ab7rn Loc: Portland, Oregon

My wife was nervous in a plane, she pushed her finger thru the glass in her light meter during one flight. When we were escaping from Iran when the Shah fell, we were rescued by helicopter. I was worried That she would freak out. A short way into the flight, she said "This is the way to travel!"

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Before Nam, I always assumed helicopters flew parallel to the ground and then went down and back up like an elevator. I didn't know under normal circumstances they required a glide path, just much shorter than a fixed wing aircraft. After a month in the bush I became the company clerk and mailman and as such would board a twin rotor (grasshopper) daily to deliver mail to troops in the bush. To avoid taking fire from the trees during decent the pilot would fly to the LZ and lay the chopper almost on its side to spiral down thus avoiding the glide path over trees. I actually liked the ride, sitting on a long bench and watching the horizon go to about a 45 degree angle out the opening above the ramp at the rear of the chopper. Glad you avoided the Cong and the choppers and returned safely. Great respect for you fly boys!

thumpercat2

I served as an FMF corpsman back then, placed several marines on to helicopters, always happy to see helicopters. I have spent my professional life as a registered nurse and I have many stories that I could tell that relate to the service but one sticks out in regards to helicopters. I specialize in interventional radiology, where we do things on the inside of people by accessing the major arteries and snaking catheters around to do things like opening arteries or plugging arteries to stop bleeding. When we take the catheter out there is a small hole in the artery that could cause bleeding if pressure is not held at the site for about 15 minutes. One day I went over to the trauma unit to take a catheter out of a patient who we worked on the day before, he had been in a car accident. He was an older fellow and very happy to have the catheter out. I removed the catheter and was holding pressure and he began telling me a story about being on a hill in Korea and being overrun by the Chinese. I was silent just listening to him talk about being wounded and then hearing the Chinese shooting the wounded. He said the next thing he heard was someone shouting that "this one is still alive" and then he said that was the last time he was on a helicopter until the accident he had the day before when he was medevaced.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

If you liked his stories about Korea, read the book "The Frozen Hours". One of the best books on war I've ever read. It gives insights on General Smith and how he had to fight McArthur and his henchmen to save his troops. It also gives insights from the Chinese general who was Smith's counterpart. A totally fascinating read.

thumpercat2

It's not so much that I liked his story, but that he was so calm and unemotional while relating his nightmare to me. I also was having my own issues trying to concentrate on what I was doing while listening to him.

blackhorse 1-7

Spent the usual year in Vietnam with an Air Assault Unit (1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry), and everything we did involved helicopters...we exited them (usually three or 4 feet above the ground), sometimes under enemy fire. The helicopters were our "life line", brought us food, ammunition, two cans of beer (always warm) every day, mail and everything a man could want. It also brought us out of the field, dead or alive...the helicopter was our life. Have never had a desire to ever board one since Vietnam.