In my mind, the only way I would. Over the ten years of the war, Operation Ranch Hand sprayed about eleven million gallons of Agent Orange on the South Vietnamese landscape. . The average age of an employed helicopter pilot is 44 years old. Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew. As he entered the crowded car, he said, Ballroom, please.. Further proof of these facts can be found at a recent Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) reunion. The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. The initial Army designation was HU-1, which led to the common unofficial nickname of Huey.. These new battalions eventually formed a sort of modern-day cavalry for the Army. I have no idea who he was, but we logged his flight time as PP: Patient Protector.. Would love to chat with Bruce Huffman. It happened many times, and their names are on The Wall in Washington, D.C. One particular mission I recall was a day hoist. [Westmoreland] Source: http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html As well as prepping an LZ ahead of the slicks, gunship pilots could also warn crews flying troop carriers of threat areas, and advise them of enemy guns to avoid as they lifted out of the LZ. Please use the membership application form to submit Read the latest issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center Newsletter and subscribe to recieve future newsletters. Without the helicopter 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 or 1962 would secure the border) [Westmoreland], Approximately 12,000 helicopters saw action in Vietnam (all services). aa..Thus the term SHIT! can also be used to denote a situation where high Pucker Factor is being encountered. ah.. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow. reunion. reunion. They were heavily armed with mini-guns, machine guns, and various kinds of rockets. The pilots who were flying this helicopter, [VHPA databases], Army AH-1G's totaled more than 1,166,344 flight hours in Vietnam. Army Flight School was about 9 months long, this was the shortest calendar time. Candidates later tackled the difficult arts of landing in small areas, night, and instrument flying crucial skills for their operational work in Southeast Asia. As explained by Peter E. Davies in his book UH-1 Huey Gunship Vs NVA/VC Forces Vietnam 1962-75, many US Army pilots volunteered for combat simply because they wanted to fly the UH-1. Decisions made by someone above you in the chain-of-command will seldom be in your best interest. to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. address changes for the directory and use the comments form to was several blocks from the Pittman Apartments. (the herbicide was called "orange" in Vietnam, not Agent Orange. Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. Mine were draped over the back of my seat, along with my M-16 rifle. When the Army decided to use helicopters as the Eyes, Protection and Horses of the 1st Cavalry Division, men both young and older were chosen to become pilots. I remember my very first primary flight instructor pointing at him as I listened intently to his every word. The Wall), Center for Electronic Records, National Archives, Washington, DC, [All That We Can Be] All That We Can Be by Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, [Westmoreland] Speech by General William C. Westmoreland before the Third Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) at the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986 (reproduced in a Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Historical Reference Directory Volume 2A). He was a Dustoff pilot. volunteers. But come look for us, will ya? [2]:3, This operation heralded a new era of air mobility for the U.S. Army, which had been slowly growing as a concept since the Army formed twelve helicopter battalions in 1952 as a result of the Korean War. From 1965, around 99 percent of each completed class of students were sent to Vietnam. [3], Battlefield Viet Nam Episode 5 "The Undeclared War", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Chopper_(Vietnam)&oldid=1133354489, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 10:36. Don S. the last (in-country) Masher33, 1971, It is not easy to read this stuff. If everyone does not come home, none of the rest of us can ever fully come home either. Myth: Agent Orange poisoned millions of Vietnam veterans. Owned and operated by CharityUSA.com, LLC. We fought to an agreed stalemate. on VHFCN (http://www.vhfcn.org) , Heli-Vets and FaceBook also another FaceBook site. Learn how your comment data is processed. . solicitation purposes, or any correspondence related thereto. Or, to hear veteran helicopter pilots describe their personal experiences in the line of duty, click here. From 1965, around 99 percent of each completed class of students were sent to Vietnam. . Online membership As mentioned earlier, there was little protection from weapon fire for the pilots, and with body parts exposed on a third seat, we were especially vulnerable. You need a Statista Account for unlimited access. Running is better than crawling. "The problem is that those who think the Vietnamese haven't cooperated sufficiently think there is some central repository with answers to all the lingering questions," notes Gen. John Vessey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Reagan and Bush administration's designated representative in MIA negotiations. Is that AM or FM? 