In the day to day combat operations of an Assault Helicopter Company, certain events stand out above all others. These happenings relate to the extraordinary achievements, the courage, the humor and the tragedies that come from the men of an Assault Helicopter Company; together they present us with a picture of the unit’s character and spirit. The Blackhawks have a story to tell; a story about the making of the finest Assault Helicopter Company in Vietnam.
Summary
The 187th AHC was formed at Fort Bragg, NC during September 1966 and transferred to Vietnam in Feburary/March 1967. They were dispursed out to various units to get combat training and then gathered back together for operational missions.
1967
On 31 March 1967 the Blackhawks returned to their Tay Ninh Roost after two weeks of training with the 11th and 145th Combat Aviation Battalions. On 1 April 1967, with from 50 to 60 hours experience under their belts, the Blackhawks began flying as Aircraft Commanders and Pilots in their own ships for the very first time. That wasn’t so easy; it took a lot of cools to assume command of that ship with only 50 hours experience and that not being in the left seat. Artillery wasn’t so easy to translate yet, the tactical approaches were still uncoordinated abortions, emergency procedures were greased on the windshields, all those maps were unmanageable, and Charlie was down there just waiting!
The Blackhawks learned fast. With five slicks and a light fire team, (LFT) under the operational control of the Hornets (116th Aslt Hel Co), the Blackhawk crews performed on combat assaults and on every kind of ash and trash mission conceivable.
1970
1970 began with the “Crusaders” still supporting the 25th Infantry Division, and other units of the III Corps area. Then during the middle of the year quite a change took place. The “Crusaders” found themselves flying into Cambodia. 24 April 1970 found the “Crusader” ships involved in Cambodia. The 187th air lifted units of three divisions of ARVN into Cambodia over the next several days. On 1 May 1970, “Crusader” ships were in Cambodia, supporting American and ARVN ground troops. This was the start of the “OFFICIAL” invasion of Cambodia in search of COSVN. The 187th was the first assault helicopter company in the 1st Aviation Battalion to go into Cambodia. While in Cambodia, the “Crusaders” had an impressive record of approximately 6000 hours flown. Throughout the time in Cambodia, the “Crusaders” did not have one casualty or injury due to combat. At the end of the Cambodia campaign, the “Crusaders” were proud of their record. During the months after Cambodia, due to the U. S. troop withdrawals, the 187th has kept its original home. On 7 December 1970, the 187th was reassigned to the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion, “Red Dog”. The “Crusaders” of the 187th Assault Helicopter Company still remain at Tay Ninh at the base of the “Black Virgin Mountain”, and will continue on to support the units of the III Corps
1971
The “Crusaders” flew into 1971 in typical fashion: under intense pressure and heavy strain on both personnel and equipment, Vietnamization was in full swing and the word was — “Stand Down”, And around Viet Nam American units were sending their colors home. If a soldier had 60 days or less to DEPOS, he went home with the colors, The dream of the two month “drop” was deep in every heart, It was no different in “‘The Holy Land” of the 187th. Assault Helicopter Company. Situated deep in infamous War Zone “C”, now entering their fourth year of front echelon action, the officers and men of the 187th Assault Helicopter Company hoped for the best and expected the worst. They got what they expected The Crusaders would stay on.
Because of the decreasing presence of US forces in RVN, replacement personnel were more and more scarce. Everywhere American units faced the same dilemma, More work and fewer men to do it, Equipment shortages created the need to economize at every level. lack of replacement aircraft and parts brought an end the practice of flying unlimited hours for supported units, But even with rationed blade time the pace showed little sign of slacking If anything the pace increased.
The enemy had been carrying the war to the Cambodians during past few months, in an attempt to regain the lost sanctuaries and depot areas of pre 1970, Our own Air Force was providing the much needed air power to support the allied effort against the enemy in Cambodia, But because the enemy hid himself too near to innocent villagers, the big bombs and napalm of the Air Force couldn’t get close enough. A more surgical method of destruction was called for, it was decided to fill. the gap with Cobra gun-ships.
Chosen for the job was the Cobra Gun Platoon of the 187th: “‘The Rat Pack” and “Stand Down” soon became a bad joke in “The Holy Land”, in spite of the disappointing indications that the “Crusaders” would be among the last to leave the country, the “Rats” answered the call with typical professionalism and efficiency. With light fire teams consisting of two Cobra Gun-ships led by one Huey Command and Control ship, the “Crusaders” once more carried the flight “over the fence”.
1972
All through the month of February, they flew around the clock. By day they responded to scramble missions in which they attacked and destroyed confirmed enemy targets. At night they provided essential gun cover for the US medical evacuation helicopters that extracted wounded ARVN soldiers from the Cambodian battlefield, It 27 days, the gun platoon of the 187th flew 306 sorties logged 261 blade hours destroyed over 375 caches, bunkers and fighting positions, and killed over 400 of the enemy In that period, the “Crusaders suffered their first casualties One pilot and one crew-chief were killed in action.
As February drew to a close, so did the mission. Although they still. escorted and defended the medical evacuation helicopters at night, tile Rat Pack returned to the daily routine of covering the combat assaults Of the “Crusaders” lift Platoons .
During March the 187th found itself going over the fence again this time carrying ARVN soldiers into Cambodia to search out and destroy the enemy. In more than one such operation, the Crusaders found themselves flying alternating lifts with VNAF helicopter squadrons in, spite of the language barrier these joint operations were termed generally successful,
By the time April arrived, aviator strength in the “Holy Land” was critically low. Moral showed signs of ebbing Every pilot flying his maximum allowable time and no one was getting much rest.- All the old guys were going home and there weren’t any “new guys to take their places and lighten the load. At one point the first lift platoon could provided only one aircraft and crew per day Then in mid-April, the word: came down that there would soon be eight new guys joining the Crusaders. Finally there would be enough pilots to carry the load. The fact that they were VNAF pilots just graduated from flight school back in the States, surprised everyone at first but soon the Crusaders were looking forward to their coming. Here was a new challenge. Teaching a now pilot the the techniques of keeping aircraft and crew together and in one piece is always a difficult and time consuming thing. To do so when the recipient has but the minimal level of English comprehension presents problems heretofore unimagined. The month of May promised to be very interesting.