Helicopter Crewman
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- Niner Delta
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Helicopter Crewman
I was never a helicopter crewman, but I was provided with many free and exciting rides in Hueys, Shit-Hooks, and once in a OH-6 Cayuse.
Vern.
Lessons of a Vietnam Helicopter Crewman
1. Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if it was a
good idea.
2. Helicopters are cool!
3. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward
trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward off this
natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the
crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.
4. NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition than the other guy.
5. The engine RPM, and the rotor RPM, must BOTH be kept in the GREEN.
Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.
6. A billfold in your hip pocket can numb your leg and be a real pain in
the ass.
7. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover you.
8. Letters from home are not always great.
9. The madness of war can extract a heavy toll. Please have exact change.
10. Share everything. Even the Pound Cake.
11. Decisions made by someone over your head will seldom be in your best
interest.
12. The terms "Protective Armor" and "Helicopter" are mutually exclusive.
13. The further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is that
they can help you when you really need them the most.
14. If being good and lucky is not enough, there is always payback.
15. "Chicken Plates" are not something you order in a restaurant.
16. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly
as planned, you're about to be surprised.
17. The B.S.R. (Bang, Stare, Read) Theory states that the louder the
sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the
gauges.
18. The longer you stare at the gauges, the less time it takes them to
move from green to red.
19. It does too get cold in Vietnam.
20. No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you.
So too can the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern".
21. Gravity may not be fair, but it is the law.
22. If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops
probably do not have what they need.
23. If you are wearing body armor, the incoming will probably miss that
part.
24. It hurts less to die with a uniform on than to die in a hospital bed.
25. Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
26. If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to.
27. Eat when you can. Sleep when you can. Visit the head when you can.
The next opportunity may not come around for a long time. If ever.
28. Combat pay is a flawed concept.
29. Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the
day beats the alternative.
30. Air superiority is NOT a luxury.
31. If you are allergic to lead it is best to avoid a war zone.
32. It is always a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas
all at the same time.
32a. Nothing is as useless as altitude above you and runway behind you.
33. While the rest of the crew may be in the same predicament, it's almost
always the pilot's job to arrive at the crash site first.
34. When you shoot your gun, clean it the first chance you get.
35. Loud sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention.
36. Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations, which, in turn is
better than cold C-rations, which is better than no food at all. All of
these, however, are preferable to cold rice balls (given to you by guards)
even if they do have the little pieces of fish in them.
37. WHAT is often more important than WHY.
38. Boxes of cookies from home must be shared.
39. Girlfriends are fair game. Wives are not.
40. Everybody's a hero on the ground in the club after the fourth drink.
41. There is no such thing as a small firefight.
42. A free-fire zone has nothing to do with economics.
43. The farther you fly into the mountains, the louder the strange engine
noises become.
44. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece
at the end of the day is better.
44a. The only medal you really want to be awarded is the Longevity Medal.
45. Being shot hurts.
46. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. A
few were even awarded.
48. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad
ideas. Any combination of these can be deadly.
49. Nomex is NOT fire proof.
50. There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the
Rules.
51. Living and dying can both hurt a lot.
53. While a Super Bomb could be considered one of the four essential
building blocks of life, powdered eggs cannot.
54. C-4 can make a dull day fun.
55. Cocoa Powder is neither.
56. There is no such thing as a fair fight, only ones where you win or
lose.
57. If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose you
don't care.
58. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do
tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing NOW to solve our
problem.
59. If you have extra, share it quickly.
60. Always make sure someone has a P-38.
61. A sucking chest wound may be God's way of telling you it's time to go
home.
62. Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt.
63. Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running. Running
is better than crawling. All of these however, are better than extraction
by a Med-Evac, even if this is technically a form of flying.
64. If everyone does not come home none of the rest of us can ever fully
come home either.
65. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is
far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR.
66. A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter. Every
helicopter flying in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. It
is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity to fulfill
their one true mission in life simply because someone forgot this fact.
67. "You have the right to remain silent" is always EXCELLENT advice.
Vern.
Lessons of a Vietnam Helicopter Crewman
1. Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if it was a
good idea.