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. The cables going out . [The Wall Street Journal] The Wall Street Journal, 1 June 1996 page A15. I then realized that ole PP back there was just sitting in the hell hole taking it all in, not doing a thing! From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. The VC were surprised and soundly defeated. u.. Everybodys a hero on the ground in the club after the fourth drink. come left . With a fair amount of apprehension, it was now the moment of truth. Could we really do what we had been trained to do, without letting anyone down? The gunships that were escorting him told Al to put it on the ground right away because of the serious leak. (The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, i.e. It would instantly cut the cable should any part of the lift apparatus get snagged in the trees or in any other emergency situation. We still got there in a hurry, but once there, we hovered over the trees like a target at the County Fair 25-cent target-shooting booth. I dont think so. In fact, not at all, since we usually flew with the doors open, even at night. There were many of the Warrant Officers that were in their 18,19, and 20s. [1] "Vietnam helicopter pilots describe the war from the cockpit," YouTube video, posted by "Military Times," April 18th, 2018. al.. rotary wing aircrews that flew in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam Era. (EC), [Home] [ReunionInformation] [Donations] [OurLegacy] [MembershipServices] [RelatedWebSites], This At the same time, I made flight adjustments according to the guys in the back. UH-1 Huey Gunship Vs NVA/VC Forces Vietnam 1962-75 is published by Osprey and is available to order here. website may contain information that VHPA considers proprietary and Another tradition started in 1988 is a "Cobra" A Scout team consisted of a pilot, a Door Gunner and an observer. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. [Nixon]. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. 2160250. buzz lightyear of star command complete series The Vietnam War helped medical progress in this area. All of these, however, are preferable to cold rice balls, even if they do have the little pieces of fish in them. 66 founding members. Statista. The biggest responsibility of a helicopter pilot was to fly that helicopter in such a manner as to provide support for the men on the ground. American involvement in February 1973. (One has to realize that there was virtually no protection for the pilots from the front and little from the sides or underneath.) Shortly after arriving at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, I learned that those of us with the highest flight grades would attend a two-week gun school near the end of training, while the rest learned formation flying. [Houk]. Age 60 to 64 --------$350.00 Not only were we not found to be lacking as youthful aviators, as a whole we far exceeded the expectations. Book review. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served [Westmoreland], 74% said they would serve again even knowing the outcome [Westmoreland], There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non veterans of the same age group (from a Veterans Administration study) [Westmoreland]. Also passed from President to President is a plaque with past Presidents' names on it. It is a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same time. I have to take one thing back. Business Solutions including all features. We dont have any place for you to land, so just hang your butts out in the open sky for several minutes so any kid with a bow and arrow can shoot you down, and Gee, those red crosses on your helicopter sure make great aiming points, dont they? https://www.vhpa.org. Helicopters were used in more than 850,000 medical evacuation missions and were responsible for boosting survival rates for the wounded. Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information University. Whether their responsibility was to fly the troops into and out of battle, become the Medical Evacuation bird when required, be the forward eyes of the ground troopers or provide them fire support when needed. k.. 5. b.. 5.5% of all helicopter pilots are women, while 94.5% are men. No matter what the enemy threw at them, they never backed down. We will never forget you, or the sound of your rotor blades off in the distance, coming to our aid. There is an explanation That was us giving you covering fire! he replied. While there are still officially more than 2,200 cases, there now are only 55 incidents of American servicemen who were last seen alive but aren't accounted for. [McCaffrey]. nfl open tryouts 2022 dates; liste des parc de maison mobile en floride; running 5k everyday for a month before and after; girls who code summer immersion program Since I first heard the phrase that is the title of this article, it struck me that those words were exactly what we did as kids flying helicopters in Vietnam. History of the founding of the VHPA written by We took no hits on that mission, and as we lifted out of the landing zone, the fact that we cheated death again left me with all the exciting feelings I mentioned at the beginning of this article. 