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Hit My Smoke

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From the Back Cover

“SOMEWHERE IN THE vicinity of every tactical airstrike in South Vietnam lurked the Forward Air Controller in his O-1 (or later, O-2, or still later, OV-10) aircraft. The FAC provided positive control of the strike, and no bomb could be dropped or gun fired until so cleared by the Man What Am In Charge.

Down low and slow, the FACS could see the ground situation, evaluating and deciding what was needed and where. They maintained coordination and approval from local authorities. They were the eyes and ears of the fighter pilots, who could not have operated effectively without them.

The FACS were...well...different. Flying alone in their underpowered, overloaded airplanes, exposed almost constantly to anyone on the ground armed with so much as a slingshot, they went at their hazardous duty with a zealous and sometimes reckless abandon that earned them respect such as was accorded to very few. (From “What the Captain Means: A Song of the In-Country Air War, copyright 1989, William F. “Toby” Hughes. Used with permission. Captain Toby Hughes, F-4C Aircraft Commander, 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Cam Ranh Bay Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, 5 September 1967 - 13 August 1968.)

Excerpt

Excerpted from “Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia. Copyright 1997. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Foreword:
By Colonel George E. “Bud” Day (USAF Ret.), Fast FAC and Medal of Honor Recipient: Forward Air Controllers were developed by both the Allies and Germans in World War II to provide accurate, low-level spotting of the enemy, which fighter-bombers and others could not provide. Even in earlier wars, men were aloft for aerial observation. The aerial observer had the ability to see over the hill, to note accurately, and to mark enemy positions. Some could communicate with their counterpart on the ground. Flying light aircraft, they could land in almost any field or on roads to report enemy positions verbally.
In the Vietnam War of 1963-1973, the two-seat Cessna O-1 Bird Dog was the first aircraft available for FACing. This was followed by the twin-engine Cessna O-2, a sort of interim aircraft while the North American Rockwell OV-10A Bronco was being developed. When the enemy started to use better antiaircraft weapons, these FAC aircraft flying low and slow were at great risk.

The Fast FAC, using jet aircraft, then played an important role. No matter what aircraft the FAC flew, what might have seemed like an undesirable job turned out to be one of great responsibility. The slow FACS had a key role in South Vietnam. No pilot could make a single airstrike without the FAC who rolled in to select and mark targets with no gunsight. The FAC ran the air war and had a great sense of satisfaction when finding a cleverly camouflaged target.

The guys in Laos, however, were FACing a war that wasn’t happening. The Ravens were an extraordinary group, usually too warrior-like and aggressive for the South Vietnam scene. Their work took courage, day in and day out, with a high casualty list for their dangerous missions.

The FACS in South Vietnam and Laos did their job in spite of the politics of the war, and they were loyal to each other. This books helps you to understand the lengths to which they would go, with no regard for their own safety, to help their comrades on the ground. Supported by their ground crews, the FACS were especially brave and cool pilots, who flew constantly at low levels, and who with aplomb searched out the enemy, called up strike forces and marked targets for them with rockets or flares, and then guided them in and out. They also searched for downed fliers and helped direct their rescue.

There are not enough medals to capture the true dedication, sacrifice, and bravery of these selfless fighters. According to veteran Harry Riley, “I can testify, because had it not been for a few specific FACS at the Battle of Bu Prang, Vietnam, in 1969, risking their lives for us grunts in the foxhole, it’s chilling to think what may have been in store for me. This is not to say there was not other support...there was...but our FACS are a breed, a motivator, a force multiplier without measure. I wish I could explain the bond that developed in my heart for these professionals, but I can’t. Only a combat veteran can fully understand the heartfelt gratitude one warfighter has for another...no greater love has he.”

Jan Churchill has paid a fine, long-overdue tribute to these valiant men and thus deserves our thanks. (Colonel George E. “Bud” Day)

Reviews

Comment by Jim Lundie, USAF Combat Controller depicted in the cover painting, racing for his life to the C-123

Thank you for recollecting this little bit of important history.

Comment from then Capt. Philip R. “Skip” Smotherman who crash landed his O-2 during the rescue at Kham Duc

Love your book...the story is very accurate and provides good background for my grandkids.

Comment from Larry Sanborn, President of The Ravens Association

What a great job collecting the FAC story. Best wishes, Larry (Sandy) Sanborn. Raven 13 & 20.

Comment from Steve “Scurvydog” Harrison

Excellent job of the book! Somewhat qualified opinion from a FAC.

