These two photos of Camp Holloway are well worth the wait and the extra few seconds it may take your browser to load them. These photos show how much the base grew between 1963-64 and 1968-69. They were submitted for use by Linda Clotfelter Waldron whose brother, CWO Mark D. Clotfelter, was KIA while assigned to the 361st Pink Panthers.
As you can readily see Camp Holloway expanded quite a bit since the early years of 1963-64 when I took the photos shown on the previous pages. Many will recognize the areas in these photos more, and I can still see that small original core area that was the total base in earlier years. I can see my old hootch with its dark roof across from the showers right next to the PX building near the water tower. The main entry road is pretty much the same but the airstrip was reworked, shifted and extended. Many other new structures, access roads, and surrounding revetments are apparent to accomodate the addition of all the new units that had been activated and assigned to support the base and Camp Holloway's increased flight operations. Also noticeable is the Christmas Tree, as some refer to it for obvious reasons, when seen as you fly over the base.
Bob Kilpatrick of the 119th AHC takes a look back and offers these memories:
I was there from mid-68 to mid-69. We lived in both areas and moved from the old hooches over to that "Christmas Tree" area in January 69. If you look at that bottom picture and move across from left to right, bottom to top, here is what I remember.
The first building on the left side of the tree was the 170th AHC maintenance hangar, with their ships (like the 119th, 2 slick platoons, 1 gun platoon) parked in the revetments in front of (or above) the hangar.
Above that, off the end of that short strip, was a fueling facility and possibly ammo. The second big building was the new 119th hangar. The 545th Maintenance Detachment was absorbed into the 119th in January of 1969. Those two hangars had room for maybe 6 ships, backed in. You can see the perimeter bunkers between the first and second roads at the bottom left of the photo. All 119th ships in the revetments, and "The Swamp" in front of that hangar.
Above and a little to the right of the 119th revetments were big revetments for huge Sikorsky Skycranes, maybe 6 or 8 of them. Above that, there was a Direct Support helicopter maintenance unit that fixed stuff we couldn't handle.
Harald Hendrichsen adds here: In Bob's description, in the line referencing the Sikorsky Cranes, he mentions "a Direct Support helicopter maintenance unit" . . . .that was the 604th, and I thought you might want to add our unit designation there. We were the supply unit for every part used on over 400 aircraft in the air in II Corps--without us they didn't fly/couldn't perform their missions. We supported/maintained all Holloway units (rotor and fixed wing) as well as those at Kontum, An Khe, Ban Me Thuot and all points in between, everything from the Cranes to Chinooks, all UH-1 versions, Cobras, Loaches, Apaches and the small FO fixed wings.
Just below those Skycrane revetments there are two separate rows of 8 buildings. Those were enlisted hooches for the 170th (bottom) and the 119th (top), mess hall in each company area, and I believe motor pools between the two.
Right of there, towards the bottom, is the old 545th maintenance hangars at the end of the runway. I believe the 361st Cobras moved in there when we moved out. Above that would have been the 361st Pink Panther revetments, and the old 170th area if I remember correctly, and then probably the 189th AHC slicks and guns, then the 179th ASH Chinook revetments.
Across the runway, to the right, and above the "Old Swamp," there was a Bird Dog fixed wing outfit. Most of the old hooches were taken over for officers' housing, I think, and I know our guys stayed there after the rest of us moved to the "New Swamp."
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