Swash Plate February 2012

President’sMessageRobertFrost

February2012

• “NewGuineaCrocHunting” RandyMains • ”LifetimeMemberships”• “CHPAonFaceBook” • “VeteransDayAddress”DougSmithandmuch,muchmore!

Presenting!

Well,here it

is themiddleofwinter and thedamp coldfinally arrived in Dallas in time for theHelicopter Association InternationalConventionandHELI‐EXPO2012.However,it did not dampen the attendance andenthusiasmoftheattendeesandexhibitors.I heard estimates of 18,000 attendees. Ithad been five years since I last attendedandthetechnologyofrotarywingflighthascontinuedtoadvance. Someofthe aircraft on display were brand new to the commercial market. Even

thoughthisisanon‐militaryeventdisplayingcommercialproducts,therewasamilitarypresence.OneofthemostpopularattractionscamefromanaviationmuseumoutofLancaster,Texas.TheyflewinanoldSovietMI‐24HIND(oneoftwoflyableonestheyown)andwhataneye‐openeritwas.Thishelicopterishugewithagrossweightof27,000lbs.–ofwhich7,000poundsisarmorplate.Thisoldwarbirdwasintroducedin1972bytheSovietsasatroop‐carryinggunship.Ithinkitmaybetheugliest,mostmenacing,aircraftIhaveeverseen.Thecockpithadgaugeseveryplaceavailableanditwascertainlynotergonomicallydesigned.Myhatisofftothepilotswhoflewit.

CHPAhadanexhibitboothandwaswellrepresentedbyRustyandLynnBourgoyne,RheaRippeyandhis fiancéeMarianne Johnson. Mariannewasespeciallyeffective in introducingCHPAtoanumberof largehelicopter manufacturers, organizations, and civilian law enforcement agencies and associations. We willfollowuponthose initial introductionsandmeetings to forgeanallianceofmutualbenefit. Mostof theseorganizationsemployandwant tocontinue recruitingmilitarypilotswithcombatexperience. Wecanhelpthemwiththat. Inturn,theywillpromoteCHPAandperhapsbecomecorporatesponsorsofCHPA. Italsocouldprovetobeafertilerecruitingopportunityforussincemanyoftheircurrentpilotsareex‐militarywithcombatexperience.

Also,twoofourboardmembers,AlMajorandRandyZahnmadeanappearance.Inaddition,wehadseveralofourmemberswhowereattendingHELO‐EXPOdropbytorenewtheirmembershipandvisit.SincetheshowcontinuesasIwritethismessageIdon’tknowhowmanynewmemberswerecruited,buttherewillbequiteafewnewpilotandcrewmembers.

IwouldliketothankMikeSheuermanandourfellowwarriorbrothersattheVietnamHelicopterPilotsAssociation (VHPA) for their gracious gesture of promotingCHPA by displaying our literature in their exhibit booth.BasedonthesuccessofthisHAIConvention,IexpectCHPAto

Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

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continueitsannualparticipation.Makeanoteonyourcalendarfornextyear’svenueofLasVegas.ThedatesareMarch5–7,2013.

Aswemoveinto2012,preparationscontinueforourownannualmeeting/conventioninWashington,DCfromNovember13–16,2012.ThisisrightafterVeteransDay,(November11)whichfallsonaSundaythisyear.OurconventionwillrunfromTuesdaytoFriday.Someofyoumaywanttoconsidercominginearlierforthe Veterans Day activities or extending your stay into the following weekend. We are working with ourconventionplannertosecurelodgingatreducedratesforthosechoosingtoextendtheirstay. TheprimaryreasonwearehavingoureventsinthemiddleoftheweekisascheduledprivatetouronWednesdayeveningoftheUSCapitolbyCongressmanLouieGohmert.ItwillbeaninterestingtimetobeinWashington,DCandspecifically intheUSCapitol. Congresswillhave justre‐convenedfortheir first lame‐ducksessionafterthenationalelection.Youwilllearnmoreaboutourannualmeeting/conventioninthenextfewmonthsaswegetourhotel plans, tours and transportationplans finalized. As always,our ExecutiveDirector, JayBrownwillprovideallofthisinformationtoyouontheCHPAwebsite.

