UITG / FANK
| O. Lee Torbett, LTC (Ret) XO of "A" Team |
Bill Leap Intell |
Steve Wilcoxon aka Mike Tiomkin |
| William B. Rosperich Demo |
Ron Suter [1st Sgt. Ret.] | Bill MacDonald |
| Boyd Morris [Maj. Ret] | Mike Chappell UITG B-36 | David Nicolow,
[SGM, Ret.] 11B4S |
| Arlie Max Watson, Sgt 11C4S |
Joseph Procopio,
LCDR, USN [CDR, Ret.] OIC FANK Training* |
Mike Flynn, 1LT
[Maj., Ret.] 43rd USARV ITG ** |
| Michael Scott, SSGT 76Y4S |
Gary Lee Dalton,
[MSG, Ret] 11B4S Bien Hoa, Security NCOIC |
Bill Pelletier,
03 [CPT, Ret] 31542 |
| Stan Karber, SP5 76Y4P |
Jeffrey "Doc"
Russell ODA 362 ODA 364 |
Rick Howson,
SGT [CSM, Ret.] 11B4S |
| Roy Garrison, [MSG,
Ret.] 11F5S Operations Sgt. Bien Hoa |
Johnny McClellan,
1Lt 31542 XO of an "A" team |
Gregorio H. Reyes
MSG Ret. 18Z SMOS PHUOC TUY |
| Tom Groll, S/SGT 11b/11c |
Mike Simpson S/Sgt 11B4S |
George Lanigan, SGT [LTC, Ret.] 11B2S |
* Information from Joseph Procopio, CDR, Ret.
FANK Training Camps: Chi Lang, Phuoc Thuy, Dong Ba Thien, and Long Hai plus ad hoc camps in RVN, KR, and Laos.
Interesting side story on FANK. The FANK adopted the US staff system after urgings by the US. You know j1,j2,j3,...as opposed to the old French bureau staff set up. Then in the planning for Chenla II J3 (Ops) did not let J4 (logistics) in on the action. As a result the first day the FANK were waxing A$$. Then on the second day they were running out of ammo. ADM McCain, then CINCPAC, flew in to meet with Gen. Abrams, then COMUSMACV. McCain's initial solution was to fly the FANK general staff to Leavenworth for the Command and Staff course. ABRAMS gave us 3 FANK tankers to come up with an alternative solution. We came up with a 3 week course in Dalat and brought out the staff piece meal, supposedly 1/3 at a time, run them the course, give them a battle problem and then send them back.
Actually I brought them into Cam Rahn and heloed them out to the SF camp there to see their troops training, took them to a ROK base to see how they set up defensive perimeters, then I threw a party using my own money and sent them back. I then spent the night at the SF camp enjoying the Korean entertainers for the Saturday night special and serving as the butt of a lot of SF jokes having a USN officer in their midst..sitting in the front row with the base CO and being the seductive target for the very cute, and very sexy Korea ladies. Not that I objected. The official entertainment ended with Korean national anthem...one of the most beautiful there is.
Immediate outcome from the first session was an a$$chewing for me for the party...spending my own moola and from then on I was given blanket funds. Second result was the addition of a fourth contingent including the KAF chief and the MNK vice chief MMK. Marine National Khmer.(AF and Navy, both promoted to flag for the program.))
I flew out to Phnom Penh each cycle and brought the new groups in along with goats and chickens. The aroma was remarkable. I think I still, 30 years later, can remember the smell.
Joseph Procopio, CDR, Ret.
**Information from Mike Flynn, MAJ, Ret.
43rd UITG was one of about 3 names the FANK program went under. All three camps came under USARV Individual Training Group and the Camps were B-43, B-56 and B-50? at Chi Lang, Long Hai and Don Be Thin respectively.
Mike Flynn, MAJ, Ret.