Thomas Hanaway was an Irish Catholic lad who grew up on a
farm in Wisconsin. At 19 he decided he wanted to see the world, so in 1960 he
joined the Army for a three year tour of duty. Tom attended basic training at Fort
Hood, Texas, followed by five months of electronics at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
Next stop was Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and jump school with
the 101st Airborne Division. President Kennedy had just expanded the
Army’s Special Forces to deal with the growing situation in Vietnam and Tom
wanted to participate. Now he had a budding career in aviation electronics, and
was looking forward to serving with the 101st.
One of his jumps resulted in a severe knee sprain. After he
got the cast off he was given a brief furlough to go home and visit his folks. Upon
return to his outfit he was disappointed to learn the Army was over staffed
with electronic technicians so he was given the choice of becoming a radio
operator, a demolitions expert, or a medic. Tom chose medical training because it was interesting
and more useful. He spent the next nineteen months at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina before shipping out for Vietnam.
Camp Chau Lang:
Special Forces originated during World War Two. Their job
was to infiltrate behind enemy lines, gather information, organize opposition,
and waste bad guys. This carried over through Korea and into Vietnam. Early on
in VC Land, before the heavy fighting began, part of our Special Forces were
sent there to assist the population and win their confidence. As a medic, that
was Thomas Hanaway’s assignment.
“My enlistment was going to run out a month before my Vietnam
tour ended, so I extended my enlistment to go to Vietnam with my buddies. It’s
one of the best decisions I ever made. The lasting memories from that
experience are a real treasure. I’m sure that never shooting at another human
being and never being shot at contribute to my having such good memories of
that time. The medical work we got to do over there treating the natives has
also left wonderful memories.”
Chau Lang was 10 miles from the Cambodian border, 25 miles
NE from the Gulf of Thailand, and about 80 miles SE of Saigon. This was the An
Giang Province of South Vietnam in the region of the Seven Mountains. During
the early stages of the war there was a truce there between the local tribesmen
and the Vietcong.
In 1962 the Cambodians constructed a camp for the Americans at
Chau Lang. Tom and Fred Paulson set up shop that October working together as a
team with ten other Special Forces medics. The villagers had never received
medical assistance from the Diem Government.
Fred and Tom held sick call almost every day. Their patients
walked over from Cambodia, and the surrounding Mekong Delta. The medics also made
rounds to the villages. It was a rewarding six months in the lives of twelve great
Americans. Tom Hanaway is a practicing psychologist today in Knoxville,
Tennessee. Fred Paulsen established a fishing boat repair business in
Petersburg, Alaska. He sold his repair business ten years ago.
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| Tom Hanaway (right) Chau Lang. |