I close thismonth’sPresident’sMessagewithabitofhumor that couldonly come fromoneofourown:

“IfGodhadwantedmantofly,Hewouldhavegivenhimolivedrabfire‐resistantskinandpocketswith

zippers.”UnknownUSArmyHelicopterPilot

80814‐0042

CHPA is building quite a collection of patches from our members. These patches are displayed at our booth at HAI, Quad A, and VHPA. Several of you have donated patches, like the one shown here, but we’re always looking for more. They are very eye catching and help us garner attention. So please dig through your old patches and if you have some you’d like to share, send them to us at: CHPA • PO Box 42 • Divide, CO80814‐0042

GOT PATCHES?


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CrocHuntinginNewGuineaRandyMains

ContinuedonPage4

Thisexcerptwastakenfromhisthirdbook,JourneytotheGoldenHour—MyPathtotheMostDangerousJobinAmerica:FlyingaMedicalHelicopterwrittenbyformerVietnamHelicopterPilotandaward‐winningaviationjournalist,RandolphP.Mains

***During the course ofmy job flying a Jet Ranger doing seismic survey

work out of Turama River, based in the sweltering jungle of Papua NewGuinea,Imetsomerealcharactersworkingthereaslinecutters;guyslikeRussandCookie.Thesetwoguyswerelong‐hairedwildmenwithagoodsenseofhumorandpossessingagreatsenseofadventure.Theywerealsonotbeneathhavingabitoffunwithoneanother.Thetroubleis,whentheyhadfunwithoneanother,someonewasoftencaughtinthemiddle.

I was caught in the middle one day when I landed on one of thewooden helipads. Russ walked over to my running helicopter holding a big burlap sack with somethingobviouslyheavyinside.Writtenonthebagitread,‘ToCookiewithlovefromRuss.’Hethrewthebaginthebackofmyemptyhelicopter thenyelled tomeover thesoundof theengine,“MakesureCookiegets this,OK?”

Igavehimathumbsupsignandmouthed,“OK.”I flewover the jungle, justmeand thatbigburlapbag in thebackofmyhelicopter, for twenty‐five

minutes,landedbackatbaseandshutdown.CookieapproachedandItoldhim,“Russsentyousomething.It’sinthebackofthechopper.”“Oh,shit,”hesaid.“EverytimeRusssendsmesomethingit’salive.”“Alive!”Isaidalarmed.“I’vejustbeenflyingfortwenty‐fiveminutesoverthejungle.Whatisit?”“We’llfindoutsoonenough.”Cookiegrabbedthebagoutofthehelicopterandtookitbackbehindoneofthenativelonghouses.

Therewasanenclosed fencedoffareawithchickenwire. Heheldthebagover thewaist‐high fenceto letwhateveritwasoutofthebag.AtfirstIsawaheademerge,theheadofaverybigsnake.Itwasatthatpointthatseveralofthenativeswhohadcometowatch,turnedandranaway.

Asthesnakeslitheredout,thebodykeptcomingandcomingandcominguntilallfifteenfeetofhimwastotallyoutofthebag.Itwasapython,afifteen‐foot‐longpython.

“Ishenuts?”Isaid.“WhatifthatthingwouldhavegottenoutofthatbagwhenIwasflying?”Thepossiblescenarioofwhatcouldhavehappenedgivesmethecreeps.Ipromisedmyselfthatday

thattherewasnowayIwasevergoingtoeverletRussthrowanythingonmyhelicopteragain,thatis,unlessIcouldseewhatitwaswithmyowneyes.

But theygotmeagain. TheygotmewhenTomDooleyandRussaskedmeandanotherpilot,MikeKeith,ifwewouldliketogocrocodilehuntingwiththem.Wesaidgreat,we’dloveto.

“OK,then,meetusherebytheriveratthealuminumboatat11pm.”At the appointed hour,Mike Keith and Iwerewaiting, standing by the flat‐bottom aluminumboat.

