553rd
Reconnaissance Wing “Batcats”, Korat 1968
The 553rd RW flew EC-121R reconnaissance aircraft,
as part of program Igloo White : sensors were dropped by helicopter and
fixed-wing aircraft over the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos ; when North Vietnamese
trucks triggered the sensors, they sent a signal which was picked up by the
EC-121s and transmitted to the Infiltration Surveillance Center (also known as
Task Force Alpha) in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. Task Force Alpha could then
dispatch any available fighters to destroy the trucks.
Squadron Commander and NCOs on the ramp
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