Michelin rubber plantation, close to Nui Ba Dinh theBlack Virgin Mountain. Tay Ninh, Vietnam 1967. The Blackhawks were the best Assault Helicopter Company in South Vietnam, we flew hard every day, we flew 12 to…
Real War Stories
The Parrot’s Beak
I love mornings in Vietnam, cool and still, well except for the 155’s shooting H&I. Harassment and Interdiction, turned into Landing Zone prep. Today we were having a combat assault with the 25th Infantry providing…
Peaches and Pound Cake
As a pilot for the 187 Assault Helicopter Company in Tay Ninh, Viet Nam, my job was to fly the UH-1. With turbine power, and room for 10 grunts, I loved my helicopter. The fact…
Long Range Recon Patrol
I was flying a UH-1 D for the Blackhawks out of Tay Ninh, Vietnam in 1967. Sleep never comes easy in Vietnam, the artillery shoots H&I (harassment and interdiction) fire all night. Every time one…
Alone and Expendable
The running lights beneath the tail rotors of the last lift platoon arched out across the darkness of the southeastern sky like the handle of the Big Dipper. Pulling them away from me were 10…
Agent Orange
Flight, As a new Aircraft Commander with the 187th Assault Helicopter Company some of the jobs assigned to me were somewhat less than desirable, in fact they were down right lousy. I wish I had…
Blade Strike
“So Crash, do you remember doing a medevac near Katum where you choppeddown a couple of trees getting in? Asks Frenchie Gibeault sitting in my living room. “The night medevac deep in a hover…
Asshole
“Asshole” I muttered under my breath. “Who are you calling an Asshole?” My peter pilot/student, a new El Tee to the 187th Assault Helicopter Company quickly responded. I mashed the floor button with my foot….
TINS B-57
Flight, I started looking for some artwork buried in my pile of Viet Nam shit, and came across a letter from Martin Jansen when it dropped on the floor. Martin and I were shot down…
Medevac with Jimmy Ballard
Flight, Last night, I spent about two hours on the telephone with Jimmy Ballard. Jimmy and I used to fly quite often together. Jimmy Ballard is one hell of a crew chief and has a…