TomDooleyandRussturnedupcarryingacarbattery,asearch light,acoolbox fullofdrinks,andaAR‐22rifle.“Youguysready?”theyasked.

“We’relookingforwardtoit.Whatareyougoingtodowiththat?”Isaidpointingatthesmallcaliberrifle.


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ContinuedonPage5

“Justincase,”Tomsaid.“Youneverknow.”Atwenty‐twoseemedwoefullyinadequatetome.Mikesaid,“OK,you’retheexperts.Justletusknowwhatyouwantustodo.”“Noworries,whenthetimecomes,”Tomsaid.Thefourofusclimbedintothesmallboat.Itwaspoweredbya25‐horsepoweroutboard.Therewere

twobench‐typeseatsrunningfromsidetoside.Russstoredthecoolbox,thebatteryandsearchlightthen,seeingallwasready,Tomgaveapullonthecordontheengineanditcamesputteredtolife.

“We’llheadupriverfirst,”Tomsaid.“Thatwayifwelosetheenginewe’lldriftbackdownstreamtothecamp.”

“Goodthinking,”Mikesaid.“We’vedonethisbefore.”“Wecantell,”Isaid.Tomguided the little boat up river turning right onto a small tributary still stayingupstreamof our

camp.MikeKeithandIsatononeofthebenchseats,Tomwasdriving.Russwasperchedatthebow.Russturnedtoustogiveustheinstructions.“OK,here’showit’sdone.Oncewe’reready,Tomwill

slowtheboatrightdown.Iwillmantheportablesearchlightconnectedtothebatteryundertheseathere.”He gave the battery a little kick. “I’ll squat down in the bow and pan the water with the beam of thesearchlight back and forth, from one side of the bank to the other. Whatwe’re all looking for is the redreflectionofthecrock’seye. Yousee,theysitwiththeirheads justunderthewaterbuttheireyesare justabovethewater. Thereflectionof theireyes looks likea redreflector. Youcanusually tell thesizeof thecrockbythesizeoftheredreflection”

“What’llwedothen,”Mikeasked.“TomwillaimtheboatatthecrockandonceIgivehimthesignalhe’llcuttheengineandwe’lldrift

intohimvery,veryquietly.Therewillonlybeenoughroomupherefortwoofus.Mike,youcomeupherewithme.”

“OK,”hesaidweakly,withmorethanalittleskepticisminhisvoice.“WhenwegetwithinreachingdistanceI’llgrabthecrock’ssnoutkeepingitclosed.Mike,yougrabhim

atthebaseofthetail. Thentogetherwe’llhaul it in. WhateverhappensIcan’t letgoofhissnout. Crockshavetremendouspowerclosingtheirmouthbutnostrengthtoopenit.Anyquestions?”

NoonesaidanythingforamomentthenIasked,“Howbigacrockdoyouthinkwecanhandle?”Tomfrombehindmesaid,“Five,maybesixfeet.”“Sixfeet!”Isaid.“It’sapieceofpiss,you’llsee,”Russsaid.“Onceyoucatchyourfirstone,you’llseehoweasyitis.”“OK.”MikeandIsaidinunison.Itwasdark,realdark.Andthiswasafull‐on,Tarzan‐swinging‐from‐the‐vines,noisy,snake‐slithering,

centipedeswarmingwet,leachinfested,hot,humid,bug‐crawlingjunglewewerefloatingthrough.Wewereinatributarysonarrowthatthejungleoneithersideofitwasnearlycreatingacanopyoverourheads.

Tomopenedthecoolboxandsaid,“AnyonewantaCokeorabeer?”“GimmeeaCoke,”Russsaid.“Ineedtostaysoberforthis.I’llhaveabeerafterwecatchafew.”Itsoundedlikeagoodideatometostaysober.WeallhadacanofCoke.Tompassedthemforward.Russturnedonthespotlightandcroucheddowninthebowofthealuminumboatandbegantopan

backandforthfrombanktomuddybankastheengineslowlyturned over. We watched and waited and drank Coke andwatchedandwaitedsomemore.


