If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they need. 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. I never forgot the reverence with which that statement was made, as I began to form a survival plan of action in my mind. No Pilot that I know of ever went into a combat situation without both. Most aviators receives about 210 hours of flight time. It wasnt easy, and I will now confess that my depth perception almost was not good enough to pass my initial flight physical, but I made it. Mine were draped over the back of my seat, along with my M-16 rifle. Experienced pilots with proven records of successful, aggressive combat could be invited to join a platoon in a fire team of one or two gunships operating with a scout helicopter and escorting slick assaults. Later, the crew became a two-man pilot team. I was okay to fly helicopters in the Army, but not to drive a jeep! October 20, 2021. One point I want to make is the the Crew Chiefs and Door Gunners were the and are still the best as well. Without his heroic actions that day we, the Grunts, would have been in severe situation as we were running out of food, ammo and our radio batteries were almost dead. Business Solutions including all features. e.. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover for you. Prayer may not help . Parameters for authorizing operating a US Navy submarine reactor plant above practicable design limits is Read More, Additionally, 1.3 million of those five million flight hours were accomplished during combat. ak.. 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. Add to that, it is also the most unforgiving mission flown in a helicopter. He was an assault helicopter pilot, in other words a gunship pilot. by | Jun 5, 2022 | curtain suppliers in dubai | riverside cafe medicine park, ok menu | Jun 5, 2022 | curtain suppliers in dubai | riverside cafe medicine park, ok menu In Vietnam, pilots frequently encountered fog and monsoon rain, which severely tested their blind flying skills. Five minutes or more seemed like hours while we sat in the air over the ground troops, taxing every bit of professionalism we hadand the reader better believe we had the utmost professionalism. The movie and a book the movie was based on contend that the CIA condoned a drug trade conducted by a Laotian client; both agree that Air America provided the essential transportation for the trade; and both view the pilots with sympathetic understanding. [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. Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. There is no such thing as a fair fight-only ones where you win or lose. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. [People], The person who can be seen aiding the refugees was CIA operations officer, Mr. O.B. Here is an example done at the 2005 "We (Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF," according to Lieutenant General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding General of TRAC at that time. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture was Vietnamese. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. Innocent people get killed. I can personally remember one time when we were pinned down due to superior enemy fire from a tree line and a weapons platoon helicopter (Cobra) sat just off to our right and lit up the tree line with such superior fire that the enemy was destroyed. This famous picture is the property of UPI Corbus-Bettman Photo Agency. [Online]. I wont make it back.. The VHPA publishes six Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category* [Graph]. . trina daughter instagram 97887 65581; music city drum corps staff saiservicecentre2020@gmail.com That was the unforgiving part. am.. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. l.. A few were even awarded. approximately 40,000 who served as helicopter Please use the membership application form to submit Laura Ungaro, I enjoyed reading this very much, many good memories were recalled. He he he he . Those trainers were so small you could lean in them to make the thing turn. . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. to Europe and both have since died. 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. 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. With a fair amount of apprehension, it was now the moment of truth. Could we really do what we had been trained to do, without letting anyone down? He flew through the fog and light rain. It was a fact that Dustoff crews had three times the casualty rate of other helicopter crews. VHPA Aviator (big file). Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action) [CACF] only 10 to 20 minutes of that time exposed to hostile fire. Decisions made by someone above you in the chain-of-command will seldom be in your best interest. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? When I found out that I was assigned to be a MedEvac pilot, I was devastated. Most of the Commissioned Officers were older. Hello. This included Basic Combat Training and Flight Training. It was a "civilian" (Air America) Huey not Army or Marines. Phil Marshall, DMZ Dustoff 711, 237th Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) Camp Evans and Quang Tri, Vietnam 1969. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic." I asked to take a different test and was able to pass that one! Maybe it was only three miles . I told my roommate, This is it. Warrant Officer Candidates (WOCs) then progressed to Fort Rucker, Alabama, or, from 1967, Hunter Army Airfield at Fort Stewart, Georgia, for advanced flight training and instrument flight instruction. 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. I found a can of olive drab (OD) spray paint and . In June of 1967, Marine officers destined to become fixed-wing pilots began reporting to Air Force bases for flight training. After the first of the two injured soldiers was hoisted on board, the din of the covering fire began to register in my head. 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. Refining close formation skills was an immediate requirement, as airborne assaults could involve a tight gaggle of up to 40 helicopters, including ten gunships. . bombers during World War II most often flew missions lasting many hours with member. I can tell you what in my opinion made the best pilots. fund has been established at the Vietnam Center and Archives at Texas Tech The Weapons Team. I wonder how many grunts would have gotten on the hoist had they known that. I have got to pass this on to an Aussie friend of mine, Ian. Copyright 1995 - 2018 Gary B. Roush, 242 ASHC Muleskinners, May 1968 - May 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. The longer you stare at the gauges the less time it takes them to move from green to red. We fought to an agreed stalemate. This form number DA- 4733-DSC (Dustoff-Sized Cajones), was used to determine which pilots would obtain MedEvac training at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, upon completion of training at Mother Rucker. Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information It took all of our skill and luck to avoid flying into the valley walls as we stuck our heads out the windows to find our way to the LZ without balling up the helicopter. "Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category*." I just tapped him gently on the shoulder and whispered, Hey, Buddy, Im as far back in the elevator as I can get now. I knew what he was really saying. Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. 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. ah.. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow. The tactical situation is such that the ground troops cannot get the dead or wounded to a secure open area for evacuation. (May 18, 2021). Most 18 year olds only think about girls and what they can get from them. 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. 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. Running is better than crawling. q.. Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative. [McCaffrey], MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. 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. I arrived in Vietnam on the 4th of July 1969, barely 21 years old. It required every skill we had. Accessed March 04, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/919100/aviation-industry-average-age-of-active-pilots-in-the-united-states-by-category/, Federal Aviation Administration. Updated: 7 February 2018