Charles Fredrick Hill –Hanover History Project 1994.

I started to work at JPG in 1966. In 1990 I retired. Initially, I was a Proof Director, A person in charge of a test. From there I went to Management Analysis. I was a management analyst far longer than I was a proof director. I was given I think it was six weeks training.  Each week we were given a review and we worked with a crew in preparation hauling and storing powder.  Most of what we did was to observe.  Weights and scales, screwing in a dummy fuze, loading and unloading.
 

When did the computer come in?

I was there when they left the abacus. My best guess is that we got the computer in the early 70’s.

When you started how much did you make?

  I think somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 or 9 dollars per hour.

What was the work atmosphere like?

 This was during the Vietnam War. I was hired under a program that had to do especially with  “Nam, a program called “COFRAM”  The Controlled Fragmentation of Munitions.  I was hired for the express purpose of testing COFRAM.  The Army was allowed to hire a lot of people for this project. It was secret.  They already had the folks doing the main testing, but we were hired just to do COFRAM testing.  I lucked out and got into the special stuff. 

After “Nam there was a cutback.  This is production stuff. When the Army bought it. I worked down at Charlestown before I came here.  We made the powder at Charlestown and bagged it and anyway they sent random samples of anything the army was purchasing to JPG where the Army would test it.  Projectiles, fuzes, all sorts of powder, anything that made a complete round on the cartridge cases.
 

 Right off the assembly line, the factory would immediately send samples to JPG to be tested.  We had 72 hours to wire back to the manufacturer and the government whether the ammo was acceptable according to a set of standards.  They had book after book of what the performance should be. Then the government would cut the manufacturer a check and they would continue manufacturing more rounds.

After “Nam, They cut back on the purchase of ammunition. The rumors abounded of cutbacks. The only change I remember was the fear of layoff before reaching minimum retirement. 

What was the role of Women?

I don’t know haw many women were out there before I got there. We had an increase in the employment of women for example in preparing the ammo. They began to put women on some jobs previously held by men. There was one or two on the guard force, which was unknown before. There were women proof directors while I was there.  Women’s utility increased greatly while I was there.

What were your best memories at JPG?

My best memory was probably was the Gulf effort (Gulf War I). A lot of patriotism existed. Just as it was when I went to World War II.  When I went off to WWII there were parents of my age group working at JPG and they worried about their sons and daughters. Just as when the Gulf war happened then again we had parents that were worried.  Here it was now that I was a parent.  Fortunately I had no children in ‘Nam or the Gulf War. The parents that worked at JPG now had children in the Gulf War.

What was your worst memories?

I really don’t have truthfully  any worst memories. 

We had several commanders that were good that were interested and were excellent leaders..

I personally did not experience any fatal accidents.  I think there were one or two occurrences while I was there, but they were very minor.

What were your thoughts on Base Closure?

I was in a very unique position. I had earned the right to retire. They offered a good retirement package. I took advantage of the situation to retire. I regretted the closure for the other employees.

I was glad to see the Air National Guard come in and stay after closure.  I was a pilot for 8 years and I was glad to see the Air National Guard flying at JPG.  If the Army was not going to buy as much Ammunition, there was  no reason to keep a multimillion dollar operation going.

Fred asking:  do you know what we were doing out there?

Interviewer:  they told us of the testing, but I have been out only once.

Fred:  If you ever want to go out there, just call me and I will take you out there.  End 1994.

Follow on Interview with Fred Hill 

1:30 pm, March 9^th 2007

Fred’s House,

810 West Main Street.

     A further explanation of COFRAM was controlled fragmentation ammunition.  These inserts in the 155mm were like a slice of pie only much thicker.  Inside of the round was located a golf ball sized sphere (lead Azide inside).  I recall that from a timed fuse they were kicked out of the carrier at 1500 feet they would disperse. 

They had spring loaded wings to stabilize the fall and when they fell they were on the bottom side of the wedge, so that when they hit the bottom of the wedge it would cause that lead Azide not to function but to go up about 5 or 6 feet and then explode.  It was anti-personnel and I asked once why not 6 feet, because you would get better coverage up there and the answer was that the rounds were designed for Asians whose average height was about 5 feet.  This was ‘Nam you see.  After the COFRAM units were dispersed functioned or didn’t function that field was closed off when the test ended we would go out with demolition people and mark each unit if it functioned or did not function and tell why to the best of our ability. 

Then when all were checked out the demolition people would place a charge next to them and blow them all up and then they had to collect every little piece that had anything to do with that test.  Demolition would place the pieces in a bag and periodically they would melt them down. 

     We carried 38 revolvers.  Everybody on the test did, well the gunners did not. But the people in the field did.  I remember we would pick up the bullets over a t Security.  I would stick them in my pocket, put the revolver in my holster and that’s where it stayed.  I never did put a bullet in that revolver.  I think I practiced at a firing range, but if you aimed north and fired the gun that was good enough for qualification (laughs).  I never had a problem with weapons. 

     Finally there were no more rounds that were classified secret (See note at the bottom).  The answer was that some marines were being attacked were overwhelmed by ‘Nam and they had those in supply there.  They said now is the time to use them and they cut loose with the rounds and they were exposed, but it stopped the ‘Nam, the charge was over.  Along with that in the way of testing we had targets. 