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ContinuedonPage6

We cruised up the tributary for an hour‐and‐a‐half, Russ panning the water with the searchlightwithoutseeinga thing. Russ turnedandsaid,“Tom, let’s turnaround. Maybewe’llhavebetter luckgoingdownriver.”

Withthat,Tommaneuveredthelittleboatintoaone‐hundred‐eightydegreeturnnowtravelingbackthewaywe’dcome.Russcontinuedtopanthewaterwiththelight.

Fiveminutespassedwhenhesaid,“I’vegotone!I’vegotone!”Allattentionfocusedforwardnow.Mikesaid,“Yeah,yeah,Iseehim,too.Icanseethelittleredeye.

Lookslikeareflectoryou’dseeonthebackofabicycleatnight.”“Exactly,Mate.Nowgetupherewithmeandgetready.”MikemovedforwardnexttoRuss.Ifiguredthattheboathadtwentyyardstogountilwewereupon

it.Getting closer now, Russ said to Tom quietly, “OK, cut the engine.” With that all went very quiet

exceptforthenoisescomingfromthejungle.Theboatghostedforward,alleyesontheredeyethatwasgrowingslightlybiggerthecloserwegot.

Tenyardsandclosing.RussandMikewereinpositionpoisedtostrike,thespotlighttakingdeadaimonthateye.Fiveyards,speedlooksgood.Four,three,two,one,“NOW!”Russhollered.

Thetwomenthrusttheirhandsintothewaterdownonthelittlecrock.Asecondofsplashingensued,thenwe heard Russ let out an almighty “Yeeeeeeooooooowwwww,” then an “AHHHH SHIIIIT” as the littlebeastbitintohisfingerwithrazor‐sharpteeth.

Miketriedtograbthecrock’stailbutmissed.Rossinstinctivelythrewhishandsupintheairtryingtopullhisfingerfreefromthecrock’smouthbutthelittlecrockwasstillattachedtohisfinger.Thecrockletgoinmid‐airwithhis trajectory set. Itwasa gentlearc that landedhimwithadistinct “plonk” into theboatamongstthefourofus.

RussfellbackwardontoMike.Mikefellbackwardontothebenchseat,hisfootcatchingthewireonthesearchlight,pullingitoffthebatteryplungingthefourofusintototaldarkness.

“Shit,gethim.Gethim.”Russholleredfromsomewhereinfront.“Can’tseehim,”Mikeshrieked.Arealcommotionwasgoingoninthebownow.Wewerenightblinded.Noneofuscouldseeathing.

Theboatrockedwildlyasfouradultmalestussledandscrambledforequilibriumatthesametimetryingtoavoidacrockwithrazor‐sharpteeth.

That’s when we heard the rifle shot. “Blam!” Tom had fallen behind me and had accidentallydischargedhisweapon”

Russhollered,“Don’tshoot,don’tshoot,don’tshoot!”“Youseehim,Russ,youseehim?”ItwasTomhollering.Fromthedarkness,“No,can’tseeabloody’thing.”Mikesaid,“Getthelight,whereishe?Getthelight!Getthelight!”Tomnow,“Yeah,getthelight!”ItriedtoscamperaftwithTomatthesametimetryingnottogetshot.MikewasmaneuveringinthedarktryingtomoveforwardwithRuss.Thelittleboatwastippingwildly

toand fro. I thought atonepointwemight tipover. Wewereall trying toavoid thewild,probably verypissedoff,crockintheboatwithussomewhereinthedarkbyourfeet.

Finally,Russfoundthebattery,connectedthewiresandthelightcamebackon.Atfirstthebeamwasa wild frenzy of frenetic movement lighting the treesoverheaduntilitsettledontheflooroftheboat.


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ConcludedonPage7

Underthefrontseat,coweringnearthecoolbox,sataveryfrightenedlittlecrockabouttwofeetlong.Russlurchedandgrabbeditssmallsnoutandquicklytieditupwithtwine.ThelittlecrockwasOK.Wecouldseehewasn’thurtasRusshelditupproudlylikesomegreatwhitehunter.

