KGB at Khe Sanh

Company A

227th Assault Helicopter Battalion

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

KGB at Khe Sanh / DMZ
by Bob Witt

Over the Years I have been back to Hanoi, and to Russia a couple of times on business. As a result a few years ago two Russians from spent a few days with me.
One of them, Victor, I knew was former KGB. The second evening after a lot of vodka and scotch he began to ask me about some of my pictures, in particular my flight class photo. After telling him about the Cav & I Corp 68-69, he looked at me a little strangely and said, "You may have tried to kill me once". Victor then began to talk about being in Vietnam in 68-69. His assignment was to run a radio intercept post manned by Russians & East Europeans in the S.W. corner of the DMZ north of Khe Sanh, and in adjacent Laos, and North Viet Nam. I pulled my old Tactical maps out and he immediately pointed several locations where the intercept post had operated.
I told him that I hadn't tried to kill him personally, but had flown at least two teams from FOB 1 out to the area in attempts to locate the site, destroy it, and capture important prisoners. He told me that at least once they had evacuated quickly when teams landed very close.
His face turned a little white as he described air raids from tac air, & B-52's, as he moved by road from Hanoi and back. After he left VN the last time, he was sitting in a bar in Hong Kong listening to Carrier Pilots laugh about raids in the north, realizing that a few weeks before these same guys were probably bombing him.
One point that Victor would not respond to was my question about why we lost so many teams, some of which didn't even make initial commo checks, beginning in late may of 68. Or, whether he saw any POW's in VN, or Russia.
A few months ago while meeting with the JTFA guys in Birmingham one of the briefers described his efforts in Russia to contact various Russians about their activities in VN and Russia which might relate to POW's etc. Victor's contact information has been forwarded to the JTFA.
Life takes some interesting twists and turns. I guess it was just God's Grace that I didn't end up sitting across a table being interrogated by Victor 35 years ago.
Happy Trails.........
Bob