<i>Operation Commando Buzz by William S. Phillips for the state of Pennsylvania, 1970</i>. Korat, Thailand, 1970 -- On July 28, 1970, two EC-121 Lockheed "Super Constellations" from the 193d Tactical Electronic Squadron took off from Olmsted State Airport, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  US forces were fighting in Vietnam, and the EC-121s were headed for Korat in the neighboring country of Thailand, 12,000 miles away, where the U. S. Air Force was operating from a Royal Thai Air Force base.  Korat Air Base would be home for 252 Air Guardsmen for the next six months.  The men were rotated as part of Operation Commando Buzz, with approximately 60 officers and airmen at a time serving tours of duty of from 30 to 60 days.  In addition to the aircrews and technicians, an additional 75 officers and airmen supported Commando Buzz by flying material and personnel from Olmsted to Southeast Asia and back.  The Pennsylvania Air Guard's EC-121s were laden with electronic equipment, and their mission was to act as flying radar stations and airborne control platforms.  They possessed search and identification radar, interception equipment, and a battery of communications gear.  The range of the EC-121s extended over all of North Vietman and the Gulf of Tonkin, and they were a key element in Seventh Air Force control of tactical air operations.,   The final group of Air Guardsmen rotated during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays of 1970, and early in January 1971, the mission was completed.  Within three days after the return of the 193d to Pennsylvania, the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Air Forces sent a message to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commending the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by the exceptional mission performance of the 193d, which won the USAF outstanding unit award that year.  The 193d Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron is today the 193d Special Operations Group, still a proud part of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/33252741@N08">The National Guard</a>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thenationalguard/4100348623/">Operation Commando Buzz by William S. Phillips</a>