4.7 average based on 3 product ratings. time than any other aircraft in the history of warfare assuming you count actual is passed from outgoing President to incoming President at each reunion. When they saw one flying balls out, they knew it was a Dustoff on an urgent mission. Put some fire in that bunker! I yelled to Private Whats-His-Name. Flag, John A. Jelich, Wisconsin, Cecelia Jelich Frost, Killed in Action, Rosary, KIA, Gold Star Family, Gold Star Wife. [1996 Information Please Almanac], The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. The first one you will meet is retired Army Col. Douglas Moore, a medevac pilot in Vietnam. It was NOT the U.S. Embassy. When I returned to the states later and applied for my military drivers license so I could drive the. I think I can make it back! was his last message as the aircraft caught fire, rolled inverted and crashed in flames, killing all on board. Funds are paid by Greater Good Charities to benefiting organizations as a grant. survival radio, whats that? Have you ever heard the expression, He was flying the aircraft balls out? That was us. Fast Contour flying as close to the ground as possible to avoid ground fire was also mastered. [Houk] Testimony by Dr. Houk, Oversight on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 14 July 1988 page 17, Hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs United States Senate one hundredth Congress second session. The Scout Team would search for the enemy and then have the Weapons Team come in and destroy the enemy. Many times when either our troopers on the ground or another unit was facing enemy fire these brave men would come in with weapons blazing either destroying the enemy or allowing the ground troops to attain and then maintain superior fire power. Membership is open to all helicopter pilots who flew in The average age (according to General William C. Westmoreland before the Third Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) at the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986) was 26 The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. q.. Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative. ?any tips. The VHPA is a social organization only and On what turned out to be his final mission, they were to pick up wounded on a mountain top, but got caught in heavy fire while making their approach. It has been said many times by Navy and Marine jet pilots that landing on an aircraft carrier is like landing on a postage stamp. It was a rare breed of man whobecame a Scout Pilot. Without his heroic actions that day we, the Grunts, would have been in severe situation as we were running out of food, ammo and our radio batteries were almost dead. A MiG-21 of the VPAF which became the primary fighter-interceptor against USAF and USN aircraft. Show publisher information Damn Navy talk! The hospital ship would then radio to the helicopter again, Just come in from the left and land to the back of the boat. It always got an immediate Roger!. It took all of our skill and luck to avoid flying into the valley walls as we stuck our heads out the windows to find our way to the LZ without balling up the helicopter. website may contain information that VHPA considers proprietary and Thanks Tom H. AKA,Cavalier 16, 68/69, Brought a tear to my eye. The South Vietnamese ran out However, these same 18-year-old young men attended flight school and were given responsibility to operate a multi million dollar helicopter. . Read the latest issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center Newsletter and subscribe to recieve future newsletters. As an elevator at the reunion hotel was transporting me and other attendees to the Saturday night banquet, another Dustoff pilot stepped on from his floor. There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the . f.. h.. The crewmen I flew with on hoist missions (like me, in their teens and early 20s) were absolutely the best, and I wish I could shake every one of their hands and hug them today. Currently, you are using a shared account. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action) [CACF] Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/919100/aviation-industry-average-age-of-active-pilots-in-the-united-states-by-category/, Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category*, Available to download in PNG, PDF, XLS format, Number of pilots active in the airline industry 2019-2029, Share of female pilots by major airline 2021, Global opinion on how long the aviation industry will take to recover 2021, U.S. student certificated pilots - number 1990-2020, Number of pilot licenses in China 2018-2020, by type, Employment by registered airlines in the United Kingdom (UK) 2015-2020, by position, Employment profile of pilots worldwide 2020-2021, Job seeking status of pilots worldwide 2020, U.S. active certificated pilots - average age 1993-2020, U.S. aviation industry - average age of active pilots by category 2002-2020, Methods used to increase the potential supply of female pilots 2020, Global civil aviation training market size 2017-2021, Dependence of pilots on flight deck automation worldwide 2019, Downward pressure of automation on the role of pilots worldwide 2019, Methods used to reduce flight operations costs 2020, Pilots' plans to change jobs globally 2021, Difficulty to ensure stable supply of qualified pilots over the next decade 2020, Air traffic - passenger volume forecast by region 2037, Forecast of new pilots in the global aviation industry by region 2021-2040, Demand for new pilots in the commercial aviation industry by region 2021-2040, Projected pilot shortage globally by region 2029, U.S. aviation industry - number of active pilot certificates by age and category 2020, U.S. aviation - industry number of active pilot certificates by age 2020, United