AVIAN 34 information
for AMMC
34 GS GRP
241 TC CO
110 TC CO

For date 701015


AMMC was a US Army unit
34 GS GRP was a US Army unit
241 TC CO was a US Army unit
110 TC CO was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
South Vietnam
Location, Tan Son Nhut
Description: The following is the third installment (an extract) from AVIAN 34 (a 38 page magazine publication with color photos), October 1970, Vol. II, Number 3. This installment contains information from pages 4 through 5 which was presented as a section or chapter titled "US Army Aviation Materiel Management Center" The history of the U.S. Army Aviation Materiel Management Center (AMMC) dates back to 1963, when approximately 25 supply personnel from the Aircraft Maintenance and Supply Branch, G-4, U.S. Army Support Command, Vietnam began operating what was then called the Aircraft Supply Point (ASP). In July 1965, USARV provided plans and general guidelines for a depot facility complete with an inventory control point. This depot became AMMC and the Aircraft Supply Point was absorbed into it. The 110th Transportation Company (Depot) arrived in-country in November 1965 and added 116 personnel to the growing strength of AMMC. Four months later the 241st Transportation Company (Depot) arrived and provided the Center the capacity to operate two depots. In February 1968, AMMC was made a permanent unit with its own Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) and placed under the control of 34th General Support Group (Aircraft Maintenance & Supply). The Center, commanded by Colonel Emil Kluever, is located near Group Headquarters at Tan Son Nhut, Saigon. Now an integral part of 34th Group, AMMC provides supply and selected maintenance management support to all Army and Free World Forces aircraft in the Republic of Vietnam. As a part of this mission AMMC operates a centralized, single source, automated inventory control center for aircraft, avionics and armament repair parts. AMMC also serves as a statistical data collection and analysis center for aviation logistical information. The headquarters of AMMC is organized into five directorates, each having a specific area of responsibility. The functions of these directorates are: (A) Directorate of Plans, Operations and Management-This directorate is responsible for planning and developing policies affecting logistical support, performing management studies, and compiling all financial and budgetary reports. It also coordinates all reports leaving the headquarters. (B) Directorate of Supply-Within the Supply Directorate, more than 50,000 lines of stock (valued at more than $140,000,000) are managed. Management responsibilities include stock account, document control, storage, distribution, and priorities. The annual volume of inventory expenditures approaches $800 million. (C ) Directorate of Materiel Requirements -This directorate controls the buying , issuing, and maintenance of the Authorized Stockage List (ASL). Along with this, it is responsible for determining the parts requirements for the various aircraft systems within the Republic of Vietnam. (D) Data Processing Directorate-Using the latest in data processing equipment, including the IBM 360-50 computer, this directorate processes from 90,000 to 100,000 requisitions a month. These transactions are processed against the master availability balance file containing more than 50,000 lines of supply. (E) Directorate of Maintenance-This directorate manages all USARV aircraft and turbine engine accounts, the Theater Army Repairables Program (TARP), and the configuration control of theater aircraft. In addition, it monitors the retrograde or return of unserviceable items through the Aircraft Collection and Classification Point (see page 16) to CONUS repair facilities. To gain a broader insight into the mission and operation of AMMC, it would be helpful to examine the processing cycle of the thousands of requisitions processed monthly. When a requisition is sent to AMMC from one of the many Direct Support Supply Activities (DSSA) located throughout Vietnam, it is processed through the Data Processing Center. If the requested item is in stock, a Materiel Release Order (MRO) is forwarded to one of AMMC's two supply depots-the 241st Transportation Company (Depot) near Qui Nhon, or the 110th Transportation Company (Depot) at Tan Son Nhut, Saigon. Requisitions for stock that is unavailable are categorized in one of two ways. Items that are on the Center's Authorized Stockage List but are not on hand are put on a backorder list until new stock arrives. Requisitions for items that are not on the ASL are forwarded through the Defense Automatic Addressing System (DAAS) to the proper supply agency for appropriate action. The 110th Depot, commanded by Major George Catron, stocks more than 47,000 Federal Stock Number items and fills approximately 98 per cent of the 60,000 MROs it receives from AMMC every month. An average of 600 Not Operationally Ready, Supply (NORS) items are processed daily in support of units in all four Military Regions. The 241st Depot, commanded by Captain Bobby Graham, receives, stores, and ships aircraft repair parts for aviation units of Military Regions I and II. It is now supporting eight DSSAs (responsible for 2,019 aircraft) and provides back-up support to all other DSSAs in its area. The 241st stocks 38,000 Federal Stock Number items and fills 93 per cent of the more than 25,000 MROs it processes monthly. Once an MRO has been filled at one of these depots, the item is either picked up or delivered, depending on the proximity of the requesting unit to the depot. Most pick-ups are made by truck convoy, while deliveries over long distances are usually air-lifted. The newly developed "Red Ball 34" airlift supply program (see page 22) provides customer units with required parts more expeditiously than was ever before possible. All NORS items receive special treatment. When a NORS requisition is received by AMMC, it is sent directly to the Supply Directorate, where a search for the item is begun. If the item is not on hand either at the 241st or 110th depots, it is sent through the "Red Ball" system, which is used to expedite the ordering and shipment of NORS items from the United States. Requisitions are transmitted through the DAAS, from where they are sent to the appropriate commodity command and filled. These items are then shipped with top priority to the 110th Depot for further movement to the using unit. It is programs such as "Red Ball" that are helping AMMC continue its fine record of support to Army and Free World Forces aircraft in the Republic of Vietnam.

The following is from SFC Rich Gomez, US Army Retired July 2018

I was stationed with the AMMC in 1968-69 in the secure white bldg down the road from Tent City B in Saigon, in the above article it stated the units computer system was and IBM 360/50, that had to have been after I left in November 1969. During my tour, I was a shift supervisor and the last two months I was Operations Acting NCOIC, we were operating an IBM 1460 TOS (Tape Operated System) an Eight Bytes, two 12 hour shifts, as a backup we used the Pacific Engrs (next door) IBM 1420. Operations was overseen by CW3 Ayers and a SFC/E7 with about 5 computer operations personal per shift plus auxiliary equipment personal supporting an IBM 1005 processor. Additionally, I believe I stated that AMMC was located in a stand alone white bldg about 1/4 mile from the main gate to Tent City B at the edge of Saigon outside of Tan Son Nhut AFB at the end of the main runway, never on the AF base.
Comments: COL Kluever, Emil; AMMC CO; ; MAJ Catron, George; 110 TC CO CO; ; CPT Graham, Bobby; 241 TC CO CO; ;

The source for this information was Vol. II, No. 3 dated Oct 1970 copy contributed by Jerry Mellick

Additional information is available on CD-ROM.

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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023