Thailand airport comments

This field opened for military use in 1914, and received its first airline flights in 1924. It was a major US airbase during the Vietnam war, as well as Bangkok's main civilian airport until the new Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) opened in 2006. It's currently a joint-use military civilian airport, hosting the Royal Thai Air Force's 1st Air Division.

I spent the year of 1972 at Khorat. Like my earlier time at Tahkli it is hard to think why a person would have such fond memories of a place ... but I do. Again I spent most of my year there building drop tanks, leading a wonderful crew of Thai civilian workers. The end of my tour there encompased the last Linebacker missions when our F-105s and F-4's flew round the clock stopping only when all the tanks we could build were used up. The B-52s from Guam and Utapao flew missions right into the "Downtown" Route packs and even shot down Migs on their own. A sad thing indeed, war, but at least we got the air war stopped ... I'll leave it to others to battle over the rights and wrongs, I served.

I lived and worked at Takhli Royal Thai AB for a wonderful year of my life in 1967. There was a war on so I wonder that I consider it "wonderful" but it was .. my first real time truly away from home and holding down a really responsible job ..building drop tanks for the mssisons we were flying over North Vietnam.

I'm glad to see the old place is still going strong. The former American quarters are west of the south end of runway 36 and the shiny new maintenance complex to the est is all new in the past few years ... I dearly miss my time there and I miss the wonderful Thai workers I was priviledged to lead as we did our bit to help.