average age of vietnam helicopter pilot

reunion. 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. I asked to take a different test and was able to pass that one! There are over 4,945 helicopter pilots currently employed in the United States. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter Warrant Officer Shelly Berryman flew Huey helicopters in Vietnam War But it also exposed American servicemen and women to a chemical that now has them dying on average 13 years earlier than their counterparts who did not serve in . That was probably the lowest point of my Vietnam flying experience, and I never forgot it. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic." Experienced pilots with proven records of successful, aggressive combat could be invited to join a platoon in a fire team of one or two gunships operating with a scout helicopter and escorting slick assaults. He he he he . Copyright 1995 - 2018 Gary B. Roush, 242 ASHC Muleskinners, May 1968 - May A few were even awarded. An automobile accident or other traumatic event also can cause it. Add to that, it is also the most unforgiving mission flown in a helicopter. A paid subscription is required for full access. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. $36/year subscription. 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(VHPA) at the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986 (reproduced in a Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Historical Reference Directory Volume 2A). Thank you for your service. Only a few privileged people, other than the crew members themselves, know an obscure fact that there were actually three seats in the cockpit of a Dustoff helicopter, rather than two seats, as mounted in all other Hueys. When called upon, a Pilot did not wait for approval from his crew, becuse he knew his crew would never say No. Age 60 to 64 --------$350.00 ?any tips. In September of 68 1LT Bruce Huffman had his crew disembark fron his ship and had it loaded with ammo, C-rations and batteries for the radio. Myth: Air America, the airline operated by the CIA in Southeast Asia, and its pilots were involved in drug trafficking. designed as a helipad. The average age of the 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. Not only were we not found to be lacking as youthful aviators, as a whole we far exceeded the expectations. Information contained herein shall not be used for commercial If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. . was typical of the continual commentary from the enlisted crew members. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture was Vietnamese. Please support The Veterans Site by adding us to your ad blockers whitelist ads help us to provide food and supplies to veterans. fund has been established at the Vietnam Center and Archives at Texas Tech Most Agent Orange contained .0002 of 1 percent of dioxin. There is no such thing as a fair fight-only ones where you win or lose. Age 59 and below --$450.00. 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 know that it was a .50-cal that got him and not an AK47 bullet because an AK round is not big enough to shoot off the balls of a Dustoff pilot. A Huey pilot later with the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion (AHB) at Pleiku, recalled one student who, flush with success after his first solo, decided to see what it was like in the empty instructors seat, but knew he would have to change back to land. Five Thousand pilots and crews lost their lives and 3,258 Hueys alone were lost during the war. The gunships that were escorting him told Al to put it on the ground right away because of the serious leak. PO Box 8091 [Parade Magazine] August 18, 1996 page 10. confidential. You will get a clear sense of what they were up against and how they conducted themselves. The BSR (Bang Stare Red) Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the gauges. 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. 2160250. buzz lightyear of star command complete series That was the unforgiving part. Don S. the last (in-country) Masher33, 1971, It is not easy to read this stuff. However, these same 18-year-old young men attended flight school and were given responsibility to operate a multi million dollar helicopter. . It was a rare breed of man whobecame a Scout Pilot. The VC knew the points in an assault where the helicopter was most vulnerable, so thorough prepping by gunships and strike aircraft was essential. A hoist mission was just the opposite. Maturity, self-confident, bravery, willing to take chances, courageous, and yes fun-loving are the attributes that make a great pilot. is passed from outgoing President to incoming President at each reunion. [1996 Information Please Almanac] 1995 Information Please Almanac Atlas & Yearbook 49th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston & New York 1996, pages 117, 161 and 292. Five Thousand pilots and crews lost their lives and 3,258 Hueys alone were lost during the war. Reunion dates and locations have been announced for the following units: The latest quarterly issue has the agenda and registration details for Vietnam War conference scheduled for March 2-4, 2023 that will focus on the year 1973: The Paris Peace Accords and the Allied Withdrawal from South Vietnam Also included are updates on the Oral History Project and volunteer opportunities.Stay in touch and help us preserve your legacy. [VHPA databases], Army AH-1G's totaled more than 1,166,344 