Staff Sergeant Thomas Tessier

One of the little-known facts about the Vietnam War is the shortage of military manpower in late 1965. It was short to a point where Army and Marine personnel normally used to protect US Air Forces bases in Vietnam were re-assigned to conventional combat units leaving USAF security units to protect their own bases in Vietnam. The depletion of these units caused an accelerated training of additional USAF security forces. Entire USAF basic training units were sent to Security/Police schools no matter what specialty occupation schools were promised upon enlistment.

It was in this environment that Nashua native, Tom Tessier, enlisted in the US Air Force delayed-entry program while still a senior at Nashua High School in 1965. He didn’t leave until January 20, 1966, for basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. Tessier describes his basic training experience, “It was a strange, stressful eight-week indoor experience. There was a dangerous, bacterial meningitis epidemic on the base infecting many recruits including the death of one recruit. We were in full quarantine, and so had few outdoor activities. After basic training, my 60-man basic training unit and many others were all assigned to Air Police/Security training school for ten weeks at the Lackland Air Force Security Police Academy.”

Tessier continues, “When I enlisted, and not having any real future direction in mind, I told my recruiter I wanted to go into meteorology. So, naturally, after boot camp, and weeks of security training, I was assigned to guard duty at a very remote missile site in Turkey near the USSR-Georgia Border.”

After declining a 30-day leave to go home, Tessier was reassigned to a SAC Titan II nuclear missile security unit with 18 silos within a 60-mile radius at Davis Monthan air base in Tucson, AZ. Tessier explains, “The nuclear missile security duty was very stressful due to long 10-hour shifts of 3 days, 3 swing and 3-midnight shifts followed by two days off. Sleep patterns were impossible. Divorces and mental breakdowns were not uncommon. We even had to train on our days off due to manpower shortages.”

After a few weeks of guarding secret U2 and SR71 spy aircraft and other multi-million-dollar resources, Tessier was promoted from Airman 3rd class to 2nd class and placed on missile patrol duty reacting to electronic surveillance warnings or possible missile-silo intrusions.

Tessier explains the job, “It was boring duty for weeks at a time waiting for an actual electronic warning. There were many unannounced simulated alerts. If patrol teams did not follow perfect nuclear security test procedures, they would be removed from their days off for additional training. Screwing up twice meant possible extra duty and training or a court martial and demotion. The pressure was enormous and most of us were 18 to 20 years old. Also, a rocket fuel or chemical oxidizer leak would kill you quickly if you were downwind. If intruders breached the well-marked restricted area fence, we had orders to shoot to kill making certain the perpetrator fell inside the missile complex six-foot chain link and razor wire fence-line.”

In the summer of 1967, Tessier had had enough of guarding missiles. “I was to be promoted,” he said, “to Buck Sergeant E-4. So, it was my decision to volunteer for Vietnam. I received my overseas orders within a week (no surprise) and was scheduled to depart in mid-September after two weeks of ‘totally inadequate army combat training’ at Camp Bullis, Texas followed by my first and only leave back home after 20 months away.”

Tessier headed for the bus stop to leave for Vietnam. He continues, “I departed alone, as the only Air Force soldier on a commercial aircraft that was otherwise full of Army replacement soldiers, on a 23-hour flight from Boston to Vietnam.”

After two weeks of languishing with no available slot to fill, Tessier was assigned to the 1,000-man-strong 377th Security Forces unit on the massive Tan Son Nhut air base just north of Saigon. Upon arrival, Tessier reported for two weeks of intense in-country combat and weapons training followed by two months of what he described as…” terrible perimeter guard duty on very frightening single-man nighttime listening posts.” Tessier noted, “We shared these posts with really large rats and some nasty snakes who loved our used C-ration cans.”

Tessier’s promotion to Buck Sergeant became effective November 1, 1967, but the paperwork did not arrive until January 1, 1968. This prompted an immediate reassignment to a 60-foot tall observation tower (T-14) in a vulnerable and far-northern point of the base perimeter two miles from the main base. Tessier explains, “The tower faced rice paddies with random patches of taller vegetation where the enemy could find concealment. There was a tiny village with an old catholic church steeple facing my position about 300 to 400 yards out from the perimeter. The tower I manned was for early warning of possible enemy ground attacks.” Little did he know it at the time, but Sergeant Tessier was about to be part of some of the most vicious fighting in the Vietnam War.

