By early February, Khe Sanh had the attention of the world, including the White House. On February 4, the 834th was advised that the airlift effort in I Corps, particularly in the Khe Sanh area, was ‘vital to the U.S. national interest.’ In response to this White House order, the 834th began120 percent overscheduling in I Corps and issued a directive that missions were not to be diverted out of that area without special authority. All C-130 missions scheduled into Da Nang were forbidden to be used for stops at intermediate points on the way. All Khe Sanh missions were designated as ‘Emergency Resupply,’ the highest priority in the airlift designation.

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The Tet attacks had little effect on the Khe Sanh resupply effort, though airlifters countrywide were affected as much as anyone else, and perhaps more so. At Tan Son Nhut, a 29th TAS C-130B had just lifted off when the base was attacked. The crew remained over the base and acted as a combination control tower/forward air controller until an AC-47 gunship came on the scene. For the remainder of the morning and into the next day, the crew, under the command of Major Frank Blodgett, shuttled Vietnamese marines from Vung Tau to reinforce the base defenses at Tan Son Nhut.

For six airlift officers on temporary duty in-country as airlift liaison officers, the Tet attacks in the Cholon district were nearly disastrous. Although the 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing aircrews quartered in the Merlin hotel were told to move onto the base in anticipation of the attacks, the six pilots and navigators failed to get the word. Consequently, they were in their rooms on an upper floor of the hotel when the attacks came. Fortunately, VC forces who occupied the lobby and first floor of the hotel for several hours failed to look upstairs!

Throughout the Tet Offensive, C-130s were used to move troops and supplies to meet attacks throughout the country. A C-130 lift moved elements of the 101st Airborne north from Song Be to Quang Tri, while dozens of C-130 and C-123 missions brought reinforcements and supplies into Phu Bai airfield in support of the battle to retake Hue.

There was a benefit from the Tet attacks. In response to the sudden increase in tempo of the war, the Pentagon rushed additional forces to the Pacific, including several squadrons of Tactical Air Command (TAC) C-130s from bases in the U.S. to augment the Pacific Air Force C-130 squadrons of 315th Air Division. The newly arrived TAC C-130s were immediately put to work in South Vietnam, where two new C-130 operating locations were opened at Tuy Hoa and Nha Trang in addition to the bases at Cam Ranh and Tan Son Nhut, bringing the total of C-130s in-country at one time to 96. That many of the TAC C-130 crewmen were recently returned from duties in Southeast Asia made their presence even more important.

During the first 12 days of February, all deliveries to Khe Sanh involved landings on the short runway after an approach through heavy groundfire. Once on the ground, the airplanes became targets for enemy artillerymen doing their level best to destroy the transports the NVA knew were vital to the outcome of the battle. It was during that period that the Marines at Khe Sanh began referring to the camouflaged Air Force C-130s as ‘mortar magnets.’

On February 5, Lt. Col. Howard M. Dallman’s C-130 crew distinguished themselves at Khe Sanh. As the airplane landed, machine-gun fire from nearby positions struck the fuselage, setting fire to wooden ammunition boxes that made up the load. Flames spread quickly through the inside of the airplane. While the flight mechanic, Staff Sgt. Charles Brault, and the loadmaster, Staff Sgt. Wade Green, went back to fight the fire, Lt. Col. Dallman taxied the airplane to the very end of the runway, as far as possible from the combat base. Once the fire was out, the crew dropped the cargo ramp and rolled off the pallets of still-smoldering cargo, then taxied to the cargo area. Enemy fire continued to strike the C-130 throughout their ordeal, which was still far from over.

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