He was trained as a helicopter crew chief and served with the 128th assault helicopter company in phu loi. He has written an autobiography, a spiritual warriors journey, and two books of poetry, purple hearts and sacred eyepoetry in search of the divine. The everborn concerns the offspring of fallen angels that have lived among us since the dawn of man. Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if this is a good idea. After departing the republic of south vietnam in february 1972, the 114th aviation company was assigned to the panama canal zone where it served with distinction.
Heres some exciting news from aviation author john brennan. Did you serve with 128th assault helicopter company. Vfw research through the interactive vietnam veterans memorial soldiers from b co. So on his days off, he volunteered to fly combat missions as a door gunner with the 128th assault helicopter company. Photographs of witch doctor ii submitted by tom staub who was her crew chief. The story of an assault helicopter pilot in vietnam and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. During the vietnam war he was a crewchiefdoorgunner on a uh1 huey helicopter with the famed tomahawks the 128th assault helicopter company. Helicopter gunship pilot captain james powell shares his personal 8mm footage taken while on tour in vietnam 1968.
White knight crewchief 6970 republic of vietnam in association with members of the 114th assault helicopter company who served may 1963. Dennis ward obituary meriden, ct the recordjournal. Throughout the ages, they live life after life in normal society until each one falls in love and nicholas grabowskys awardwinning, widelypraised aliensamongus horrorscience fiction epic, available for the first time packaged and edited. Vietnam veterans vietnam war vietnam image phnom penh ho chi minh city modeling. While it may be possible to ward off this natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always be prevented. Before i forget by barry grimm i left the 128th assault helicopter company about end of july 68 and went over to fly for ii ffv and flew brass around. Carl left the service in 1973 to attend law school earning his juris doctor degree at age 52. It would seem to go without saying that the sweat and blood expended by the men of all assault helicopter companies in vietnam is worthy of historical recognition, even at this late date. I am impressed by your work and also want to thank you for linking all the other ahc units from your web site this is a real service to many who come looking for. He had found jays number in the reno phone book while visiting relatives. His tourofduty was from october 1966 to october 1967. Those who survived, and especially those that perished. This would seem especially true of the 5th ahc due to its unique composition.
I saw these smokeships in action on several occasions myself when flying with the 128th assault helicopter company and they saved lives. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. This book is an education and is something that captures a piece of the vietnam war that just a very few old combat veterans know about and remember. Army vietnam 19661973 1st cavalry division association the first team. My engraved lighter is one of my most prized souvenirs from viet nam. I am looking for anyone who was assigned in the 128th assault helicopter co. The service is free to us, but does have a commercial look to it and includes advertisements. Every individual, regardless of rank or job, was dedicated to the professional fulfillment of the mission. That set a trend, so back in the states i ended up flying for the white house and pentagon for three.
A full account can be read in bobs book, thunderbird lounge photo courtesy ben luck the molded seat bucket where bob brandt sat when a 30 cal round came through the side of the h21. More than 35 years after the 118th thunderbirds left vietnam, several aircraft have appeared around the united states that were originally flown in vietnam in the 118th. The vietnam helicopter pilots association vhpa is a nonprofit war veterans organization filed under section 501 c19 of the internal revenue service. The newsletter of the vietnam helicopter pilots association. The book vietnam war army helicopter nose art by john brennan showcases previously.
Everything i ever needed to know about life, i learned as a helicopter crewman in vietnam. It brought back a lot of memories of my time in vietnam. He served six tours in vietnam, winning numerous awards, including four bronze stars, five army commendation medals, three meritorious unit commendation medals, two valorous unit awards, and 6 air medal awards. The story of an assault helicopter pilot in vietnam 2nd. The approximate photo count will likely be around 295. The distinguished flying cross, the bronze star medal, the purple heart, and 14 air.
Just as he details the operations were almost a formula. Before i forget vietnam helicopter pilots association. One time, when a gi inspection was scheduled, i and another guy drove an extra vehicle around viet nam for the day. Each year the vhcma has a reunion during the month of june. My name is bill wolf and i am the current president of the vietnam helicopter crew members association vhcma an international group of over 2,900 members. Proving their mettle, the 117th completed more special operations missions than any other helicopter unit in vietnam. Combat stories from vietnam witness to war foundation. The 5th assault helicopter company was organized at. The following is a list of those men who proudly served the needs of their nation and their fellow countrymen. The gunslingers of the 128th assault helicopter company did a one up over the mk 19 mod 0. Bill was a huey helicopter crewchiefdoorgunner with the famed tomahawks 128th assault helicopter company in phu loi, south vietnam in 1966 and 67.