Air Force and Army intelligence indicated that the air base could never be attacked by a force larger than a 200-man force. Tessier notes, “None of us ever expected to be in a combat action.”

On the evening of January 30, 1968, the base commander, a WWII combat veteran with a keen sense of intuition, ordered a “red alert.” It was the start of what was supposed to be a three-day Vietnamese holiday celebrating “TET”, the lunar new year. A truce was in effect. Figuring it was like a July 4th or Memorial Day holiday in the US, many thought the Vietnamese would take it easy for a few days. Tessier continues, “That night for the first time I was issued an M-60 machine gun with 2,500 rounds of ammo with a second barrel, a night vision scope, and assigned an assistant gunner/ammo loader.”

Tessier describes what happened next, “At 3:20 am on 1/31/68 my unit of 400 security forces on post with 500 more on alert standby were attacked by 5 reinforced enemy battalions estimated at 2,500 to 3,500 soldiers. The giant battle for Tan Son Nhut was on. Luckily two more 500-man enemy reserve battalions never made it to the battle. The enemy hit the base from five directions after neutralizing many civilians living near the base or using them as cover. Four of the attacks were small diversionary standoff small arms and sniper attacks of 200-man company size.”

Tessier continues, “The main attack was at the West End perimeter with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades followed by the major ground attack and base penetration by three reinforced battalions of local force VC (Viet Cong) and well-trained and equipped battle-hardened NVA (North Vietnamese Army) infantry and artillery forces with a few trained pilots who were to fly our jet fighters and bombers to attack Saigon.”

Author’s Note: The TET offensive did not just affect Tan Son Nhut air base. It was the largest single offensive action taken by NVA and VC forces with surprise attacks country-wide. US and South Vietnamese forces sustained considerable losses before the enemy offensive was repelled.

Tessier’s 377th USAF Security Forces were in strong defensive positions and held the enemy off for three hours until two units of the 25th infantry 3/4 Mechanized Cavalry (tanks and armored personnel carriers) came to assist, along with a battalion of brave Vietnamese Rangers who, by pure serendipity, were on the base awaiting transport to a major combat area up north.

Tessier describes the action, “Our Army rescuers smashed head-long into the enemy forces and suffered many more KIA (killed in action) and WIA (wounded in action). Our South Vietnamese allies suffered as well, being caught in a deadly crossfire due to confusing multi-unit radio traffic complicated by language barriers. It was absolute chaos as everyone with a radio was simultaneously trying to report enemy activity all around the base. It looked like a giant 4th of July. Hundreds of thousands of tracer rounds, incoming rockets and RPGs, (rocket-propelled grenades) created heavy smoke. Illumination flares brought light to the battle. Numerous Army helicopter gunships, tanks, and armored personnel carriers were incapacitated or destroyed within 500 yards of the main battle. We were not prepared for this major attack because it was ruled out as a possible threat. Thank the stars for our commander’s experience and anticipation knowing that ceasefires and holidays were the most logical times for our enemies to catch us with our pants down.”

Tessier continues, “My post was targeted with small arms fire and one sniper about 400 yards out who probably knew we were the furthest outpost on the Northern perimeter. I will never forget that first ‘snap’ sound of a bullet passing by my head just a microsecond after having seen a muzzle flash. My assistant gunner and I fired 500 rounds at the muzzle flash location. We received no further fire from that position. Finally, after dawn, US helicopter gunships, C-47 gunships, also known as ‘puff the magic dragon’ and Vietnamese Skyraider low-level fighter bombers joined the fray and helped to save the base.”

Had Tan Son Nhut fallen, the enemy would have had control of over 25,000 (see Subject Note 2) mostly unarmed non-combat military personnel and thousands of civilian contract personnel which included General Westmorland’s joint general staff at Pentagon East on the airbase. Saigon would probably have fallen as well.

The battle for Tan Son Nhut Air base, to this day, remains the largest, longest, and most decorated ground battle in USAF history with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 enemy killed wounded, or taken prisoner. Hundreds were killed on the base, on the perimeter in concertina wires and many more just off the perimeter in the rice paddies, farm huts and wood lines further out.

