I only flew some C-130s for a while in peacetime (except when we canceled IFR from Panama and orbited elsewhere...), but a few older guys who flew helicopters in SE Asia were envious of the A-7, F-4 and F-105 "Thud Drivers" etc who streaked at 400 knots over the Ho Chi Minh trails as they sat on ejection seats.
The guys flying the very slow Huey or Chinook helicopters into an LZ to offload grunts were sitting ducks
. And the US Army was very slow to ship them armored chest protectors, based on the excellent book "Chickenhawk" (former bestseller), the first book by former Warrant Officer Robert Mason; Penguin books. How about the "Jolly Green Giant" rescue crews hovering over a downed pilot in a hot area? The book "Bat 21" will also hold your attention.
The Cobra helicopter pilots had more weapons but seem to have been fairly easy targets.