Lima Site 85 (LS-85 alphanumeric code of the phonetic 1st letter used to conceal this

covert operation A covert operation is a military operation intended to conceal the identity of (or allow plausible deniability by) the party that instigated the operation. Covert operations should not be confused with clandestine operations, which are performe ...

) was a clandestine military installation in the Royal

Kingdom of Laos The Kingdom of Laos was a landlocked country in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula. It was bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

guarded by the Hmong "Secret Army", the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

, and the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

used for

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

covert operations against communist targets in ostensibly neutral Laos under attack by the

Vietnam People's Army Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. Initially created for a CIA command post to support a local stronghold, the site was expanded with a 1966

TACAN A tactical air navigation system, commonly referred to by the acronym TACAN, is a navigation system used by military aircraft. It provides the user with bearing and distance (slant-range or hypotenuse) to a ground or ship-borne station. It is a mor ...

area excavated on the mountaintop where a 1967

command guidance Command guidance is a type of missile guidance in which a ground station or aircraft relay signals to a guided missile via radio control or through a wire connecting the missile to the launcher and tell the missile where to steer to intercept its ...

radar was added for

Commando Club Combat Skyspot was the ground-directed bombing (GDB) operation of the Vietnam War by the United States Air Force using Bomb Directing Centrals and by the United States Marine Corps using Course Directing Centrals (" MSQ-77 and TPQ-10 ground ra ...

bombing of northern areas of North Vietnam. The site ended operations with the Battle of Lima Site 85 when most of the U.S. technicians on the mountaintop were killed, including CMSgt

Richard Etchberger Richard Loy Etchberger (March 5, 1933 – March 11, 1968) was a senior non-commissioned officer in the United States Air Force who posthumously received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during th ...

. For his heroism and sacrifice, Etchberger received the Air Force Cross posthumously. The operation remained classified, however, and the existence of the award was not publicly acknowledged until 1998. After the declassification of LS 85 and a reevaluation of his actions, Etchberger was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

in 2010.

Command post

The LS-85 military installation began in August 1966 with TACAN radar installation at a supply site and command post for "Hmong officers and CIA paramilitary advisers o controlharassing operations against the

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...

and North Vietnamese". LS-85 was supplied via an " Air America

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...

airstrip … two-thirds of the way down the mountain" and the command bunker was down the hill from the summit (identified by the North Vietnamese as the "communications center".) The airstrip was also used for refueling USAF rescue helicopters.

TACAN

The tactical air navigation system (TACAN) equipment for Channel 97 at LS-85 was emplaced after Vietnam War Combat Skyspot sites had been created in March 1966 and several TACAN sites, including those at Lima Sites, had similarly been established for military aircraft navigation/guidance. The planned LS-85 TACAN site was surveyed in July 1966 (the

Hmong_people The Hmong people ( RPA: ''Hmoob'', Nyiakeng Puachue: , Pahawh Hmong: , ) are a sub-ethnic group of the Miao people who originated from Central China. The modern Hmongs presently reside mainly in Southwest China (Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chon ...

flattened the summit and created a helicopter landing zone at lower elevation). The First Mobile Communications Group Team 72-66 deployed the 60 Hz diesel-powered MB5 Generator Set and 1 kilowatt ITT AN/TRN-17 Beacon-Transponder Set from Clark AFB to

Udorn RTAFB Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (Udorn RTAFB) is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) base, the home of 23rd Wing Air Command. It is in the city of Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand and is the main airport serving the city and province. The RTAF 23 ...

in August 1966 via a C-123 cargo aircraft—then to the

Sam Thong Sam Thong (, sometimes spelled ''Samthong'') is a town in Xiangkhouang province, Laos. During the Vietnam War, it was the site of a USAID refugee operation center and an administrative center for much of northern Laos. Etymology ''Chao'' mean ...

runway (LS-20) for transfer to Army CH-47 Chinooks which refueled later at Nakhang (LS-36) to complete the airlift to LS-85. The LS-85 TACAN area with the AN/TRN-17, generator, diesel supply, and "Comm and Relay Center" was operating on September 24, 1966; and the portion of LS-85 serviced by the landing zone was supported (supplies, etc.) by

Continental Air Services Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started ...