“There,gentlemen,we’vedoneit.”MikeKeithwassittingon thebenchseat in themiddleof theboat, “Great. Butdon’tyou thinkwe

couldusealittleimprovementontechnique?”“Yeah,andwe’reall luckynoneofuswasshot.” Iadded. Thethreeofusturnedtothesternofthe

boattolookatasheepish‐lookingTomDooley.We composedourselves. Tom started the little outboard andweproceeded to cruise downstream

lookingforanothercrock.Wewereveryexcitedaboutcatchingourfirstcrock,eventhoughhewasabitsmall.Weweregoingto

lethimgoeventuallyanyway.Wegottotalkingourselvesupandmarveledatwhatagreatjobwe’dalldonecatchingthatcrock.

Wegotunderwayagain. Tenminutespassed. Wesawanotheroneandcaughtitwithoutahitchintextbookfashion.Wenowhadtwolittlecrocks.

After about twentyminutes, as happens with war stories where they just keep getting better andbetterwitheverytelling,wehadhypedourselvesuptothinkwenowknewwhatweweredoingandcouldreadilyhandleanythingMotherNaturehadtothrowatus.

Wecamearoundabendintheriverandthefourofussawitatthesametime.“There’sanotherone.”Russsaid.“Anditlookslikeabeauty,too.”Hewasright.

Theeyewassignificantlybiggerthantheoneswesawonthetwolittleguyswehadcaughtpreviously.Russkeptthespotlightonit.WewereaboutthirtyyardsawayfromitasitgotlargerandlargeruntilfinallyRusstoldTomtocuttheengine.Aswedriftedtowardsit,theredeyegrewbigger,andbiggerandbigger.

MikeaskedthequestionthatIhadonmymindtoo,“Howbigdoyouthinkitis,Russ?”“Dunno.Big.Prettybig.”Hekeptthespotlightonit.Twentyyardstogo.Itkeptgettingbiggerandbiggerandbiggerstill.“Howbig?”Mikeaskedweakly.“Twelve,fourteenfeetmaybe.She’sbig,maybetoobig.Probablytoobig.”Tom,starttheengine!”Tomdidn’t need to be asked twice andpulled the starter chord. Pppppphhhwwa. Pppppphhwwa.

Ppppphhhwwwa.Nothing.“Tom,startthebleedin’engine.”Pppppphhhwwwaa.Pppppphhhhwwwaa.Pppppphhhwwaa.Wecouldseethattheeyewasveryverybig.“Howbig,Russ?”“Sixteenfeetmaybe.Tom,starttheengine,willya?Ifweramthebastardwe’rereallygoingtopiss

himoffandwe’llallbescrewed!”Ten yards now drifting slowly but steadily bearing down on the huge, soon to be very pissed off,

prehistoricbeast.Pppppphhhhwwwaa.Ppppppphhhhwwwaa.Pppppphhhhwwwaa.Pppppphhhwwaa.Tom, pulling on the rope more quickly now. Ppppphhhhwwwaaa Pppppppphhhwwwaa

PppppppphhhwwaaPpppppphhhhhwwaaaaaPppppppphhhwwwaaPppppppphhhwwaa.Fiveyardstorun.RussandMikeandIbeganbackpeddlingtowardwhereTomwasattherearofthe

boat.Ppppphhhhhwwaaa.PpppppphhhhhwwwaaaPppppphhhhhwwwaa.”Russ was trying to keep the light on the huge crock

andbackpedalatthesametime.Oursmallboatwasnowon


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TheSwash!Now, I know there are stories out there yet to be told in this forum. Helicopter

crewmembers lead a most interesting life and stories abound from qualification courses, non-flying assignments, combat missions or just goofing off. Our most entertaining and informative stories come from you, our membership.

So, if you have an idea for an article, or if you have an article you’d like to submit it’s as easy as submitting it to the guy who puts the newsletter together. The story can be about anything from flight school to real life, TINS, or there-I-was stories. We’ve published several stories over the years ranging from tales of flight school a long, long time ago to real life “war stories” that we’re sure most of you can identify with.

