Volume 6, Issue 1 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

• “Annual Meeting Update”

Rick Roll

• “Iron Butterfly”

Ralph Christopher

• “Full Circle”

Susan Jimison

“New Aviation Role for Bragg”

Henry Cuningham

“Jolly Green Cannon History”

Jay M. Strayer

and much much more!

As I clear away the inevitable records, files,

and notes from my bleary annual IRS computations, I begin to think about prepping for AAAA. This huge annual collection and display of current Army

aviation hardware, software, and technical componentry exhibited under one roof, never fails to

excite and energize me. Those of our members currently on active duty or who serve in NG or Reserve units may wonder why this event should

generate such a curious reaction. For the most part, they already know and use the current equipment suites in their daily jobs, whereas our older veterans delight in learning about the newer systems that have come into

the inventory since we flew our last mission. Of course we also look forward to a chance encounter with an old

flight school stick mate; a former unit member; a combat brother with whom common burdens, hardships, cultural separations, harsh

conditions, danger, boredom, lame food, soaring triumphs and heartbreaking losses were shared, endured, and ultimately reconciled. Those encounters, and the subsequent flash flood of memories that wash over us when we are reminded once again of our common heritage, help us define the impact of our training

and subsequent military experiences upon us, upon the shape and essence of our lives and character, upon whom we have become because of the challenges we have shared and met.

AAAA then, much like our CHPA or other unit reunions, holds many attractions for us, not the least of which is the chance to refresh and recharge this shared bond, forged by common experiences

regardless of aircraft type, weapons systems, or tactics employed. While target sets and strategic goals may vary according to our national interests, the combat experience does not. Combat will always

involve suiting up, locking and loading, then flying against an enemy force determined to take our aircraft

out of the sky with great violence. Inevitably, it will be some time before many of today‟s warriors will come to realize the real impact upon their lives caused by this lifestyle for which they have volunteered.

When they do, we will have paved the way. Even though CHPA embraces the entire sweep of US military helicopter combat aviation, by that I

refer to our unique “all-service, all-wars” approach, we individually share many characteristics ferreted out by the battery of psychological tests each of us passed in the vetting process required to be accepted into our various military flight programs. I don‟t suggest that an absolute, hard-and-fast profile exists for every

one of us, but I certainly suggest that we all tend to fall into the middle bulge of the Bell Curve, the unique real estate that contains an abundance of Type A risk-takers, non-conformists, and relatively bright people

who have an itch needing to be scratched. Even the mild-mannered among us mask a tendency and willingness to react directly and competently to any direct threat we perceive. The reference, so-and-so

doesn‟t suffer fools gladly, could apply to a large percentage of combat helicopter pilots. The battlefield

Presenting! President’s Message Rhea Rippey

April 2011

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creativity and courage manifested in the face of great danger by generation after generation of US

helicopter pilots speaks directly to these traits celebrated and encapsulated by Joe Galloway in his heartfelt terminology for our rare species: “God‟s Own Lunatics.”

So, from one lunatic to another, I wish you a large IRS refund, safe flying, healthy conflict

resolution techniques, and I hope to see you at our 2011 Reunion at Ft. Rucker, October 21st – 23rd 2011.

Duty, Honor, Courage ... Never Forget

Plans for our reunion in October are proceeding on schedule and we have a

couple of subjects to cover in this April issue of “The Swash Plate.” One of them is to let you know that due to the space constraints of the training

venues that we will be visiting at Fort Rucker on Friday, October 21st, we must limit

the number of reunion attendees that can be accommodated to a strict total of one hundred. There will be no restriction on the number of those who want to attend all

the activities that will take place on Saturday the 22nd which include a luncheon at the museum, specially guided tours of the museum‟s collection, and our reunion banquet at “The Landings,” Fort Rucker‟s all-

service club. Fort Rucker will provide a speaker to update us on all that is going on at the Army Aviation Center at one of those meals. Also, we have plenty of rooms blocked for the main reunion hotel, the Enterprise Hampton Inn, and at the nearby Holiday Inn Express; our back-up/overflow facility. In light

of the preceding, we recommend that when the reunion registration form first appears in the June “Swash Plate,” you sign-up right away so you won‟t be left out of the group of 100.

The second subject we want to cover in this issue is the air transportation options for those of you who will be flying to/from the convention by commercial airline. The Dothan airport, DHN, is

reasonably close-by and is serviced by Delta Airlines. The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, ECP, is North of Panama City, FL and is about an hour and a half drive from Enterprise. It is served by Delta and Southwest Airlines. The third nearby airport is Montgomery Regional Airport,

MGM, and is served by Delta, American Airlines, and USAIR. Based on our recent experience, the fares in/out of ECP are significantly lower than those in/out of Dothan & Montgomery; perhaps due to the

competition from Southwest. Unfortunately there are no airport shuttles available to/from any of these airports but all of them have rental cars available.

We hope you have all marked your calendars for our get-together scheduled for October 21st - 23rd, and we‟ll have more to report about the reunion in the May “Swash Plate.”

Please e-mail me, rroll@chpa-us.org, if you have questions/comments.