FreeGuestBooks.ne
pp. 70100160
using

PONY EXPRESS The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

Sikorsky CH-3 helicopter The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the SH-3 Sea King, S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R. The S-61R served in the U ...

s (the

USAF museum The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...

displays one used for LS-85.) Fuel drums for the MB5 were landed directly at the mountaintop.

Combat Target

Combat Target was a March 1967 task force that recommended a Combat Skyspot site closer to Hanoi for more accurate bombing at night and during poor weather (endorsed by General

Earle G. Wheeler Earle Gilmore Wheeler (January 13, 1908 – December 18, 1975), nicknamed Bus, was a United States Army general who served as the chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1962 to 1964 and then as the sixth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of ...

on April 25, 1967.) In April 1967, Reeves Instrument Corporation was contracted to modify the trailer-mobile ("M") AN/MSQ-77 design to a helicopter transportable ("T") version without trailer chassis/wheels and other mobility equipment. The initial variant (AN/TSQ-81) was tested at Bryan Field, Texas, using bomb runs over Matagorda Island General Bombing and Gunnery Range and was emplaced for Combat Skyspot in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. ::a. ::b. After Bryan/Matagorda testing of the 2nd AN/TSQ-81, it was operational at LS-85 in late 1967, the period when the "'' 1st CEVG began "

Combat Keel Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

" tests using F-4s guided by an AN/MSQ-77 on the '' USS ''Thomas J. Gary'' in the

Gulf of Tonkin The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern ...

to test

by ships against northern targets (''Gary'' after beginning by August 9, departed by December 12).

Heavy Green

Heavy Green was the military operation to emplace a Reeves AN/TSQ-81 Bomb Directing Central on the LS-85 summit adjacent to the TACAN area particularly for monsoon season bombing of northern North Vietnam. The site's Initial inspection regarding suitability for

ground-directed bombing Ground-directed bombing (GDB) is a military tactic for airstrikes by ground-attack aircraft, strategic bombers, and other equipped air vehicles under command guidance from aviation ground support equipment and/or ground personnel (e.g., ground ob ...

was by its eventual 7th AF coordinator, and geodetic surveying was by a

1st Combat Evaluation Group The 1st Combat Evaluation Group (initially "1CEG", later "1CEVG") was a Strategic Air Command (SAC) unit. It was formed on 1 August 1961 to merge the 3908th Strategic Standardization Group for SAC aircrew evaluation with the 1st Radar Bomb Sco ...

team manned from existing Combat Skyspot operating locations. The site was developed under USAF Major Richard Secord (assisted by Tom Clines) by first "clearing additional space on the white karst limestone mountaintop" with blasting by a "Navy Seabee demolitions expert". Construction included leveling steel girders on vertical posts to allow a Corps of Engineers CH-47s to airlift the "new equipment, vans igid shelters and prefab crew quarters". Defenses included a defensive bunker and an inner perimeter with outpost, and a frequency converter shelter provided the

3 phase 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

400 Hz power needed for precision pointing by the radar's antenna motors. The camouflaged Cassegrain antenna was on the roof of the operations shelter, while the connected shelter had a rotating

identification friend or foe Identification, friend or foe (IFF) is an identification system designed for command and control. It uses a transponder that listens for an ''interrogation'' signal and then sends a ''response'' that identifies the broadcaster. IFF systems usual ...

antenna and mast antennas for UHF and VHF communications. A calibration in September 1967 included an estimation of the AN/TSQ-81 antenna coordinates by "fly-in" using aircraft tracked by LS-85 while overflying previously-surveyed nearby peaks (surveyors at the peaks observed the flyover precision).

Commando Club

{{Main, Ground-directed bombing Commando Club was a US operation of the Vietnam War that used

of aircraft by the Laos Site 85 radar for

(GDB) of targets in North Vietnam and clandestine targets in Laos. The Detachment 1, 1043rd Radar Evaluation Squadron, technicians and officers at LS-85 performed radar/computer/communications operations with the Reeves AN/TSQ-81 Bomb Directing Central as Lockheed civilians (volunteers discharged from the USAF for cover). The Combat Skyspot site{{r, Sliz used typical GDB procedures for Commando Club, including planning missions, providing coordinates to LS-85 and bomber crews, handoff of the bomber from air controllers to LS-85, tracking the aircraft by radiating the bomber's 400 Watt transponder, and radioing of technical data from the bomber such as the airspeed to LS-85 for the AN/TSQ-81 to estimate wind speed on the bomb(s). Due to limited reliability of the LS-85 radios (

callsign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

"Wager Control"{{r, Plunkett20060622 at 396.2 MHz),{{r, 34tfsthuds{{Rp, a an intermediary aircraft ( EC-121{{r, 34tfsthuds{{Rp, b or "usually a

C-135 The Boeing C-135 Stratolifter is a transport aircraft derived from the prototype Boeing 367-80 jet airliner (also the basis for the 707) in the early 1950s. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave the aircraft the i ...