     They were 5 feet tall and I am guessing they were 12 inches wide.  They resembled bodies and they were made of corrugated insulation board.  Each target was wrapped in brown paper and given a number.  There would be 150 targets in the woods.  We would fire the gun and as best we could to get it to function over there at1500 feet in the air. These munitions would fall amongst the targets.  That was one round. 

     We would go out with a colored marker and circle the holes.  Then when all was ready, we would fire another round into the cluster.  We would go out and mark the holes with a different colored marker.   Everybody in the field took part in marking the targets.  So that was one test.  Then they fired a 155 HE with a proximity fuse on it to see how that compared with a 155mm COFRAM round.  I only heard that in the field that when the Marines were being swarmed with ‘Nam that they were very effective, other than that I don’t know how they did. 

Mike Moore:  I have not heard of that round since Vietnam.  Now we are fighting in the desert in Iraq.

Fred:  Now we are worried about camel spiders. (Laughs)

     On this COFRAM, I recall Sammie Roberts was at the gun.  Oh no I beg your pardon, I was at the gun.  Sam was at the field.  It was an 8 inch COFRAM round.  It was dovetailed in the back end and at 1500 feet it would explode and all the units would fall out the backend.  There were about a 100 of them. 

One day Sam called for a certain elevation and azimuth.  We put one round down and Sam wanted about a 30 mil correction, a very slight mil correction, and in the mean time there was a gun crew and a gunner up on the 8 inch gun messing around and the gunner asked “What was that reading again?  I said 30 mils.  I was in there setting the fuse and they were getting the gun ready.  So okay we fired one and Sam called back and said “Good Grief, What happened?  I said, “I don’t know what happened. 

Sam asked, “Was that fired at azimuth and elevation so and so”?  I said gosh, “I hope so”.  Sam said “You know what Hill, instead of going out in front of us, it went behind us”.  I went out and checked the gun with the gun leader and found out what the goof was.  I said don’t touch it.  Don’t you dare touch it. 

I looked in the gun site and instead of 30 mil left, the gun site said it was 60 mils left, which put it on the other side of the bomb proof.    

     Things like that happened.  We were very fortunate.  You know the culprits never did get blamed!  A poor guy on the night shift had fired a set of pressure gages thru the gun tube and the authorities said these gages cut out some of the lands inside the tube and caused the round to go awry.  I provided enough proof to the investigating committee that it had to be the gun site was off.  My contention was, why did it not happen on all preceding rounds?   Anyway Lawrence Raisor got a day off with out pay and he was on the night crew.  There was some disagreement between what I said and what the gun crew leader said. 

Notes on COFRAM From the Internet

1st Battalion Operational Report 

On 2 February 1967, D Battery displaced a platoon to the vicinity of Dong Ha to (YD228583) to support Marine operations east of Quang Tri.  D Battery platoon returned to Carroll on 17 February. 

On 6 February to 20 Feb 1966, gun pads were constructed in C Battery.

On 7 February 1967, C Battery displaced a platoon to the base of the Rockpile (XD983543).  Movement was to support a Marine Recon patrol near the Laotian border.  C Battery platoon returned to Carroll on 9 February.

3rd Marine Recon call sign was Rain Belt. The 2/94th shot frequently in support of these Recon Marines.

On 7 February 1967, the Lang Vei Special Forces Camp close to the Khe Sanh Combat Base was over run by NVA Tanks.  This was the first reported use of tanks by the enemy in the war. Reports show 9 NVA tanks were used. 

Early in the morning of 7 February 1967 the Marine artillery , B/1/13 105mm towed, fired, what was a Top Secret projectile back then, COFRAM projectiles or "Firecracker Rounds".  This was the first official reported use of these Top Secret COFRAM artillery rounds in the war.

According to reports this authority was requested by General Westmoreland and then approved by President Johnson.

According to a memo from General Wheeler to President Johnson 28 COFRAM rounds were fired in the first usage. COFRAM rounds, followed by HE, and then air support.

The 13th Marine Artillery at Khe Sanh consisted of  three 105mm howitzer batteries (towed) a provisional 155mm howitzer (towed) battery, and a 4.2-inch mortar battery.  This totaled 24 artillery pieces.

Marine artillery would support for and estimated four hours.

Marine artillery was also under heavy counter fire and would suffer casualties during this exchange.

Comment by  Chronicler:  While the 2/94th was primarily all 175mm during this time period eventually this COFRAM "Firecracker" round would be used by some of the Battalion's converted 8-inch Howitzers. It seems that once the round was used it would be used with some consistency from then on.  While not the primary round it would be used in certain situations.

On 9 February 1967, Battery M 4th Battalion 12th Marines displaced from Carroll to the base of the Rockpile.  Movement was to support 3rd Marine operations. M Battery returned to Carroll on 21 February.

On 9 February 1967, C Battery platoon returned to Carroll from the Rockpile.  

From 8 - 12 February 1967, the U.S. Forces declared cease-fire in honor of the Lunar New Year (TET).

The cease-fire was broken on the third night, 10 or 11 February 1967, when B Battery fired in support of a surrounded Marine platoon.