I was wounded, shot down several times and almost captured. Feb 15, 2011 helicopter gunship pilot captain james powell shares his personal 8mm footage taken while on tour in vietnam 1968. Most of the photos are high resolution images and may take some time to download if using a phone line connection. Please use this guestbook to sign in and provide comments on the 174th home page, corrections, or suggestions for improvement. Apr 28, 2020 on 10 february 1967, the 57th aviation company was reorganized at fort bragg.
Boomerangs and bounty hunters this site is dedicated to the members of the 191st assault helicopter company in viet nam. Vietnam helicopter insignia and artifacts 128th assault. It gets right there with the helicopter pilot before and during his time serving our country in vietnam. Smokeships, always leading the way photo ebook brian wizard.
See more ideas about vietnam, helicopter, vietnam war. His second tour in vietnam was from may of 1968 to may of 1969, when he served as commanding officer of the 170th assault helicopter company in 1968 and 129th assault helicopter company in 19681969. The story of a helicopter assault pilot in vietnam. The story of an assault helicopter pilot in vietnam. Nicholas grabowskys awardwinning, widelypraised aliensamongus horrorscience fiction epic, available for the first time packaged and edited the way it was intended to be. He is a vietnam veteran and was a crewchiefdoorgunner on a huey helicopter for the famed tomahawks 128th assault helicopter company in phu loi, south vietnam in 196667. The huey defined americas presence in vietnam, even to. If any of you know mr flores, please ask him to contact me at. During the nine years in vietnam, the 114th assault helicopter company ahc participated in 16 combat campaigns and was presented with 8 unit citations. Bill mcdonald served with the us army in vietnam in 196667. Pat richardson 128th assault helicopter company army. During over eight years in vietnam, the 119th assault helicopter company provided helicopter support for the us army 4th infantry division, 25th infantry division, 1st cavalry division, 173d airborne brigade, us marine corps, united states army special forces and the army of the republic of vietnam.
Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mainly clear skies after midnight. Home 128th assault helicopter company vietnam the way it was 128th assault helicopter company vietnam the way it was september 27, 2018 september 16, 2018 fred childs posts. Due to the amount of images on this page, it may take a while to load. The united states army medical department center of history and heritage presents when i have your wounded subtitled the dustoff legacy. Apr 11, 2018 128th assault helicopter company vietnam.
As a result, 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2. In the gun armed platoon it was a common thing to have a zippo cigarette lighter that had been engraved in downtown phu loi with your name, call sign, 128th ahc and an armed b model uh1. Vietnam, 19691970, by dave staniszewski, 2 assault support helicopter company, the black cats. Jay also had a zippo engraved with name, call sign, 128th ahc insignia and an. We were both in the 128th assault helicopter comany,tomahawks, assigned to the 11th combat aviation battalion at phuloi.
The 195th deployed to vietnam arriving 17 october 1967 and made their base of operation at bear cat in iii corps tactical zone. Assault helicopter company vietnam the way it was part 1 helicopter gunship pilot captain james powell shares his personal footage taken while on tour in vietnam for part 2 click the video response below. Book is hardbound and measures 9 34 wide x 11 12 long. Narrated video of the 128th helicopter gunship assault.
Ap photo image result for phu loi vietnam, 128th pictures. The 205th aviation company 11th aviation battalion vietnam war. I was part of the reorganization of the 82nd aviation with the 128th and 129th assault helicopter companys way back in 1979. He was a crew chiefdoor gunner on huey helicopters with the 128th assault helicopter company in phu loi, south vietnam. The everborn by nicholas grabowsky goodreads share book. Pat richardson vietnam 128th assault helicopter company 4. Feb 01, 2018 helicopter gunship pilot captain james powell shares his personal 8mm footage taken while on tour in vietnam 1968. Vietnam helicopter pilots describe the war from the cockpit. He was wounded, shot down several times and almost captured.
