I was a 21-year-old first lieutenant, a helicopter pilot assigned to the 187th Assault Helicopter Company, which was based near the Black Virgin Mountain not far from the city of Tay Ninh. Our two “Slick” lift platoons were known as the “Crusaders.” The troop-carrying UH-1 had earned the nickname Slick because it carried no externally mounted weapons, only two M-60 machine guns, one on the port side manned by the crew chief and the other on the starboard side manned by a volunteer infantry door gunner. The remainder of the back seat was thus available to transport six U.S. (or 10 Vietnamese) infantrymen on combat assault missions.
-Alemaster
When I got to flight section in '80, all of our E-5s & 6s wore right sleeve patches from 'Nam. Often when they'd start in to War Stories, they'd tear up and just stop. But they'd always tell us younger kids how to stay alive. A flak jacket or even a case of C-rats under our seats in the well. Hang a steel pot off our vest in front of The Jewels. Always have my tool box hung up on the gun mount. And learn from or train with the Infantry.
ReplyDeleteOur old combat pilots always made sure us Chiefs knew how to fly the ship in case one of them got hit: The guy still pushing the bird might get it next, then we'd just go straight down if Chief couldn't drive us home. I credit Edwin Clapp, Jerry Nolie, and Mark Burdett for my crude, but functional skills at getting a HUEY down on to the tarmac.
While I never saw anything by way of war in Jimmy Carter's Army, I was always grateful for the knowledge that was passed on to us from those that had served in LBJ and RMN's war. Those were some fine men who I have not forgotten and think of often
If you enjoyed this you may want to check out a book by Robert Mason named Chickenhawk. It's first hand accounts of an Air Cav pilot in
ReplyDeleteVietnam.
That was the very first VN helicopter book I ever read.
DeleteI read that book years ago and it was exceptional. It still has a prominent spot on my library shelf.
DeleteMason wrote a follow-up entitled "Back in The World" which chronicled his / our struggle coping.
DeleteRead that one too, matter of fact I re-read it just a few months ago. Good book.
DeleteI recall the last line of the book was rather poignant...
DeleteIf there's a better account of army aviation in Viet Nam, I have yet to find it, and I've read most of them. Also highly recommended is CW2, a novel by Layne Heath, another one who lived that life, may he R.I.P..
DeleteI never knew they had doors on the damn thing until I got back stateside.
ReplyDeleteanother thing, if the tranny fails and goes out and thru the bird, it always goes out the side away from the crew chief on the door gun. most of the time they didn't have seats in them either, we just sat on the floor and you can get more than 6 guys in a bird when you have too.
Talked with a retired major a few years ago. He deployed with the 101st in 1965 as a gunship pilot. He said he flew one mission in a slick, with a friend as aircraft commander, who asked him along. Slicks usually go into an LZ line astern, one behind the other. "We started receiving fire," major said. "When you're flying a slick into an LZ, you are going to go in." No maneuvering, no avoiding fire. He said he was ducked down as far as he could go behind the seat armor plates. One time, that was enough, he said. I read something one time like, "God, give me the eyes of an eagle, the ears of a dog, and the balls of a Vietnam helicopter pilot."
ReplyDeleteI thank all of those who served and pray for peace of mind and heart.
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