From the USAF Combat Controllers Magazine, April 1997

HIT MY SMOKE tells about the origins of forward air control, the aircraft the men flew, where they lived, and their most exciting missions. It includes their work with Special Forces, many secret missions, the secret war in Laos and FAC participation in Search & Rescue. There are many first hand accounts told in the words of the men who were there.
Author Mark Berent commented: Jan Churchill, an accomplished O-2 pilot, has written a long overdue books about FACS, the valiant men who flew tiny puddle jumpers, low and slow, through murderous ground fire to spot and mark targets for strike fighters to hit. They were the unsung heroes....Their losses were high. (Mark Berent, Fast FAC, Papa Wolf III)

The true story of the BAT 21 rescue mission is told as well as the stories of two FAC Medal of Honor winners. HIT MY SMOKE is must reading for all!

From “Air Classics” 1997

HIT MY SMOKE by Jan Churchill. The author is well known on the Warbird circuit, flying a variety of aircraft including the C-47 and her own Cessna O-2. In this volume, subtitled “Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia,” she takes a long and thorough look at a very neglected part of the Vietnam air war. After discussing World War II, the author says: The FAC role became more defined during the Korean War when LT-6G Mosquitos, armed with smoke rockets, marked communist positions ...often drawing fire upon themselves.
It was with the American involvement in the Vietnam War that the FAC really came into its own. The author outlines the chronological history of American FACS - starting with the lowly Cessna O-1 Bird Dog (which made an excellent target) and moving into the Cessna O-2A Skymaster. The book is filled with dozens of interviews and many previously unpublished photographs that help define an important mission in a very difficult war.

From the Air Force Association: February 1998

Delaware (Diamond) State Chapter member Jan Churchill’s newest book, HIT MY SMOKE, an exciting history of Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia, is a must read for anyone with an interest in air power. It begins with a brief history of aerial observation and shows the evolution of observation into the art and science of FACing during the Vietnam conflict.

HIT MY SMOKE is a lively history with eye witness accounts, photos and maps, discusses the aircraft used by the Vietnam era FACS, contains an outstanding glossary and has several appendices “...consisting of training procedures and instructional handouts that were given to Forward Air Controllers.”

From a former Wolf FAC, Robert Hipps

Jan has done an outstanding job telling the slow and fast FAC stories from SEA. I am proud to recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about forward air controller operations during the Vietnam War.

From a FAC

Jan has taken the reader into the cockpit with the forward air controllers. She has translated the various stories into a well organized history of what the mission was all about. It puts me back into my O-2 and I can relive my experiences as a FAC all over again.

From “OLMAN”

Very scholarly, an in depth review of tactics and equipment. I know Jan Churchill, in fact I bought an O-1 Bird Dog from her...wonderful airplane. She has put together an exhaustive, and accurate account of the development of Forward Air Control, Tactics, Equipment, Procedures and History. I was a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam, North and South, also flew in Laos with 324 missions total. She has taught me many facets of the FAC business I did not know. I consider her an expert in this field.

From “Private Pilot” Magazine, Review by Editor LeRoy Cook

Performing one of the toughest jobs in one of the toughest wars, the Forward Air Controllers of the Vietnam Conflict have long deserved their own book. Veteran pilot Jan Churchill collected historical data and first-person accounts to trace the early origins of the FAC, leading up to Southeast Asia. “In harm’s way” doesn’t begin to describe the FAC’s job of flying low-and-slow airplanes over hostile territory, seeking out targets to mark for the “mud mover” artillery and fighter bombers to destroy. Weather, climate, primitive living conditions and low-performance aircraft made the FAC assignment less than enviable.

However, the FAC was in a position to make a difference where it counted: bringing suppressive firepower to beleaguered troops and spotting conveys en route to the enemy. Churchill even outlines some of the more clandestine operations: the Ravens in supposedly neutral Laos, where unmarked FAC planes were flown by undocumented pilots. The Viet Cong were operating in Laotian territory, Geneva Accords notwithstanding, so countermeasures were needed.
Jan Churchill’s book is most interesting because it carries first-hand accounts by those who were there, warts and all. An extensive glossary and index make it a useful reference, as well as a tribute to a brave force of men who paid dearly for their dedication. Other than a picture on page 37 with a Chance-Vought F-8 Crusader labeled as a Grumman F-8 Bearcat, it is disturbingly accurate.

