bombers and were always exposed to hostile fire even in their base camps. Damn Navy talk! The hospital ship would then radio to the helicopter again, Just come in from the left and land to the back of the boat. It always got an immediate Roger!. [The Wall Street Journal] The Wall Street Journal, 1 June 1996 page A15. Your email address will not be published. The tactical situation is such that the ground troops cannot get the dead or wounded to a secure open area for evacuation. American involvement in February 1973. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only 1/2 of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. [VHPA databases], Army AH-1G's totaled more than 1,166,344 flight hours in Vietnam. I asked to take a different test and was able to pass that one! It We took no hits on that mission, and as we lifted out of the landing zone, the fact that we cheated death again left me with all the exciting feelings I mentioned at the beginning of this article. It was a small price to pay for the successful completion of our daily rescues. Whatd he say? Hell, I dont know. DID after the U.S. Congress cut off funding. I used to laugh at the occasional Huey slick driver who flew out to let guys from his unit use the shopping facilities on the ships. On one particularly difficult night MedEvac in the mountains, all our windows fogged up as we dropped from 7,000 feet through a hole in the clouds to pick up a Soldier with a head wound. Communications with the Executive Council I could not have been more proud of myself and my flight school classmates for having come this far. I am so very proud to have served with them. [VHPA databases], Army UH-1's totaled more than 10,693,902 flight hours in Vietnam between October 1966 and the end of Ground troops typically did not enter a sprayed area until four to six weeks after being sprayed. I guess that woke him up, as the next thing I heard was his rifle plugging away at a mound of dirt just outside his door and about 30 feet down. Although many of them had experience of fixed wing aircraft, very different challenges lay ahead when it came to learning the sophisticated, coordinated control techniques required for rotary wing flying. Helicopters - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the Larry Clark and Mike Law in 1990. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned, youre about to be surprised. . Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) This famous picture is the property of UPI Corbus-Bettman Photo Agency. aircraft in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam era and inform them of the existence of the All through flight school, we were taught by gun pilots, slick drivers, scout pilots (although not as many of the scout pilots, they had a high loss ratio), and oh, yes, ONE Dustoff pilot. Innocent people get killed. average age of vietnam helicopter pilot. When I found out that I was assigned to be a MedEvac pilot, I was devastated. As well as prepping an LZ ahead of the slicks, gunship pilots could also warn crews flying troop carriers of threat areas, and advise them of enemy guns to avoid as they lifted out of the LZ. He he he he . The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military left Vietnam. the following purposes: To enhance and accredit the cohesiveness, esprit de corps, and traditions of valor of VHPA Aviator magazine ad.. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America's commitment in Vietnam. .j.. No matter what the enemy threw at them, they never backed down. Owned and operated by CharityUSA.com, LLC. (Personally, I have fathered 73 children with two good Dustoff-sized testicles.) . In fact, not at all, since we usually flew with the doors open, even at night. It turned out to be the best thing that happened to me, even though I was wounded before the year was out and sent home before my tour was over. k.. . Shoot, I had NO idea! am.. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they need. When I returned to the states later and applied for my military drivers license so I could drive the. It was a fact that Dustoff crews had three times the casualty rate of other helicopter crews. Okay, so the Hueys were extremely reliable, and I still love those incredible machines, but for the moment let us discuss navigation equipment on a Huey. We always at least tried to complete the mission and felt that we let someone down if we didnt. He was an instructor pilot at Downing Army Airfield at Ft. Wolters, Texas, in May of 1968. Maturity, self-confident, bravery, willing to take chances, courageous, and yes fun-loving are the attributes that make a great pilot. