vietnam, Patches eventually ended up with the 43d Airlift Wing at Pope Air Force Base from where she deployed to Southwest Asia flying missions in support of the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. Patches was finally reunited with the 314th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base in June of 2008 and is still flying missions with the 19th Airlift Wing from Little Rock today. Thus far in October, Patches has completed 28 sorties here.