I retired from being a volunteer at the Anderson, SC Police Department. I worked at the Support Services Divisions and am involved in helping with getting the Department ready for being accredited with the State of South Carolina. I also do data entry of training data. I am going to stepdown from this position on April 24th my 7th anniversary of doing the volunteer work. It is time to hang it up. My disability with the VA has been raised to 80% and is now being processed to go to 100% unemployable.
I am active in the Knights of Columbus. I am a member of Council 8295, and the Faithful Navigator for Assembly 311 in Anderson, SC. I have been selected by the State Deputy to be the Regional Disaster Coordinator for the 2nd Responder Program in South Carolina. I am also the Web Master for the Coucil 8295/Assembly 3411 web sight.
I am the Chaplain for The American Legion, Post 14, Anderson, SC and a life member. I am also life member of Vietnam Veterans of America, VFW, Disabled American Veterans, and a member of Fleet Reserve Association.
I was rated 100% disabled by VA effective 8/16/2018.
Vietnam War/Tet Counteroffensive Campaign (68)/ Yankee Station, North Vietnam
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Description Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station. Carriers conducting air operations at Yankee Station were said to be "on the line" and statistical summaries were based on days on the line.
The name derived from it being the geographic reference point "Y", pronounced "Yankee" in the NATO phonetic alphabet. In turn the term Point Yankee derived from the launch point for "Yankee Team" aerial reconnaissance missions over Laos conducted in 1964. It was located about 190 km due east of Dong Hoi, at 17° 30' N and 108° 30' E.
During the two periods of sustained air operations against North Vietnam (March 2, 1965-October 31, 1968 and March 30, 1972-December 29, 1972) there were normally three carriers on the line, each conducting air operations for twelve hours, then off for twelve hours. One of the carriers would operate from noon to midnight, another from midnight to noon, and one during daylight hours, which gave 24-hour coverage plus additional effort during daylight hours, when sorties were most effective. However at the end of May, 1972, six carriers were for a short period of time on the line at Yankee Station conducting Linebacker strikes.
The first aircraft carrier at Yankee Station was USS Kitty Hawk, which was ordered there in April 1964 for the Yankee Team missions. Kitty Hawk was joined by Ticonderoga in May and Constellation in June, two months prior to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Ticonderoga and Constellation launched the first bombing missions from Yankee Station on August 5, 1964. Constellation was also the last carrier conducting operations at Yankee Station on August 15, 1973. USS Forrestal suffered a major accident while at Yankee Station when a series of fires and explosions on her deck killed 134 men and injured another 161.
A corresponding Dixie Station in the South China Sea off the Mekong Delta was a single carrier point for conducting strikes within South Vietnam from May 15, 1965 to August 3, 1966.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Last Updated: Dec 22, 2023
Personal Memories
Memories On USS Enterprise CVA(N)65 1st nuclear power carrier to go to war.