Take a moment to lay fingers on keyboard or just put pen to paper and send in those stories. You can email them to [email protected] or through the US Post Office to: CHPA • PO Box 42 • Divide, CO 80814-0042

[CallForArticles]

Please feel free to forward this issue of “The Swash Plate” to your colleagues, potential members and other interested parties!

Sharethe“Swash”

acollisioncoursewithasoontobeverypissedoffpre‐historicanimal.“STARTTHEBLOODY’ENGINE!”PppppphhhhhwwwaaaPpppppphhhwwwaaaPppphhhhhhwwaaPpppphhhhwwwaaa.Idon’tknowwhattheotherswerethinkingbutIwasthinking,thisisit,we’realldeadandtherewillbe

notraceofusforourrelativestoburyandit’llbeaverynastywaytogo,too.Suddenly Russ exclaimed, “What the bloody hell?” andwe all watched the beam of his searchlight

focus perfectly on thewords Coca Cola and the red Coke can floating harmlessly in the shallows near themuddybankoftheriverinfrontoffourveryrelievedyoungmen.

Tom finally got theengine startedand thatwas that. Weunanimously decided that itwas time toconcludeaveryeventfulnightofcrockhunting.

Please consider sponsoring CHPA’s programs. You may make tax deductible donations to support the Goldie Fund, CHPA’s Scholarship program, the Holiday Boxes for the Troops, T-shirts for Heroes or the Association. For further information please look at Sponsorship at the website, http://www.chpa-us.org.

Sponsorship


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Have you thought about a LifetimeMembership in CHPA but thought it was too expensive, ormaybenotworththecost?Tobreakitdown,duesforaLifetimeMembershipforpilotsis$650;forCrewMembersduesare$425.Whilethatmayseemlikealot,whenyoudothemathitcoversyouforjustashadeovertwentyoneyearsatregularmemberdues.Hasanyoneevermentionedyoudon’tnecessarilyhave to pay the entire amount “up front?” Well, you have the option of enjoying the benefit of notworryingaboutanyrenewalnoticesorwritingayearlycheckbypayingtheduesininstallments.CHPAoffersplanstoallowyoutopayyourLifetimeMembershipduesoverseveralmonths.Youcanalsosetupautomaticdebitstoyourcreditcard.Giveusacallat800•832•5144fordetails

In the past there have been many CHPA pages started on different social networking sites toincludeMySpaceandFaceBook.Sadly,thosepageshavegoneidleasthefolkswhostartedthemmovedontootherendeavors. OurExecutiveDirector,JayBrown,hasstartedan“official”CHPAwebpresenceonFaceBooklocatedathttps://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/196724920353496/.

The page was set up to provide a venue for discussions, sharing of ideas and another way ofgettingthosenaggingquestionsanswered.Joiningthegroupisassimpleasaskingtojoin.Stopin,sayhelloand jointheconversationsorstartyourown. AllCombatHelicopterPilotsAssociationmembers,guestsandthosewhosupportCHPAarewelcome.

LifetimeMemberships

CHPAisonFaceBook


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ReunionsandGatherings

Areyouplanningareunionoreventthatmaybeofinteresttoourmembers?Letushelpyougetthe word out and support veterans groups of all sizes and locations. Just send a message with theinformationtoHQ@chpa‐us.org.Ifyouhavealogo,sendthatalongaswell.Besuretoincludeaccuratecontactandregistrationinformationandwe’lltakecareoftherest.

30thANNIVERSARYOFTHEWALL‐READINGOFTHENAMES

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is hostingthe Reading of the Names of 58,272 service membersinscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial inWashington,DC,aspartof thespecialactivitiesplannedthis November to commemorate The Wall’s 30thAnniversary.

The Reading of the Names will take place at The Wall for 65 hours over a four‐day periodbeginningwithanopeningceremonyonWednesday,November7,2012at3:00pm.Volunteerswillreadnamesforapproximatelyeighthoursfrom4pmonNovember7to12amonNovember8.Participantswillthenreadthenamesfor19hoursdailyfrom5amuntil12amonNovember8,9,and10.

