Black Label, aka Panther P*ss, aka Star Beer, aka whatever we had in Egypt, aka bottled Champion in Nigeria - Gawd, the head ache from Formaldehyde (Sp? - quite the opposite of Champion from the keg fetched from the brewery in Uyo).
SASLESS, sounds like the BlackCat callsign out of Phu Loi!? Nui Dat is a place remembered.
The Australians in RVN just had a matter-of-fact about them that hit me curiousity button those days. Their directness, AND ability to take a hit, makes them honorary Americans! A kind of having both feet on the ground, or flight deck floor, that was handsomely a matter of home.
What Helo Vets went through in RVN, hmmmmm....., let me see. Quite varigated and LONG days, good flying (if one enjoys being cannon fodder, no offense, but let's be real), a few interuptions from Sir Charles and the ever present highly disciplined NVA, and a menu of progressive exposure to obnoxious things like bigger and bigger, and more and more bang bang shoot 'em up, and down! Maybe that was just me waking up to the reality of the skitiation but I remember from about month 8 or so it seemed I progressively lost breakfast before hitting the flight line, and wound up coming back to the states @15% lighter than when I went there. Flying at night for six months on search and destroy with the INFANT and a couple Cobras, C&C (CCS), a medevac, and a light ship made us the premier piss-'em-off (they being NVA) unit/s that bluntly made me think reprisal. Two months after getting out of there our unit had a ground attack that didn't do much damage but proved my suspicion we were knocking on all the right doors. Got the heck out of the Green Machine (NO disrespect whatsoever!!) and pursued me life of interest and leisure, having felt I paid a bit of due. The Good bits were definitely the comfort of knowing what could be done, would be done in the short, and eventually the long, to get me butt out of there. Reunions are the most comfortable place on earth, hands down.
From the number of posts below I realize perhaps this is a nice thing to talk about.