[1996 Information Please Almanac], There were almost twice as many casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia) the first two years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 then there were during the ten years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam. VHPA Aviator (big file). 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. He was not strapped in. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. only 10 to 20 minutes of that time exposed to hostile fire. Reunion dates and locations have been announced for the following units: The latest quarterly issue has the agenda and registration details for Vietnam War conference scheduled for March 2-4, 2023 that will focus on the year 1973: The Paris Peace Accords and the Allied Withdrawal from South Vietnam Also included are updates on the Oral History Project and volunteer opportunities.Stay in touch and help us preserve your legacy. Is this the Steve DaCosta who was friend of my brother W.O. Myth: Kim Phuc, the little nine year old Vietnamese girl running naked from the napalm strike near Trang Bang on 8 June 1972, was burned by Americans bombing Trang Bang. [McCaffrey], MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Myth: Agent Orange poisoned millions of Vietnam veterans. The engine RPM and the rotor RPM must BOTH be kept in the GREEN. Thanks for posting the memories. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only 1/2 of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. The biggest responsibility of a helicopter pilot was to fly that helicopter in such a manner as to provide support for the men on the ground. [The Wall Street Journal]. I had no idea of the satisfaction, pride, sense of accomplishment, and even elation that I would feel in the next six months. I did well enough to make the school, along with about 25 of my classmates. [Online]. American involvement in February 1973. Were about five miles out. Five miles out from where? He he he he . When sprayed on dense jungle foliage, less that 6 percent ever reached the ground. 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. Occasionally, the gunner and crew chief had to exit temporarily to reduce the weight sufficiently for take off. They were immensely important to the troops on the ground as aerial fire power. [2]:4, On 15 April 1962 the United States Marine Corps began Operation Shufly, the rotating deployment of Marine helicopter squadrons, associated maintenance units and air traffic control detachments to South Vietnam to improve the mobility of ARVN forces. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Myth: The United States lost the war in Vietnam. Always smiling and never hurt anyone, I would guess. hostile fire exposure versus battle area exposure. XV, Issue VII. I guess that woke him up, as the next thing I heard was his rifle plugging away at a mound of dirt just outside his door and about 30 feet down. San Antonio, Texas 78208-0091, Copyright 2023 DUSTOFF Association | Powered by Barefoot Pixel, USAAAD conducts life-saving rescue of two civilians near Mount Adams. come right . May 18, 2021. is passed from outgoing President to incoming President at each reunion. Yes, most definitely young, but stupid? .j.. We honor the memory of all those who lost their lives in that service. I never forgot the reverence with which that statement was made, as I began to form a survival plan of action in my mind. God bless you all! Donations can be made here https://www.vhpa.org/donate.htm, The VHPA has a membership of over 16,600 (8,700 dues current) helicopter pilots from around the world out of the I can tell you what in my opinion made the best pilots. Those trainers were so small you could lean in them to make the thing turn. of fuel, ammunition and other supplies because of a lack of support from Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now. I have to take one thing back. The Scout Pilot. The VC knew the points in an assault where the helicopter was most vulnerable, so thorough prepping by gunships and strike aircraft was essential. (The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, i.e. . No matter what the make up of the team was they flew in helicopters that were made with the intention of dispensing a superior amount of fire power on the enemy. The Vietnam War helped medical progress in this area. More realities about war: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - it was not invented or unique to Vietnam Veterans. That was probably the lowest point of my Vietnam flying experience, and I never forgot it. http://www.air-america.org. We must now hover over the trees or rocky terrain, while we let out up to 150 feet of quarter-inch cable with a jungle penetrator or a Stokes litter attached to it. Or, to hear veteran helicopter pilots describe their personal experiences in the line of duty, click here. Even then, there could be no guarantee that the slicks would be able to land and then depart without being targeted by enemy fire. This famous picture is the property of UPI Corbus-Bettman Photo Agency. When you crash, well try to recover your bodies. rules. Terry Clark? When the Army decided to use helicopters as the Eyes, Protection and Horses of the 1st Cavalry Division, men both young and older were chosen to become pilots. reunion. 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. In order to be Old and Wise, one must first be young and stupid. Fournisseur de Tallents. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Aero Bonus 320085 1/32 Us Army Helicopter Pilot Vietnam War 1960-1975 at the best online prices at eBay! If so glad to know youre well. 2160250. buzz lightyear of star command complete series . Even more demanding was formation flying at night, with navigation lights off, using the glow from the leaders cockpit instruments for station keeping. The rest of the mission went as expected with no more surprises. volunteers. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). The 1990 unsuccessful movie "Air America" helped to establish the myth of a connection between Air America, the CIA, and the Laotian drug trade. In reference to Mr. Walker, would he also be the same pilot that was nick named, Baby Huey in Vietnam? At least, I believe that is how I would have felt had it been me. One of those is the missing man table at the banquet at each The Air Cav was just what the name implies. Larry Clark and Mike Law in 1990. Obviously, I was wrong, but I did not know it then. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set I will always thank Warrant Officer Study for his late-night, picture-perfect landing on the round end of the boat. b.. Vietnam seldom flew above 1,500 feet which is traffic pattern altitude for Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. We HAD no survival radios in those aircraft. During his two tours in Vietnam, Col. Moore flew 2,752 combat medevac mission and transported 2,952 wounded men back to the medical help they needed. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy. The pilots who were flying this helicopter, . [McCaffrey], Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and schoolteachers. Loud, sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention. There is no such thing as a fair fight-only ones where you win or lose. [1996 Information Please Almanac], POW-MIA Issue (unaccounted-for versus missing in action), Politics & People, On Vietnam, Clinton Should Follow a Hero's Advice, It was finally time to find out if we had the gonads to be combat helicopter pilots. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). These new battalions eventually formed a sort of modern-day cavalry for the Army. The further you fly into the mountains, the louder the strange engine noises become. And what was even stupider, I suppose, was the fact that if the doors were closed when we reached the water, we opened them so we could get out easier if we did go down. Mailing Address: [Westmoreland] Source: http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html Annual car sales worldwide 2010-2022, with a forecast for 2023, Number of cars sold in the U.S. 1951-2021, Battery electric vehicles in use worldwide 2016-2021, Annual gas prices in the United States 1990-2021, Automotive industry worldwide - statistics & facts, Motorcycle industry in the United States - statistics & facts, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic." 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. Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. It is dedicated to the fulfillment of You will get a sense of what that was like from listening to his stories. designed as a helipad. As MedEvac helicopter pilots, we flew the only Army Hueys equipped with the electric hoist/winch. Oh, were we Young and Stupid on hoist missions, too; the second Y & S thing we did! i.. Chicken Plates are not something you order in a restaurant. The most common ethnicity of helicopter pilots is White (86.8%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (6.8%) and Unknown (2.4%). If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned, youre about to be surprised. [1996 Information Please Almanac] 1995 Information Please Almanac Atlas & Yearbook 49th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston & New York 1996, pages 117, 161 and 292. A hoist mission was just the opposite. [1] "Vietnam helicopter pilots describe the war from the cockpit," YouTube video, posted by "Military Times," April 18th, 2018. While in themselves those landings were not stupid, the way we got there was! Funds are paid by Greater Good Charities to benefiting organizations as a grant. website may contain information that VHPA considers proprietary and [Westmoreland], Democracy Catching On - In the wake of the Cold War, democracies are flourishing, with 179 of the world's 192 sovereign states (93%) now electing their legislators, according to the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union. . s.. The planes doing the bombing near the village were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. When we were on short final approach over the landing zone, I heard small arms fire and my brand-new Crew Chief yelled Were taking fire!, I pulled power into the rotor system to get out of there as quickly as I could, when the radio operator on the ground called out Dustoff, where are you going?. Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. It turned out to be the best thing that happened to me, even though I was wounded before the year was out and sent home before my tour was over. [3], Battlefield Viet Nam Episode 5 "The Undeclared War", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Chopper_(Vietnam)&oldid=1133354489, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 10:36. If everyone does not come home, none of the rest of us can ever fully come home either. Use Ask Statista Research Service. Communications with the Executive Council [Parade Magazine]. Any combination of these can be deadly. A paid subscription is required for full access. "No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. Age 75 to 79 --------$100.00 The Naval Air Training Command, located at Pensacola, Florida, could not train enough Marine helicopter pilots to bring the units in Vietnam up to strength. With a hot mike, everything that was said, every noise, every round fired, every grunt and groan was amplified and transmitted into everyones headset without touching any buttons. Laura Ungaro, I enjoyed reading this very much, many good memories were recalled. The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) is a non profit veterans organization dedicated to the fulfillment of the following purposes: To provide a forum for recreational communications amongst a fraternity of aircrew members who served in Vietnam during the period 1961-75. ab.. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. "Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category*." of 21 year old Scotch purchased in 1971 by Brian Novak one of the original The Veterans Site honors the helicopter pilots and crews who fought so hard for us on the ground throughout the Vietnam War. Tactics such as pinnacle landing on top of steep hills, slopes, and karst outcrops amid destabilizing downdraughts to deliver heavy supplies to US Army firebases and outposts while under enemy fire were also tackled. In my mind, the only way I would. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. They explained the trajectory of the weapons fired from an aircraft, especially when firing in a turn., Fort Rucker trained 120 aviators on its gunship aerial weapons course for the UH-1B in 1965. Flag, John A. Jelich, Wisconsin, Cecelia Jelich Frost, Killed in Action, Rosary, KIA, Gold Star Family, Gold Star Wife. To all of the brave Pilots and their crews, I can say but three things. In 2009, the US Congress changed the mandatory age of retirement of airline pilots from 60 to 65 in a bid to solve the pilot shortage problem. am.. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. Recent reports in the news media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect. It called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces, limitation of both sides' forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to peaceful reunification. https://www.vhpa.org. [2]:3, This operation heralded a new era of air mobility for the U.S. Army, which had been slowly growing as a concept since the Army formed twelve helicopter battalions in 1952 as a result of the Korean War. Maybe it was only three miles . He fell right through the rotor blades. Trainees (known as candidates) then commenced the nine month long US Army Primary Helicopter School course at Fort Wolters, Texas, where they endured some extremely robust Preflight training as potential warrant officers. Later, the crew became a two-man pilot team. The domino theory was accurate. The ideal entry-level account for individual users. If I had gone down over land, I probably would not have taken my weapon with me. I already knew the difference between port and starboard, and it wasnt that hard to figure out beam and quartering approaches. [McCaffrey], The oldest man killed was 62 years old (TAYLOR, KENNA CLYDE). (CACF and Westmoreland), Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book "All That We Can Be," said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam "and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. Categories . We especially were concerned about the troops we were there to support. PO Box 8091 Membership is open to all helicopter pilots who flew in From 1965, around 99 percent of each completed class of students were sent to Vietnam. It would instantly cut the cable should any part of the lift apparatus get snagged in the trees or in any other emergency situation. On the ground, the troops would look up at Hueys flying over. The Pilots of 1st of the 9th Cav were and yes still are the best. The pilots and crews of these helicopters were heroes, one and all. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action) [CACF] There walks a dead man. Correspondence relating to commercial purposes or solicitations shall only be If you have not been there and done that you probably will not understand most of this. He is the Founder and Editor of The Aviation Geek Club one of the worlds most read military aviation blogs. War is brutal and not fair. In all, a very scary time for our country. Read more about the planned U.S. Air Force helicopter Vietnam War history sections. So, were we really Young and Stupid? [People]. He was an instructor pilot at Downing Army Airfield at Ft. Wolters, Texas, in May of 1968. who is now retired in Arizona. 5 Stars . Isolated atrocities committed by American soldiers produced torrents of outrage from antiwar critics and the news media while Communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any attention at all. By the end of the war half of them had been lost. Whether they took hits at this time or not is speculation, but he tried another tactic. In the movie We Were Soldiers and Young the Lift Pilot was portrayed by Snake and To Tall. solicitation purposes, or any correspondence related thereto. Background [ edit ] On 11 December 1961, the USS Core (T-AKV-41) docked in Saigon with 32 U.S. Army Piasecki H-21 helicopters and 400 crewmen of the 8th Transportation Company (Light Helicopter) and the 57th . They also acted as the means of supply of ammunitions, equipment and food. The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. Ground troops typically did not enter a sprayed area until four to six weeks after being sprayed. The average age (according to General William C. Westmoreland before the Third Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) at the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986) was 26 The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. one of 42 pictures of this helicopter that UPI photographer, Hubert Van Es took * Includes pilots with an airplane and/or a helicopter and/or a glider and/or a gyroplane certificate. h.. For more information see After the first of the two injured soldiers was hoisted on board, the din of the covering fire began to register in my head. I asked to take a different test and was able to pass that one! It was the Pilots mission to fly as low and as slow as he could allowing the observer and the Door Gunner to watch for signs of the enemy or to allow the enemy to fire at them. The terms Protective Armor and Helicopter are mutually exclusive. In fact, not at all, since we usually flew with the doors open, even at night. z.. Pucker Factor is the formal name of the equation that states the more hairy the situation is, the more of the seat cushion will be sucked up your ass. "Average Age of Active Pilots in The United States from 2002 to 2020, by Category*. on 29 April 1975 from UPI's offices on the top floor of the Saigon Hotel which sent to. Most of our Door Gunners and Crew Chiefs were also 18-21 years old. Steve DaCosta, Cavalier15, June67-June68. I think that some of us changed for the better, but some of us did not. Phil Marshall, DMZ Dustoff 711, 237th Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) Camp Evans and Quang Tri, Vietnam 1969. has no political agenda as is our brother organization, The Vietnam Helicopter or down. "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. Register in seconds and access exclusive features. [CACF] (Combat Area Casualty File) November 1993. 66 founding members. come forward just a little . I promised myself that it would never happen again, and it didnt. and flew his bird to the top of Monkey Mountian. They were heavily armed with mini-guns, machine guns, and various kinds of rockets. 