2. Helicopters are cool!
3. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward
trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward off this
natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the
crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.
4. NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition than the other guy.
5. The engine RPM, and the rotor RPM, must BOTH be kept in the GREEN.
Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.
6. A billfold in your hip pocket can numb your leg and be a real pain in
the ass.
7. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover you.
8. Letters from home are not always great.
9. The madness of war can extract a heavy toll. Please have exact change.
10. Share everything. Even the Pound Cake.
11. Decisions made by someone over your head will seldom be in your best
interest.
12. The terms "Protective Armor" and "Helicopter" are mutually exclusive.
13. The further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is that
they can help you when you really need them the most.
14. If being good and lucky is not enough, there is always payback.
15. "Chicken Plates" are not something you order in a restaurant.
16. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly
as planned, you're about to be surprised.
17. The B.S.R. (Bang, Stare, Read) Theory states that the louder the
sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the
gauges.
18. The longer you stare at the gauges, the less time it takes them to
move from green to red.
19. It does too get cold in Vietnam.
20. No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you.
So too can the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern".
21. Gravity may not be fair, but it is the law.
22. If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops
probably do not have what they need.
23. If you are wearing body armor, the incoming will probably miss that
part.
24. It hurts less to die with a uniform on than to die in a hospital bed.
25. Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
26. If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to.
27. Eat when you can. Sleep when you can. Visit the head when you can.
The next opportunity may not come around for a long time. If ever.
28. Combat pay is a flawed concept.
29. Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the
day beats the alternative.
30. Air superiority is NOT a luxury.
31. If you are allergic to lead it is best to avoid a war zone.
32. It is always a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas
all at the same time.
32a. Nothing is as useless as altitude above you and runway behind you.
33. While the rest of the crew may be in the same predicament, it's almost
always the pilot's job to arrive at the crash site first.
34. When you shoot your gun, clean it the first chance you get.
35. Loud sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention.
36. Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations, which, in turn is
better than cold C-rations, which is better than no food at all. All of
these, however, are preferable to cold rice balls (given to you by guards)
even if they do have the little pieces of fish in them.
37. WHAT is often more important than WHY.
38. Boxes of cookies from home must be shared.
39. Girlfriends are fair game. Wives are not.
40. Everybody's a hero on the ground in the club after the fourth drink.
41. There is no such thing as a small firefight.
42. A free-fire zone has nothing to do with economics.
43. The farther you fly into the mountains, the louder the strange engine
noises become.
44. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece
at the end of the day is better.
44a. The only medal you really want to be awarded is the Longevity Medal.
45. Being shot hurts.
46. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. A
few were even awarded.
48. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad
ideas. Any combination of these can be deadly.
49. Nomex is NOT fire proof.
50. There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the
Rules.
51. Living and dying can both hurt a lot.
53. While a Super Bomb could be considered one of the four essential
building blocks of life, powdered eggs cannot.
54. C-4 can make a dull day fun.
55. Cocoa Powder is neither.
56. There is no such thing as a fair fight, only ones where you win or
lose.
57. If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose you
don't care.
58. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do
tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing NOW to solve our
problem.
59. If you have extra, share it quickly.
60. Always make sure someone has a P-38.
61. A sucking chest wound may be God's way of telling you it's time to go
home.
62. Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt.
63. Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running. Running
is better than crawling. All of these however, are better than extraction
by a Med-Evac, even if this is technically a form of flying.
64. If everyone does not come home none of the rest of us can ever fully
come home either.
65. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is
far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR.
66. A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter. Every
helicopter flying in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. It
is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity to fulfill
their one true mission in life simply because someone forgot this fact.
67. "You have the right to remain silent" is always EXCELLENT advice.
Peace is that brief, quiet moment in history.......... when everybody stands around reloading.
Pretty good list, Vern.
My experiences with helicopters include a few trips that scared the hell out of me, which I'm sure you probably remember some too. Huh, Vern?
