For our fellow veterans, their friends, families, and loved ones, we hope the holidays have been joyous, and we wish a happy and healthy New Year to one and all. January 27 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords that, officially at least, ended U.S. combat operations in Vietnam. New Year's 1973, so we were told, would bring peace with honor.
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In the end, there would be neither peace nor honor. As events would quickly prove, papers signed in Paris would not stop the fighting in Southeast Asia, or U.S. involvement in it. Seventh Air Force and the associated U.S. Support Activities Group, a thinly disguised successor to MACV, relocated to Thailand. With it came the remnants of the USAF's EC-47 contingent—the lone remaining TEWS For the North Vietnamese, the ceasefire provided a much-need breathing spell, although they were wise enough not to say so. In the south, the Republic of Vietnam, with American fire power now gone, would manage to stave off the inevitable for another two years, but "Vietnamization" was simply too little, too late. |
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Fifty years—half a century. That’s a long time. For some, enough time to come to terms with events of the past. For others, there can never be time enough. At the EC-47 History Site we continue to study the Vietnam War and document the part those of us in the ARDF program played in that tragic conflict. Most of the official history of EC-47 operations in the Vietnam War—or as much of it as FOIA submittals are likely to produce—has been on the website for some time now. If you haven't, take a look. You'll be surprised at what you find.
Remember, this is your history. Maybe you "had your say" twenty years ago, but some of that went MIA before the transition of J.C.'s original site to the current ec47.com. And back then many historically significant images were reproduced at such low resolution that much detail has been lost. So dig out those slides and scrapbooks before they disappear forever, make some up-to-date scans, add your thoughts and comments, and help preserve our legacy for future generations.
Here's what we mean . . . .
We've moved Jim Clement's story of the last USAF EC-47 flght from Saigon, which was featured in the previous home page, to the the Tell Your EC-47 Story section. Click here to check out this very nice page.
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