Airlines - pilot expenditure 2012-2021, JetBlue Airways - pilot expenditure 2012-2021, Delta Air Lines - pilot expenditure 2012-2021, Number of pilots active in the airline industry: by region 2017, American Airlines - pilot expenditure 2012-2021, Pilot deficit in U.S. commercial aviation 2016-2026, Southwest Airlines - pilot expenditure 2012-2021, Airline pilots worldwide - average age 2016, Number of pilots in the airline industry: per aircraft type 2016, Number of drone pilot licenses in China 2014-2019, Number of new pilots in Finland 2017, by type, Number of helicopter pilot licenses in China 2014-2019, Global share of pilots whose mental health was affected by the pandemic 2020, National and international commercial air traffic in Morocco 2016-2019, Number of bird strikes caused by military aviation Australia 2006-2015, Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports. ab.. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. . Updated: 7 February 2018 ai.. If so glad to know youre well. When called upon, a Pilot did not wait for approval from his crew, becuse he knew his crew would never say No. Age 75 to 79 --------$100.00 confidential. The VHPA has a membership of over 16,600 (8,700 dues current) helicopter pilots from around the world out of the approximately 40,000 who served as helicopter pilots in the Vietnam War. He fell right through the rotor blades. If we had been shot down on virtually any hoist mission, our high hover would not have allowed us to make a safe landing, and many would surely have died. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set Required fields are marked *. In the last decade, 69 nations have held multi-party elections for the first time in their histories. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. As they entered a one year combat tour, many pilots heard the ominous rumor that the average life expectancy of a US Army Aviator helicopter pilot in combat was only 19 minutes. I and many more just like me can only say Thank You for all that you did. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Aero Bonus 320085 1/32 Us Army Helicopter Pilot Vietnam War 1960-1975 at the best online prices at eBay! You were way more mature for your age than 99% of the young men today. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. l.. Many times these brave men had to deliver or retrieve the troopers into or out of areas where enemy fire was heavy. Search: Average Age Of Vietnam Helicopter Pilot. Being scared in the sense of risking ones life for others, for sure, but also a sense of being scared that you will not be up to the standards of your fellow pilots. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? The building is the Pittman Apartments, a 10 Copyright 1995 - 2018 Gary B. Roush, 242 ASHC Muleskinners, May 1968 - May Profit from the additional features of your individual account. That was probably the lowest point of my Vietnam flying experience, and I never forgot it. The tactical situation is such that the ground troops cannot get the dead or wounded to a secure open area for evacuation. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned, youre about to be surprised. Those Hueys were their horses and they rode into battle en masse, to deliver their troops and evacuate the wounded. When we, as students, first began training in Hueys at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, our Instructor Pilots (IPs) were required to fill out a Department of the Army (DA) form if our testicles were too big to fit comfortably in the standard front seat of a Huey. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. You will come away from this video with a real sense of the quality of heroism that every one of our Vietnam War helicopter pilots displayed on a daily basis. I can personally remember one time when we were pinned down due to superior enemy fire from a tree line and a weapons platoon helicopter (Cobra) sat just off to our right and lit up the tree line with such superior fire that the enemy was destroyed. The terms Protective Armor and Helicopter are mutually exclusive. Nighttime was even worse. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. Topics cover the entire spectrum from Vietnam to . t.. In fact, we all did well. We HAD no survival radios in those aircraft. Helicopters needed far more hands on piloting than fixed wing types. The picture of a Huey helicopter evacuating people from the top of what was billed as being the U.S. Embassy in Saigon during the last week of April 1975 during the fall of Saigon helped to establish this myth. Rarely have so many people been so wrong about so much. Maybe we could have used our survival radio once we were in the water or forced down over the jungle. This included Basic Combat Training and Flight Training. The DA-4733-DSC should not be confused with the much more common DA-4734-GSTT (Gunship Sized Tiny Testicles), where other pilots made up for their lack of size with big guns and big wrist watches. San Antonio, Texas 78208-0091, Copyright 2023 DUSTOFF Association | Powered by Barefoot Pixel, USAAAD conducts life-saving rescue of two civilians near Mount Adams. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. approximately 40,000 who served as helicopter Two high ranking Search: Average Age Of Vietnam Helicopter Pilot. I can throw a rock in there, its so close! was the rest of my thought. In order to be Old and Wise, one must first be young and stupid. As the Aircraft Commander in control of the helicopter, my eyes never left the tree branches that were touching the nose of my aircraft. The engine RPM and the rotor RPM must BOTH be kept in the GREEN. The early (65-68) Weapons Team was made up of two pilots, crew chief and a door gunner. [Westmoreland] Approximately 70% of those killed were volunteers. DID after the U.S. Congress cut off funding. VHPA Aviator magazine . As I look back on my own experiences, two things stand out in my mind that I consider young and stupid.. Oh, Sugar! (Not my exact word.) About 12,000 U.S. military helicopters spent 7.5 million hours above Vietnam, flying 2 million missions. . Publi le 12 juin 2022 par . years. [1996 Information Please Almanac] 1995 Information Please Almanac Atlas & Yearbook 49th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston & New York 1996, pages 117, 161 and 292. No Pilot that I know of ever went into a combat situation without both. . . Scared that maybe, just maybe, youll fail your mission where someone else just like you would have succeeded. The VHPA publishes six Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican . Yes, most definitely young, but stupid? It was an average age for most of the other Army helicopter pilots I flew with in the 237th Medical Detachment in northern I Corps near the DMZ. Keeping with the VHPAs tradition that the History Sections theme becomes the theme for that years Membership Directory, the 2023 Membership Directory (D2023) will be a history of U.S. Air Force helicopters in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War (1961 thru 1975).Read more about the planned U.S. Air Force helicopter Vietnam War history sections. Always make sure someone has a P-38. (Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike, a professor at the University of California, Berkley a renowned expert on the Vietnam War) [Westmoreland] This included Tet 68, which was a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. The average age of an employed helicopter pilot is 45 years old. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. only 10 to 20 minutes of that time exposed to hostile fire. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. Then I did another Young & Stupid thing. it will be forwarded to the appropriate VHPA representative. PO Box 8091 We thank God for these pilots and crews who fearlessly went into our hell on our behalf day in and day out, during the Vietnam War. The Weapons Team. [People.com] Vietnam 25 Years Later, by This statistic is not included in your account. One point I want to make is the the Crew Chiefs and Door Gunners were the and are still the best as well. The third seat was for our testicles. Those trainers were so small you could lean in them to make the thing turn. They were the ones who flew the troops into and out of battle. In the Vietnam War the helicopter became one of the most important elements in the daily operations of our war fighting successes. In addition to an annual reunion held around July 4th, members keep in touch informally We were an easier target during the day, but unlike at night when we kept all the lights off, we could see what we were doing! I think that some of us changed for the better, but some of us did not. Thank you. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force. It come right . For the latter, a specially equipped H-13 had optional blanked out external vision. hostile fire exposure versus battle area exposure. . From 1965, around 99 percent of each completed class of students were sent to Vietnam. Warrant Officer Candidates (WOCs) then progressed to Fort Rucker, Alabama, or, from 1967, Hunter Army Airfield at Fort Stewart, Georgia, for advanced flight training and instrument flight instruction. He he he he . By the end of the war half of them had been lost. If we didnt do it, the next guy would, and we would have been found to be personally lacking what it took to complete the mission. [Nixon] No More Vietnams by Richard Nixon. (CACF and Westmoreland), Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book "All That We Can Be," said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam "and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. [McCaffrey], The oldest man killed was 62 years old (TAYLOR, KENNA CLYDE). One guy was 19, while the oldest (not counting our Commanding Officer) was the 28-year-old XO, Army slang for the second in command, Executive Officer. The first time I tried to land on the ship at night, I terminated at a 30-foot hover over the deck instead of on the deck, and the Aircraft Commander had to take over and hover us down to the ship. . If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and schoolteachers. applies to subscribers): Age 80 and above ---$75.00 If I had gone down over water, I would not have grabbed the wings either, because not only had I never tried to inflate them, I had never even tried to put them on. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. has no political agenda as is our brother organization, The Vietnam Helicopter We are now Older and Wiser, and for that I am very thankful. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. Without that commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world. [1996 Information Please Almanac], POW-MIA Issue (unaccounted-for versus missing in action), Politics & People, On Vietnam, Clinton Should Follow a Hero's Advice, a colleague is looking for a helicopter pilot nicknamed chicken man, who spent some time around Solid Anchor in about 1971.