Rick Roll

Reunion Chairman

Annual Meeting Update Rick Roll

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Continued on Page 4

Around noon on November 8th, Chief

Smith was leading a patrol with Boat Captains James Mildenstein on PBR 841, and Bloss on

PBR 755, when they received a radio message to proceed to the Nga Ba River. The place, the Thi

Vai-Go Ghia area, was known as a Viet Cong stronghold and had been the site of many enemy ambushes in the past. Chief Smith was directed

to steam up a narrow stream with his two patrol boats and act as a blocking force for the

Vietnamese commandos and their Marine advisors that had been inserted by Army

helicopters earlier in the day. During the commandos sweep they had

made contact with a Viet Cong force in a thickly forested area and were trying to flush them

out. Recon of the area had disclosed one claymore mine

positioned in a tree. The PBR patrol left the

Nga Ba and proceeded up a small stream and stayed there for some time blocking any

enemy escape. But the Viet Cong seemed to have evaded

bringing the mission to an end. After the troops had been

extracted by helicopter, the two PBRs began to withdraw, exiting their blocking positions to go back out onto the main river. Chief Smith on the

lead patrol boat called over to the cover boat and told them to shoot down the tree with the

claymore in it as a precaution. Gunner‟s Mate Third Class David White from Alabama

complied and with PBR 755‟s aft .50 cal machinegun, began chopping the tree down which took quite a few rounds to do so. The lead

boat then exited first onto the river. As the cover boat began to exit and turn, a rocket came

barreling out of the jungle slamming into her, throwing the crew to the deck. Then seconds

later, a second rocket-propelled grenade hit PBR 755 on the starboard side slinging hot flying

metal every which way and wounding everybody

aboard. The Viet Cong had set a well planned

ambush in the trees with both patrol boats taken under a tremendous amount of rocket and

machinegun fire from both banks. In the first few minutes, the cover boat had taken two rocket hits forward with every one of the crew wounded

multiple times. Boat Captain Bloss suffered deep shrapnel wounds in both legs and was able to

stay on his feet at the helm but kept sinking in the cockpit. Seaman Molodow, who was on his first

patrol training, was seriously wounded in the head and Seaman James

Lonsford on the forward .50s was hit in the arm but refused to stop firing.

Reacting quickly, Petty Officer White was able to make

it back to his feet after being knocked down three times and

was returning fire on the aft .50 cal machinegun. Although White and Engineman Third

Class John Bragg were both covered in blood from shrapnel

wounds, they were still able to alternate between firing their

weapons and administering first aid to the other three wounded men. Petty Officer White moved forward and applied a battle dressing to Seaman

Molodow‟s head wound. Then he unselfishly took off his flak jacket and helmet and gave it to

Molodow to put on for protection. There were only enough flak jackets and

helmets on board for the four man PBR crew that day and Molodow was riding as a passenger on his first day on the river. Then David White

went forward and put a battle dressing on his Texas buddy Jim Lunsford.

After taking PBR 841 through the kill zone on a firing run, Chief Smith turned the lead

Iron Butterfly Ralph Christopher

As the cover boat began

to exit and turn, a rocket

came barreling out of the

jungle slamming into her,

throwing the crew to the

deck.

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Continued on Page 5

boat around and returned in the midst of enemy

rockets and automatic weapons fire to help the badly wounded cover boat and her crew. At first the Chief ordered Gunner‟s Mate Third Class

Albert F. Johnson from Denver to jump over and take the helm of PBR 755 since Boat Captain

Bloss was seriously hurt and could no longer stand. But Chief Smith changed his mind and

jumped aboard PBR 755 himself and almost immediately was hit by a rocket, which killed him instantly and wounded the rest of the crew

as well. Seeing that his boat captain was momentarily stunned by the intensity and

accuracy of the enemy fire, and seeing no one moving on the badly hit cover boat, Petty Officer

Johnson immediately took command of PBR 841 and maneuvered his boat

between the ambush bank and the cover boat while the crew returned fire.

With blood gushing, Seaman Lonsford had caught

shrapnel in his throat and tried to cover it. Despite his own

painful wounds, Petty Officer White again left his aft gun and rushed forward exposing himself

to intense rocket and automatic weapons fire to aid his

grievously-wounded friend who was bleeding profusely. After

applying a big gauze bandage to Jim Lonsford‟s throat to stop the bleeding, Dave White then pulled his six foot four inch friend out of the gun

tub and laid him across the bow and took his buddy‟s place on the twin .50s firing away.

Seaman Lonsford just laid there in pain covered in blood as he pinched the main artery in his own

neck trying to slow the bleeding. Tracers ricocheted and whistled by as the

lead boat got underway and started making firing

runs with Petty Officer Johnson at the helm firing an M79 grenade launcher while calling for help

on the radio and steering the boat. Fireman Bill Polacek stood completely exposed on the engine

covers loading belt after belt of ammo into his M60 machinegun pouring lead into the hostile

positions throughout the entire firefight. While

Gunner‟s Mate Third Class Andy Winters struggled to keep the forward .50s going and keep a steady flow of bullets directed at the enemy

during the PBR‟s high speed runs laying down cover fire. Since the aft .50 of PBR 841 had been

empted on their first firing runs, Petty Officer James Mildenstien grabbed a gun and added to

the fire power as PBR 841 made another run on the west bank. Back at the operations center in Nha Be they listened helplessly over the radio to

the attack but could do little to help. Because Molodow‟s head wound and

Lonsford‟s wound to his throat were so serious, no one thought the two men would survive

unless they got immediate care. With the radios out on PBR 755, an urgent call

for help went out from Petty Officer Johnson on PBR 841 for dust-off choppers to come and

medevac the wounded. But because of the high tide and

trees, there was no area for a landing zone. It was also

extremely hot with tremendous amount of weapons fire being exchanged, so everyone figured

not many would attempt such a rescue.

But as luck would have it, a Navy Seawolf gunship fire

team from Detachment Two in Nha Be had just taken off when they heard the distress call from Petty Officer Johnson coming from the northern

part of the Rung Sat Special Zone. Riding in the nugget seat, the most junior spot of a Seawolf fire

team, was Lieutenant Junior Grade “Hollywood” Al Billings, Seawolf 28, at the end

of his tour and about to rotate back home. Loved by the enlisted men that served with him, Mr. B, as Billings was called, was confident and a born

leader and had already proved himself many times as fire team leader. Now he was riding in

the second chopper backing up the new pilot so he could get more experience. But when Mr.

Back at the operations

center in Nha Be they

listened helplessly over

the radio to the attack

but could do little to

help.

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Continued on Page 6

Billings heard the gunfire and tone of the young

PBR sailor desperately begging for help over the radio, it got his heart racing. Mr. Billings had already witnessed one of his roommates

needlessly die when he was attached to the carrier USS Bon Homme Richard because the

pilot flying the helicopter was not good enough to go down and hook up to the downed pilot, and

Billings was in the second seat that day also. Now here it was happening all over again, as his heart pounded listening to the young sailor

describing the patrol officer dead with two critically wounded that would not make it

without immediate help. As the two Navy gunships arrived

overhead, the fire team leader in the lead bird, who happened to be the officer in charge and had

just arrived in country a short time ago, cautiously orbited 1500 feet above the patrol boats, seemly waiting for something to happen.

Again Petty Officer Johnson came up over the radio with another gut wrenching plea for help,

while he and the crew PBR 841 were making high speed firing runs trying to provide protection

for the smoldering cover boat. This was about all Mr. Billings could handle. He could not just sit there and listen while these brave young river

sailors called for help, watching their friends bleed to death. Billings had made up his mind a

long time ago that no one was going to die on his watch.

At this point, Mr. Billings grabbed the controls and took the chopper away from the pilot shouting, “I have the aircraft.” The pilot

did not hesitate to relinquish the controls. Mr. Billings had trained him since he arrived in

country so he was aware of Hollywood Al‟s abilities as a pilot, and knew there was no better.

Billing‟s keyed the radio and told the flight team leader that they had to get down there in a hurry and help. The flight team leader responded with

there was nothing they could do. This is not what Mr. Billings wanted to hear. In fact, he had

heard it one too many times before and informed the leader that he was going in. The officer in

charge came back over the radio in a defiant

voice, “You‟re not going down there. It‟s too hot. That‟s an order.”

Lieutenant Junior Grade Billings couldn‟t remember what he said next. He was a little busy assessing the situation, but I am sure it was

colorful. As he rolled in he told the fire team leader to put continuous fire on both banks.

Then he radioed Al Johnson on PBR 841 and told him he wanted to make coordinated high

speed firing runs when he gave the word. Then Mr. Billings dumped off half of the rockets along the bank where the lead PBR was returning fire.

Then Billings rolled the chopper up into a rotor over and pickled the rest of the rockets along the

other side releasing a volley of rockets on the forest. The crew chief and door gunner knew

Mr. Billings well and were focused and keyed on his every move firing their machineguns out the doorways. Not a word was said to them. They

had flown with him on hundreds of missions and anticipated his every move. Mr. Billings then

pulled the helicopter up into a high turn and headed for the stricken PBR 755.

The adrenaline flow was beginning to peak with bullets flying through the air in every direction as they slowly came in making their

approach. Mr. Billings could feel the vibration of the aircraft as he started to maneuver into

position to hover over the PBR. The chopper felt heavy so he told the crew to get rid of anything

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they didn‟t need as they started pitching things

out the open doorway. Now Mr. Billings focused on the damaged patrol boat watching the winds of smoke billowing off her deck into the

sky. He radioed the fire team leader in the lead bird and told him to keep a continuous stream of

fire on the bank while he was over the PBR. The lead bird circled well above the skirmish but did

comply and laid down cover fire as Mr. Billing‟s had requested.

Since the PBR was just under thirty-two

feet long and the UH-1B Huey was quite a bit larger, Billings knew it was going to be a tricky

maneuver. As he came in for his approach he told the lead PBR crew to start their firing runs

and to make sure they kept Charlie‟s head down. The lead bird was circling overhead with its door

gunners hanging out the sides pouring continuous fire on the banks while PBR 841 made firing runs with the crew unloading

everything they had on the enemy. Petty Officer Johnson had fired all the M79 rounds he had and

began emptying his Colt .45 pistol while in the coxswain flat steering. Andy Winters yelled out

that the forward guns were down and Al Johnson yelled back to grab anything and shoot, which he did. The roar of the boat engines growling at

high speeds mixed with the whipping of the chopper blades and the thunderous amount of

fire being exchanged was deafening as all hands were now concentrating on laying down cover

fire and saving the wounded men's lives. Power on the chopper engine was critical

if Mr. Billings was going to pull this off, so he

told the copilot to give him an update on the power settings as he came into hover. He then

maneuvered the helicopter down so the left skid was on the bow of the patrol boat, which Petty

Officer White had turned into the wind. They could all now plainly see that the top of the PBR had been blown off and men were down and

bleeding. As the rotor wash of the chopper started to blow the PBR around, Billings was

somehow able to keep contact with the boat so they could make the transfer. Seawolf crew

chief, Petty Officer George C. Heady, covered their right flank with the twin .30 cal

machineguns firing out the doorway making

them sing. Billings then instructed door gunner Airman Glen R. Smithen to go down into the boat and grab the wounded sailors and get them

aboard. Glen Smithen, without hesitation, bravely

climbed down, and with the help of Bragg and crew chief Heady, lifted and pulled Seaman

Lonsford up into the aircraft while Jim Lonsford held his own neck to control the bleeding. Then Glen Smithen went down onto the damaged PBR

again and grabbed Molodow, helping him into the chopper. Airman Glen Smithen was a strong

man, built like a football tackle, and within minutes he had both the wounded men aboard

the chopper. While all of this was going on, Mr. Billings kept his focus on maintaining contact

with the PBR, which was being blown around in the water by the wind from the rotor blades. He fought the controls and somehow was able to do

this. All the while, the lead PBR crew continued making firing runs with their .50 caliber muzzles

blazing in combination with the lead chopper, which was also pouring fire onto the jungle. It

was an impressive display of fire power to say the least.

After the injured sailors had both been

pulled aboard and Airman Smithen started to climb back into the chopper, Mr. Billings

hollered at the copilot to give him the power settings, which were critical for take-off. Mr.

Billings yelled a second and third time while he struggled to keep the helicopter steady. But the copilot seemed to be in some sort of trance

staring out the window. Mr. Billings glanced over at the power settings and could see he was

losing RPMs and feared they would go into the water. So he slid the helicopter down off the

PBR hoping to get some help from the ground cushion off the surface of the river. But it didn‟t work and the chopper settled into the water. Not

knowing if the enemy was setting up for a better angle to fire on them, Billings headed down

stream with the current with the aircraft still in the water as he tried to gain power and pull her

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out of the river with the chin bubble filling with

water that mixed with the blood. Billings told the crew to throw everything out and about that time the copilot next to him came to and started

shouting “Lighten ship, lighten ship,” over the radio.

As they emptied the helicopter, Mr. Billings pulled in the power and struggled to lift

the chopper out of the water, but it didn‟t work. With the additional weight of the water and wounded in the aircraft it was impossible, so they

threw some more equipment out the door. Then Mr. Billings pushed the nose forward and pulled

in the collective and with the combination of the river current helping, was able to break free from

the suction of the river and lift the bird up and out of the river. It was a miraculous save and

one that not many pilots could have made, but

thanks to Lieutenant Junior Grade Al Billings, the helicopter started gaining altitude with the river water draining away.

They got up to speed and hauled ass with the chopper redlining the whole way as they

radioed ahead to the Army Third Field Hospital in Saigon, reporting the condition of the

wounded. Crew Chief George Heady took out their first aid kit and he and Glen Smithen administered care the best they could treating

Molodow‟s head wound while applying pressure to Lonsford‟s neck. Billings had nothing but

praise for his crew that day and when asked, said he was glad they could help.

“We were flying a routine cover mission and running low on fuel so we headed back to Nha Be to refuel. As

soon as we touched down the call came. The PBR’s were being attacked from both banks and had two seriously injured

people. Medevac helicopters we’re dispatched but when they arrived, their response was it was too hot for them to pick up the wounded. Our pilot, Lieutenant Junior Grade Al Billings, called and requested permission for us to go pick them up, which was denied. Mr. Billings decided to disregard the commander’s direct orders and pick up the wounded anyway. Surveying the area, there was gunfire everywhere and the PBR in question was just sitting dormant in the

middle of the stream, at the Viet Cong’s mercy. My biggest fear was that Mr. Billings was going to use my side to pull them into the chopper and I was correct. At this point I was completely terrified and just knew we weren’t going to survive the mission. I was only twenty years old at the time and didn’t want to die in Vietnam. In our favor was our pilot, Hollywood Al Billings. If I had to do it, I wouldn’t want to attempt it with any other pilot. He was amazing at

his job and I always had the utmost confidence in his abilities and judgment. The first thing we needed to do was lighten up our chopper to accommodate the two wounded. So we started tossing out our ammo and anything that had weight to it. Then Mr. Billings proceeded to go down. It would not be easy, due to the high wind and its direction. As we approached the PBR, the gunfire started increasing in intensity but we all stayed focused on our task. Mr. Billings steadied the chopper next to the boat and placed the skid on the deck. At that point, I jumped out and grabbed the first

wounded and literally tossed him into the chopper. Bullets were hitting all around us, as I grabbed the second wounded soldier and tossed him into the helo. My guess was they both weighed between 180-200 lbs, but my adrenaline was so charged it was like lifting a small child. I jumped back into the chopper with gunfire still ringing around us and we flew off. The first wounded sailor was wounded in the neck with blood pumping out at a steady flow. I applied

pressure to stop the flow. The second sailor was wounded in the head and I honestly thought neither was going to survive. When we arrive, the sailors were taken away and we found out later they both survived. To this day I thank God that none of our crew was injured, I’m not sure how though. Later, everyone was congratulating us and I was still numb with fear. I drank myself to sleep that night and many other nights and prayed to God for letting us save our

comrades and sparing our lives.” Glen Smithen

After Mr. Billings got back to the Seawolf

compound, he got an ass chewing from the officer in charge who threatened to try and take

away his wings for disobeying a direct order.

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Billings just stood there, not responding,

wondering why the man was so pissed. Was it because he disobeyed his order, was it that terrible of a stunt, or was it because it was

something he should have done himself but didn‟t. At this point Billings didn‟t care anymore

what the man thought. He knew in his heart that he had done the right thing and that his crew had

performed brilliantly, saving the lives of two sailors. As the officer in charge started to run out of things to say to him, Mr. Billings turned and

walked away. Later that evening a group of Iron

Butterfly chiefs came over to Billings‟ hooch. As they walked in, they wanted to know who

Seawolf 28 was. Al Billings stood up and introduced himself and his crew. One of the

chiefs held up a bottle of Jack Daniels and a box of cigars. “This is for you. We understand it was quite an exciting rescue.”

The praises of thanks went on for an hour or so then the chiefs left with an open invitation

to the Nha Be CPO club. Billings was made an honorary member and would not have to buy

another drink till after he left Vietnam. On the other hand, the next morning a couple of reporters with photographers came to the

Seawolf compound looking for the pilots of the daring rescue they had heard about. Both the fire

team leader and the other pilot got up and started taking credit for the rescue while Mr. Billings sat

quietly with his friends playing cards. He never saw the reporters again but he did hear that the other pilots got their names in a few newspapers.

But Billings blew it off as he usually did. The following day a couple of the Iron Butterfly chiefs

brought a Navy Times reporter over and pointed Al Billings out saying that is the man who saved

our people. Mr. Billings was cool and played it down as he normally did but answered their questions and was happy that nothing had been

said of taking his wings. A couple more days went by and Mr.

Billings was told to report to his commanding officer in Vung Tau, which he did, but had no

idea what it was all about. The CO, a Navy Captain, was a big man. He sat behind his desk

and looked up when Mr. Billings entered the

room and snapped to attention saluting “Lieutenant Junior Grade Billings reporting as ordered sir.”

The captain looked to be in his forties and had a stern face eyeing Billings, who had never

met the captain before, so he had no idea what to expect. He flashed back thinking his aviation

career in the Navy was over, but hoped there was a light at the end of the tunnel to save him. Then the captain picked up the Navy Times and

handed it to him and asked, “Is this you?” Billings looked at the paper briefly and

replied, “Yes sir, I believe so.” The captain spoke, “Let me tell you

something son. I don‟t ever want to read about my men in the newspaper without knowing

about it first hand, is that understood?” “Yes sir.” “You tell your officer in charge that I

want to know about everything that goes on in that detachment.”

“Yes sir.” Then Billings and the captain had a good

talk with the captain asking about the rescue and complimenting Al Billings on a job well done. Then he wished him well and Billings left the

room believing he had escaped losing his wings. In fact, the captain called Mr. Billings‟ Officer-in-

Charge and told him to put Al Billings in for a medal, which he did. Lieutenant Junior Grade

Al Billings was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his gallant rescue on November 8th, 1968. Petty Officer Third Class George C. Heady and

Airman Glen R. Smithen were both awarded the Distinguish Flying Cross for bravery.

It is believed that the ambush area of November 8th was heavily fortified and occupied

by a large enemy force. On the many firing runs made by PBR 841, they were unable to suppress enemy fire. Hollywood Al Billings was also fired

on while making his runs, and from three different positions. Fixed wing air strikes were

placed on the ambush site within an hour of the attack, leveling the ground. An Army medevac

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chopper took Boat Captain Bloss off to the Third

Field hospital. Iron Butterfly PBR 755 was towed back to Nha Be. It had been hit by three rockets suffering shrapnel holes, a blown canopy

and a damaged radar. The chief‟s quarters up forward had been completely destroyed.

For courage under fire, Gunner‟s Mate Third Class David White and Gunner‟s Mate

Third Class Albert Johnson were each awarded the Silver Star, and both were glad just to be alive and felt fortunate that all five men that were

wounded on PBR 755 survived. And Al Johnson has said many times that Andy Winters and Bill

Polacek both shared a piece of the Silver Star that he was awarded.

Everybody went down to the docks to meet the boats when they came in. One of the

boatswain‟s mates jumped into the cockpit of PBR 755 to get Chief Smith‟s body and immediately recoiled out of the boat with his arm

up over his face. Chief Smith was a hard charger and very popular with the men and it was painful

for them to see what had happened to their leader whose orders and bravery were never questioned.

Normally after a firefight, even if there were light wounds, everyone laughed it off and, if it was a sailor‟s first firefight, they snipped the

loop on the back of his black beret. It was fun and the guy whose beret was snipped paid for the

beer. But after a death like Chief Smith‟s, everybody sort of went his own way. It was an

eye opener and brought home the fact that it was a serious business they were all in. There was little reminiscing except to reassure each other

that their shipmate died quickly and never knew

what hit him. People took comfort in the fact

that their friends went immediately and did not suffer. If they were hit with antitank fire, which was usually the case with the river patrolmen,

they went fast. It was not like the infantry where a man could be wounded and pinned down for a

long time on the battlefield. The river patrolmen actually felt lucky in that respect. It was a way of

dealing with the war to keep their mental state intact so they could go back out on the river the next day and face the enemy.

A memorial service for Patrol Officer Quartermaster Chief Theodore Smith was held at

1300 hours on November 11th, 1968. Prayers and words of praise were offered by his many

shipmates who echoed their sorrow. He will always be remembered as a true professional who

took the well being of his crew as first priority. He gave his life trying to help those crewmen who were wounded on PBR 755. His devotion

to duty and his courage earned him wide fame throughout the Rung Sat Special Zone with

many hearing of his fate replying that he would be sorely missed.

For gallantry on November 8th, Chief Theodore Smith was awarded the Silver Star and a second Purple Heart posthumously for his

mortal wounds. He had already received a Bronze Star for bravery and aggressiveness under

fire earlier. He left behind a wife, Eiko, and a son, Rick, and was the first Iron Butterfly sailor

killed in combat, sacrificing his life for the unit. And, for a short time, the Iron Butterfly did weep.

Email from GMG2 Al Johnson to Al Billings:

Al

I don't know how to start this, except by saying "THANK YOU." You and your cover ship kept my patrol from being

wiped out, November 8th, 1968. I have wondered for 40 years who you were, and to thank you. Had you guys not shown up

when you did we would not have, I believe, made it out of the Te Vi that day.

I was the rear gunner on the lead boat and took control of the boat that towed the stricken boat away during the

firefight.

Your willingness to put your ass on the line for us, and your incredible flying skill when we dusted off our shipmates

can be considered nothing less than heroic.

Take care and again, many thanks for your dedication to duty and combat brotherhood.

Your Shipmate;

Al Johnson (GMG2)

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Submit Your Photos!

CHPA has a growing collection of photos, from flight school class

pictures to action photos to helicopter shots from around the

world …

If you would like to contribute to the collection please click here to upload!

.

4

The Swash! [Got a story to share?]

We hope you enjoy your newsletter! We work to find articles of interest for our very diverse

membership, ranging from human interest to humor and wonderful war stories of helicopter pilots’

and crewmembers’ daring do. Our most entertaining and informative stories come from you, our

membership but I know there are more stores waiting to be told. The story can be about anything

from flight school to real life, TINS, or there-I-was stories. We’ve published several stories over the

years ranging from tales of flight school a long, long time ago to real life “war stories” that we’re sure

most of you can identify with.

I know there are a lot of stories out there that have not been heard by our membership so, take a

moment to lay fingers on keyboard or just put pen to paper and send in those stories. You can email

them to HQ@chpa-us.org or through the US Post Office to:

CHPA • PO Box 15852 • Washington, DC 20003

Volume 6, Issue 4 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

11

CHPA invites you to join us at the 2011 Quad A Annual Professional Forum and Exposition in

Nashville, TN and we hope you all drop by booth 3328 for a visit and bring a friend. As always, Quad A will have available military equipment currently in use and information on the future of Army Aviation. And then, there are the parties. If you‟re going to be in the neighborhood, plan on stopping by for a chat.

We always enjoy meeting our members and talking about our great programs.

A Co, 25th Avn Bn, 25th ID, Little Bears will hold their Annual reunion April 27th, 2011 to May 1st, 2011 at Branson, MO. For information contact:

Ron Hall Secretary, Little Bear Association

6161 Saufley Pines Road Pensacola, FL 32526

850•458•2504 ronaldhall2@aol.com

CHPA is building quite a collection of patches from our members for display at our venues at HAI, Quad A, and VHPA. Several of our members have given us patches, including those shown here which we put on display when we set up our booth. So dig through your old patches and if you have some you’d like to share send them to us at:

CHPA • PO Box 15852 • Washington, DC 20003

Got Patches?

Reunions and Gatherings

Volume 6, Issue 4 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

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This morning I started to cry in the shower. You

would think you get over things … in time. I was thinking about the Combat Helicopter Pilots Association annual

meeting this coming October. This year the meeting will take place in Alabama, home of Fort Rucker. I was there

once. It was the summer of „68. I was there with my family to see my brother Mark graduate. We drove up from South Florida, my sister‟s Nida, Redina, my parents and me.

Mark was a Yellow Hat, class 68-9. We attended the graduation ceremony. My mother pinned his Army

Aviator wings on his green dress uniform. After the ceremony, Mark had a gift for mother. She is holding the box in this picture. Mark had purchased miniature sized wings like the ones he was newly wearing

and on the pin in the back he looped a small helicopter charm. A year later he was KIA between Ben Het and Dak To, in Vietnam.

Many moves, different boxes, different states, she always knew where those wings were. In 1997 I found my brothers unit from Vietnam and met many of the men he flew with those nine

months he was there. Later that year I attended the annual Veteran‟s Day ceremony in Washington, DC

with my mother, sister Redina, her husband, Mike and their daughter, Lydia. We rode in to DC on the Metro from Maryland. Mother wore the wings and helicopter. She had a black ribbon on the back

signifying Mark was deceased. On the way home, again on the Metro, she took the wings and helicopter off and handed it to me

and said, “You wear these now. You will wear them more.” And I have. So in October, I will attend the CHPA meeting at Fort Rucker and will proudly wear those wings

presented to my mother over 40 years ago.

In memory of Mark D. Clotfelter, the wings will come full circle. Thank you for inviting me.

Susan Clotfelter Jimison Sister of Mark Clotfelter

KIA 6-16-69 Legacy Chair, CHPTF

Now is the time to get your nominations in for this prestigious award. We have

received two nominations to date. The

requirements for nomination can be found

on your website at www.chpa-us.org.

Announcement of the selection will be

made in the July issue of The Swash Plate.

Robert N. Tredway Award

Full Circle Susan Clotfelter Jimison

Volume 6, Issue 4 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

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Concluded on Page 14

The activation March 26th of US Army Special Operations Aviation Command (Provisional) will add a brigadier general and more than 100

positions at Fort Bragg.

The one-star command will oversee people, hardware and training

for Army Special Operations Aviation, whose helicopter pilots specialize in

high-risk, low-level, nighttime missions.

“We won’t have a war-fighting function,” said BG Kevin W.

Mangum, 51, the Commander. “Our mission will be to organize, train,

resource, man and equip.”

The command will provide oversight for the growing use of remotely piloted aircraft by Rangers

and Special Forces.

LTG John Mulholland, the Commander of US Army Special Operations Command, will preside

at the 1 p.m. ceremony at Meadows Field next to the headquarters building. The newly activated command has offices on the first floor of the headquarters.

The command The activation is part of Army special operations growth and not base realignment and closure. No

helicopters come to Fort Bragg with the organization, but the command will put Fort Bragg and North Carolina on the map of Army aviation decision-makers.

The command will provide special operations a “seat at the table” with the five other senior leaders of Army aviation on a weekly basis, Mangum said.

“We call ourselves the „six pack,‟ ” Mangum said. “Since I‟m the newest guy, I get to buy the

beer.” The command will have “provisional” or temporary status for a year before the people and money

start coming in, Mangum said. “What that does give us is the opportunity to get it right,” Mangum said. “What are the roles,

missions, functions and authorities?” Army Special Operations Aviation Command will have dual roles. One is to be in charge of

subordinate special operations aviation units. The other is serving on Mulholland‟s staff and handling

aviation issues.

Most of the command‟s resources will be at other places. At Fort Bragg, the headquarters will oversee the US Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment. Elements at Fort Campbell,

KY, include the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Systems Integration Management Office

and Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion. The regiment has battalions that work with special

operations forces at Hunter Army Airfield, GA, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.

The leaders Army aviation was the family business for Mangum, who has flown the special operations version

of the Black Hawk helicopter. His father was a Huey helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War and was

involved in the early stages of the Black Hawk‟s development. He graduated from West Point in 1982. The next year

as a lieutenant, he was brash enough to call up the 160th and

Bragg Gets a New Aviation Role Henry Cuningham The Fayetteville Observer Copyright 2011

BG Kevin W. Mangum

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make inquiries. The 160th had a reputation for seeking only the most seasoned aviators. The personnel

officer said he had never talked to a lieutenant before, but the Night Stalkers allowed him to come on board as a “test tube baby.”

Special operations aviation was in its own infancy, too, as far as hardware and training.

“We were really improvising in the good old days,” Mangum said. “It was taking the night-vision goggles, the old PVS-5 that weren‟t meant to fly with. We were flying with those. We were looking for

good ideas and strapping them on the aircraft.” Mangum went on to command the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell.

His most recent job was Deputy Commanding Ggeneral of 1st Armor Division and US Division-Center in

Iraq.

The Deputy Commanding Officer is COL Steven D. Mathias, who has been director of special

operations aviation at US Army Special Operations Command.

CW5 David Cooper is part of Mangum‟s command team. Cooper received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army‟s second-highest award for valor, for flying a single attack helicopter at low levels to draw enemy fire from special operations forces in Iraq in 2006.

The aircraft Special Operations Aviation aircraft include the twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter, the

MH-60 Black Hawk, and the MH-6 and AH-6 Little Bird.

The activation comes at a time when the US military is putting increasing emphasis on unmanned aircraft systems. Each Special Forces group and the Ranger regiment will use the systems.

“We‟ve got an unmanned aerial system section,” Mangum said. “We brought expertise from across the Army to be able to provide standardization and oversight for how the units are operating those systems.”

There are the model-airplane-size Ravens and the larger Shadows. Special operations forces are

fielding the Army‟s newest unmanned aerial system, the Gray Eagle, known as the MQ-1C, the largest of

the three. The Gray Eagle can fly for 22 hours.

Mangum said he believes the new command can oversee the growth and sustainment of Special

Operations Aviation and take those burdens off the people fighting the war.

“It‟s exciting because everything we do sets a precedent,” Mangum said. “We‟re trying to make

sure every precedent set is one we are proud of.”

Share the Swash!

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of “The Swash Plate” to your colleagues, potential members, and

other interested parties!

We sure appreciate those of you who continue to tell your friends about CHPA!

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Volume 6, Issue 4 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

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Continued on Page 16

When first assigned to the 40th ARRSq, Udorn Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, 1970-71, I noted that Jolly Green pilot

members had already assembled and tested party cannons. They were crude versions made of small fruit juice or beer cans

with the ends removed (one end was left intact as the ignition chamber) and taped together end to end. As long as three, perhaps four feet, one could pour lighter fluid down the barrel,

shake it a few times to form vapors, and by passing a lighted match by a small hole in the bottom can, could shoot bread

rolls, slaw, and other sundry items a fair distance. Accompanied by a loud bang, it was a popular party event and

especially effective on strangers. Indeed with a bit of alcohol intake, a JG cannoneer could make or break the party.

I am not sure when Jerry Thompson showed up (a former SAC B-58 pilot) but he was an innovative and artistic personality. For example, using a block of balsa wood, he would carve a perfect relief HH-53 hoisting a survivor out of the jungle. It was Jerry who thought up the idea of going to the

next level of JG cannon technology. About this time, Chuck, aka "Whoosh" Hagerhjelm returned from a successful rescue of a Ubon RTAB–based USAF F-4 crew shot down in Laos. His HH-53 was peppered

with small arms bullet holes one of which drove through the tail rotor driveshaft just aft of the main transmission. (Author's NOTE: No one could easily pronounce Chuck's last name so it evolved first into

"Hammerjet" and finally into "Whoosh"). Rather than discard the driveshaft, Whoosh asked for it as a souvenir. Cutting off the end with the bullet hole, he took it to downtown Udorn, and had it chromed.

Chuck was one of the JG beer can cannoneers and he thought the

remainder of the drive shaft might make a great cannon, but he left Udorn before any real progress could be made. Jerry took the idea more

seriously and invited me to enter into a secret partnership for program development. I readily agreed and after a short design phase, we began

an accelerated operational test program. Looking at the picture, the reader can see the triangular protrusion of the coupling, which had a flat surface and made solid to attach to a similar coupling that lengthened

the HH-53 tail rotor driveshaft. Called a Thomas Coupling, we drilled 3-4 tiny holes in it thinking it would make a perfect firing chamber.

Using the successful operational procedures for previous model cannons (re: fruit/beer cans), we started with a modest five squirts of

lighter fluid down the open tube and one into the firing chamber. Step two required the vigorous shaking of this much larger tube to produce the needed vapors for successful ignition. Disappointingly, our anticipation of success was a total bust. We tried all sorts of combinations

of fuel-to-ignition chamber ratios and even drilled a couple more holes in the coupling end (ignition chamber). In spite of our best efforts and zillions of secret test firings, not one was successful … our

brilliant idea of blasting huge numbers of dinner rolls, slaw, even women‟s underwear from the JG hut onto neighborhood fighter pilot hootches was a total failure. The tail rotor driveshaft with its Thomas

Coupling, along with the idea, was reluctantly placed aside. We retired the shaft to a dark corner of our hut and soon forgot

History of the Jolly Green Cannon By Jay M Strayer, Colonel, USAF (Ret) (In Collaboration w/Charles Hagerhjelm, Colonel, USAF (Ret)

Jerry Thompson and Jay Strayer, Circa 1971

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Concluded on Page 17

about the project.

Fast forward now to an event that occurred several weeks later. One of our sister fighter squadron‟s F-4 crews was shot down and soon rescued by one of our JG crews. Jerry and I were sitting on our ops building steps when the returning JG flew by firing its flares in celebration of their successful

rescue. Of course everyone was ecstatic and a huge celebration party followed. Jerry and I were enthusiastic bystanders to all the activity when one of us commented this would be the perfect opportunity

to use our cannon had the project been successful. About then our flight surgeon joined our discourse and we shared with him our disappointing

efforts to produce the improved version of a JG cannon. He had an inquiring mind and pressed us to show him the failed project and to discuss what we thought the problem was. Jerry and I had long thought it stemmed from our inability to transform the lighter fluid from its liquid state to one of gas or

vapor. Smart guy that he was, our flight surgeon inquired if we had tried using a vaporizer, i.e., a small hand-held bottle with a rubber squeeze ball and spray nozzle … like an old perfume applicator (Jerry is

holding one in the picture). He mentioned he had access to several from his hoard of hospital supplies and offered to bring us a couple … which he did right away.

By now we were well into the dark of night. Excitedly, we started with 25 vaporizer blasts into the main tube, added three to the ignition chamber and Voila … a blast of fire shot out of it about four feet

and the explosion nearly injured our ear drums! We worked our way up to 50 pumps into the cannon and five into the ignition chamber. While the rescue celebration continued into the night, we made some spectacular shots. The ultimate was the launch of a two-pound coffee can (empty of course) hung over the

muzzle, itself containing a squirt or two of lighter fluid. It was hurled over four hootches, blazing its way with a comet-like trail of fire. Our dreams of a super JG cannon were at long last realized.

