Tasked to fly the Division Commander of a Mech Infantry Division while in the Army National Guard (Territorials) following two tours of combat in a small place far away in Southeast Asia, I was assigned a Bell Kiowa.
We proceeded from one Scripted Exercise to another all over Fort Stewart, Georgia. Being a very warm, humid, place during the Summer we were sans doors up front.
The Boss Fellah asked I take him to a particular road junction where the Schedule called for a Meeting Engagement between two opposing Tank Units equipped with M-60 Tanks. For training purposes, the Turret Mounted Browning M-2 .50 Caliber MG's were replaced with Acetylene powered training weapons that simulated the MA Deuce MG.
At the appointed location, upon our arrival the show was on, lots of dust, smoke, and commotion as only Tanks maneuvering in fairly wooded terrain can produce.
To give the Boss a good vantage point I started making steep banked orbits overhead the Tanks at pretty low height with the Boss on the low side....and the Boss was quite enjoying the show and I found it to very interesting as well.
During one of the orbits, while looking down through the Boss Man's Door....in pretty near a Vertical Bank.....the focus of the rotation centered on a single stationary Tank who'se TC was standing in the Turret with this hands on the MG. As I made the third orbit around his head....the TC pointed the MG up at us and it seemed it was pointing right at my nose....and when he cut loose with a long burst and the muzzle flash lit up...and banging sound was heard....I had what might be called a short out of body experience to another place and time.
Instincts learned in that place not so many years before took over....and I did what would be called an evasive maneuver....in spades! I seem to recall we went from an orbit in one direction to the opposite direction with an odd roll over the top kind of thing in the middle with much clattering of blades and an odd sort of vibration.
As we were scooting along in the tree tops going as fast as the old Kiowa could go away from the shooting.....with the dust, dirt, maps, Grease pencils, Script, and I think part of the General's breakfast going everywhere....I realized what I had done.
The General was very pasty faced....had discarded his grip on everything but the seat sides and was staring straight ahead with a very...very... odd look about him.
As I was considering what my next posting might be....he turned to me and very quietly said....."Pretty realistic aren't they?".
Yes....they are....cause I swear till today I thought I had seen Tracers!