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NEW 2008 HASBRO GI Joe Helicopter Pilot Wild Bill 25th Anniversary FREE SHIPPING at the best online prices at eBay! No matter what the make up of the team was they flew in helicopters that were made with the intention of dispensing a superior amount of fire power on the enemy. The additional weight of patients on the end of the hoist as they were lifted off the ground further complicated the stability of the aircraft. webmaster@vhpa.org The terms Protective Armor and Helicopter are mutually exclusive. You will get a clear sense of what they were up against and how they conducted themselves. You will meet and hear the stories of three U.S. Army helicopter pilots who flew missions in Vietnam in this video. One point I want to make is the the Crew Chiefs and Door Gunners were the and are still the best as well. We put him in the back of the cargo compartment with his M-16 and a helmet, hooked him up to the intercom, and we were off. [Nixon] Atrocities - every war has atrocities. They could rotate around a battle site from above, unleashing punishing weapon support from above. He was not strapped in. Thanks for posting the memories. pilots in the Vietnam War. In the Vietnam War the helicopter became one of the most important elements in the daily operations of our war fighting successes. During a hoist mission, we flew with one finger on a button on the cyclic stick that operated an electric solenoid. [VHPA databases]. We were an easier target during the day, but unlike at night when we kept all the lights off, we could see what we were doing! I found a can of olive drab (OD) spray paint and . it will be forwarded to the appropriate VHPA representative. More Scout Teams were lost because of this than any other helicopter team. 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. applies to subscribers): Age 80 and above ---$75.00 War is brutal and not fair. Age 65 to 69 --------$250.00 During his two tours in Vietnam, Col. Moore flew 2,752 combat medevac mission and transported 2,952 wounded men back to the medical help they needed. . 20002023 The Veterans Site and GreaterGood. Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. Knowing that my depth perception left little margin for error on the night approaches (especially), I had to totally concentrate on what I was doing and not relax for a second until we were down on that rockin and rollin ship. This freed Marine quotas at Pensacola which could be used to . z.. Pucker Factor is the formal name of the equation that states the more hairy the situation is, the more of the seat cushion will be sucked up your ass. In September of 68 1LT Bruce Huffman had his crew disembark fron his ship and had it loaded with ammo, C-rations and batteries for the radio. nfl open tryouts 2022 dates; liste des parc de maison mobile en floride; running 5k everyday for a month before and after; girls who code summer immersion program The domino theory was accurate. Restraining the military in Vietnam in hindsight probably prevented a nuclear war with China or Russia. I promised myself that it would never happen again, and it didnt. Otherwise, if we got tangled up, it could cause the aircraft to crash. If you are allergic to lead, it is best to avoid a war zone. [1996 Information Please Almanac], The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. of what you can do online at https://www.vhpa.org/memhelp.htm#ODA, To preserve the legacy of all Vietnam Helicopter Pilots, an endowment [McCaffrey], MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. It was finally time to find out if we had the gonads to be combat helicopter pilots. v.. A free fire zone has nothing to do with economics. "The CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. Always smiling and never hurt anyone, I would guess. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force. The third pilot is retired Col. David Rainey U.S. Army. Show publisher information We sacrificed our youth and innocence; we achieved above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. Small, two seat TH-55 Osages were also used. As they entered a one year combat tour, many pilots heard the ominous rumor that the average life expectancy of a US Army Aviator helicopter pilot in combat was only 19 minutes. n.. In retrospect, I think that is what happened to one of the pilots in our unit a few months after I left. Instead of landing and changing seats he tried to do it in mid air. Warrant Officer-1 Al Gaddis was a tall, curly haired kid as I remember him. That sinister-sounding term was coined after the war) Orange was sprayed at three gallons per acre that was the equivalent of .009 of an ounce per square foot. Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew. In action, gunships sometimes left their lights on for night missions, for according to another Huey pilot, We had a doctrine that wed rather have the enemy shoot at the gunship than at the lesser armed slicks.. story building where the CIA station chief and many of his officers lived, located at 22 Ly Tu Trong St. If so glad to know youre well. reunion. It is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity to fulfill their one true mission in life, simply because someone forgot this fact. Marine Corps could barely maintain Helicopter Pilots about halfway down . Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) is a non profit veterans organization dedicated to the fulfillment of the following purposes: To provide a forum for recreational communications amongst a fraternity of aircrew members who served in Vietnam during the period 1961-75 At the conclusive battle of the war (the Fall of Saigon), the . theyre on the penetrator . I then realized that ole PP back there was just sitting in the hell hole taking it all in, not doing a thing! You need at least a Starter Account to use this feature. 