The Professionals

"The Professionals" chronicles the key events of the largest United States strategic communications base in the Vietnam War at Phu Lam, Vietnam, and relates the personal reminiscences of some of the men who served there. It documents the growth of the base, the circumstances under which five men were killed in action and its eventual "Vietnamization" and turnover to the South Vietnamese Army. This history is intended to recognize the accomplishments of the many U.S. Army communicators, known as "The Professionals," who served at Phu Lam and to help document the role of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the Vietnam War.

Josef W. Rokus was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps upon graduation from the University of Illinois in 1964. In 1966, after attending the Signal Corps Basic Officers Course at Fort Gordon, Georgia, he was assigned as Troop Commander of the U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command (USASTRATCOM) Facility in Davis, California. He was transferred to the USASTRATCOM communications station at Phu Lam, Vietnam, in March 1967, where he served as the Assistant Operations Officer. He completed his active duty in February 1968 and has been employed in the glass and fiber optics industries since then.