flight hours in Vietnam. ), Once out to sea, landing on the ships was an interesting experience, especially when the decks were bouncing up and down like a fishing bobber with a carp under it. "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. Over the course of the war, some 12,000 helicopters of various kinds saw service in Vietnam. The most common ethnicity of helicopter pilots is White (86.8%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (6.8%) and Unknown (2.4%). Flying is better than walking. Generally, someone is badly wounded in jungle or mountainous (or both) terrain where a helicopter cannot land on the ground or even close to it. ak.. There walks a dead man. no, seven! (Personally, I have fathered 73 children with two good Dustoff-sized testicles.) Sometimes, being good and lucky still is not enough. Crew Members Association http://vhcma.org/. On one particularly difficult night MedEvac in the mountains, all our windows fogged up as we dropped from 7,000 feet through a hole in the clouds to pick up a Soldier with a head wound. . Mailing Address: Burkett and Glenna Whitley, Verity Press, Inc., Dallas, TX, 1998. "Average Age of Active Pilots in The United States from 2002 to 2020, by Category*. The movie and a book the movie was based on contend that the CIA condoned a drug trade conducted by a Laotian client; both agree that Air America provided the essential transportation for the trade; and both view the pilots with sympathetic understanding. 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. Maybe we could have used our survival radio once we were in the water or forced down over the jungle. Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information My father mentioned a pilot and I was curious if this was one of the same. godfrey funeral homes; pierre engvall giraffe; applies to subscribers): Age 80 and above ---$75.00 . Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). volunteers. Also "Estimating the Number of Suicides Among Vietnam Veterans" (Am J Psychiatry 147, 6 June 1990 pages 772-776). Helicopters in I suppose we would have survived; we had water wings! In 2009, the US Congress changed the mandatory age of retirement of airline pilots from 60 to 65 in a bid to solve the pilot shortage problem. survive the 365 days in Southeast Asia was to be a gunship pilot, blazing my way back to the states, defending myself with mini-guns, rockets, and grenade launchers. And what was even stupider, I suppose, was the fact that if the doors were closed when we reached the water, we opened them so we could get out easier if we did go down. Candidates later tackled the difficult arts of landing in small areas, night, and instrument flying crucial skills for their operational work in Southeast Asia. ab.. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. The best of the best: the portal for top lists & rankings: Strategy and business building for the data-driven economy: Industry-specific and extensively researched technical data (partially from exclusive partnerships). [The Wall Street Journal] The Wall Street Journal, 1 June 1996 page A15. It called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces, limitation of both sides' forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to peaceful reunification. looking good. . . When I returned to the states later and applied for my military drivers license so I could drive the. When you crash, well try to recover your bodies. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. To seek out, using whatever means available, individuals who piloted rotary wing The tactical situation is such that the ground troops cannot get the dead or wounded to a secure open area for evacuation. That knocked the rotor blades off and the TH-55 went in., Successful candidates then progressed to the Contact Phase at Knox Army Heliport, Fort Rucker, for specific training on the UH-1B, C, and D, followed by the Tactics Phase at nearby Lowe Army Helioport, which prepared them for realistic combat conditions. Topics cover the entire spectrum from Vietnam to . In other words, it took a man with a huge pair of Brass Balls but with the ability to know when to use them but with the brains to know when to hold them. They also acted as the means of supply of ammunitions, equipment and food. website may contain information that VHPA considers proprietary and DID after the U.S. Congress cut off funding. He was an instructor pilot at Downing Army Airfield at Ft. Wolters, Texas, in May of 1968. through mini-reunions (local get togethers) throughout the year and through the Internet 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. Most aviators receives about 210 hours of flight time. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned, youre about to be surprised. rotary wing aircrews that flew in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam Era. It can be expressed in its mathematical formula of S (suction) + H (height) above ground) + I (interest in staying alive) + T (# of tracers coming your way). a.. Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if this is a good idea. Myth: The American military was running for their lives during the fall of Saigon in April 1975. The cables going out . website may contain information that VHPA considers proprietary and a31 road closure alton; cdw insurance for rental cars; hygro cotton bath towels; Hello world! With the patient finally on board, the Radio Operator with the ground unit Rogered our departure message with a Thanks a HELL of a lot, Dustoff!. Thank you. Another Huey pilot explained, We were expected to perform simulated missions like we were in Vietnam. Although I was sworn to secrecy at the time, with the Freedom of Information Act, I believe that I can now break the silence. I have no idea who he was, but we logged his flight time as PP: Patient Protector.. I had no idea of the satisfaction, pride, sense of accomplishment, and even elation that I would feel in the next six months. Most of the Commissioned Officers were older. (The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, i.e. Most 18 year olds only think about girls and what they can get from them. I tried to use the opportunity to prove to myself that I could accomplish the goals I set for myself and do them well. a colleague is looking for a helicopter pilot nicknamed chicken man, who spent some time around Solid Anchor in about 1971. Every helicopter flying in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. [McCaffrey], MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. That was us giving you covering fire! he replied. He flew through the fog and light rain. 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? In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans' group." Ground troops typically did not enter a sprayed area until four to six weeks after being sprayed. plaque made from the mold for the AH-1G prototype collective grip. I was okay to fly helicopters in the Army, but not to drive a jeep! Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. I wont make it back.. The Weapons Team. No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. The platform is the top of the elevator shaft for the building and was not The additional weight of patients on the end of the hoist as they were lifted off the ground further complicated the stability of the aircraft. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If you are wearing body armor, they will probably miss that part. https://www.vhpa.org. The third pilot is retired Col. David Rainey U.S. Army. By the end of the war half of them had been lost. [CACF] (Combat Area Casualty File) November 1993. (EC), [Home] [ReunionInformation] [Donations] [OurLegacy] [MembershipServices] [RelatedWebSites], This * Includes pilots with an airplane and/or a helicopter and/or a glider and/or a gyroplane certificate. The Air Cav was just what the name implies. You were way more mature for your age than 99% of the young men today. Shoot, I had NO idea! View complete answer on zippia.com Helicopters needed far more hands on piloting than fixed wing types. [Westmoreland], 97% were discharged under honorable conditions; the same percentage of honorable discharges as ten years prior to Vietnam [Westmoreland], 85% of Vietnam Veterans made a successful transition to civilian life. October 20, 2021. I think that some of us changed for the better, but some of us did not. Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations which, in turn, is better than cold C-rations which, in turn, is better than no food at all. Always smiling and never hurt anyone, I would guess. I already knew the difference between port and starboard, and it wasnt that hard to figure out beam and quartering approaches. The others on board simply assumed he was also headed for dinner, but I knew the true meaning of his statement. But as the Army would have it, during Friday night formation of the middle weekend of gun school, 24 of us, including 12 in the gun school, received orders to attend MedEvac school at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, immediately after graduation. Scientific research has shown that dioxin degrades in sunlight after 48 to 72 hours; therefore, troops exposure to dioxin was infinitesimal. They were heavily armed with mini-guns, machine guns, and various kinds of rockets. to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. They also acted as medical evacuation helicopter pilots when needed. We grabbed some unsuspecting Schmuck and told him to get his weapon and some ammo and run with us to the aircraft. address changes for the directory and use the comments form to The early (65-68) Weapons Team was made up of two pilots, crew chief and a door gunner. With the front of my Huey still kissing the tree leaves and my crew keeping me posted as to what was going on, I took a quick, curious look out my left window to see where the friendly fire was impacting. was several blocks from the Pittman Apartments. [McCaffrey], The oldest man killed was 62 years old (TAYLOR, KENNA CLYDE). tail number N4 7004, were Bob Caron who lives in Florida and Jack They gave us classes on what altitudes to fly to avoid certain types of enemy fire small arms or 0.51 cal. They could often see what we could not and helped keep the enemy off of us and to even the odds for us, so to speak. In the Vietnam War the helicopter became one of the most important elements in the daily operations of our war fighting successes. This statistic is not included in your account. In retrospect, I think that is what happened to one of the pilots in our unit a few months after I left. s.. aa..Thus the term SHIT! can also be used to denote a situation where high Pucker Factor is being encountered. http://www.air-america.org. 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. Your email address will not be published. (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. 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