<\/span>September – 1967<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1 Sep 1967<\/strong> – This day was established as “Unit Day for the 187th Assault helicopter Company. Since the unit was activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina exactly one year ago on the 1st of September. The Blackhawks celebrated the day with pomp and Circumstance followed by steak dinners at the club. A CBS camera crew was on hand to film the occasion as well as to cover the Blackhawks in action while they flew combat assault missions for the 25th Infantry Division on the same day,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11 Sep 1967<\/strong> – The 187th was involved in a battalion size combat assault mission in the Hobo Woods, Major William Bauman led the flight of twenty helicopters into the LZ with full suppressions Following the Battalion operation, the Blackhawks supported the 25th ARVN Division in a combat assault training mission two miles east of Cu Chi,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

20 Sep 1967<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong> – Captain Billie Presson a flight platoon leader of the 187th was killed during the last extraction from what appeared to be a secure PZ. He had led the Blackhawk flight through out the day conducting Eagle Flights for the 25th Infantry Division in the Hobo woods. Four ships were hit by enemy ground fire throughout the mission but continued to fly. Captain Pressen died from a bullet wound in the head while sitting in the PZ as the troops loaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

25 Sep 1967<\/strong> – While operating from a PZ in the Hobo Woods, a flight of five Blackhawk aircraft led by Captain Jerry T, Wagner was subjected to an enemy mortar attack as the troops scrambled aboard. The flight departed before the mortar barrages were adjusted towards the point of touchdown, and there were negative injuries or damage, New aviators in the flight earned their Blackhawk patches that day,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

28 Sep 1967<\/strong> – The Blackhawks participated in a six company combat assault into an LZ, ten miles southwest of Go Dau Ha.. Major William Bauman led the formation and went in for a single ship rescue of a downed Blackhawk crew in an insecure area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

29 Sep 1967<\/strong> – Warrant Officer Eric Mercer establishes a Blackhawks record with Two (2) forced landings in two days. WO Mercer managed to land safely without damage or injury on both occasions,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>October 1967<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

11 Oct 1967<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong> – Captain Ellis M. Bailey died when his aircraft crashed into the water and sank with six people on board, while on operations south of Saigon with U.S. Navy Riverboats. Captain Bailey was the only person unable to get out of the aircraft, and it settled in 30 feet of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16 Oct 1967<\/strong> – While operating in the vicinity of Duc Hoa, the Blackhawk flight received automatic weapons fire on short final to an LZ, They continued through the ballistic assault with negative suppression and discharged the troops, Two aircraft sustained bullet damage but continued to fly, Warrant Officer Frank Kurinec is officially designated the “Magnet” of the unit since his aircraft had received ten hits in two days of combat assaults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18 Oct 1967<\/strong> – Warrant Officer Joseph Henry and 1Lt Jerry Adams were flying general support missions for the 25th infantry Division three miles northeast of Dau Tieng when they received enemy automatic weapons fire at 140O feet, The crew chief, Specialist fourth Class Richard Krawczyk realized that the ship had been hit but. he did not realize that his flight helmet had taken a round also, He discovered this forty-five minutes later when he attempted to pull his visor down, The single enemy bullet had penetrated his visor and continued through the top of his helmet. A close shave for Krawczyk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

