Viet Nam Air Crew Marines, our bunch is between 70 and 73 now.
We live all over the country and our politics is all over the board.
Other than my wife, the Marines of our bunch are my closest friends.
I hike with one of our bunch every week. We hike like Marines.
We keep in touch and check in on one another.
Looking forward to post-covid reunions with those of our bunch.
Marines and Docs…Semper Fi.
Sgt.
I never liked riding the Sea Knight! Made me dizzy, especially when looking outthe back when the tailgate was down! Watching the horizon go up and down, sideways and so on.. I would usually close my eyes. What did the Wingnuts call them? Flying coffins. Paul S.
Boeing vertol body bags!
Loved the Huey!! Hated the others!! Never felt secure, too closed in. Nick 0311
Man does that bring ack memories – some good – some – not so much.
HMH 462-CH 53 Sea Stallions–69-73—WE called them Widow Makers!Flew in them a few times with our composite-HATED THEM–SHOOK to much!–Was with composite in ’70 with 31st MEW off of USS Tripoli when they were grounded –Out of sync,falling out of sky–We lost some good pilots and crews on that float trip- ALL good Marines-Gone but never forgotten–Semper Fi
Bad memory at Kaneohe, when ground turning during QA test for replacing mixing unit crew chief was decapitated. Apparently mixing unit was installed upside down..
Rode them quite often, in and out of most every operation. I liked them, they were like a carnival ride.
Murray 1371.
Ahhhh the CH46. Personally I loved flying in them. I was with Lima 3/8 on Geiger and we were a Helo Assault Unit so we flew just about everywhere in the 46 and sometimes in the 53. Never failed though….always seemed like some Jarhead would blow chow. Especially in the morning if we flew after chow. I always felt bad for the crewchief who had to clean that shit up. But the smell of puke and JP5 and hydraulic fluid must have been too much for some. The 46 always seemed to be leaking hydraulic fluid right on me. I recall many times getting off and having a wet spot of hydraulic fluid on my cammie trouser leg. I remember the fold up benches were made with a red nylon material. Never could figure out why they were not OD green! Semper Fi Devildogs!!!
Mike Kunkel. CPL. 0331, Lima 3/8 81-85
Mike-It wasn’t the leak that you had to worry about. When the leak stopped, that’s when you needed to start worrying! Semper Fi
Spoken like a true Helo mech!
I was with HMM-265 flying out of Phu Bi in the CH-46 and then a couple of LPHs. As a mechanic I was assigned the port .50 cal, and then to crew chief of my own Dragon. Greatest job I ever had, and I am 71 years of age and have had a lot of jobs. I have lost track of all the other wing nuts I was with, but I have not lost any of the memories I had with them- Good, Bad, or indifferent!
David, without you guys, pilot AND crew, we couldn’t do what we do in Recon!! Semper Fi.
And, it was you lunatics that medevaced me out when I was attached to L 3/7 in 69. Bad shape, but I seemed to remember a gunner at the rear hatch tearing up anything he saw getting us out, no fear! Ground fire hit a hydraulic line, fluid all over me. Made it to Danang, hard landing. Don’t know how the hell they made it, but I thank God! for all of you lunatics. Seem to remember the gunner saying the guys under me were dead, and what I thought was them moving was ground fire coming thru the deck. He didn’t flinch, just kept laying down with what I THINK was a 60. God bless all you wingers, John Wayne ain’t got squat on you guys!!! Thank you for giving me a chance to have seven grandchildren, never forget you. P.S. My favorite brother in law and friend was a chopper mechanic.
I was medied 3 times all three were on those grasshopper lookin choppers, third time was during operation Doberman Jan. 67 went from kam Ranh to da nang to Guam then homeward bound to be discharged
Those grasshopper lookin choppers were the old sea horse piston engine type. Everywhere we went was on the Huey!! Loved and still love the Huey. Every once in a while, not often, I will hear that wonderful thump thump “The Sound We will never forget” Semper Fi Bill 0331
Thank you G. Willard. We had little purpose without you guys. I remember those rounds coming up thru the floor and the side of the fuselage. Put the pucker into us. I flew medivacs into Danang many times. Thanks for all you did and do and enjoy those seven grand children. I too have seven.
By the way, in 1969 all the CH-46s that I crewed as gunner or crew chief had a least twin .50s mounted, port and starboard. Sometime a .50 or M-60 mounted on the ramp in the back. Semper Fi!
David Miller. It was a wild ride, especially when we hit. Heard in the hospital that one of the pilots took one thru a foot and still got us out.
So it was a 60. I was pretty much bled out, wasn’t sure if I was dreaming it was a chopper from heaven and God sent a MAW Marine to give me my last ride. Semper Fi brother.
Semper PI Marines, good to see some of us are stick around, I was with HMM-164 from 1/68 to 6/68 and do to loss of aircraft was transferred to VMO-2 and stayed with them from 6/68 to 12/69.