We have been learning about Neil Ostgaard and his service in the Vietnam War. Neil grew up in Tracy and graduated from St. John’s University in 1965 with an Army officer’s commission. He volunteered for flight training; completed Primary Flight and then operational training in the OV-1 Mohawk, a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft; and deployed with his unit to Vietnam in October 1967.

Within a week of arriving in Vietnam, the Army reassigned Neil to the 131st Aviation Company at Phu Bai, in Vietnam’s northernmost military region. The 131st was the only armed Mohawk unit in Vietnam at that time.

He described his arrival and the 131st unit area at Phu Bai.

“I went by Mohawk up there. Operations was on the flight line and the HQ was behind it. Right next to us was the 220th Aviation Company. They were a Bird Dog unit (OH-1, light, high-wing aircraft) of Forward Air Controllers. (We had) around ten aircraft because we had SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) aircraft and infrared and at least four visual observation craft. On the other side of the runway a Marine aviation unit flew helicopters.”

Neil described his quarters and other personnel support facilities.

“They (hootches) were good sized, probably 25 feet by 50 feet with four officers. The latrine facilities are hardly worth describing. They were three-holer outhouses. They had an O Club; nothing fancy. They had a huge mess hall. We had bunkers right outside the hootches. I remember going in them several times during Tet in February ’68.

Neil quickly got to know his new colleagues.

“We had about 19 pilots. Mostly we hung around with the other pilots in the VR (Visual Reconnaissance) platoon because all the SLAR and infrared pilots flew at night.”

He described how his new unit worked him into their mission rotation.

“They gave you a test flight and, since I went to gunnery school, we went to the range as well. The next day I flew my first mission as a wingman. I was a little excited and apprehensive, being it was my first mission, but it went like clockwork. Then I began being assigned lead pilot or wing.”

Neil explained the 131st Aviation Company’s mission.

“The mission was to track the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong outside of Vietnam. That meant we flew over Laos and North Vietnam. We were in platoons based on the type of aircraft. The VR Platoon involved camera and visual reconnaissance. The SLAR Platoon used Side-Looking Airborne Radar. They flew along the North Vietnamese coast and the radar looked inland. The 3rd Platoon was infrared (IR). They flew at night and picked up movement based on heat differences on film.”

Neil was assigned to the VR Platoon because he was qualified on the Mohawk’s weapons systems.

“The VR Platoon I flew with was the only one that was armed. We hardly ever used the armament. Another platoon reviewed the intel from all the information that was brought back. They were Intel guys and were mostly 1st Lieutenants.”

He explained that the unit’s enlisted staff had critical roles.

“I worked mostly with the crew chiefs. You were always good to your crew chiefs because they kept the aircraft in top shape. The guys who sat in the right seat, the Technical Observers (TO’s), were also enlisted. They were the reason for the mission and operated the equipment.” (VR cameras, SLAR, and Infra-red cameras).

The pilots of the 131st flew a lot.

“We flew almost every day. (VR Platoon) flew two times in the morning and two times in the afternoon. You’d do a complete (flight) pre-check: kicking the tires; ensuring fuel is correct and equipment is working; checked with the crew chief; and checked the log books. Once in the aircraft you did routine checks with the instruments and controls and strapped into the ejection seat. Once the tower told us we were clear, we’d taxi to the end of the runway together. When the tower cleared us we’d take off in formation. That was a bit hairy, but fun.”

Neil described a typical VR mission.

“We flew flights of two aircraft, the flight leader and his wingman. Our missions were typically two to three hours. The mission briefings told what they were looking for and the coordinates to cover. When we left we’d know where we were going; what we were looking for; and how many passes we’d be taking. We always notified an Air Force operations aircraft when we arrived over and then left Laos. We flew over mountains every day to get there and that was a bit tricky. The altitude would depend on the mission, but our approach and return was at 8 to 9,000 feet. We’d go much lower over the designated area. We were always in contact between the aircraft.

Neil described the VR pilots’ practice upon returning from a mission.

“We’d come in straight over the runway and then do a 360 degree descending turn to land. This shortened the distance and time for landing, avoiding the long approach that gave snipers more time to get a bead on you. Upon returning, we’d go into Operations and debrief the Intel officers. The TO would take the film and data collected to the Intel Platoon.”

Neil’s VR missions became almost routine until one mission that was anything but routine.

The Lyon County Museum is organizing an exhibit about the Vietnam War and Lyon County. If you would like to share Vietnam experiences or help with the exhibit, please contact me at prairieviewpressllc@gmail.com or call the museum at 537-6580.