Vietnam Helicopter Photographs

[SASless]

There are some very good unit web sites on line now that have some very interesting photographs and accounts of events. As helicopters came to be a key part of military aviation during that time perhaps we should have a thread showing some of the photos and links to interesting sites.

I found this site to be one of the best I have seen lately.

aircav.html (http://users.erols.com/moonstar/aircav.html)

An example of what I mean follows.

A recon helicopter (known as a Loach) or better as "Bait" was looking for enemy troops. Somehow a White Phosphorus (Willie Pete) grenade (pin pulled and lever gone) found its way to the cockpit floor in front of the pilot, he tried to kick the thing out of the aircraft but only got it a bit closer to the door when it went off and put a bit of smoke and burning phosphorus into the cockpit. The Cobra over head coving the Loach happened to take a photograph just as this happened resulting in the following photograph.

As the excitement occurred....a finger got pulled on a trigger instead of the radio or both....and you can see the mini-gun fire striking the water in front of the aircraft.

Both occupants survived after going for a swim.

http://users.erols.com/moonstar/wploh1.jpg

[PCM-MU2]

Good stuff.

[SASless]

The photograph is of LZ Lolo....a scene of fierce fighting during Operation Lam Son 719. American helicopter units supported Vietnamese and US Forces during the operation.

http://www.thelancers.org/images/lolo1.jpg

[windowseatplease]

The Illustrated Chickenhawk (http://www.robertcmason.com/gallery.html)

[Darkhorse30]

Those are really good pictures. There are also some links through the Dark Horse web site. The 3/17 must have moved into Phu Loi after we left. Our unit was Troop D(air), 1/4 Cav, 1st Inf. Division (Big Red One) until they rotated the 1st Div out of RVN in April 1970. They renamed our Cav troop C, 16th Cav and sent us to the Delta. Wasn't pretty.

[EN48]

There are some very good unit web sites on line now that have some very interesting photographs and accounts of events


This thread is most interesting! Having recenlty read most of the Vietnam helicopter books suggested elsewhere on Rotorheads, thes photos really add something for those who were not there. :ok:

[SASless]

This site has a good bit of history of the US Army Airfield at Phu Loi, Vietnam and links to unit web sites of units assigned there during the war.

Phu Loi Army Airfield, Vietnam (http://www.1stidavn.info/TheaterOperations/Vietnam/phuloiairfield/index.html)

http://www.1stidavn.info/TheaterOperations/Vietnam/phuloiairfield/Saigon-BenHoa-PhuLoi-medium.jpg

[R44-pilot]

You may find this interesting mr SASless.....

Vietnam Helicopter Images and Artifacts (http://www.vhpamuseum.org/defaultmenu.shtml)

[DublinDev]

Brilliant book, and some class photos there. Must go back and read it again. :cool:

[whoseroundisit]

A few months ago New Zealand retired about 10 or 12 Vietnam era Iroquois's that they were 'given' by the USA during the war. NZ kept most of them going aver the past 40 years but they've now retired all of them.

[windowseatplease]

Rattler/Firebird Association Home Page (http://rattler-firebird.org/)

[SASless]

WSP,

A story from that web site......about a beautiful woman with a lot of class!

A CLASS ACT
passed to us FYI (subject Richard is unknown)

My husband, Richard, never really talked a lot about his time in Vietnam other than that he had been shot by a sniper. However, he had a rather grainy, 8x10 black & white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann Margaret with Bob Hope in the background. This was one of his treasures.

A few years ago, Ann Margaret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the photo. He arrived at the bookstore at 12 o’clock for the 7:30 signing. When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot and disappeared behind a parking garage.

Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would only sign her book and no memorabilia would be permitted. Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI’s so far from home.

Ann Margaret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as second in line, it was soon my husband’s turn. He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo. When he did, there were many shouts from the employees that she would not sign it. Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it".

She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Vietnam and I most certainly will sign this photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for "my gentlemen". With that, she pulled Richard across the table and planted a big kiss on him. She then made quite a to-do about the bravery of the young men she met over the years, how much she admired them, and how much she appreciated them. There weren’t too many dry eyes among those close enough to hear. She then posed for pictures and acted as if Richard was the only one there.

Later at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he’d like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That’s the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army, " he said.

I will never forget Ann Margaret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband.

[chiefedge]

15 Hueys were purchased. The RNZAF still operates 14 examples and they will be in service until replaced with the NH90 in 2010.