…decoy ship"){{r, Secord provided a "

radio relay Radio stations that cannot communicate directly due to distance, terrain or other difficulties sometimes use an intermediate radio relay station to relay the signals. A radio relay receives weak signals and retransmits them, often in a different di ...

ndsurveillance/control channel" (callsign: WAGER) between LS-85 and the bomber. With the bomber near a designated "Initial Point" LS-85 would begin a radar track and the Bomb Directing Central's analog computer would calculate a computer track and solve the "bomb problem" for the aircraft's flight path. The central then automatically transmitted guidance commands to the aircraft (lead aircraft for multi-ship formations, e.g., 3

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

es) to adjust the bomb run toward an eventual release point for the actual bomb(s). The central at LS-85 automatically effected release of the ordnance from the aircraft to eliminate the variable crewmember delay during the greater vulnerability of the generally steady bomb run. {, class="wikitable" align="right" , colspan="4" bgcolor="silver" align=center , Commando Club/total missions by target area & period{{r, Vallentiny , - , align=center , Period , align=center , North Vietnam
{{Verify source, does the source say "North Vietnam" or perhaps it uses Wheeler's "northern NVN" for these numbers?, date=October 2012 , align=center , Barrel Roll
"around" LS-85{{r, 8tfw , align=center , Both areas , - , November , align= 20/153 (13%) , align=center, 1/268 , align= 21/421 (5%) , - , December , align= 20/94 (21%) , align= 67/327 (20%) , align= 87/421 (21%) , - , January , align= 29/125 (55%) , align= 23/320 (10%) , align= 52/445 (12%) , - , February , align= 27/49 (55%) , align= 142/375 (38%) , align= 169/424 (40%) , - , March 1–10 , align= 3/6 (50%) , align= 165/182 (91%) , align= 168/188 (89%) , - , Total , align= 99*/427 (20%) , align= 398/1472{{r, 8tfw (27%) , align= 497/1899 (26%) , - , colspan= 4 , {{align, *The 99 Commando Club missions on NVN required ~500

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...

s. , -

Missions

The LS-85 radar using day/night shift crews of 5 men each{{r, Linder became operational on November 1, 1967;{{r, Wolk1969 and trial missions{{Clarify, what was being tried – perhaps the fly-in before operations?, date=October 2012 of Commando Club by

Republic F-105 Thunderchief The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vie ...

s were led{{Specify, did he fly the lead in all the trial missions, or just command the Wing that flew them?, date=October 2012 by Col. John C. Giraudo{{r, Plunkett20060622 (

355th Fighter Wing 355th may refer to: Aviation * 355th Fighter Squadron, an inactive United States Air Force unit * 355th Fighter Wing, a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force * 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron, a U.S. Ai ...

commander). F-105 Commando Club missions included the November 15, 1967,

357th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 357th Fighter Squadron is part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft training pilots for close air support missions. The squadron was first acti ...

bombing of Yên Bái Air Base in Route Package 5 ("no BDA possible") and the defeated November 18 raid of 16 F-105s of the

388th Tactical Fighter Wing The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Units 388th Operations Group (388 OG) *4th Fighter Squadron (4 FS) ...

—preceded by 4 F-105 Wild Weasels—on

Phúc Yên Air Base Phúc Yên Air Base (also known as Noi Bai Air Base) is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam)'' military airfield located immediately north of Noi Bai International Airport and approximately north of Hanoi. ...

