Birth date: Oct 17, 1945 Death date: Apr 11, 2021
James Edwin Hicks passed away on April 11, 2021 at his home in Miami, FL after a two year battle with small intestinal cancer. He was 75 years old. Jim was born on October 17, 1945 in Jacksonville, FL. In 1963 he enlisted in the U Read Obituary
Jim and I met in the Navy while we were attached to OASU/VX-8/VXN-8 out of NAS Patuxent River, Md.
One of the projects assigned to OASU was to broadcast television to the troops and Vietnamese/American civilians in and around Saigon and psyops radio broadcasts.
We were known as the Blue Eagles.
We had 4 aircraft (NC-121 Super Constellations); 3 of which had complete television broadcast equipment aboard and a live studio for an announcer where live newscasts were broadcast from. 3 were stationed in Saigon and flew on alternating schedules each night for about 4 hours broadcasting Vietnamese news and musicals, etc to the people in and around Saigon and American programs like Combat, Have Gun Will Travel, Gunsmoke, etc. to the American civilians and troops.
The 4th plane was stationed in Danang and they flew nightly broadcasting psyops info to the Vietnamese.
I was a Flight Radio Operator and my position was in the cockpit behind the pilot so my duties did not have anything to do with the back end crew who operated the T.V. equipment, but I would occasionally go back and watch the operation.
Those of us in the front of the aircraft were Aviation types (Airdales), while the backend crew were, for the most part, Shipboard type (Blackshoe) Electronic Technicians.
Jim's job was to operate and maintain all the electronics that dealt with the T.V. and Radio broadcasts.
Jim was an outstanding sailor, shipmate and friend who will be missed by myself and his fellow Blue Eagles.
Fair Winds and Following Seas my friend.
Dennis Bourn
