1st, 14th PsyOp Battalions and The 7th PsyOp Group
USAB&VAPAC and VUNC
LAST UPDATED: 4/21/08
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USARPAC Patch |
Crest Worn by 14th RB&L |
Torii Patch |
14th PsyOp Bn Crest |
7th PsyOp Group Crest |
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View of East China Sea From Headquarters Company at Ft. Buckner Machinato Area Okinawa 1961
History of 1st, 14th PsyOps Battalions and The 7th PsyOp Group
by Tim P. Yoho
I served as a member of the United States Army Broadcasting and Visual Activity Pacific (USAB&VAPAC) on Okinawa from 1961-1963 and in August 2004 decided to research the history of this unit. My search on the Internet turned up very little if any information.
I therefore decided to piece together some history and events based on my experiences and included photos and documentation from my personal collection..
Since beginning the project in 2004, the original page has grown. I was pleasantly surprised to hear from numerous individuals who provided additional information in the form of pictures and accounts.. The page was expanded to include the reorganization of the 14th PsyWar Bn to the 14th PsyOp Bn and the 7th PsyOp Group... The page was expanded (1/06) to include the 14th Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Battalion, the predecessor to the 14th PsyWar. . The most recent addition to the page is the 1st Radio Broadcasting and leaflet Battalion that served in the korean War.
A roster of 1,123 officers, enlisted personnel and civilians have been identified and listed to date (4/21/08).
The roster of names can be found in "Organization and Roster' which follows in menu..In some cases information and current e-mail addresses are provided with the names. If you would like your name added or know names of former members, please contact me.
A unit lineage and brief history of the each unit appears below followed by more detailed information in the Menu.. A Commentary and update Page was added to the Menu (1/14/06).
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who would like to contribute to the history of these units.
I arrived on Okinawa a Pvt. and left Okinawa and the Army as an Sp4.. I later completed a Ph.D. in Insect Physiology and Biochemistry.. In 2004 I retired from Lock Haven University of PA after 30 years as a Professor of Biology..
I presently live near Lock Haven in central PA... My complete biography, family history and other personal information can be found on my Homepage.
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PFC Tim Yoho 1961 |
Dr. Tim Yoho 2005 |
Unit Lineage
The Initial PsyOp Unit: The 14th PsyOp Battalion 1943-1945
The first link in the chain of units leading to the 7th PsyOp Group was the 4th Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company designated the 14th Psychological Operations Battalion in 1943.. Other than campaign participation credit in Rhineland: Ardennes-Alsace, nothing is known about this first unit....Any information about this unit would be greatly appreciated.
The 1st and 14th Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Battallions
The history and organization of units comprizing the 14th has been expanded to include the 1st and 14th RB&L. Battallions. The 1st RB&L was formed in 1950 and served in the Korean War. It was deactivaed in 1954. In 1956, the command structure of the 1st was renamed Broadcasting and Visual Activity (B&VA) and became the 14th RB&L battalion stationed in Hawaii. The 14th PsyWar Bn was formed or reorganized from this group. As early as 1958, the 14th were moving equipment and personnel to Okinawa....Although the 14th PsyWar did not officially come into existance until 1961, they were in operation as part of the 14th RB&L.
Evidence also reveals that The Korea Detachments of the 14th PsyWar did not originate from the 14th RB&L but were "descendants" of the 1st RB&L which was the major PsyOp unit functioning during the Korean War.
Further Information and history of the 1st and 14th RB&L and the 14th PsyWar Battalions can be found in menu below.
Reorganization to the 7th PsyOps Group
The 14th PsyWar Battalion became the 14th PsyOp Battalion in 1965 and all components known as B&VA became the 7th PsyOps Group. The 7th Group remained part of the active army until 1975 when it was transferred to the active reserves. The history of the 7th Group is included in the menu.
The role of the 14th Bn after the reorganization to the 7th Group was that of a support unit to the 7th Group. More about this reorganization and the role of the 14th Bn can be found in Menu item "Reorganization of 14th PsyWar to 14th PsyOps and 7th Group".
Unit Mission
Since I began this page in 2004 as a history of the 14th PsyWar Battalion, I have retained below the "Mission" summary that was in operation during my tour. The mission was expanded during the reorganization to the 7th Group and can be accessed in the menu.
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The "Mission" of our Battalion in the Cold War was to monitor and research information, and to broadcast and disseminate "the truth" to mainland China, North Korea Vietnam and other asian countries. .We also "entertained" the troops with local broadcasts consisting of news and music.
The Battalion Headquarters for the 14th was on Okinawa but there were detachments in Japan and Korea. In Korea the unit was known as VUNC or The Voice of The United Nations Command. Headquarters Company was located in Seoul and two VUNC broadcast sites were located near the DMZ.
Although some shows were taped and also broadcast live from Korea, the main VUNC studios were located on Okinawa. Shows were taped and sent to Korea for rebroadcasting by means of a 50 KW shortwave transmitter located at Deragawa Okinawa. The location of the first VUNC studio is unknown but was moved to Machinato in 1961 or 62.