(JCS Target 6).{{r, Plunkett20060622 The latter mission's loss of 2 Wild Weasels to

MiGs Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...

and then some of the bombers to SAM sites that tracked the USAF jamming resulted in temporary suspension of Commando Club until

electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

were improved. Through November 16, LS-85 had effected a direct hit (zero miss distance) as well as a {{Convert, 5, mi, km, abbr=on miss: the Commando Club CEP for "14 runs was 867 feet" while other Skyspot sites for 1967 missions averaged {{Convert, 300, -, 350, ft, m, abbr=on error at ranges ≤{{convert, 100, nmi, km mi, abbr=on.{{r, Wheeler LS-85 accuracy was improved during the suspension period, another UHF radio was added at the summit, and the radio relay's secondary task of surveilling for MiGs was eliminated.http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3101/is_2_53/ai_n29269246/{{dead link, date=May 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Commando Club was resumed by November 21 when F-105s attacked the Yên Bái airfield (also on December 1 & 23,{{r, Plunkett20060622 January 5, & February 11.){{r, 34tfsthuds{{rp, d LS-85 directing bombings of Laos' Ban Phougnong truck park on December 22, a target "25 miles west of Channel 97" on December 28, and "a target 20 miles east of San Neua" December 31; and "Commando Club under Wager Control" bombed the Kim Lo Army Barracks northwest of Hanoi on February 7, 1968,{{r, 34tfsthuds{{Rp, c a Route Pack V target on February 11, and the "Phuc Yen (JCS 6) airfield" & "the Ban Nakay truck park in Northern Laos" on February 19.{{r, 34tfsthuds{{rp, d Arc Light B-52s and other aircraft also flew missions of Commando Club, which were 20% (less than 1 per day) of all bombing missions on North Vietnam targets during November 1 – March 10. Commando Club airstrikes against Laos targets included operations to interdict enemy advances on LS-85 such as the

Battle of Route 602 The Battle of Lima Site 85, also called Battle of Phou Pha Thi, was fought as part of a military campaign waged during the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Pathet Lao, against airm ...

. "On 21 February the Ambassador authorized the Local Area Defense Commander (alternately the senior CIA officer or the FAC) to use the TSQ radar to direct any and all strikes within 12 kilometers of the summit" and "between the 20th and 29th, 342 sorties hit within 30 kilometers of Phou Phathi."{{r, Vallentiny Commando Club operations against Route 602 and advancing troops were part of the approximately 400 Commando Club missions out of the "1,472 BARREL ROLL Strike missions" flown "around" LS-85 from November 1 – March 10.{{r, 8tfw When the enemy reached positions near the site, the order from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, was to "hold the site at all costs."{{r, Secord

Site defenses and attacks

{{Main, Battle of Lima Site 85 The initial assessment by the site's 7th AF coordinator was that after radar operations began LS-85 would be attacked within 6 months,{{r, Castle{{rp, 35 which a February 25 CIA report accurately predicted would be after March 10. Summit structures at LS-85 had originally been outfitted with demolition charges (later removed by the technicians), and the personnel eventually had small arms (e.g.,

M16 rifle The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...

s) for defense.{{r, Linder TACAN and AN/TSQ-81 personnel were included in the February plan{{r, Linder to evacuate when the site's risk became too high, and defense training had been provided. An enemy patrol was dispersed from the base of the mountain on January 10,{{r, Secord a January 12 airstrike bombed LS-85,{{cite book , last=Webb , first=Billy G. , year=2010 , title=Secret War , url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/37519486/Secret-War , format=Scribd ebook , lccn=2010912607 , publisher=Xlibris Corporation , location=Bloomington , isbn=978-1-4535-6486-8 , page=274{{Self-published inline, certain=yes, date=December 2017 and a mortar attack was on January 30. On February 18 near the head of the road an NVA survey party was defeated (the NVA map with planned artillery positions was captured.){{r, Secord On March 10 (1800–1945 hours), an "artillery barrage" preceded an attack toward the southeast slope by 3 battalions{{r, Linder ("a kilometer or two from the hill"),{{r, Secord and commandos including Hmong defectors—instead of assaulting in a direct infantry attack upslope toward the radar station—scaled the north mountain cliff and after midnight killed the majority of the onsite technicians.{{r, 8tfw All areas of LS-85 were captured, and the remaining mountaintop structures were destroyed by US airstrikes through the next week. A Top Secret August 1968 US official history was declassified in 1988, and a 1996 North Vietnamese Report was translated in 1998.* Post-war visits to the site resulted in identification of US radar crewmembers remains in 2005{{Cite news , date=8 December 2005 , title=Air Force Sergeant MIA from Vietnam War is Identified , url=http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=9144 , format=DoD news release No. 1268-05 , publisher=Public Affairs (Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense) , quote=Shannon and 18 other servicemen operated a radar installation atop Pha Thi Mountain in Houaphan Province, Laos, approximately 13 miles south of the border with North Vietnam. … In 2002, one of the enemy soldiers stated that he helped throw the bodies of the Americans off the mountain after the attack, … Between 1994 and 2004, 11 investigations were conducted by both JPAC as well as unilaterally by Lao and Vietnamese investigators on both sides of the border. During one of the investigations, several mountaineer-qualified JPAC specialists scaled down the cliffs where they recovered remains and personal gear on ledges. JPAC and Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory scientists used mitochondrial DNA and other forensic techniques to identify the remains as those of Shannon. and 2012.

