OUR SQUADRON
100th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron (100th AMMS)
Welcome to the 100th AMMS Website !! Inside is a compilation of pictures and stories of a bunch of hard working, hard playing, young and old dedicated men and women. We were a mixed bunch, Missile Maintenance, Missile System Analyst, Jet Engine Specialist, Battery Specialist, Avionic Specialist, Aircraft Sheet metal Specialist, Scorer, E.W., MCGS Radar Specialist, Job Control, Plans & Scheduling, Weapons, Safety, QA , QE, and Administration all brought together with a common mission. As a squadron we were responsible for keeping the drones or “bugs” airborne and operational. We were the “Bug Chasers.” A ragtag band of brothers, who played hard, fought with each other and did a lot of things no one would believe if we wrote it in a book.
In the mid 1960’s the first operational location was deployed in Bien Hoa, Vietnam. The first “Bug Chasers” set the standard for those of us that came after. The mission was simple… work grueling hours and play hard as hell. In Bien Hoa, our drones or “bugs” were sent in to take care of low altitude reconnaissance over North Vietnam. This helped prevent loss of pilot life or capture since our bugs flew unmanned.
In 1970 our leaders in Washington decided it might be a good idea if we moved to Thailand. After the “TET” offensive in 1968 and the constant threat of mortar attacks on the drones, we packed up and moved over to a more peaceful work area and a bigger party town! U-Tapao Airfield in Thailand became our more permanent home and stomping grounds. We had so much fun in Thailand they had to rotate us so no one felt left out. After all, who could resist sixteen hour work days, seven days a week in one hundred percent humidity? Oh the joy of taking a shower and never getting dry! Not to mention listening to goofy lizards with a name we won’t mention here. We worked hard to keep our country safe from harm and learned how to survive on four hours sleep! No wonder everyone was cranky.
Like a good night club our operation was so successful and so much fun we decided to open another party town. We shopped around and decided on Osan Airbase in South Korea. Could life get any better? Now we had two places to play. The folks in Washington decided to give Osan a different mission than the one at U-Tapao. However, we scoped out the local hotspots right away and soon the bug chaser attitude and lifestyle was spreading through Chicoville like a wildfire!
Yes, we worked very hard for our country and played hard when time allowed. We always kept our mission first and we never failed! We still have pride in what we accomplished back then and felt like it was time to remember those days and share them with the world. We invite you to come in and visit. Take a look at the pictures of our memories, share our stories and meet this bug chasing, ragtag band of brothers.