Remember once I was on a Huey slick, riding on the floor with my legs out the side. Chopper pilot must have missed warnings of arty data and flew into the flight path of the rounds. The pilot, after getting the belated warning, cut his engine and banked over on the side I was sitting. Centrifical force, that would normally hold me in, elapsed in the path the chopper then followed. I went out the door by force of gravity but managed to hold onto the brace of a seat to keep attached to the chopper. When the Huey more or less righted itself at a lower altitude it cut its engine back on. I was more than happy to get off of that bird when it finially set down.
My experiences with helicopters include a few trips that scared the hell out of me, which I'm sure you probably remember some too. Huh, Vern?
Remember once I was on a Huey slick, riding on the floor with my legs out the side. Chopper pilot must have missed warnings of arty data and flew into the flight path of the rounds. The pilot, after getting the belated warning, cut his engine and banked over on the side I was sitting. Centrifical force, that would normally hold me in, elapsed in the path the chopper then followed. I went out the door by force of gravity but managed to hold onto the brace of a seat to keep attached to the chopper. When the Huey more or less righted itself at a lower altitude it cut its engine back on. I was more than happy to get off of that bird when it finially set down.
- Niner Delta
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I also usually sat on the left side on the floor of the Huey with my feet hanging out, the rotor downwash would dry my pants and boots fairly quickly.
And yes, I remember many exciting flights and landings. Also sitting on my flak jacket, hoping it would stop any random bullets going straight up.
One of the fun things you missed out on Robert, was hooking a 105mm howitzer to the bottom of a CH-47 Chinook (25,000 lbs) as it hovered about 5 feet over my head. Whenever our battery was airlifted to another site, the crew chief stood on the 105 and snapped the nylon straps to the hook on the bottom of the Chinook. Once it was right above you, it wasn't too bad, but coming in and going out, it was like being in a hurricane. Someone in the chopper looked through a trap door in the floor and gave the pilot directions on the hovering. I always had visions of the engines cutting out and I would be splatter. It was much better to ride in them, than to stand under them.
The large Chinook is faster than the Huey, Cobra, and Apache.
Vern.
And yes, I remember many exciting flights and landings. Also sitting on my flak jacket, hoping it would stop any random bullets going straight up.
One of the fun things you missed out on Robert, was hooking a 105mm howitzer to the bottom of a CH-47 Chinook (25,000 lbs) as it hovered about 5 feet over my head. Whenever our battery was airlifted to another site, the crew chief stood on the 105 and snapped the nylon straps to the hook on the bottom of the Chinook. Once it was right above you, it wasn't too bad, but coming in and going out, it was like being in a hurricane. Someone in the chopper looked through a trap door in the floor and gave the pilot directions on the hovering. I always had visions of the engines cutting out and I would be splatter. It was much better to ride in them, than to stand under them.
The large Chinook is faster than the Huey, Cobra, and Apache.
Vern.
Peace is that brief, quiet moment in history.......... when everybody stands around reloading.
Really?
I never would have guessed that. Speaking of wind and howitzers. When I went to the 101st I was on this small mountain top firebase. A "sh..t hook" came in with a load of arty ammo slung under it. It came in low and there was some slight trouble getting the load disconnected. In the mean time a multi man outhouse got to shaking by the wind kicked up. After a moment it was blown off the side of the hill. I learned in recent years there was someone inside and he was hurt enough to get a trip to the hospital. I still wonder if he got a purple heart....or how he later explained the way he earned it to his relatives....... if he did earn one.The large Chinook is faster than the Huey, Cobra, and Apache.
- Niner Delta
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I spent a couple of years in 6 Airmobile Brigade and my last two years in NI where all movement around the border tended to be in choppers. I was ARF LO Airborne reaction force Liaison officer in South Armagh when a very funny story came in. The AAC or TWA as they were known had just started to put a 3rd man in the Lynx. This caused problems with loadings as the birds were mainly unarmed. Over Fermanagh one of these crewmen opened the door at 200 foot up to guide the pilot in when the stray mutt who accompanied that patrol (used to debussing when the troops opened the door) dived outover the crewmans shoulder. The Lynx landed and the patrol found a dog shaped hole in the peat. Exit one very quiet Lynx Crew.
p.s. AAC is Army Air Corps. TWA is Teeny Weeney Airways!
p.s. AAC is Army Air Corps. TWA is Teeny Weeney Airways!
I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy!
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