21 Oct 1967<\/strong> – Taken from General orders 1040: Dated 10\/21\/67 \u2026\u2026.these men (Blackhawks) distinguished themselves while serving as crew of UH-1D helicopters during an eagle flight operation. After a series of strategically placed combat assaults isolated a twenty man Viet Cong platoon, the flight lifted off with a 20 man reaction force and headed to the battle scene. The men put down a deadly barrage of suppressive fire from their M-60 machine guns as the flight flew through heavy enemy fire to a touchdown point on top of the enemy platoon. Those men were credited with killing at least 2 (more like 7, Frenchie) Viet Cong trying to get out from under the flight. They made it possible for the total annihilation of a 20 man Viet Cong platoon without a single United States soldier being killed.
Submitted by Robert “Frenchie” Gibeault<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>November – 1967<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1 Nov 1967<\/strong> – Major Bauman is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 Nov 1967<\/strong> – Major Joseph C. Burns formerly the executive officer of the 187th becomes the new Blackhawk commander in a change of command ceremony in Blackhawkland. Lieutenant Colonel Bauman became the Operations Officer of the 12th Combat Aviation Group. Major Thomas L. Hester became the executive Officer of the 187th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22 Nov 1967<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong> – While engaged in a company sized operation north of Dau Tieng, aircraft 66-00925 was hit by small arms fire. Pilot MAJ Evart Eugene Robeson suffered a severe leg wound and the crew evacuated him immediately to medical facilities in Dau Tieng. He subsequently succumbed to shock two days later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 187th was engaged in a company size combat operation north of Dau Tieng on 22 NOV 67 (my birthday, it so happens).  Major Robeson was flying as co-pilot on A.C. 66-00925.  I don’t recall the exact details, but CPT Ron Cody was the Aircraft Commander.  The flight received some small arms fire, and Ron radioed that his co-pilot had been hit, and he was proceeding to Dau Tieng.   MAJ R later told us that the two crewmen pulled him out of his seat and worked to control his bleeding while Ron flew as fast as the ship would go, direct to the dustoff pad, having notified Dau Tieng of the emergency.  The arteries in his right knee were severed and bleeding was severe – the medical personnel at Dau Tieng said that he would have bled to death in minutes except for the crew’s response.   This was not all that different than many other incidents the 187th experienced, but the strange part is what happened later. My co-pilot and I (I believe it was Kirk Nivens, but would have to verify with him) visited him in the Cu Chi hospital with on 25 Nov, along with another Blackhawk crew.  Apparently the other crew was that of the C.O., Maj Burns, based on another’s account. Major R was medically stabilized with his right leg encased in a plastic bag of sorts.  He smiled broadly when we teased him about going home early, and when we left he seemed in good spirits.  It seems that shortly after we left he was told that he would lose the leg at the knee. He went into shock and died suddenly. Eric Mercer<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n 30 Nov 1967<\/strong> – The Blackhawks complete an accident-free month, The maintenance officer Major James Stewart, compliments the officers and men of the 187th for the safety record<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n <\/span>December – 1967<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n 6 Dec 1967<\/strong> – The 187th was. summoned as the Ready Reaction Force to support the 199th Light Infantry Brigade in the vicinity of Tan Uyen, RVN. The flight of troop carrying helicopters received automatic weapons fire on short final to an LZ ten miles north of Bien Hoa, The “Rat Pack” pounced upon the enemy positions immediately with 2.75 rockets and miniguns, The enemy fire was silenced and the troops were inserted, Extractions began late in the afternoon and continued into the hours of darkness, Warrant Officer William A. Britt experienced an engine failure at 1915 hours and autorotated into an insecure area, He and his crew plus equipment were immediately evacuated from the area. The Blackhawks regrouped and performed a night insertion of security troops into the narrow LZ to protect the downed gunship over night. That was certainly a long day for the 187th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7 Dec 1967<\/mark><\/mark><\/strong> – On this day, W01 Charles Chester Wilcox was assigned to another unit (190th AHC) to provide training. WO1 Wilcox was reported as KIA. Official report states: WO1 Charles Chester Wilcox died of a gun shot to the head while inserting ARVN troops to a hot LZ near Phu Loi. UH-1D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 22 Dec 1967<\/strong> – The Rat Pack” gunships were scrambled for counter mortar in the vicinity of Bo Tuc, 30 miles north east of Tay Ninh. The fire support base received a mortar and ground attack after dark and the “Rat Pack” interrupted the enemy assault with rockets and machine gun fire, They were credited with 10 Viet Cong KIA by actual body count at the location,<\/p>\n\n\n\n 25 Dec 1967<\/strong> – Christmas Day and the Blackhawks flew general support missions for the 25th Infantry Division. The crews delivered food, gifts, and tidings of great joy to U.S. and ARVN soldiers throughout the Third Corp Tactical Zone. The mess hall experienced the Yule tide spirit in grand style, for the flight crews returned for dinner which included a choice of chicken, steak, or lobster or even all three if one so desired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Supplement 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\u2019s character…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-incident-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/187thahc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}