[WhirlwindIII]

Darkhorse30

334th Aerial Weapons moved from Bien Hoa in to your hootches at Phu Loi when you left Apr '70, then in Nov '70 other assets were moved in to redesignate the combined operating entity as E-troop, 3/17th. We were opcon to 1/9th and did pretty much everything they did not have time to do, which included a lot of night VR FOB with INFANT, etc., out of Quan Loi, our forward operating base/home. It was all interesting.

WIII

[Gray 14]

A few months ago I put out a series of sequensial stories on JH site of the way things were during the VietNam war for high school graduates cerica 1968.

I thought the stories were fairly good, but most of the responses were more than negative. The Current RVN post has come acrossed with positive responses.

Any body interested in the stories I put out on another site??

Let me know, it is "real time" and no BS.

S L Gray

[Brilliant Stuff]

Thank you Sasless for that story.

Very moving.

Gray 14, if it's not to much trouble I for one would love to hear your stories. You want get anything but admiration from me.

[SASless]

For a very interesting story about a very quiet Hughes 500 doing night FLIR and NVG flights into North Vietnam in the 1972......

http://www.vhpa.org/stories/AAblack.pdf

Air America's Black Helicopter | Military Aviation | Air & Space Magazine (http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/the_quiet_one.html?c=y&page=2#)

http://media.airspacemag.com/images/quiet_one_main.jpg

http://media.airspacemag.com/images/FM08_black-helicopter-5.jpg

[wish2bflying]

A Troop, 3/17th Air Cav - A Troop Silver Spurs, 3/17th Air Cavalry (http://northwestvets.com/spurs/spurs.htm)

photos page - Spur Photo Index (http://northwestvets.com/spurs/photo-index.htm)

My dad flew with them.

[SASless]

Wish,

Was he the gentleman on the right in the one photo?

Also...you might look up the 135th Emu's site....they were a mixed US/Australian Huey Unit.

Welcome (http://www.135ahc.com/welcome_page.htm)

[spinwing]

Mmmm ...

The 135 EMU's were a bunch of Aussie Navy Pilots I believe some of which were trained by the US Army.

A VERY close friend of mine won his "Silver Star" with them!


:ok:

[SASless]

Friend at home here was with them....took a bullet through his shoulder joint after being in country for a total of four months...ended his tenure in the Army and killed his flying....plays real heck with his golf game too.

[helonorth]

I don't have a picture to share, but when I was instructing in 2005, a man brought his dad (a Viet Nam helicopter pilot) in for a ride in a 300. I was
lucky enough to be the one to "ride along". He hadn't flown for 25 years and
asked me(!) to sign his log book he brought in. Never forget it.

[Nuada]

SAS,
Was into, (and very fortunately!) also outbound from LoLo that day. Was a very nasty and costly afternoon. As were all of those Lam Son LZs in point of fact. Very hard to describe just how inaccurate the term, 'mid-intensity' AAA fits the airspace and the 'terra-not-so-firma' in Laos in early 71. Something seems to have been lost in the translation for the subsequent generations, I fear? Is that picture not the cover from the VHPA annual which featured their worthy research on LS719?
I could say thanks for reminding me...but I have never really forgotten those weeks....stay well nontheless!
:ok:
kevin

[SASless]

Kevin,

That photo is from the cover of the VHPA Annual.

They did provide a very good account of Lam Son 719.

It should be noted that one operation resulted in the loss of one heck of a lot of guys and helicopters....probably the most intense action of the war especially for the numbers of people and aircraft involved.

That is a story that needs telling especially for those that wish to compare Malaya to Vietnam as has been done so often in the past.

This link has data on the losses and some excellent audio of radio chatter....very sobering to listen to.

Lam Son 719 (http://www.a101avn.org/LamSon719.html)

Another account of downed aircrews....with a Mayday call being recorded.

174 AHC Unit History, Witch Doctor shoot-down (http://www.174ahc.org/mike-3.htm)

Welcome Home Kev!:D

[Nuada]

SAS,
Thanks mate and the very same to you.....it's our party as they used to say!
The most striking thing about having listened to that audio, which is excellent btw, is that it was like waking inside a personal timecapsule. I could clearly recall hearing it all on those very days in 1971. The NVA did a smashing job of electronic jamming of all sorts of freqs over the fence, but as we were all tenuously balancing three radios between our eardrums....most of those calls were heard by all the crews in the air over Laos.

It is strange also to note that the 'incursion' as it was known changed US military heli-assualt tactics for years to come, (including currently) as it was determined, though never publically debated that helos could not effectively function beyond the FEBA in an environment beyond the "low" category, (laughably used to describe the AAA with the RVN those days!).

