Vietnam helicopter pilots and their monument at Arlington

| May 2, 2017

Military Times reports that the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association has been successful in their efforts to get a monument established at Arlington National Cemetery honoring helicopter crews who served in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association members sought action from Congress, and through publicity and nationwide support from the community, the Vietnam Helicopter Crew Monument Act was passed in March. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, introduced the bipartisan legislation. Companion legislation was introduced on the House side by Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev.

Baldwin told Army Times that she was moved by [Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Bob Hesselbein]’s stories of his own experiences during Vietnam, including “stories of his friends and comrades that he still knows and those that he lost,” she said.

Thanks to Chief Tango for the tip.

Category: Arlington National Cemetary

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Claw

Over 4900 Pilots and Crewmembers (all services) were KIA.

Of that number, 42 members of the company (188th AHC/C Co, 101 AHB, Black Widows and Spiders)) I served with in Viet of the Nam are included in that number.

Equal split. 21 Officers, 21 Enlisted.

Rest In Peace to all. We still alive will never forget.

Claw

To add a little perspective from one single aviation company to the overall numbers:

Keeping in mind that not all were air crewmembers, my company roster (as of February this year) now lists 1350 men who we know of that served with the Black Widows/Spiders in Viet of the Nam.

Since the return of the company in February 1972, 368 of those men are now listed as DAT (Died After Tour) and more will follow as time marches on.

Many Thanks to BW36(68-69) for keeping track of the roster.

May all those KIA/DAT never leave our memory. Rest In Peace and may they view this monument from on high.

3/17 Air Cav

Claw……Its hard to believe it’s been almost fifty years! We were flyers once! And young!

I’m coming up on the anniversary of WO1 David Meyer May 7th1971 He and crew KiA while flying over Cambodia.

Please raise a toast with me on that day

Claw

Yes Sir, I will definitely raise a toast with you this coming Sunday in his memory.

What say we raise our glasses simultaneously at 1700 hrs your time. That seems appropriate since the flags should be taken down for the day about that time.

OC

I wasn’t there, but have read numerous stories of their courage and bravery.
Glad they got their memorial.
RIP.

OWB

Good, and not only well deserved but long overdue. If only several great friends had lived to see this happen. Maybe they know – it is comforting to think so anyway.

Ex-PH2

Glad to know this is happening. It is long overdue.

Graybeard

Anyone who has used, or had a loved one use, an EMS since the 1970s owes a debt to the medics and docs of Vietnam.

Anyone who has had to take a helicopter ride to a hospital owes a vast debt to the helicopter pilots and crewmembers who served in ‘Nam. Most – if not all – of the first EMS copter pilots were ‘Nam vets.

Heroes whose life-saving efforts continued long after the close of the war.

Dustoff

As a young Dustoff medic in Alaska in the early 80s with the 172nd LIB. I was in awe of our senior pilots who told tales of having been shot down in ‘Nam , then rescued themselves only to jump on another bird and head out the same day to rescue the wounded that they were initially called for. Incredible

Sparks

It’s about time.

A Proud Infidel®™

It’s way, WAY past time for them to be commemorated.

Thunderstixx

Reading Col Hal Moore’s “We Were Soldiers Once and Young” the exploits of the chopper pilots will have you sweating right along with the rest of them.
The men of those choppers knew no fear as they sat on the ground taking all kinds of enemy fire waiting for wounded after dropping their incoming load of ammo, water and c-rats. There are thousands of men alive because of their bravery all across Vietnam.
We see the same thing today in our current GWOT Warriors chopper pilot crews.
Yep, they all worked for it, they all earned their place at Arlington.
BZ to all that served over there in those Huey’s and other chopper variants.

Wilted Willy

I agree, this is long overdue BZ to all of you who served on those things! May God bless all of you and your loved ones. I will be praying for everyone of you! Yes, we were all young once, oh how I wish I still was???

Joseph Williams

Goolge “Man In Doorway” it is from a grunt’s view of air crews. We have about 12 pilots to cancer. Nam the gift that keeps on giving. Joe

Mick

Here ya go, Joe. Semper Fidelis. ‘The Man in the Doorway’ By Michael Ryerson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq0vFuIcOac ‘They came in low and hot, close to the trees and dropped their tail in a flare, rocked forward and we raced for the open doorways. This was always the worst for us, we couldn’t hear anything and our backs were turned to the tree line. The best you could hope for was a sign on the face of the man in the doorway, leaning out waiting to help with a tug or to lay down some lead. Sometimes you could glance quickly at his face and pick up a clue as to what was about to happen. We would pitch ourselves in headfirst and tumble against the scuffed riveted aluminum, grab for a handhold and will that son-of-a-bitch into the air. Sometimes the deck was slick with blood or worse, sometimes something had been left in the shadows under the web seats, sometimes they landed in a shallow river to wash them out. Sometimes they were late, sometimes…they were parked in some other LZ with their rotors turning a lazy arc, a ghost crew strapped in once too often, motionless, waiting for their own lift, their own bags, once too often into the margins. The getting on and the getting off were the worst for us but this was all he knew, the man in the doorway, he was always standing there in the noise, watching, urging…swinging out with his gun, grabbing the black plastic and heaving, leaning out and spitting, spitting the taste away, as though it would go away… They came in low and hot, close to the trees and dropped their tail in a flare, rocked forward and began to kick the boxes out, bouncing against the skids, piling up on each other, food and water, and bullets…a thousand pounds of C’s, warm water and rounds, 7.62mm, half a ton of life and death. And when the deck was clear, we would pile the bags, swing them against their weight and throw them through the doorway, his doorway, onto his deck… Read more »

Cacti35

Awesome!

The sound of the Huey is forever etched into my memory. Shout out to the 174th Aviation, Dolphins and Sharks.

Ex-PH2

Since April 29 was the 42nd anniversary of Operation Frequent Wind, I’m dropping this link here for all those guys who airlifted people out at the last minute.

https://cherrieswriter.wordpress.com/2017/05/02/frequent-wind-the-final-u-s-operation-in-vietnam/