On August 23, 1954 the most successful airplane in aviation history took to the skies on its maiden flight. A little over two years later the first operational airplanes were delivered to the 463rd Troop Carrier Wing at Ardmore AFB, Oklahoma. Over the next 21 years Tactical Air Command, United States Air Forces Europe and Pacific Air Forces troop carrier/tactical airlift crew amassed a heroic and impressive record from Africa to Vietnam. Trash Haulers is a revision of a 1988 TAB/Aero publication by Sam McGowan, who was part of that mission.

The operation opened with a low-altitude strafing pass on the Sabenas Airfield by one of the CIA B-26s. At 0600 the first Hercules, flown by Capt. Huey Long from the 777th, with the mission commander, Lt. Col. Burgess Gradwell from 322nd Air Division aboard, came over the Stanleyville airport. (Captain Long would be killed several years later in a landing accident in Taiwan.) In seconds the sky was full of parachutes as the 64 Belgian paratroopers “hit the silk” over Africa. Ten seconds later another Herk came over the drop zone, followed by another, then another, until five aircraft had dropped 64 troops each over Stanleyville. The third airplane over the airport, flown by Captain Keith McDonald's crew, received ground fire as .50-caliber tracers arced up out of the African veldt. This came as a bit of a surprise to the crews, as they had been told that only small arms fire should be expected. But even though all five aircraft in the drop formation received automatic weapons and machine-gun fire and took hits, the pilots remained on course and took no evasive action until their troops were clear. As a result, all 320 paratroops landed exactly on target. Right after the last paratrooper hit the ground on the narrow strip of grass alongside the Stanleyville runway which served as the drop zone, the “Talking Bird” aircraft - dubbed “Dragon Chief” because the commander of the LEO mission, Col. Clayton Issacson, was aboard - made a high-speed low pass over the runway. The Belgians later described the noise as “the sound of Gideon's Trumpet.” It's possible that the screaming noise of the low-flying Hercules frightened some of the Simbas away from the airport.

Sam McGowan is a retired corporate pilot and US Air Force veteran. He logged more than 4,000 hours in C-130s, mostly in Southeast Asia and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross and twelve Air Medals. He lives in Missouri City, Texas