The only written work on the topic, other than some credible bios, ("Price of Exit"-Marshall) comes to mind) is Nolan's "Into Laos" which reads and works as if it were taken exclusively from the 101st Unit histories and Command logs. It manages to amazingly ignore virtually ALL of the 1st Avn Bde units which bore the brunt of the ARVN assaults all along the escarpment south of Rte 9 both going into Laos and more tragically on the way out as well. Ahhh.....regardless....it is dry and lacks any real feel of what the aircrews were experiencing during the op.
You are correct.....the tale is yet untold!
The material available through VHPA and the AHC websites are the best and nearly the only primary sources worth mentioning.
Take the best of care Old Guy, (from another 'Old guy')
k
:ok:

[SASless]

I ran across this article quite by accident today and see it as a wonderfully written recounting of the experience of a Vietnam Helicopter Pilot. At the risk of imposing on the writer's good will and modesty.....as proven by previous contacts with him in the past....I hope he will not object to others reading his article done back in 1995.

He recently returned to Vietnam with his family and I would hope in time to see a similar account of that "tour" in Vietnam to go along with this one.

Talking to him over the phone now days you would never guess he was anything but an Aussie!

index.html (http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/6485/Photos/index.html)

Web site with list of Air Crew from the 229th Killed In Action and accounts of their loss.

229th-KIA's (http://www.229thavbn.com/229thKIA/)

[inmate]

Thanks Sass old chap.
She was a wonderful lady and full of class.

Grey 14: More appreciated your memories on JH than you know, most like me just enjoyed them. So for those that did and do not post here, thanks mate.

Have a great safe day all:

[SASless]

She was indeed!

http://jbreck.com/Ann-Margaret.jpg

The "Young" Lady in Vietnam.....1966 was it?

http://www.sturgeonphotography.com/Ann%20Margaret1.gif

The Soldier named "Richard" and Ann-Margaret.

http://www.sturgeonphotography.com/Ann%20Margaret3.jpg

[Gray 14]

I was a "30-day loss" when the opns officer came to me and said I had a mission with the 11th BGD the next day. I had already "stood down" so refused the mission. Generally when you had less than 30 days remaining on your tour, you were not scheduled for combat missions.

A short time later my CO, Major Moore advised me that if I did not want the mossion, he would assign it to another crew and I would be posted a slot on the Flight to Quang Tri with the rest of the First Flight Platoon!!!

My reply to him was " Who is this that you want me to report to in the 11th BGD tomorrow??"

I took the mission and thus avoided the Lam Song venture.

Mind, Our unit (176th AHC) suffered a fair amount of KIAs and MIAs on that operation.

My feelings to this day are that, at that time, I was a senior AC and may have been able to prevent some of our losses. However, after the fact, those that went said the results had absoultly nothing to do with experience....just the luck of the draw.

Anyway, it was a full combat tour with the Americal and ll23 hrs of Combat in 12 calendar months.

Proud but not vain.

Stan Gray.

[hihover]

I received a chain email this morning which I believe to be worthy of sharing with the right people. I have absolutely no doubt that many posters and readers of this thread displayed the same bravery as Ed, and you all contributed immensely to the helicopter industry we enjoy today. For that, you all get my respect.

Tam Macklin - a visiting Jock.


Here is the email -

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley , 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half-way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi- Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses.

And, he kept coming back.... 13 more times..... And took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out. Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman,died August 20,2008 at the age of 80, in Boise , ID ......May God rest his soul.....

I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we sure were told a whole bunch about some Hip-Hop Coward beating the crap out of his "girlfriend."

Medal of Honor Winner Ed Freeman!

Shame on the American Media. Let us remember him by forwarding this email.

[SASless]

A news article about Ed Freeman.

MEDAL OF HONOR: ED W. FREEMAN - The Daily Nightly - msnbc.com (http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/07/11/265756.aspx)


The complete After Action Report written by LTC Hal Moore who was in command of the troops on the ground at LZ X-Ray during the Ia Drang Battle.

http://www.lzxray.com/documents/aar-xray.pdf

Three Medals of Honor were won during the battle, two Huey Pilots (Bruce Crandal and Ed Freeman) and a infantry Platoon leader (Marm).

Oddly enough....all three survived the action although Marm was severely wounded but went on to retire as a Colonel.

[Brian Abraham]

The 135 EMU's were a bunch of Aussie Navy Pilots I believe some of which were trained by the US Army.
Not Army but US Navy. I was one such.

[TIMTS]

"The Soldier named "Richard" and Ann-Margaret."