He was awarded many medals and ribbons including the distinguished flying cross, the bronze star medal, fourteen air medals, and the purple heart. It seems that we had too many vehicles parked in the motor pool. Also looking for anyone who was assigned to headquarters and headquarters trp. South vietnam tour 196869 photo gallery by david parsley.
Armit tilgner was an instructor pilot with the 1st aviation brigades 128th assault helicopter company. Was assigned to b company 82 avn bn caveman as a uh1 and uh60 crew chief, 1st flight platoon sergeant and finally a ti. Marines of the 3rd battalion, 4th marines, crouch in the cover of a pagoda entrance as their patrol moves through a village along the ben hai river in the southern sector of the dmz in. The sort of operations major demailo describes, helicopter born troop assaults, were happening every day. The cambodian campaign also known as the cambodian incursion and the cambodian invasion was a brief series of military operations conducted in eastern cambodia in 1970 by south vietnam and the united states as an extension of the vietnam war and the cambodian civil war. At the time of deployment, the australian government dispatched a navy helicopter flight.
It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. One out of every ten americans who served in vietnam became a casualty. Records indicate that at least 95 aircraft of the 118th ahc were involved in at least 210 incidents. During the vietnam war, one unit assigned to the 52nd combat aviation battalion, 17th. Narrated video of the 128th helicopter gunship assault company prepping an lz for infantry insertion, vietnam 1969 submitted 1 year ago by supremereader 19 comments. Mike waugh vietnam 128th assault helicopter company, 11th aviation battalion, 12th aviation group 5. This is the story of the last two days of my search for the exact spot where. In over 15 years ive been researching vietnam era helicopters, ive come to a conclusion that door mounted automatic high velocity 40mm grenade launchers are the unicorn of vietnam era door guns, lol only a few were tested. Our motor pool guys were pretty good at making sure that our company had the full allotment of vehicles. If you are looking for a good book about what some of the other r. The 187th assault helicopter company was composed of the best america had to offer. Helicopter loss possibly vietnams deadliest hostile crash. For part 2 click the video response below, 229th assault helicopter battalion. Thirteen major operations were conducted by the army of the republic of vietnam arvn between 29 april and 22 july and by u.
May 30, 2015 explore dalecordell64s board 174th ahc assault helicopter co. During the next several months the 57th aquired the personel, equipment, and training in preporation for it s deployment to vietnam. Join the jokers, the gunship pilots of the 48th assault helicopter company blue stars, for. In october 1967 the unit deployed to vung tau, republic of vietnam. Air america a troop 317th cav silver spurs 1st aviation brigade u. The 11th aviation battalion was a united states army aviation unit that fought in the vietnam. Forewords, book cover blurbs, contributing stories and chapters to their books etc. Vietnam, helicopter, or aviation sites caution, you can spend a lot of time here. I get every book on vietnam pilots i can get my hands and have yet to be disappointed. Company c, 25th infantry division, is helped to a waiting uh1d iroquois helicopter in vietnam, may 10, 1967, during the vietnam war. The 281st assault helicopter company ahc intruders was stationed at nha trang, republic of vietnam 19651970. The story of an assault helicopter pilot in vietnam 2nd edition.
Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. I first met and served with the colonel, then captain klose, in vietnam. The 192nd assault helicopter company redux home page, the 192nd ahc redux home page. Company roster 187th assault helicopter company home page. How much did you trust your inner voice in vietnam. For a larger picture of any of the photographs below, please click on the image. The photos feature the men and equipment of the 128th ahc in 1971.
While it was up on the rack for maintenance, from out of nowhere a rocket screamed in and it erupted in a huge fireball. Helicopter 6600970, huey uh1dh, was procured by the u. Original photographs scanned and restored by john sisson. In three and a half years, it went through four separate combat tours in vietnam, with the 229th and 11th battalions of the 1st air cavalry division, and then the 128th and 118th assault. Although the percent of dead is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300% higher than in world war ii. At 0 hours, on 12march 1970, four uh1h aircraft of the 128th assault helicopter company departed phu loi airfield on an extraction mission, tasked with transporting 67 soldiers from a pickup zone at ys3880 to fire support base rhode island. Vietnam helicopter insignia and artifacts aircraft. In the same way that mash viewed the korean conflict with a sly smile and sense of irony and humor, huey looks through similar eyes at.