1969 To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set The average age of an employed helicopter pilot is 45 years old. Its just what they do. There is a reason why these medevac pilots were called our angels in the sky. We who fought the enemy face to face on the ground, whether infantry or recon, knew that if we were wounded, these guys would do anything necessary, face any danger the enemy could present, to get us out of hell and back to the care we needed. The early (65-68) Weapons Team was made up of two pilots, crew chief and a door gunner. The VHPA has a membership of over 16,600 (8,700 dues current) helicopter pilots from around the world out of the approximately 40,000 who served as helicopter pilots in the Vietnam War. Thank you. [Online]. The second pilot you will meet is retired CWO2 Allan Potter. contained this quote about Vietnam, there has been "the most extensive accounting in the history of human warfare" of those missing in action. dont care. Those of us lucky enough to come home learned from the experience and were, without question, changed men, no longer wide-eyed boys. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. In fact, we all did well. All rights reserved. I never forgot the reverence with which that statement was made, as I began to form a survival plan of action in my mind. The first one you will meet is retired Army Col. Douglas Moore, a medevac pilot in Vietnam. Fournisseur de Tallents. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served [Westmoreland], 74% said they would serve again even knowing the outcome [Westmoreland], There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non veterans of the same age group (from a Veterans Administration study) [Westmoreland]. Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations which, in turn, is better than cold C-rations which, in turn, is better than no food at all. Our single-engine UH-1H Hueys did not float in the water very well. The Pilots of Charlie Troop 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry Regiment 1st Cavalry Division (AM) were the best Pilots of the Vietnam War and today they are the best men America has to offer. In other words, it took a man with a huge pair of Brass Balls but with the ability to know when to use them but with the brains to know when to hold them. They could often see what we could not and helped keep the enemy off of us and to even the odds for us, so to speak. (EC), [Home] [ReunionInformation] [Donations] [OurLegacy] [MembershipServices] [RelatedWebSites], This So, too, can the ones addressed To Whom It May Concern. . Number of helicopter pilot licenses in China 2014-2019; Global share of pilots whose mental health was affected by the pandemic 2020 ; The VC knew the points in an assault where the helicopter was most vulnerable, so thorough prepping by gunships and strike aircraft was essential. Also "Estimating the Number of Suicides Among Vietnam Veterans" (Am J Psychiatry 147, 6 June 1990 pages 772-776). The radioman on the ship would tell them Cleared for a port quarter approach. The silence on the radio was the proverbial pregnant pause, and I could imagine the conversation inside the Huey cockpit. As an elevator at the reunion hotel was transporting me and other attendees to the Saturday night banquet, another Dustoff pilot stepped on from his floor. It was called "shell shock" and other names in previous wars. This is a true testament for any theater! The cables going out . Over the course of the war, some 12,000 helicopters of various kinds saw service in Vietnam. Company pick-up truck, I was told I didnt pass the depth perception portion of the eye test and would not be issued the license. [VHPA Databases] Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Databases. Myth: The American military was running for their lives during the fall of Saigon in April 1975. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). Most of our Door Gunners and Crew Chiefs were also 18-21 years old. [VHPA 1993], The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. There walks a dead man. Categories . What is important is what you are doing-NOW-to solve our problem. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I graduated from Flight Training 2 day short of a year. In the last decade, 69 nations have held multi-party elections for the first time in their histories. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. [The Wall Street Journal]. Oh, Sugar! (Not my exact word.) By Phil Marshall, DMZ Dustoff 711, 237th Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) Camp Evans and Quang Tri, Vietnam 1969, published in Association of Naval Aviation, Cape Fear Seahawk Newsletter, July 2012, Vol. Although I was sworn to secrecy at the time, with the Freedom of Information Act, I believe that I can now break the silence. Age 75 to 79 --------$100.00 NEW 2008 HASBRO GI Joe Helicopter Pilot Wild Bill 25th Anniversary FREE looking good. 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