Uhm, that looks like the King of Sweden? Don't know if he served in Vietnam or not...

[B Sousa]

Uhm, that looks like the King of Sweden?

Tim, Thats probably because it IS King Gustav XVI.
Sasless lost his glasses, but he makes up a pretty good story.

She was also named the Swedish American of the Year and gave a royal command performance for the King and Queen of Sweden.

How ya doing, by the way? Where are ya flyin now your not in the Caribe?

[SASless]

Alright....a bad photo from a web site....but the story is true.

As we can tell by the award...she was a real class act!

[B Sousa]

Dam Sasless that didnt take long. You owe me another Beer.

[SASless]

Bert,

Snopes and the following site investigated the story and both confirmed it to be true.

Ann-Margret's tribute to American Vets-Truth! (http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/a/annmargret.htm)

As to owing beer.....I see no reason not to share a pint or two....but I will have to wear a brown paper sack over my head in case I should be seen in your company by other ppruners.

[TIMTS]

Hi Bert.

Good to know it wasn't just my eyes going bad!!
I am still plodding along in Nigeria every other month, miss the islands tho!!

Ken

[B Sousa]

Sasless Im sure the story is true, I was commenting on the phot which was not connected. Ann Margaret is still a class act and looking better than we do. I have some old photos of her with Bob Hope I took while I was doing R/R in da pilipines back in 19................, anyway I was a 17 year old kid in uniform.
You cant wear the paper bag in Vegas it belongs to :The Unknown Comic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Langston)
Nice guy, I met him through another friend www.gdavidhoward.com (http://www.gdavidhoward.com) If your ever near Tampa I will hook you up with a Beer at his place.

[Semi Rigid]

Anyone know the whereabouts of Thomas Barnes?

[loav8r]

Hey guys, I'm not a Vietnam Vet, although I was born in the 60s.:ok: I am, however, a Vet of numerous other conflicts. Anyhow, I just wanted to pipe-in and say that I had the privilege of meeting Bruce Crandall about 3 years ago. He was guest speaker at our holiday formal. Before the formal, we talked at worked for over a good hour. He has a great personality. What I didn't know at the time (this was in December) was that he was to receive the Medal of Honor. I didn't find this out until the following February when he actually received it at the White House. I was amazed.
Anyhow, that's my little story.

R/

[msuldo]

As a Gung Ho new Navy Helicopter pilot in '69, I put on my dream sheet (where you make a request for where you would like to be assigned - they usually didn't pay attention, but you felt better!!) "Warm Weather Only" - thinking I might get Hawaii or Bermuda ( I was raised in Florida and hate cold wx). You know what happened next - 1 year in RVN with the Navy Seawolves - HAL-3. 780 combat missions, and shot through the leg in flight and other good stories and great people, and still the best tour I ever did, living on a barge in the middle of a river and flying off ships along the coast, in broke dick old Army UH-1Bs!

Their website is
HA(L)-3 Seawolf Association (http://www.seawolf.us/index.asp)

Lots of great stories and pictures of the real Naval Air War!
Mike Suldo
Seawolf 10 (det1 - Nam Cam - solid anchor)

[Rich Lee]

SASless The Air America site has historical data you might find interesting.

Air America - Official Web Site for Air America (http://www.air-america.org/)

I have downloaded one story from the website to my own to make it easy for you to find.

http://leeaviationconsulting.com/AirAmerica500.pdf

The Hughes legacy continues to this day.

[Hilife]

Fall of Saigon photographer Hugh Van Es dies

From Times Online May 15, 2009

Fall of Saigon photographer Hugh Van Es dies - Times Online (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article6291245.ece)

We didn't own a television until I was about 12, but black and white news clips of Vietnamese citizens storming the gates of the US Embassy and views of the final departing Huey’s during the fall of Saigon as well as those being pushed off the decks of US carriers was one of my earliest recollections of news reporting on television - that and the endless Israeli conflicts.

History in the making........

[mfriskel]

Rich,
You should have put the story of Jimmy N. and his massive arm pulling the downed pilot into the helicopter!

:)
Mark

[Zvonko]

About a year ago some one asked the where abouts of Thomas Barnes roto head spent 2 deployment to Vietnam. I work with him at temp job. You can call him at 503 716-1200.

[mtoroshanga]

Good site boys, another one the same vein is 'Rhodesian Bush War Photos' on the military photo web site. You will like it Ralph!!

[hillerman]

If you like pictures of Vietnam Piston Helicopters see:

http://www.alohaaeroscouts.org

Great shots of the OH23 Raven (Hiller 12)