References

* The May 11, 1997, DoD translation of Do Chi Ben's ''Tran Tap Kich Vao Khu 'TACAN' tren Nui Pa-thi cuar Phan doi Dac Cong Quan Khu, ngay 11 thang 3 nam 1968'' by Robert J. Destatte (translation edited April 7, 1998) is entitled

{{Reflist , refs= {{Cite web , title=34th Tactical Fighter Squadron – Thud Era , url=http://34tfsthuds.us/ , publisher= 34TFSthuds.us , access-date=2012-10-07 "F-105 History" pages:
a. {{Cite web , title=Jacob C. Shuler , url=http://34tfsthuds.us/resources/Pictures/S---Z/Shuler_Jacob_C.pdf , access-date=2012-10-07
b. {{Cite web , title=Donald W. Hodge , url=http://34tfsthuds.us/resources/Pictures/G-K/Hodge_Donald_W.pdf , access-date=2012-10-07
c. {{Cite web , title=Joseph S. Sechler , url=http://34tfsthuds.us/resources/Pictures/S---Z/Sechler_Joseph_S.pdf , access-date=2012-10-07
d. {{Cite web , title=David C. Dickson , url=http://34tfsthuds.us/resources/Pictures/A-F/Dickson_David_C.pdf , access-date=2012-10-31 , quote=''34 TFS were diverted to a target in Laos as a result of the North Vietnamese attack on Lima Site 85. They took off at 0715 and returned after 2 hours 55 minutes. … "We were diverted up to Lima 85 up by the North TACAN station. The bad guys were trying to storm the hill. The hill was sticking up through the clouds but we couldn't detect any enemy action. The A-1Es were working over the enemy but they wouldn't let us in on the action. Instead they put us in on an enemy gun emplacement about 10 miles away.'' {{Cite web , title=1968 , url=http://www.8tfw.com/pages/8thhistory1968.htm , format=transcript of unit history , website=8TFW.com , access-date=2012-10-24 , url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108140401/http://www.8tfw.com/pages/8thhistory1968.htm , archive-date=2012-11-08 {{cite book , last=Castle , first=Timothy , year=1999 , title=One Day Too Long: Top Secret Site 85 and the Bombing of North Vietnam , publisher=Columbia University Press, location= New York, isbn=0-231-10316-6 {{Cite book , last=Destatte , first=Robert L , date=7 April 1998 , orig-year=translated May 11, 1997 , title=Raid on the TACAN Site Atop Pha-Thi Mountain by a Military Region Sapper Team on 11 March 1968 , url=http://limasite85.us/do_chi_ben.htm , format=LimaSite85.us webpage: " ource: e-mail Robert J. Destatte to Ron Haden, January 4, 2003 , access-date=2012-11-05 , quote=At 0900 hours, one helicopter dropped a line down near the TACAN site and rescued three wounded enemy. We were tangled up in the mountain, so we fired on it without hitting it. , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801183635/http://www.limasite85.us/do_chi_ben.htm , archive-date=1 August 2012 , url-status=dead translation of: *{{cite book , author=Doox Chis Beenf , year= 1996, chapter=Tran Tap Kich Vao Khu 'TACAN' tren Nui Pa-thi cuar Phan doi Dac Cong Quan Khu, ngay 11 thang 3 nam 1968 , title=Several Battles in Military Region 2 during the War of Liberation, 1945–1975 , publisher= People's Army Publishing House, location= Hanoi , language=vi :NOTE: The times translated from the Vietnamese report, e.g., "After only 15 minutes" from "0345" there was "fire directly into the building that had many antennas", are consistently an hour different from the times identified by US records such as Vallentiny and Secord: "At three in the morning, we lost voice and teletype communication with the radar site on the summit" (Secord). Likewise, Sliz identifies he was evacuated at daylight, which the translated Vietnamese report has at "0900 hours". {{Cite web , last=Grimes , first=Richard , year=2002 , title=TRN-17 TACAN installation, Lima Site 85, Phou Pha Thi, Laos , url=http://limasite85.us/the_construction_of_lima_site_85.htm , format=Vietnam War anecdotes , publisher=LimaSite85.com , access-date=2012-10-07 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724135826/http://www.limasite85.us/the_construction_of_lima_site_85.htm , archive-date=2012-07-24 , url-status=dead 3 pages {{Cite book , editor=Dr. Sharad Chauhan , last=Linder , first=James C. , year=2004 , title=Inside CIA: Lessons in Intelligence , chapter=The Fall of Lima Site 85 , chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rUIauNFQnngC&pg=PA22 , location=New Delhi , publisher=S.B. Nangia , isbn=8176486604 , access-date=2012-10-17 , quote=Site 85 command post, a ramshackle structure next to the helicopter landing area … helipad, a 20-minute walk down the ridge from the radar vans on the peak {{Cite book , last=Plunkett , first=W. Howard , date=22 June 2006 , chapter=Part II: Combat Lancer and Commando Club , chapter-url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Radar+bombing+during+rolling+thunder--Part+II%3A+Combat+Lancer+and…-a0146959180 , title=Radar Bombing during Rolling Thunder , format=2007 ECNext transcription , journal=Air Power History , access-date=2012-06-16
coms2/summary_0199-5697884_ITM http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3101/is_2_53/ai_n29269246/{{dead link, date=May 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
Part I: Ryan's raiders)
{dead link, date=May 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes {{Cite book , last=Secord , first=Maj Gen Richard , author-link=Richard Secord , year=1992 , chapter=Chapter 6: Disaster at Site 85 , chapter-url=http://home.earthlink.net/~aircommando1/secord85.html , title=Honored and Betrayed , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qbx4AAAAMAAJ&q=boy+scouts , format=chapter transcription at Air Commando Association webpage , quote=We already had a 600-foot STOL strip three-quarters of the way up the mountain for resupplying local Meo guerrilla … One wounded and extraordinarily unlucky technician was killed, shot through the back during helicopter evacuation. , isbn=9780471573289 {{Cite report , last=Vallentiny , first=Capt Edward , date=9 August 1968 , title=The Fall of Site 85 , url=http://www.pjsinnam.com/vn_history/vn_documents/CHECO_LS85.htm , format=PJSinNam.com transcription , publisher=CHECO Division, Tactical Evaluation Division (HQ PACAF) , access-date=2012-10-07 , url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130093829/http://www.pjsinnam.com/vn_history/vn_documents/CHECO_LS85.htm , archive-date=30 January 2013 {{Cite web , last=Wheeler , first=Gen. Earl G. , author-link=Earl G. Wheeler , date=25 April 1967 , title=Installation of MSQ-77 in Northern Laos , url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/International_security_affairs/vietnam_and_southeast_asiaDocuments/668.pdf , format= CJCS memorandum , access-date=2012-05-21 , url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916045829/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/International_security_affairs/vietnam_and_southeast_asiaDocuments/668.pdf , archive-date=16 September 2012 cover letter: "''radar guidance coverage would be extended over areas of northern NVN and Laos not now covered''". {{Cite report , last=Wolk , first=Herman S , author-link=Herman S. Wolk , date=June 1969 , title=R&D for Southeast Asia, 1965–1967 , url=http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-110322-017.pdf , work=USAF Plans and Policies , publisher=Office of Air Force History , access-date=2012-05-21 , quote=On 1 November 1967, another {{sic, MSQ-77 became operational in Laos (p. 58: Wolk cites "''DJSM-800-68 (TS ), Memo for DDR&E, CSAF, CNO, et al, 28 June 68, subj: Update of th
NIGHT SONG Study
'".) {{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007173149/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/International_security_affairs/vietnam_and_southeast_asiaDocuments/432.pdf , date=2012-10-07 Military deception Military history of Laos during the Vietnam War Radar stations of the United States Air Force Military installations of the United States in Laos Military installations established in 1967 Military installations closed in 1968 1967 establishments in Laos 1968 disestablishments in Laos