Huey's in Vietnam (Page 2): ...well, we're all in agreement; the Loach crashed better than *anything!* Hahaha...here's mine, you ever hear of the "Hughes Tailspin?" It's a pretty good...

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

Wingpilot wrote:

Thanks, from a former Huey, OH-6A and Ch-47 Chinook pilot. Yes, we lost a bunch over there. This one ruined one day for me. They said it was a mechanical thing, but I still wonder if I was shot down. Guess IÃ¢ÂÂll never know. I did manage to survive the 1400Ã¢ÂÂ fall without injury. Great ship, that Loach. Scanned from an old print.

...well, we're all in agreement; the Loach crashed better than *anything!* Hahaha...here's mine, you ever hear of the "Hughes Tailspin?" It's a pretty good story...

Huey Driver Loc: Texas

Got about 50 hours training in the H-19 in Army Flight School at Ft. Rucker, Ala. C & D models if my memory serves me correctly. That was a brute to fly physically. Collective always seemed like it weighed 100 pounds. I remember one ship in particular a C model tail number 4300 that I seemed to draw for some reason with regularity. If you filled both fuel tanks on a hot day with just the student and an instructor on board you had to make a running take off as it didn’t have enough power to hover until you burned off a bunch of fuel. I give a lot of credit to anyone who flew the H-19 in a combat situation.

traderjohn wrote:

I don't think we used Hueys on my first trick. I think most of our choppers were H19's. My memory is becoming AWOL. USMC 60-67

PH CIB

We called them Slicks,,,,I hated the Insertions,,,Loved the Extractions,,,and Prayed for the Dust Offs,,,,Pop Smoke,,,What Color do You See,,,,Full Rucksack covered in Rifle Magazines in two cross chest bandoliers and Grenades in Ammo Pouches,,,,Feet hanging out over the Skids Hanging on for Dear Life,,,,Hoping it wasn't a Hot LZ,,,and then Weeks in the Mountains and Jungle,,,,Saw One go down,,,Killed Everyone on Board,,,,Took Balls of Steel to Fly and Crew those Things but I Thank God for You Who Did.....

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

PH CIB wrote:

We called them Slicks,,,,I hated the Insertions,,,... (show quote)

Thank you for that. I always felt that my main mission was to support or guys in the field, and I really loved pulling those guys out. Our unit wasn't a lift company. We were attached to the 199th Lt. Inf. Bde as an aviation section, and as such, we did everything imaginable with a helicopter. It definitely wasn't boring.

Huey Driver Loc: Texas

Your remark about pop smoke made think and laugh. When ever I was sent out to do something with the Arvin I was told they would pop some colored smoke to identify themselves. I can't imagine how many times there was smoke but not the color that it was suppose to be. Either there was a break down in communications, they didn't under colors or they were told to pop a color they didn't happen to have in the field right then. Usually we went in anyway as we knew what probably had happened. When I think about it that was probably crazy as we should have aborted the mission but many times we were to pick up med-evacs and lives were on the line.

PH CIB wrote:

We called them Slicks,,,,I hated the Insertions,,,... (show quote)

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

PH CIB wrote:

We called them Slicks,,,,I hated the Insertions,,,... (show quote)

Thanks and it was our mission to support the insertions...... I was more than lucky because I flew gunships, but still took plenty of hits

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Blaster34 wrote:

Thanks and it was our mission to support the insertions...... I was more than lucky because I flew gunships, but still took plenty of hits

I never flew gunships, but there were times when the guys on the ground needed guns and there weren’t any available, so we’d show up, have the crewchief and gunner lock the M60’s forward and we’d dive on the smoke and shoot. it terribly accurate, I suppose, but it did give the guys there a bit of relief.

What class were you? I was 68-29, 1st WOC company.

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

Wingpilot wrote:

I never flew gunships, but there were times when the guys on the ground needed guns and there weren’t any available, so we’d show up, have the crewchief and gunner lock the M60’s forward and we’d dive on the smoke and shoot. it terribly accurate, I suppose, but it did give the guys there a bit of relief.

What class were you? I was 68-29, 1st WOC company.

68-14.....stood up the 238th AWC in Ft Riley '68 , took it to RVN to An Khe, then transferred to platoon leader 129th AHC, Bulldogs & Cobras...

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Blaster34 wrote:

68-14.....stood up the 238th AWC in Ft Riley '68 , took it to RVN to An Khe, then transferred to platoon leader 129th AHC, Bulldogs & Cobras...

So you were a couple ahead of me. I went over in Dec. ‘68 to the 199th LIB in Long Bing in III Corp.

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

Wingpilot wrote:

So you were a couple ahead of me. I went over in Dec. ‘68 to the 199th LIB in Long Bing in III Corp.

Welcome home Brother...👍

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Blaster34 wrote:

Welcome home Brother...👍

Thanks, and you, too. Good to be home.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Thank you so much for your service and for all of the great posts and photos from all of you guys that served. There is a wealth of information on the Vietnam war and a treasure trove of personal photos on this forum. It would be great if someone who served would combine these and publish it. What an incredible history! I salute you all.
Mark

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

srfmhg wrote:

Thank you so much for your service and for all of the great posts and photos from all of you guys that served. There is a wealth of information on the Vietnam war and a treasure trove of personal photos on this forum. It would be great if someone who served would combine these and publish it. What an incredible history! I salute you all.
Mark

Thank you. I am proud to have served, and I'd do it again.

Huey Driver Loc: Texas

Wish my mobility was better. I'd love to go back and see Vietnam again when someone there wasn't trying to kill me.

Wingpilot wrote:

Thank you. I am proud to have served, and I'd do it again.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Huey Driver wrote:

Wish my mobility was better. I'd love to go back and see Vietnam again when someone there wasn't trying to kill me.

My impression of Vietnam was that it was a very beautiful country. Except for that bit about people shooting at you. I scanned it with Google Maps recently, and it was amazing how it has built up over that last 50 years. There appears to be little left of any of the U.S. installations. But so far, I haven’t had a desire to go back there.