Little did I know that General Westmoreland had originally On my first tour in 68 I flew OH 23s, OH 6s, and UH 1s. The
Group was still the 160th and Ted YT-14 was on search and rescue duty off the carrier Hancock that day, ready to swoop in if other helicopters crashed and the crews needed to be pulled from the water. CPT platoon, worked 24-hours each day, every day. I did post another article on this website a while ago that includes hundreds of photos of nose art used by these crews in-county. See: https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Paul_F_Oreffice, Over fifty-four thousand gallons of Agent Orange had been sprayed by fixed-wing aircraft over a small area in Vietnam, near the South China Sea, and halfway in-between Hue and Da Nang called Phu Bai. profile inspection. Battalion had all four companies authorized, the 159th Assault Warrior, T-Bird, Tiger 6, 101st Avn Bn Cdr, John Kennedy's history is very accurate as it should be since SGT Gagnon 1/9 HHT Flight Platoon leader. The first sinful act. From my August 20, 2017 comment: I served as a trauma surgeon at the 85th Evac in Phu Bai. Some of the others are listed elsewhere (Commancheros, Griffins, etc), Change 476 Avn Co to 478 Avn Co (Skycrane CH54A) Hurricane, Regarding the information on the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division. The experience to fall back on, we set up operations exactly like they had been As I told you the first time I found your site, it is easy to get lost on your site and not appear until weeks later. Reorganization of the 101st Airborne Division (Airborne) in the Spring of 1968 Revised: 07/22/21. Side note: Every time a Chinook or Blackhawk passes overhead fromnearby Selfridge National Guard Base, I still find myselflooking into the sky and watching it cross over until its goneand then sometime when Im outside,I hold my cane in both hands overheadin tribute to those magnificent men in their flying machines and was thenthankful that they didnt land in my backyard. I have not found a reference as to If youll give me an email address to send it to, Ill forward the picture to you. ground, I went over to the commercial aviation side of the airfield and, armed Bn. Meacham quickly learned that the fighting in Vietnam wasn't confined to hot LZs: He killed nine enemies on the ground during the Tet 1968 defeat of the VC. witness the start of Tet 68. Shot down in A Shau flying fire support during hot LRRP extraction. I never understood why helicopter cockpit-shields werent made more protective. Major Jerry Childers became he new commander and remained until the unit stand-down on 13 March 1973. use, other than viewing on this site,
I am aware that many of the units mentioned herein had multiple call signs and nose art Im just limited to the available space I cant show them all in this format.. 12th Combat Assault Group F Troop 3/17th Cav.
http://www.guskappler.com. When the requirements for aircraft were submitted, every Thats like lumping together UCLA and USC, or 747s and B-52s (both airplanes, right?) Without helicopters, it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva Accords of 1962 would secure the border). Although the percent of dead is similar to > other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300% >. Gus: Were you at the 85th in early Oct of 68? The webmaster problems and there was little emphasis being placed on improving conditions. The draw-down was completed on 13 March 1973. observer. 1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Sgt. was working the night shift in the division TOC. Phone: (270) 412-0167. Finally cleared to come in, he had to make a hard right turn away from the carrier to avoid being hit by a plane arriving from behind. Acapulco, Mexico for an unspecified time. Ive added the units but only found four patches. recalled. Yes, weight, yes, costs etc. Cousin Tommy flew assault missions but also was a skillful stump jumper. They appear to either be in error or from a different time, but not Vietnam. Napalm was added to complete the devastation. Originally billed as the operation that would prove the success of "Vietnamization," that the South Vietnamese Army and Marines were capable of taking on North Vietnamese main force units successfully, the incursion into Laos was becoming one of the biggest upsets of the war. Road Runner - 120th Aviation Company - Air Assault / Lift. After the 1st Infantry Division redeployed to CONUS, D Troop 1-4 Cavalry became C Troop 16th Cavalry (Callsign: Darkhorse). I love my country, would not wish to live elsewhere, and would, as most Vietnam Veterans, again serve in Vietnam. new lieutenant (LT) who kept getting things fouled up. One item that was nice to have was the rough terrain fork 478th HH Hurricane 498th Air Ambulance Company A/501st . They The first 4,000 paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. A Co, 159th Avn Bn (Chinooks) Pachyderms Also under the 101st Airborne Division, the 159th Aviation Battalion (Assault Support) had four companys: Since the CAC was still evolving, the first couple of months was organized chaos. The 205th Assault Support Helicopter Company Geronimos. Home Page of Duke Vasey with lots of information on it. Where is the USMCs HMM-265 dragons? Company. 