From J. R. Pitman, USN Retired A6 Intruder Pilot

A Well Researched and Documented History of Forward Air Controllers Focusing on South East Asia! The author has done her homework well. The photographs that are included with each chapter are excellent and provide the reader with the flavor of the events she describes. This reviewer has personally worked with many Airborne Forward Air Controllers that the author writes about. This is a true account of their lives in-country in South East Asia. The documentation and chronological organization of the writing adds to the writers finished product. The Epilogue and Appendices, the latter are a collection of actual training procedures and instructional handouts used by Forward Air Controllers, add to the books validity. I would recommend this book to all who served, came in contact with Forward Air Controllers, or had their lives saved as a result of the work these pilots did and the ordnance that was put on target due to their efforts. SIERRA HOTEL!

From The American Aviation Historical Society by Al Hansen

The Vietnam War of 1963-1973 brought much development and importance to Forward Air Control. This book, HIT MY SMOKE! Forward Air Controllers is Southeast Asia, tells the story of the brave pilots, many that flew unarmed aircraft low and slow in dangerous terrain and horrible weather and others that flew jets that faced bigger guns. This book also gives an excellent history of the air war in Vietnam. HIT MY SMOKE reviews the types of aircraft flown by the FACS, the various stages of the war, a Glossary of terms used in Vietnam, diagrams showing tactics used by FACS, gunships and low-level bombers. The appendices are full of useful information. For anyone interested in the air war in Vietnam, this book is a great value.

Excerpts from a Review in “Airpower Journal” 1998 by Col. James E. Roper, USAF Ret.

Mission accomplished! Jan Churchill succeeds in this “attempt to tell the reader what it was like” to be a forward air controller (FAC). Admittedly not a rigorous history, this is a documentary tale of the men who flew low and slow over Southeast Asia, searching for targets to mark for destruction. The book’s large format accommodates over one hundred photographs of people, places, and fighting machines. Tales from people who were there dominate these pages and add authenticity.

Authenticity also emerges from Churchill’s recognition of the horrendous weather phenomena, searing heat, and thick jungle cover that challenged every FAC. The author demonstrates her grasp of a fundamental driving factor: FACS fought hard for each other and for their brothers on the ground. She even touches on careerism, which grew among more senior participants later in the war. She describes frequent FAC clashes with other Air Force subcultures.

Toward the end, the author provides the moving stories of Capt Hilliard Wilbanks and 1st Lt Steven L. Bennett, two FACS who received the Medal of Honor posthumously. There is an appendix containing actual FAC training manuals and a decent bibliography.

HIT MY SMOKE! Is a good bedside companion. Portions contain enough detail to hold as a reference. This book belongs on the shelf with other tomes of what really happened in the war.

Comment from George L. Getchell, 23rd TASS, Col. USAF Ret

I received my copy of HIT MY SMOKE and love it. You really caught the flavor of what was going on. The photos are great.

It brings back a lot of memories, and also answers a lot of questions I had about what was going on at NKP in early 1966. Everything about our activities in Laos was highly classified at the time, so we just didn’t ask questions about what the “other folks” at the base were doing.

Comment from Robert C. Mikesh

What an impressive book! My copy arrived a week ago, and I frequently pick it up to read another point of interest. Your book brings the story across very well about FACS and what part they played in both the air and the ground war. I am proud to have been a part of that program and included in your book.

Comment from Col. Tom Yarborough, USAF Ret., Covey 221, author of “Da Nang Diary - A Forward Air Controllers Year of Combat over Vietnam.”

Thank you for my copy of HIT MY SMOKE. What a terrific book you have penned. I sat on the edge of my chair reading it, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying, but always gripped by the intense action. I thought I had an exciting tour in SEA until I read the accounts you documented. Wow!
Jan, your is a truly magnificent book brimming over with enormous power - it’s a milestone in the literature on FACS. On behalf of the many who will never get around to writing you, thanks for telling our story.

Cover Art

HIT MY SMOKE’s cover painting, from the author’s collection, is an original oil painting, “The Miracle at Kham Duc” by internationally acclaimed aviation artist Keith Ferris. It depicts the evacuation of the Kham Duc Special Forces Camp on 11 May 1968, in which FACS played a key roll. Without the coordinated work of the FACS and fighters, the evacuation would not have been successful. The last remaining three men (USAF Combat Controllers) are shown being rescued by a C-123 piloted by Joe Jackson who received the Medal Honor for his landing and takeoff during very heavy fire. Providentially, the rocket shot at the front of the plane did not explode.