September C Battery, 6th Battalion, 56th Artillery, a "HAWK" missile unit arrived in-country in September, was attached subordinate to MACV, and stationed within Tan Son Nhut Airbase. Their cantonment was located at the northwest area of the base close to the ammunition storage depot and Gate 0-55.

     North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF) pilots had been going to the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR-Communist Russia) since 1959 at a rate of about forty per annum. They had been sent to Krasnodar to participate in a five-year training program in the MiG-17, single-engine fighter or the IL-28 (BEAGLE) light bomber aircraft they acquired through Communist China in early 1964. Their unit departed the airbase in September 1968 for assignment elsewhere. For additional information and photographs of C Battery use this Link.

      The heightened air threat from North Vietnam and the lack of allied low altitude radar coverage in the region meant that if the enemy chose to exploit this weakness it was estimated that the bases in South Vietnam and northeast Thailand would be open to attack.

      The troops of the 6th Battalion, 56th Artillery Regiment (Hawk Missile) established cantonments in Bien Hoa, Tan Son Nhut, Long Bien, Chu Lai, or Landing Zone Oasis stood ready to defend their assigned air bases, fuel and ammo dumps, cities, major troop concentrations areas and free world ports in the Republic of South Vietnam.

     The United States Air Force, Hawk missile battalions, Duster 40MM Gun, Quad 50s and Vulcan tied in to an integrated early warning air defense system gave the allied forces in the Republic of South Vietnam an air defense force in depth.

      Also in September the first handlers and their sentry dogs were assigned to the detachment to provide perimeter security for C Battery at the airfield.

     The 88th MP Company (K9) Sentry Dog Detachment was located in the C Battery cantonment, and provided perimeter and site security. This was during the early stages of the buildup, there were no hard structures, all operations were conducted from canvas field tents and physical security was paramount. The Handlers worked and lived side by side with the artillerymen.

    "The Detachment consisted of four Handler-K9 teams, providing Battery perimeter around the HAWK systems during the evening hours.

     The nighttime security involved one Team from dusk until midnight, being relieved by a second team who worked till dawn. Day security was provided by the artillery unit.

     The Team had responsibility for a short portion of a shared perimeter near the flight line with the Air Force Security Polices (AP) K9 units, but the dogs would alert on each other so we  kept our distance whenever possible. An AP handler fired on me one night, he was new in-country, and scared." Courtesy of SP/4 Eddie Hall, 88th MP Company (K9), MACV & 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog), 95th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, Tan San Nhut Detachment, Saigon, Vietnam September 1965-1966.