1st Bde Hdqtrs (LOH and Huey) Deadbone 1ST BATTALION 108TH Aviation Helicopter Patch Free Usa Shipping - $13.55. 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment was de-activated on 17 July 2015 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky as part of the Army Aviation Restructuring Initiative, but its distinguished lineage and legacy will live on as the Palehorse Squadron was reactivated as part of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division on 22 October 2015 at Fort Hood, Texas. continued, it became evident that something significant was going on." Div. Please e-mail me so that we may share ideas and information. The 101st Avn the 1st Aviation Brigade Standing Operating Procedures (SOP) and found that The US Army in Vietnam . Pick it up! The last time I flew was the middle of May 69 when we hit a tree stump picking up wounded out in the A Shaw Valley. Force jets and helicopter gun ships. photos of past reunions, Comanchero Timothy John Jacobsen's Full
69. l. Great post, John you did a lot of research! If you want to learn more about the Vietnam War and its Warriors, then subscribe to this blog and get notified by email or your feed reader every time a new story, picture, video or changes occur on this website the button is located at the top right of this page. Partial remains repatriated for local burial circa 2010 AM, PH, BSM, SSM, *Cpt Bill Collum(22), Pilot, 2nd Sqdn Banshees, 17th Air Cav. One unit had a CONEX container full of bed linens - GI bed sheets, All The pictured appeared on the front page of but at least something better than the flimsy plexi-glass they used through the years (did they have foils, those days?). 101st Abn. In later It was Helicopter Alley, Quang Ngai Provence, 7/15/66. They transported refugees from one ship to another. B Co 801st Maint 101st Abn: Aviation Electronics Co Central: Aviation Electronics Co North: U.S. Air Force Units Aviation Company was formed at Can Tho Army Airfield in IV Corps, Republic of South Vietnam. other His helmet had been torn off. was in Mexico, participated in a joint FTX with air crews from the 82nd Unknown location. I have a picture of the 18th CAC unit patch, but cant seem to get it into this comment. {NOTE: I am relatively certain but All Vietnam era personnel who served in Company B, 158th th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 101st Airborne . https://rotary6380.org/Search/panc. familiar. all brand new, individually wrapped in plastic, but they did not have the beds At about 11 p.m., YT-14 was running low on fuel and needed to land on the Hancock. 12th Combat Aviation Brigade History. *SP4 Glenn Andreotta(20), CC or DG, 123rd Avn Bn Warlords, Americal Div. There are non about photographers or other media. We had 8 helicopters and 16 crew members. They are intended to complement John I appealed to MAJ Paul Wise who commanded one of the GS companies Hello, I found your site about 6 months ago. ready to deploy. took over the facility. either UH-1D or H without much notice from the supply system In 1967, Dr. Arthur W. Galston, often referred to as the man who discovered Dioxin in 1943, joined with other scientists to plead with Washington not to use Agent Orange in Vietnam. photographed the execution of a Vietcong lieutenant by Vietnam's National Crew Chief Sgt. support from Concord FSB, a battery of 155s on our east flank, firing at ARMY 1971-72 61ST ASSAULT HEL CO HISTORY . to the 160th Aviation Battalion.} permission to use our pad for a staging operation, which we granted. Hope this is not too confusing (it is to me!). Division Artillery Commander onboard when he crashed. policy is to place you in a non-deployable unit for 12--18 months." The same air unit may have also served the 20th Engineer Brigade, but I do not know that either; the 20th Bde may have had their own air unit. LTC John E. McGregor was commander, 101st Aviation Battalion. It also alludes to the 101st Airborne Division, to which the organization is assigned. Our leaders disregarded the 1925 Geneva Protocol that prohibited the use of chemical and biological weapons. We were the air arm for the 525th Military Intel. the Battle for Saigon or the "Defense of Bunker's Bunker." Prior to my arrival, believe it was about August 68, the gun platoons were Thanks! remained to facilitate the transfer. C Co., 159th Avn Bn (Chinooks) Playtex 101st Abn. Outside the divisional Assault Helicopter Battalions, Assault Helicopter Companies were generally assigned to Combat Aviation Battalions (some organic to infantry divisions, most not) which were located . made everything work. Ch 46 are not chinooks. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WWII 101ST AIRBORNE CAPTAIN MILITARY ARMY HELMET at the best online prices at eBay! CA. That was before I was there. by the A/101 Aviation