TheReadingoftheNamestookplaceinWashington,DCjustfourothertimesinTheWall’shistory.InNovember1982,thenameswerereadaloudatWashingtonNationalCathedralaspartofaweek‐longNational Salute to VietnamVeterans. The nameswere read at TheWall during the 10th Anniversarycelebration in November 1992, during the 20th Anniversary celebration in 2002 and during the 25thAnniversary celebration in 2007. For more information and to sign up to participate visithttp://www.vvmf.org/ROTN.

VINHLONGOUTLAWSASSOCIATION

Vinh Long Outlaws Association will hold its 2012 reunion in Savannah, GA,September 6 – 10. Calling allmembersof the62ndAvnCo; CoA, 502ndAvnBn;175thAHCandallattachedunits.FormupinSavannah.ContactBobKoonce,(253)537‐4818,[email protected].


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VeteransDayAddressDougSmith

ConcludedonPage11

SpeechbyCHPAmemberDouglasG.SmithgiventothestudentsofWellingtonHighSchoolforVeteransDay,2011.

ArmisticeDaywasproclaimedbyPresidentWoodrowWilsononNovember11,1919tobefilledwithsolemnprideinthecountry’sserviceandwithgratitudeforthevictory.Thatdaywastocelebrate“TheWartoEndAllWars,”WorldWarI.

Since thenwehavebeen inWorldWar II, theKoreanWar,VietnamandpresentlyTheWaronTerrorism.

IntheCivilwarapersonwhohadseencombatwasreferredtoashavingseentheelephant.Aproverb from the countryof India seems relevant to the experiencesofwar. Therewere six

blindmenvisitingazoo,whereupontheymetanelephant.Thefirstwalkedintothesideoftheelephant,extendedhisarmsandproclaimeditwasawall.Thesecondfeltthetrunkandsaiditwasasnake.Thethirdfeltthetailandsaiditwasarope.Thefourthfeltthelegsandsaidtheywereliketreetrunks.Thefifthman felt the two tusksandexplained itwas like two swords. The sixthblindmanasked the zookeeperwhat itwas. Thezookeepersaid,“Youareallcorrect inwhatyouhavesaid;however,onlybysharingwhateachofyouknowcanyouhaveatrueunderstandingoftheelephant.

TheVietnamWarwasmyelephant.IservedfromJanuary13,1969toJanuary13,1970.Myunitwas the1st InfantryDivision, “TheBigRedOne.” “Nomission toodifficult,nosacrifice toogreat.DutyFirst.”

I flew co‐pilot in Hueys for a short time, then transitioned into an OH‐6, or “Loach,” (LightObservationHelicopter);quickandfast,likeaCorvette.

Mybasicmissionwastoflydifferentbattalioncommandersaroundsotheycouldmicro‐managethedifferentcompaniesintheircommand.Additionally,Ire‐suppliedtroopsontheground,tookoutthewoundedandtransportedthedeadtogravesregistration.

Irememberflyingoneday,whilelisteningtoseveraldifferentradiofrequencies.OnewasArmedForcesVietnam,theonefromthemovie,“GoodMorning,Vietnam.” Theannouncementwasmadethatmanhadjustlandedonthemoon,July16,1969. I lookeddownatthemenonthegroundandthought“BigDeal.”Theastronautisnotanybraverthanthosemenontheground.

Therewere2.7millioninthemilitarythatservedinVietnamwithonemillionservingincombat.Tosaytheleastthepresscoveragewasterriblyone‐sided,biasedandagainstthewar.

Iwouldliketosharewithyouoneofmywarstories.MyradiocallsignwasGhostRider6.Alocalvillagewasworkingwith theUS forces. One evening aViet Cong threw a hand grenade in the housewherethevillageElderwassleepingwithhiswife.ConsiderabledamagewasdonetotheElder.

A fewdaysafter the incident thebattalionS‐5 (CivilAffairsOfficer),whowasworkingwith thelocalpeople,askedmeifIhadenoughtimeonmyhelicoptertoflyhimandtheElder’swifetothehospitalinSaigon,ashefeltcertaintheElder’swifefeltherhusbandwasdead.

