NJVVMF UPDATES

For Immediate Release  (January 9, 2008)      

Contact:  Kelly Watts  (732-335-0033)

VIETNAM ERA EDUCATIONAL CENTER HOSTS

LECTURE AND ORAL-HISTORY DISCUSSION

On Saturday, January 26, at 1:00 p.m., the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will host a lecture and oral-history discussion entitled "The U.S. Air Force in the Battle of Khe Sanh," delivered by Air Force Major General (Retired) Clark W. Martin of Yardley, PA.  General Martin, a Vietnam veteran, will speak about his role in the air in support of ground troops engaged in battle over the volatile area that divided Vietnam in two.  Accompanying Martin will be a fellow USAF Forward Air Controller (FAC), Vietnam veteran Bud Jones of Rumson.  This program will be held at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel, NJ.  Light refreshments and a special exhibit about the Battle of Khe Sanh will be provided by members of the Khe Sanh Veterans and the Dusters, Quads & Searchlights Associations, who are cosponsoring this event.

January 21, 2008, marks the 40th anniversary of the enemy attack that began the Battle of Khe Sanh.  Taking place just south of Vietnam's Demilitarized Zone (which separated Communist North Vietnam from America's ally, the Republic of South Vietnam), the battle launched the war's pivotal Tet Offensive of 1968.  The coordinated teamwork between American air and ground forces at Khe Sanh successfully repulsed massive enemy attacks, and airlifts brought supplies to the besieged troops and evacuated wounded men.  Flying in a slow-moving, often unarmed airplanes, Martin and Jones served as airborne observers controlling and coordinating aircraft and artillery attacks against enemy targets on the ground.

General Martin flew more than 150 combat missions in Vietnam, as a reconnaissance systems officer in the 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron.  He flew an RF-4, the reconnaissance version of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom jet fighter, out of Udorn, Thailand from 1967 to 68.  During the 1968 Tet Offensive, he flew as a forward air controller in a Cessna O-2A "Pusher-Puller" light observation plane with the 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron out of Nakon Phanom, Thailand.  Martin concluded his distinguished military career serving the State of New Jersey as Commander of the Air National Guard. He is president of MBI Gluck Shaw, a government relations and association management firm in Trenton.  Martin has also been a reporter for The Trenton Times and Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Bud Jones flew 284 combat missions over Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.  As part of the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron based in Danang, Jones flew three different planes: an O-2, an O-1 Cessna "Bird Dog" light observation plane, and an OV-10A North American Rockwell "Bronco" armed observation airplane.  He flew secret "suicide" missions directly supporting Army Special Forces (Green Berets) in Operation Prairie Fire in the Tiger Hound region of Laos.  His missions covered the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and Cambodia.  He completed his service with the rank of Captain.  Today, Jones continues to serve the military as a contractor for the U.S. Army at Fort Monmouth where he works for PM-TRCS (Project Manager-Tactical Radio Communications Systems) and is the Logistics Lead for MBCOTM (Mounted Battle Command On The Move).

Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP to (732) 335-0033.  A donation of $5.00 per person is suggested.  The Vietnam Era Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116.  The Memorial and Educational Center are maintained through a partnership between the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.  The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM.  Regular admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel.  Regular adult admission is $4.00; student and senior citizen admission is $2.00; and children under 10 are admitted free.

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