Tessier’s unit, the 377th SPS received the Presidential Unit Citation and the USAF Outstanding Unit citation with V device for Valor. Tessier, personally received the USAF Commendation medal for direct combat action firing his M60 machine gun, burning out two barrels before switching to his M-16 rifle while under small arms and RPG attack and calling in gunships and aircraft to strafe and bomb along the North perimeter. This helped his fellow perimeter security troops to prevent a weak point penetration of the northernmost access gate. One of the unique things about this action was both Army General William Westmoreland and Air Force General William Momyer made direct commendations to the 377th for saving Tan Son Nhut and Saigon. Tessier notes, “For years I had nightmares about calling in fire on the village where the enemy was using civilians as shields.”

Because he was doing such a good job on his tower, his superiors decided to assign Tessier to an artillery spotting tower on base. After a three-day school, Tessier went to work calling incoming enemy rockets. He notes, “My new job was an Army position which the Air Force had never considered training its airmen.”

Over the next 2 1/2 years, Tessier served on the towers every night. It was a nerve-wracking job because 95% of enemy rocket attacks occurred from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. The post orders read… “…your post is the single most important security post on Tan Son Nhut. You must never leave your post under any circumstances unless relieved…”

Tessier explains the job, “Once sighted, we immediately called ‘incoming rockets’ to security HQ. They then sounded the booming alarm sirens on the giant base and for Saigon. Simultaneously we took readings on an Army BC artillery scope and triangulated with the other two rocket towers hoping all three or at least two tower readings could plot a fire location on a map for return fire. All this had to happen in a frantic few seconds. My tremendous adrenaline rush back then has never been duplicated. This duty was immensely stressful, night after night, due to the acute vigilance we had to maintain from dusk to dawn. A missed enemy rocket attack with no siren warnings on base could cause unnecessary deaths and injuries to many on the giant base. We never knew if we saved lives but knowing what damage the rockets inflicted, I am certain many who scrambled to their bunkers as the rocket warning sirens blared were saved from death or serious injuries.”

The assignment had some ill effects on Tessier. He explains: “I did this rocket warning job for over 2 years and 6 months. Most of the other men lasted from a few weeks to 8 months before asking for transfers to other less stressful duties preferably daytime shifts. For years after, I had nightmares, night sweats, and shaking when dreaming about missing a rocket launch or being overrun because we could not leave our post. Upon returning home, because of my Vietnam experiences, I could not attend 4th of July fireworks displays and I gave up deer hunting for many years.”

Tessier served five continuous tours in Vietnam. He notes, “After each tour I was allowed a paid 30-day leave with free transportation to anywhere in the world. I chose Nashua.”

He explains his departure and life after the Air Force: “Leaving Vietnam for the last time was difficult. I knew my job well; I was in charge and very confident. Now I feared the unknown of returning to school as a civilian after 5 years. I found the transition as stressful as those long nights of extreme vigilance. Just what I needed; more stress. Later, the disciplines I learned allowed me to excel in completing my college degree in three years and running my own business for over 45 years. I am so lucky to have lived a great life, a 52-year marriage to a woman who can keep me grounded, a great son, a great college experience paid for by the GI bill, and a 45-year self-employed business career I could never have imagined. If called to serve my country today, I would not hesitate.”

Tessier said he is proud to have followed in his family’s military footsteps. He says, “My grandfather spent 18 months of WWI doing trench warfare duty in France. My father spent 24 months of WWII as an infantry translator in North Africa, Sicily, and England. He landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day +1, then worked his way through France, the low countries, and finally, Germany. They were both severely injured and received purple hearts. They were my superheroes.”

Subject’s Note 1: This battle was finally researched and chronicled in the early 1990s in a few chapters of the book “The Battle for Saigon” by Keith William Nolan. “My name is the last name in the alphabetically listed credits of names of the personnel the author interviewed for the book. This book’s detailed reporting was the first time my fellow combat unit veterans realized the massive scope of the battle. We now had lots of new information to discuss at reunions” noted Tessier.

Subject’s Note 2: The official USAF after-action report of 1/31/68 to 2/3/68 Battle for Ton Son Nhut is available online. (www.377sps.org)