Weweresupposedtokeepourflighttimedownto110hoursamonth.IsaidIhadsometimesotheS‐5getsinthefrontseatandwestrappedtheElder’swifeinthebackseat.

UponreachingthehospitalinSaigon,wefoundouttheElderhadbeentransferredtoVungTau,45milessoutheastofSaigon.

Sincewewerealreadycommitted,coupledwiththe lookofapprehensiononthewife’s face,weboth knew Vung Tau was our next destination. Uponarrivalwegassedup,gotajeepandtaxiedthewifetosee


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SubmitYourPhotos!CHPAhasagrowingcollectionofphotos,fromflightschoolclasspictureslikethese,toactionphotostohelicoptershotsfromaroundtheworld…IfyouwouldliketocontributetothecollectionpleaseuploadyourphotosbyfollowingthelinksontheCHPAwebsiteorclickhere!

herhusbandalive. Additionally,hewouldsurvive. Sincewehadaccomplishedourmission, I tookthewifebacktohervillage,thebattalionS‐5tohisfiresupportbaseandIreturnedtomyhome,DiAn.

IntheUnitedStates,peoplehardlyever,ormorelikelynever,heardaboutwhatIjusttoldyou.Our mission was to win the hearts and minds of the people of Vietnam. It is pretty much

impossibletoaccomplishthatmissionwhenthelocalpopulationisterrorizedatnight;verymuchsimilartoourpresentsituationinAfghanistantoday.

Icanhonestlysaythatexcludingthebirthofmychildrenandmarriagetomywife,Eileen,Vietnamwasoneofthemostmemorableyearsofmylife.

During October 20 – 23 of 2011, Eileen and I attended a Combat Helicopter Pilots AssociationconventionatFortRucker,AL;“TheHomeofArmyAviation.”

While visiting the flight line, a Huey pilot and I climbed into the front seat of a Black hawkhelicopter.Wewereinaweandtotallyconfused.Heck,theycanflythemselves!

LaterwevisitedtheArmyAviationMuseumwhereIsawthehelicopterIlearnedtoflyandlaterserveasaninstructorpilotin.TheTH‐55washangingbywiresondisplayinthemuseum.That’swhenIrealizedtimehadpassedbythishelicopterpilot.

InclosingIwouldliketosharewithyouaquotethatcamefromJoeGalloway,duringhisremarksattheVietnamVeteransMemorialinWashington,DC.Thequotewasinreferencetoourfallencomrades.“Theyareatpeace…andsoshouldyoube.Andsoshouldyoube.”


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Call on Us! Contact Quick Reference ChairmanoftheBoard–RheaRippey BuzzCovingtonChairman@chpa‐us.org BCovington@chpa‐us.orgPresident–RobertFrost AlMajor Callus!president@chpa‐us.org AMajor@chpa‐us.org 800•832•5144VPAdministration–Vacant RichMiller Faxus!admin@chpa‐us.org RMiller@chpa‐us.org 719•687•4167VPMembership–RustyBourgoyne RandyZahn Writeus!membership@chpa‐us.org RZahn@chpa‐us.org CHPA

POBox42Secretary/Treasurer–LorenMcAnally JimFerguson Divide,CO80814‐0042Treasurer@chpa‐us.org JFerguson@chpa‐us.org Remember!ExecutiveDirector–JayBrown JohnFore FeelfreetocontactusHQ@chpa‐us.org JFore@chpa‐us.org usanytime. RandyJones RJones@chpa‐us.org

WewantedtosharewithyouoneofthemanythankyounoteswereceivedfromthosewhoreceivedourChristmasBoxesfortheTroops.ThisoneisfromCPTCliffRogers,7/17thCav.

ThankstoeveryonewhoparticipatedformakingChristmasawayfromhomealittlebrighterforourdeployedservicemenandwomen.Theyappreciateoursupportandourthoughtsyear‐roundandespeciallyatChristmas.

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Swash Plate February 2012