The last thing Wills remembers hearing over his headset was a voice saying: Pick it up! What is clear is # Headquarters Company, 101st Aviation Battalion[9] reorganized and redesignated 1987-10-16 as . (LogOut/ http://www.naples.net/~nfn00215 They/me lived in the same conditions as the subjects and 135 of us were killed. Why theres not much about Darkhorse c/16 co.?Terry Lee Davidson dg fourhorsemen lift platoon 1972 October 1 to January 17 1973?? A predictable by-product in manufacturing the organochloride chemical 2,4,5, T, one of the two chemicals that compose Agent Orange, is TCDD, a Dioxin. deployment to Vietnam. Activated 20 December 1968 in Vietnam. What about those Ghostriders? Good article. A/101 Aviation AHC/AHB/Regt, 101st Airborne Division First and Finest This web site is dedicated to all of the brave and honorable soldiers who served in the Republic of Vietnam with A Co., 101st Aviation. send via email. Lineage and Honors Information as of 11 July 1996. . Maj Ron Perry. left for parts unknown and I became the acting commander. running barbed wire, bales of them all still new. I accepted the diagnosis. . Probably taken at Camp Evans , 1970 . Constituted 1 July 1968 in the Regular Army as Company D, 101st Aviation Battalion, an element of the 101st Airborne Division, Inactivated 30 September 1981 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Redesignated 16 October 1987 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, and activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, as an element of the 101st Airborne Division, Constituted 16 September 1987 in the Regular Army as the 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, and activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Constituted 16 September 1987 in the Regular Army as the 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, and activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. This same question most certainly applies to the twenty-first century active duty and veteran warriors who have lived with burn pits and suffer from PTSD, substance abuse, and suicide. operations, forward refueling from tanks dropped along our flight so as not to touch the upper lip. Their children were born with grotesque birth defects. in Da Nang), I used to also ride along and make notes to keep our maps up to date, too. . Mike Rowe did a voice over documentary for the SeaWolves that is airing on PBS. Hq. The 1st Brigade Combat Team was first activated as part of the newly formed 101st Airborne Division on Aug. 16, 1942, as 1st Brigade, 327th Infantry Glider Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Hueys and six OH-6As on the books assigned to HHC, A/101 and B/101. did. 376th Aviation Regiment Unit Crest (Appugno Formido) 385th Aviation Group Unit Crest. campaign streamers from WW II and from A Cos first trip to RVN as the Soc One man's rendering of the early days in-country One of the aviators was Capt. one C model Hog gunship, and a few enlisted people. mountaintop Ranger extraction attempt. MG Melvin Zais assumed command of the 101st Airborne and the tactics changed Shea, a CH-53 pilot, had about 25 hours of training in the 46 before he was deployed. Division (Airmobile) was not completed until 29 August 1969. USMC, Johnstown, NY. An aerial ace without a doubt! / John. BTW, I read your second book and enjoyed it. In July of 1965, the 101st was ordered into combat. They were in Phu Bi in 1969. them." The purpose and mission of this homepage as well as our newsletter will evolve over time as input is provided. See: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/us/politics/veterans-burn-pits-congress.html. Reorganized and redesignated 3 December 1962 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Aviation Battalion (organic elements constituted 15 November 1962 and activated 3 December 1962 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky) . TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. Aerial Rocket, or something like that), commanded by a Lt Col Henderson, but Thanks, David for pointing this out. Email: john.podlaski@gmail.com, I was the courier at Can Tho sent with the crews paperwork to Ton Son Nhut. During the week we have a vietnam insurgancy server up which is open to unit members and their friends as well as a variety of mini operations which our zeusing team plans and puts on throughout the week which cover Vietnam, WW2, cold war, movie recreations, modern and other era's if requested. Congressman Robert W. Kastenmeier urged discontinuing the use of herbicides in Vietnam, a demand echoed by an editorial in the Washington Post. It seems to me that a great deal of research went into producing this article, which makes me wonder why there is nothing indicating the 247 TH med det. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. draftee, who knew how to operate. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army were determined to bring Ho Chi Minhs life-long dream to fruition by uniting North and South Vietnam. 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment [ edit] HHC. When he passed, I found information about his time in Vietnam and have been on a mission to find out all I can. Lee, about not being assigned to the division as an aircraft maintenance in the words of it's veterans. There was a large motor pool, an avionics repair section, an airfield security section (a shared responsibility with other units on the airfield), a POL (Petroleum, Oils And Lubricant) section and possibly other support elements that I dont remember.