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. It was a well known (and very true) fact that during an emergency exit from an aircraft, if you dont have it strapped to your body, you wont take it with you. sent to webmaster@vhpa.org whereupon Helicopters in The first one you will meet is retired Army Col. Douglas Moore, a medevac pilot in Vietnam. [Burkett]. Running is better than crawling. . 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. Small, two seat TH-55 Osages were also used. It was an average age for most of the other Army helicopter pilots I flew with in the 237th Medical Detachment in northern I Corps near the DMZ. Show publisher information Thank you for your Service and Insight! (EC), [Home] [ReunionInformation] [Donations] [OurLegacy] [MembershipServices] [RelatedWebSites], This [Nixon] No More Vietnams by Richard Nixon. Company pick-up truck, I was told I didnt pass the depth perception portion of the eye test and would not be issued the license. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 South Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. ac.. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad ideas. They were Kim's cousins not her brothers. Book review. . It is average age of vietnam helicopter pilot We are now Older and Wiser, and for that I am very thankful. The average age for helicopter pilots in Vietnam was in the area of 22 years as I recall. 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. A Huey pilot later with the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion (AHB) at Pleiku, recalled one student who, flush with success after his first solo, decided to see what it was like in the empty instructors seat, but knew he would have to change back to land. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. There is an explanation As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. ), Once out to sea, landing on the ships was an interesting experience, especially when the decks were bouncing up and down like a fishing bobber with a carp under it. As a group, we helicopter pilots did what we had to do and then some. ai.. As he entered the crowded car, he said, Ballroom, please.. I have got to pass this on to an Aussie friend of mine, Ian. 5.5% of all helicopter pilots are women, while 94.5% are men. The most common ethnicity of helicopter pilots is White (82.0%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (6.8%), Unknown (5.5%) and Asian (2.7%). Shoot, I had NO idea! Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Dustoff 7-1-1, were going down over the sea. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phuc's brothers were killed in this incident. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. As I look back on my own experiences, two things stand out in my mind that I consider young and stupid.. One point I want to make is the the Crew Chiefs and Door Gunners were the and are still the best as well. A little more than 12 days later, Operation Chopper commenced. They could rotate around a battle site from above, unleashing punishing weapon support from above. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. Instead of landing and changing seats he tried to do it in mid air. The cables going out . The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. applies to subscribers): Age 80 and above ---$75.00 submit other directory changes and updates. I logged 205 hours in Flight Training. members without the express consent of the member. Others flew fixed wing and some were already in the Army but applied for and were chosen to attend flight school. Crew Members Association http://vhcma.org/. Flying is better than walking. Most aviators receives about 210 hours of flight time. Dustoff pilots with their unique seating arrangement is where that statement originated. Please do not hesitate to contact me. 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. 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. Myth: Most American soldiers were addicted to drugs, guilt-ridden about their role in the war, and deliberately used cruel and inhumane tactics. Operation Chopper occurred on 12 January 1962 and was the first time U.S. forces participated in major combat in the Vietnam War. . Another Huey pilot explained, We were expected to perform simulated missions like we were in Vietnam. What is important is what you are doing-NOW-to solve our problem. ah.. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow. Over the ten years of the war, Operation Ranch Hand sprayed about eleven million gallons of Agent Orange on the South Vietnamese landscape. In action, gunships sometimes left their lights on for night missions, for according to another Huey pilot, We had a doctrine that wed rather have the enemy shoot at the gunship than at the lesser armed slicks.. Being scared in the sense of risking ones life for others, for sure, but also a sense of being scared that you will not be up to the standards of your fellow pilots. Don S. the last (in-country) Masher33, 1971, It is not easy to read this stuff. f.. It Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Service. Your email address will not be published. Many times these brave men had to deliver or retrieve the troopers into or out of areas where enemy fire was heavy. reunion. The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United States. Copyright 1995 - 2018 Gary B. Roush, 242 ASHC Muleskinners, May 1968 - May . No this is Pat Bieneman I am the owner of this site. 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. theyre on the penetrator . While there are still officially more than 2,200 cases, there now are only 55 incidents of American servicemen who were last seen alive but aren't accounted for. Our single-engine UH-1H Hueys did not float in the water very well. 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. Decisions made by someone above you in the chain-of-command will seldom be in your best interest. Wainwright Station When I found out that I was assigned to be a MedEvac pilot, I was devastated. [VHPA databases], Army UH-1's totaled more than 10,693,902 flight hours in Vietnam between October 1966 and the end of
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