To the Limit: An Air Cav Huey Pilot in Vietnam

1 The An Lao Valley Incident

3 Tonight, this 19-year-old will most likely leave us. His wounds are massive. Like others before him, he thrashes about on the hard aluminum floor bathed in blood and suffering. Repeatedly, he calls for his mother, not his God. At great risk to ourselves, we will push our flying abilities and this helicopter to the brink of disaster trying to save him. Although cloaked in darkness, we must fly hard and low, cutting every corner. In spite of all my efforts, he will likely make the transition from life to death. His soul will depart, and his earthly body will finally lie in peace, without pain. ■ September 5, 1967 At 0430 hours the company night clerk awakens me and advises me that Major Eugene Beyer,1 A Company’s commanding officer, has picked me to “volunteer” for an emergency night resupply mission. Not fully awake, I plant my feet over the side of my cot and push the mosquito netting aside while attempting to comprehend the rapid briefing being given by the clerk. I “roger” as though I actually understand all he has said, then reach across the wooden pallets covering the dirt floor between my bunk and that of Warrant Officer James Arthur Johansen. Shaking him awake, I ask him to go with me. Though more asleep than awake, he agrees. 1. Eugene Beyer was later promoted to a colonel. He is now retired and lives in Texas. The An Lao Valley Incident 1 4 TO THE LIMIT The request for a night emergency resupply has come through normal channels. Although ammo and water are the only two things going in, experienced pilots know that often other things are more pressing. Infantry officers only call for night helicopter resupply in desperate situations—ammo for the living going in, the dead and badly wounded coming out. Being quiet so as not to wake the other pilots, I put on my Army fatigues and jungle boots. Neither Johansen nor I utter a word. Grabbing my flight bag, my helmet, and my chest protector,2 I head in the general direction of the mess tent. Once outside our GP Medium tent, home for about 20 warrant officers, I find this night to be normal for Vietnam: humid and coal black. Fumbling through my flight bag, I finally locate my red lens flashlight to light the way. As I walk, bones and mind wracked with fatigue, I turn my thoughts to the dangers that lie ahead on this mission. The Vietnam nights are dark, with no lights of any kind marking the terrain. LZ (landing zone) English, the 1st Air Cavalry’s forward outpost, out of which all military operations are based, lies on a coastal plain in II Corps area. My area of operation begins with the South China Sea and quickly graduates westerly into 4000-foot mountain peaks. Flying during the day is bad enough, but flying among mountains at night is especially treacherous. Night emergency resupply missions are extremely dangerous and therefore generally fall into the laps of the more seasoned aircraft commanders , but I am A Company, 229th’s latest and least experienced. Skill can only be attained through experience, and tonight will be my first night emergency resupply mission as aircraft commander. Though I dread it, I am honored that I have been picked to do this job. In a way, it symbolizes another step up in the “pecking order” of pilots. In calling on me for this mission, Major Beyer and other pilots are trusting me to accomplish the highly difficult task safely. No matter what their rank or previous flight experience, all new pilots keep to the strictly maintained social order within each helicop2 . These protective vests resembled those worn by the gladiators of ancient Rome. They were constructed of layered porcelain and covered by cloth, designed to stop a bullet of .30-caliber or less in size. We always reminded ourselves that the lowest bidder manufactured it. They were often referred to as “chicken protectors.” 5 THE AN LAO VALLEY INCIDENT ter assault company. All new pilots, nicknamed “peter pilots,” a slang term for copilots, occupy the right seat (as viewed from inside the Huey’s cockpit) while the aircraft commanders sit in the left seat. To keep the pilot experience levels high, the fresh Fort Rucker graduates are put with the most experienced company aircraft commanders. After about six months...