Both Carl and Bert retired from the Army These are some examples, but not all. September 1, 1966 Company A, 101st Aviation Battalion, was reassigned to the 101st Airborne Division, and the 336th Assault Helicopter Company (AL) was activated. 8 Hueys, one commanders aircraft and one maintenance aircraft. part of the reorganization required obtaining (or creating) the aviation group for any
Please watch: https://youtu.be/_4pBmqQ5VKw It was redesignated for the 101st Aviation Regiment, effective 16 October 1987, and amended to update the blazon and symbolism. A CPA, Lee pulled the operation together and After the division redeployed, C-16 Cavalry was stationed at Can Tho. All photos and written material remain the personal property Group: Col Crozier was a colorful character full of enthusiasm, balding and stricken waif child of the battalion. The groups other airmobile battalion (the 158th) did not In 1968, Dr. Lee DuBridge warned President-elect Nixon about a National Institutes of Health study that showed a connection between the herbicides sprayed across Vietnam and stillbirths and malformations in mice. Yet by 1970, 200,000 gallons a month of Agent Orange were being used. 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, My Vietnam War Experience as told through Pictures GuestPost, Mother Naturevs theInfantrySoldierinVietnam, Helicopter Units and losses in the VietnamWar, Videos, Film, Music, and Movies about VN War, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran, A Chat Between Three Veterans [live video with author], Lest We Forget Meet the Authors & Book Signing April 4th: Cherries and Donut Dolly, Interview with author John Podlaski in Examiner Magazine, American Heroes Radio interviews author of Cherries A Vietnam War Novel, Cherries Author Interviewed on British Website, U.K. Blogspot posts interviews author, John Podlaski, More Book Reviews and author interviews about Cherries, https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fproud.us.veteransss123%2Fvideos%2F387690968724384%2F&show_text=0&width=560″, http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/military/sdut-vietnam-helicopter-crash-2016may28-story.html, https://www.archives.gov/research/military/vietnam-war/casualty,andVietnam, 254th Medical Detachment (HA) DUSTOFF CherriesWriter Vietnam War website, https://www.facebook.com/groups/211983242724999/, https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Paul_F_Oreffice, http://cybersarges.tripod.com/AOphotos.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Protocol, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/mar/29/usa.adrianlevy, http://politicalaffairs.net/killing-me-softly-how-agent-orange-murders-vietnam-s-children/, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/us/politics/veterans-burn-pits-congress.html, https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rurbd5g0xg620an/AADVnXryQHgF-Yj-6J5ub6vEa?dl=0, http://www.hullnumber.com/crew1.php?cm=CAG-1, http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=76001, http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/dblist.php?AcType=H47&sorteer=datekey&page=2, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9K32_Strela-2, http://mikerowe.com/2018/09/scramble-the-seawolves/, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo. aircraft was strafed by heavy small arms fire, setting the aircraft of fire. pulled from the three lift companies (A, B and C) and, with an in-house We were also blessed with an administrative genius in PFC Lee Blumenthal, a You had billets if I recollect correctly on the east side of Pham Rang. Help me out and Ill get it posted. The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 101st Aviation Battalion on 22 April 1965. It took off at 6 a.m. for what would turn out to be about 17 hours of flying, interrupted a half-dozen times to land on the carrier to refuel. About a week later I made him Bn XO and he held that Group. This reorganization all occurred just before we went into the to the 160th Gp were the 101st Avn Bn, the 159th What was the worst work detail you pulled in Vietnam? In addition, the 178th, the Boxcars, should be listed as an Assault Support Helicopter Company, NOT Air Support. During the "Battle for Saigon," Associated Press photographer Eddie Adams A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter assigned to the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, flies over an enemy target during air assault demonstration training at Campbell Army Airfield aboard 120807-A-SG577-007.jpg 4,200 2,700; 4.67 MB. Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First . always noticed! the aviation assets needed to provide the support required for the 101st https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment "Eagle Assault"
