This was sent to me by a good friend and fellow vn vet.
It is not a joke.
Seemed the most appropriate forum---as it was---and continues to be---the REMF politicians who did--and continue ----to send kids into these places---
Thanks to these Héros,
> I really appreciated this write up and the video. Made many combat
assaults during the two years I spent there - most were uneventful, but
some hot. The pilots I have the greatest respect for are the Medivac
pilots. They had balls like sandbags and many times when we were under
fire, they would fly right into that hot LZ to get my wounded out.
>
> Russ/Dad
>>
>> Subject: The Door Gunner (outstanding) These are not my words...
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Subject: The Door Gunner
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Ken has told me a couple of times about the stories that I told when
I first returned home from Vietnam. I told him recently, I don't
think about what I did there very often and what I remember is very
hazy at this point in my life. But, I just received this video from
another pilot and it did bring back a lot memories flying in Vietnam
and the turmoil and trauma that went with it. As some of you know, I
spent a year flying a helicopter in Vietnam. I saw a lot of combat,
received two very minor wounds, but had crew members severely
wounded and one person on the aircraft killed during my time there.
Like many of the guys that I flew with, I had many close calls. A
number of times I had people tell me that I had no right to be
alive. The round that hit the engine should have knocked it out, or
the round through the wind screen only missed you by a fraction of
an inch, before hitting someone in the back of the aircraft. When
your 22 and 23 years old, you don't think much about those near
misses. You shake it off and move on. Later it leaves you wondering
why you survived and what it all means. I can only say that I was
one of the fortunate few, learned to be a good pilot and and was
fortunate to have a good crew. There were always four of us on
board, two pilots, the crew chief and the door gunner. The crew
chief and the door gunner were always manning the guns and talking
to us about what was happening beside, behind and below us. Our job
was to get into and out of those sometimes hot, but almost always
difficult LZs. When the guys on the ground called for help, we went,
regardless of the conditions and the amount of fire coming in. We
always tried. It was our job and we were trained to be smart, but
not hesitant. The two guys on the guns were our protection and while
their two M-60s didn't provide a lot of fire power, they did instill
confidence that we were more than a target. We knew that we also had
a little sting and the guys in the back were not afraid to take on a
target. The door gunners were all volunteers. They had to have
served at least 9 months on the ground, in a line unit, prior to
applying for the job. They also knew that it required them to extend
their tours by at least six more months. It took a special person to
take on that job and everyday was an adventure. In our unit and
probably in most, they helped the crew chief maintain the aircraft
and when we were back at base camp, also pulled guard duty every
other night. Sometimes it was all they could do to stay awake, but
they always did. They were often bitching about the chicken ****
Army and the people who were not sharing the load, but they were
always ready to go. They were invaluable to our success and our
coming home alive. If they didn't respect you, they would refuse to
fly with you and they didn't tolerate pilots that wouldn't put their
lives on the line to help their friends on the ground. They didn't
necessarily look like the warriors you see in the movies, but had
seen combat up close on the ground and were keenly aware of what we
needed to do to help those that fought there. They were typically
unafraid and wouldn't hesitate to jump off the aircraft to help
carry a wounded soldier on board. Once there, they became the nurse
that took care of those wounded warriors until we got them back to
the hospital. Most were 18 or 19 years old!
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > You all must watch and listen to this. It is compelling. It is
always amazing to come across something so compelling that it can
bring back history.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > http://www.youtube.com/embed/qH2vbYs6ebc
>>> >
It is not a joke.
Seemed the most appropriate forum---as it was---and continues to be---the REMF politicians who did--and continue ----to send kids into these places---
Thanks to these Héros,
> I really appreciated this write up and the video. Made many combat
assaults during the two years I spent there - most were uneventful, but
some hot. The pilots I have the greatest respect for are the Medivac
pilots. They had balls like sandbags and many times when we were under
fire, they would fly right into that hot LZ to get my wounded out.
>
> Russ/Dad
>>
>> Subject: The Door Gunner (outstanding) These are not my words...
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Subject: The Door Gunner
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Ken has told me a couple of times about the stories that I told when
I first returned home from Vietnam. I told him recently, I don't
think about what I did there very often and what I remember is very
hazy at this point in my life. But, I just received this video from
another pilot and it did bring back a lot memories flying in Vietnam
and the turmoil and trauma that went with it. As some of you know, I
spent a year flying a helicopter in Vietnam. I saw a lot of combat,
received two very minor wounds, but had crew members severely
wounded and one person on the aircraft killed during my time there.
Like many of the guys that I flew with, I had many close calls. A
number of times I had people tell me that I had no right to be
alive. The round that hit the engine should have knocked it out, or
the round through the wind screen only missed you by a fraction of
an inch, before hitting someone in the back of the aircraft. When
your 22 and 23 years old, you don't think much about those near
misses. You shake it off and move on. Later it leaves you wondering
why you survived and what it all means. I can only say that I was
one of the fortunate few, learned to be a good pilot and and was
fortunate to have a good crew. There were always four of us on
board, two pilots, the crew chief and the door gunner. The crew
chief and the door gunner were always manning the guns and talking
to us about what was happening beside, behind and below us. Our job
was to get into and out of those sometimes hot, but almost always
difficult LZs. When the guys on the ground called for help, we went,
regardless of the conditions and the amount of fire coming in. We
always tried. It was our job and we were trained to be smart, but
not hesitant. The two guys on the guns were our protection and while
their two M-60s didn't provide a lot of fire power, they did instill
confidence that we were more than a target. We knew that we also had
a little sting and the guys in the back were not afraid to take on a
target. The door gunners were all volunteers. They had to have
served at least 9 months on the ground, in a line unit, prior to
applying for the job. They also knew that it required them to extend
their tours by at least six more months. It took a special person to
take on that job and everyday was an adventure. In our unit and
probably in most, they helped the crew chief maintain the aircraft
and when we were back at base camp, also pulled guard duty every
other night. Sometimes it was all they could do to stay awake, but
they always did. They were often bitching about the chicken ****
Army and the people who were not sharing the load, but they were
always ready to go. They were invaluable to our success and our
coming home alive. If they didn't respect you, they would refuse to
fly with you and they didn't tolerate pilots that wouldn't put their
lives on the line to help their friends on the ground. They didn't
necessarily look like the warriors you see in the movies, but had
seen combat up close on the ground and were keenly aware of what we
needed to do to help those that fought there. They were typically
unafraid and wouldn't hesitate to jump off the aircraft to help
carry a wounded soldier on board. Once there, they became the nurse
that took care of those wounded warriors until we got them back to
the hospital. Most were 18 or 19 years old!
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > You all must watch and listen to this. It is compelling. It is
always amazing to come across something so compelling that it can
bring back history.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > http://www.youtube.com/embed/qH2vbYs6ebc
>>> >