History of the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations in Vietnam 1962 - 1975

By:   Usafr Col William Arnold, Usafr Lt Col Robert Thompson
Imprint:   Totalrecall Publications, Inc.
Dimensions:   Height: 279mm,  Width: 216mm,  Spine: 33mm
Weight:   1.601kg
ISBN:   9781648832819
ISBN 10:   1648832814
Pages:   422
Publication Date:   02 April 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Col William R Arnold Jr, USAF (Retired). SA Bill Arnold served with OSI from 1967 through 1994. He served as detachment commander on four tours (within Districts 45, 7, 18, and 46.) He was the District 45 (Korea) commander from 1988 to 1990. SA Arnold was also the Senior Inspector on the AFOSI IG team from 1982 to 1984. He ended his Air Force career as the first Counterintelligence Support Officer (CISO) appointed as such on orders at the US European Command (USEUCOM) from 1990 through 1994. In addition to managing the command's CI programs, he had oversight of theater Human Intelligence (HUMINT), counterterrorism and counterdrug programs. He was the chief intelligence planner for many of the 13 joint task forces that were initiated and managed by USEUCOM during his tour.After retiring from the Air Force, Col Arnold worked as a Defense contractor for 16 years specializing in intelligence and counterintelligence support to the Department of Defense and the unified commands. This support included being one of two lead authors on an intelligence support to law enforcement strategic plan signed by the Director of Central Intelligence and supervising linguist and intelligence collection assets in Iraq and Afghanistan. Col Arnold was also the president of the National Military Intelligence Association and its follow-on service organization, the National Military Intelligence Foundation.SA Arnold served as the detachment CI officer and ASP manager at Detachment 5008, Pleiku AB, Vietnam for the year of 1970. The three ASP networks he managed provided critical force protection intelligence to Pleiku AB and other US military facilities in the Pleiku vicinity. He developed relationships with Army (Special Forces, helicopter, and artillery) units in the area that acted on threat information he provided. His reporting in Jun 1970, was credited for four air strikes which resulted in numerous enemy killed, the destruction of a command post bunker, four other bunkers, three defensive positions, and two other structures, and one secondary explosion.Col Arnold's awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Bronze Star (for his achievements in Vietnam), the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Vietnam Service Medal with 4 bronze stars, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with device and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Lt Col Robert W Thompson, USAFR (Retired). SA Bob Thompson, a native of Los Angeles, California, served on active duty with the Air Force for eight years. He served as detachment commander at three OSI detachments and as field office commander at two Defense Investigative Service field offices. While serving with OSI he attended the Basic Investigators Course, Counterintelligence Course, Distinguished Visitor Protection Course, and Fraud Investigations Course.During his assignment to Detachment 5008, Pleiku Air Base (PAB), Vietnam, 1971 - 1972, Lt Col Thompson served as detachment commander. He took an active role in the detachment's ASP. His detachment produced numerous intelligence reports which were shared with intelligence units in the Pleiku area. He advanced working relationships with Army CIC and CID units, the VNAF-Security Division located on PAB, as well as the II Corps Interrogation Center. This center operated in concert with the male POW camp where intelligence coordinated with interrogation teams assisted in locating potential threats in the vicinity of Pleiku.After separating from active duty, Lt Col Thompson served in the Air Force Reserve for 20 years. He served as a Disaster Preparedness Officer in assignments with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, first with the City of Los Angeles Disaster Preparedness Office and then with the California Office of Emergency Services. He subsequently served with the Defense Logistics Agency as an Administrative Contracting Officer. During these assignments he also served as an Air Force Academy Admissions Liaison Officer. Lt Col Thompson retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1997.After leaving active duty, Lt Col Thompson worked for the Veterans Administration as a fraud investigator and subsequently for Hughes Aircraft Company as a Subcontractor/Automatic Data Processing Security Inspector. Thereafter, Lt Col Thompson worked at Thompson Industries, Ltd, a leader in the design, development and manufacture of heat transfer products for the Defense, Semiconductor, and Supercomputer industries. In his capacity as partner and Vice President, he managed and directed operations in the administrative, financial, engineering, and testing areas.Lt Col Thompson's awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze stars, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, First Class.