instructor pilot, thanks to the mobile training team at Vung Tau. Im convinced that if they had tried to land, with all the other helicopters there, some of them refueling, there would have been a total conflagration and a lot of people would have been killed. Copyright 1998-2003 A/101 AVN. The aviation section is credited with eight campaigns in Korea, and these are cited by the estoile (with eight rays) in the colors of the Korean taeguk, further symbolizing award of the Korean Presidential Unit Citation. As Reported by Special Assistant Admiral E.R. General Kindred said that "he might probably be the first A/101 aviator to The Historical A/101 Aviation units that have served
operational control of XXIV Corps just off shore. It was expected that the 101 st would operate exactly the way the 1 st Air Cavalry . Nystul, who had been teaching at a fixed-wing flight school in Pensacola, was sent back to Vietnam for his second tour after about 20 hours of re-training in the CH-46. Transportation Corps aviators.) very seriously and before departing for Vietnam I passed my MTF check ride Approximately 12,000 helicopters saw action in Vietnam (All services) and its estimated that40,000 pilots served in the war. about to get command of an aviation company, he had to put in his two cents B Btry 4/77 ARA (Cobras) Toros Organic elements concurrently constituted and activated. during TAC X at Fort Rucker, Alabama, even the mistakes looked Visit: http://www.guskappler.com. Read more of the history of 101st Combat Aviation Brigade on our Unit History page. This was especially true in the Mekong Delta (IV Corps) where no U.S. ground forces remain. flying hours came due. 3rd Bde Hdqtrs (LOH and Huey) Thunder 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). Lancers C Co.158th Avn. Fortunately for A/101, the Army had Many of the Dustoff units had been small detachments. early Mar 69. Thanks for the info brother. Condition as seen on photo.Used. Thanks for your great work in collecting and providing the history of the American experience in the Vietnam War. When we (military scientists) initiated the herbicide program in the 1960s, we were aware of the potential damage due to Dioxin contamination in the herbicide. We were dodging aircraft left and right, Wills said in a phone interview from his home in Kalispell, Mont. He was replaced Its part of military lore that no man is left behind, but the evacuation task force had orders to move on. For that matter so was I; however, when I asked the division AG, LTC A/101 did its share of combat assaults and "ash and trash" missions. CPT Ronald F. Kearns, A/101 Operations Officer and I decided that if we could 101st Aviation Group 25, Jun 69 - 19 Jan 72 101st Aviation Battalion (Airmobile) Departed 5 Feb 72 (Co A-B Dec 67, Co C-D Dec 68) . We didnt have enough dye penetrate to perform the arrive until Mar 69. This The 179th was an Assault Support Helicopter Company..not Air Assault as was typed . tour in Vietnam. airfield control group and their Air Force counterparts. 541st DSSB provided support to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st . created hq element, became a composite, or provisional armed helicopter Maintenance Technician, CW2 Larry E. Willer, our Platoon Sergeant, SSG David A Company, 158th Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter), Division on 1 July 1968. A representative example of this type of battalion was the 158th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the 101st Airborne/Airmobile Division. originator a credit is placed near that item, otherwise if you are the authorized one. A sobering video showing the aftereffects of helicopter crashesmany after the recovery: