My tour as a Helicopter crew chief in South Vietnam was not one to be remembered by anyone other than myself, certainly not a tour that made me a hero in anyone’s eyes nor my…
Real War Stories
Ker-Splash
I joined the Crusaders as a slick driver on 16 August 1969, and left on 30 September 1970. In January 1970, I became an aircraft commander and got my moniker, Crusader 25. During my time…
John Wayne Had Time to Duck
I like this kind of war story for the home page because it is from a “former” Crusader . This one will have more meaning also since we knew him. Ron, even as a baby…
So, There You Have It
I’ve enjoyed reading everyone else’s recollections so I thought I would add my own. I was a slick driver in the 187th and stayed one the whole tour. I showed up after a bad new…
My Vietnam Helmet
One of the few mementos I have from Vietnam is the flight helmet I wore the entire year. Now the helmet was supposed to be turned in when leaving country, but with this particular helmet…
There it is …
I was somewhere between drowsiness and sleep, gazing at the prismatic colors of sunlight flooding through the weave of a soaked boonie hat draped over my face, when the braying of a loudmouth Argentine kid…
The Pale Major
Flying for the Special Forces was part of my every day life. Some of the Pilots in my unit, the 187th Assault Helicopter Company, were regular supporters of the B-36 team at the old city…
Fishing the Mekong
Here is a story about Sam Bose. Chief Warrant Officer Sam Bose lived in the tent next to mine. When the 187th Assault Helicopter Company moved to Tay Ninh from Ft. Brag, about 12 Aircraft…
Thanksgiving
Here is a story I wrote some time ago. The 2/22 was the unit that was hit and Frenchy Gibeault put me in touch with them. I have been on their net for quite a…
Jack Ruby
I was a Jack Ruby fan from the first moment I met him in flight school. Jack was a short elf of a man with a well developed sense of humor. Jack and I were…