For the next phase, Jerry used 2 X 6s to build a look-a-like century old carriage with wheels. Then he had his wife send him some fancy looking carpet tacks, which he substituted for brass design

enhancement. Between us we rigged a mechanical system with a crank that would allow us to elevate or depress the barrel; this significantly improved our ability to more accurately hit the target. Jerry also salvaged some packing material from the avionics folks, shaping it to the size of the cannon's bore and

attaching it onto a broomstick. This made a nice looking and functional ram that would purge the dirty air left after firing and ensure there was clean air with sufficient oxygen for the next shot.

Flushed with success, we assembled it, painted the carriage black, painted “Big Jolly” on the barrel, attached a tow line and fashioned a mount for the ram, all in my BOQ room (now air conditioned this late

in the war). Anxious to make a final test of the assembled cannon, we loaded it, rolled her out into the hallway and set her off. My, my; did the hallway reverberate with the explosion. We immediately rolled her back into the room, closed the door and with our ears hard pressed against it, listened for the expectant

panic of occupants scurrying to evacuate the building. Suddenly the door burst open and two guys stuck their heads in asking what was going on to which we asked, “How do you know it was us?” In reply, they

merely pointed to the tracks in and out of our room from the freshly painted wheels … our cover was blown.

For the final phase, we had to demonstrate our technological marvel in a manner that would reward Jerry and me for our hard work. We dubbed ourselves FUSILIERS after early century soldiers and determined our uniform would be the usual JG party suit with pith helmets for protection. Not from

the cannon but the inevitable items that would be thrown at us should we fail … or even if we did not fail. We chose a JG dinner get-together that coincided with our fighter pilot brethren who had a similar affair

scheduled in an adjacent room of the officers club. With due ceremony, our JG brothers marched in solemn formation into their room, followed by Jerry and me in our most serious and deliberate manner.

We had established a formal operating checklist to ensure nothing would be missed during our cannon‟s operational

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acceptance mission. We turned the cannon toward the assembled fighter pilots, cranked in the

appropriate elevation, pumped in our 50 spray iterations along with 5 into the firing chamber whereupon Jerry made a big show of igniting “Big Jolly.” Holding our breath, we expected thunder and lightning but instead got what can only be described as a “phtttt,” no louder than a 2-week old baby passing gas. There

was hushed silence. Faced with certain embarrassment, we jumped to using the ram to clear the barrel, refueled and tried again. This time the explosion was deafening with flame out of the barrel an

astonishing 6 feet! Gratefully we noted there were no embarrassing injuries to America‟s finest. Happily, Jerry and I were exonerated and no longer feared we might be court martialed, or worse, demoted from

our self-appointed Fusilier responsibilities. After that, the cannon was used in all the JG parties, fired as part of the final flight of end-of-tour

crewmembers and other events as we saw fit. After Jerry and I were reassigned, I understand a sister

squadron swiped the cannon and later a non-rescue outfit appropriated it. Disappointingly, no one knows the whereabouts of our cannon. Surely, it has earned the right to be returned to JG hands but to date that

has not happened. I have to think it again resides in some dark corner of the world, perhaps waiting to be rescued and revived to its former mission. In the meantime, Big Jolly is sorely missed.

Finally, I have lost track of Jerry Thompson, famous in the JG world for his fine contribution to the Jolly Green mission and its aura of camaraderie. Jerry, I trust you are still your artistic and innovative

self. Thanks from all us Jolly Greens. A hearty “Him” for Jerry. Footnote from Whoosh:

Jay: The last time I saw the cannon was at NKP in April – June of 1972 after the 40th moved from Udorn. Several of us from other squadrons came back to SEA due to crew losses earlier in the year. The JG cannon crew had further refined your illustrious efforts and could shoot a softball for several blocks. They had developed a particularly spectacular action known as “Naping” someone’s shorts -- particularly new guys and visiting senior officers. The

person’s shorts were removed from the person’s body and soaked in lighter fluid and then shot from the cannon in a blaze of glory. You can get more info on this from some of the guys who moved to NKP (Dale Stovall among others). I think the cannon disappeared about the time of the move from NKP to Korat. I have tried several times to find anyone who knows what happened to it.

I have used my piece of the driveshaft many times as an illustration of how God was with us on that day. An

interesting sidelight to the SAR mission is that my copilot – George MacDonald – had flown with the F-4 back seater when they were in SAC.

The Combat Helicopter Pilots Trust Foundation

The Trust Foundation is up and running and in need of a Crewmember Director for the

CHPTF Board of Directors. The only requirements are that you are a Crew Member of CHPA in good standing and have a desire to see CHPA and the Trust Foundation

succeed. If you meet these requirements, we have an opportunity for you. If you have

any questions give our HQ a call at 800•832•5144 or drop them an email at hq@chpa-

us.org. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Volume 6, Issue 4 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

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Call on Us!

Contact Quick Reference Chairman of the Board Buzz Covington JBrown@chpa-us.org bcovington@chpa-us.org President Chris Fecher Call us! president@chpa-us.org cfecher@chpa-us.org 800•832•5144 VP Administration – Vacant Al Major Fax us! admin@chpa-us.org amajor@chpa-us.org 719•687•4167 VP Membership – Rusty Bourgoyne Rick Miller Write us! membership@chpa-us.org rmiller@chpa-us.org CHPA PO Box 15852 Secretary – Robert Frost Rick Roll Washington, DC 20003 secretary@chpa-us.org rroll@chpa-us.org Remember! Treasurer – Loren McAnally Bill Wallace Feel free to contact us any treasurer@chpa-us.org wwallace@chpa-us.org time. HQ – Jay Brown Randy Zahn HQ@chpa-us.org rzahn@chpa-us.org

HQ@chpa-us.org rzahn@chpa-us.org