august 11 swash plate

President’s Message Rhea Rippey

We are approximately two months away

from our 2011 Annual Reunion at Ft. Rucker,

scheduled for 20 − 23 October. This gathering is

shaping up to be our largest ever. A short time

ago, we learned that a distinguished CHPA Life

Member planned be in attendance. We’ve since

learned that he will be unable to attend due to

health reasons. However, because of his unusual

service record, I want to share a bit about him

with you now.

He flew his first combat helicopter mission in Chinooks with the

228th Aviation BN in Vietnam, but his complete list of military aircraft

flown reads like a catalog of historic US war birds. Since 1942 he has

served our country under arms in WW II, Korea, and Vietnam, flying a wide range of fixed and rotary

wing aircraft in combat including WW II fighters such as the P-51 Mustang and P-61 Black Widow, the B-

24 Liberator, the Mitchell B-25, the Boeing B-29, the F-80 Starfighter, and a string of helicopters starting

with the CH-34 Choctaw right on through the OH-13, OH-23, Huey models from A to H, OH-6A, OH-

58, and the Fat Lady. In the interest of space, I've left out a few including gliders, flying boats, and the F-

82 Twin Mustang.

Dr. Ben Games is the very embodiment of why CHPA exists and what our mission entails. His

military service encompasses cross-branch assignments to the Army Air Corps, Air Force, and Army.

Quite a record! I'm certain that even though he will be absent his rich, inspirational record of service will

spawn many conversations at the Reunion. I look forward to meeting this member and his wife of 62

years, Helen, at some point in the near future.

As I write this message, dust still obscures the details shrouding the Chinook shoot down on

Friday, August 5th, in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The aircraft was reportedly brought down by an

RPG fired by Taliban forces during a rescue operation being performed by SEALs to relieve a Ranger unit

under heavy fire with WIAs. The final facts have not yet been determined. Family notification is still

underway, and a post-crash inspection remains incomplete. Conflicting reports variously ID the Chinook

as a 160th SOAR aircraft, while others indicate it may have been a 158th aircraft flying out of FOB Shank.

Regardless of these final details that will enumerate the mission, unit, passengers, and air crew

members, this shoot down remains the most deadly single loss of life for US troops since our Afghanistan

involvement began; over 20 SEALS, several Rangers, and the Chinook flight crew all KIA, along with a

reported 7 Afghan troops.

• “Annual Meeting Update” by Rick Roll • “Annual Meeting Info” by Jay Brown • “NATO Airstrikes Insurgents”

by Cheryl Pellerin • “Mission ‘Bay Run’” by Jimmie Ferguson • “Wiregrass Homecoming” by Christy Elmore and much, much more!

Presenting! August 2011

Volume 7, Issue 8 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

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Name, rank, unit, aircraft type ... these details help us wrap our brains around and deal with the

inevitable fact of combat losses we all know will occur. However, an event of this magnitude impacts our

aviation community with a blunt force that almost takes the breath out of our collective lungs, wherever

we happen to be and whatever our current status. Our aviation MOS trains us for and leads us to expect

degrees of shared danger and of losses, while the experience of combat holds us together with a special

bond unlike any other on earth.

We hurt for our lost aircrews. We also hurt for the lost ground troops whose welfare routinely rests

in our hands. We exist for their welfare. We earn their trust by our deeds, and while the random RPG or

.50 caliber round or small arms round inevitably will find its way into a hydraulics line or fuel cell, an

electrical circuit or avionics cluster, still we mourn when, despite our best efforts, we fail to deliver them

through the storm of combat safely back to base. Our best training, plans, rehearsals, and decisions cannot

deflect the randomness of a lucky shot. After all, our adversaries also operate under the Law of Averages.

Since last weekend when the US military helicopter community worldwide was bruised by the

impact of that horrendous loss of life, I have thought repeatedly of that magnificent descriptive phrase

from George Lucas' Star Wars, a metaphor that defines the emotional impact of such events upon our

extended warrior community; there is a disturbance in the Force.

We celebrate the professionalism of those lost volunteers. We salute their bravery. We pray for

their families. It will always be so.

Never, Ever Forget

80814-0042

CHPA is building quite a collection of patches

from our members. These patches are

displayed at our booth at HAI, Quad A, and VHPA. Several of you have donated patches,

like the one shown here, but we’re always

looking for more. They are very eye catching and help us garner attention. So please dig

through your old patches and if you have some

you’d like to share, send them to us at:

CHPA • PO Box 42 • Divide, CO 80814-0042

GOT PATCHES?


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Greetings from hot and humid Delaware. I hope all goes well with you

and yours! Registrations for our reunion are climbing at a fast rate and it looks like

our reunion at Mother Rucker will have the largest attendance of any CHPA

reunion in or association’s history. We still have plenty of slots for the training venue tours at Rucker available so I encourage those of you who have

procrastinated to sign up now so you won’t miss any of the informative

presentations we have lined-up for you. The reunion schedule and registration

form are a few clicks away at www.chpa-us.org.

Also, please note that your registration fee covers three reunion meals; light supper on October

20th, lunch on October 22nd, and the banquet on October 22nd. The folks at the historic Rawls Hotel in downtown Enterprise, have invited us to have drinks and

dinner on the 21st at their historic facility; www.rawlsbandb.com. We will be on our own for transportation to and from The Rawls and drinks dinner will be a la carte/on our own. We’ll meet there starting at 1800 hours on the 21st and directions can be found on their website. They are going to set-up a

room just for our group so it should be a lot of fun!! Also, you will note on the registration form that we have commissioned some very special shirts to

commemorate this big event. These black shirts have our traditional Joe Galloway quote, “God’s Own

Lunatics,” and a small CHPA logo on the front and the back sports a huge CHPA logo along with 2011

Reunion across the top and Mother Rucker across the bottom. It will be great if all of us will wear these

shirts at the reunion so please note the special ordering deadline on the registration form.

We look forward to hearing from you and for those who are learning about the reunion for the

first time, I have included the highlights below. We will be holding our reunion at Fort Rucker, AL this year; the dates are October 20th – 23rd.

The fort is going to roll out the red carpet for us and we will be enjoying tours of many of Rucker’s helo training venues. We will open the festivities Thursday evening the 20th at 1700 hours in our hospitality

room and at 1800 hours, Rhea Rippey will host his President’s reception in the hospitality room as well. His reception will also include a light dinner for us weary travelers.

The tours, including a hands-on exploration of the Army’s Blackhawk helo, will take place on Friday the 21st followed by a group dinner at the Rawls Hotel. On Saturday the 22nd, after our

membership/business meeting, we will enjoy a catered lunch inside the Army Aviation Museum on base.

After the lunch we will be given guided tours of the facility to be followed by our evening banquet at the “Landings”, Fort Rucker’s club.

Our reunion hotel is the Enterprise Hampton Inn and we will be running a well-stocked, BYOB, hospitality room in the Hampton; providing light snacks, mixers, and ice every evening.

If you have questions/comments of any kind concerning the reunion please feel free to e-mail Rick Roll, reunion chair, at ANY time!!

Rick Roll Reunion Chairman

[email protected]

Annual Meeting Update Rick Roll

http://www.chpa-us.org/

http://www.rawlsbandb.com/


4

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The Swash! We all 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. If you have an idea for an article, or if you have an article you’d like to submit it’s as easy as

submitting it to the guy who puts the newsletter together. 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.

Take a moment to lay fingers on keyboard or just put pen to paper and send in those stories.

You can email them to [email protected] or through the US Post Office to:

CHPA • PO Box 42 • Divide, CO 80814-0042

[Call For Articles]

Please feel free to forward

this issue of “The Swash Plate”

to your colleagues, potential

members and other interested

parties!

Share the “Swash” Please consider sponsoring CHPA’s

programs. You may make tax deductible

donations to support the Goldie Fund, CHPA’s

Scholarship program, the Holiday Boxes for the

Troops or the Association. For further

information please look at Sponsorship at the

website, www.chpa-us.org.

Sponsorship

mailto:[email protected]


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Do you have an upcoming reunion or get-together? This is the spot where we help you get the word out to interested parties and make your gathering a huge success. The process is simple and easy. Just send your reunion information to us at [email protected] or by mail to CHPA, PO Box 42, Divide,

CO 80814-0042 and we’ll handle the rest. Be sure to include the contact information for your point of contact so others can get in touch with you.

Reunions and Gatherings

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 upload your photos by following the links on the CHPA website or

click here!

http://chpa-us.phanfare.com/


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General Information for the 2011 CHPA Annual Meeting This year our host hotel is the Hampton Inn at 8 West Pointe Court, Enterprise, AL

36330. Their telephone number is 334•347•5763. Remember, your hotel

reservation is separate from your Annual Meeting registration. The special rate for

CHPA is $79/night for a double or

$89/night for a king. When you make your reservation remember to tell them you’ll be

attending the CHPA Annual Meeting.

Schedule of Events Day 1 (Thursday, Oct 20th)

All Day Check In at Enterprise Hampton Inn 1700 – 2100 Annual Meeting Registration – Hospitality Room

1800 – Late President’s Informal Reception – Hospitality Room Includes sandwiches, chips, etc

Evening Activity: Individual Choice; Dinner for those interested; BYOB Hospitality Suite open

Day 2 (Friday, Oct 21st)

0800 – 1130 Morning Training Venues Tour – Transportation provided Lunch on your own

0900 – 1130 Late Annual Meeting Registration – Hospitality Room 1300 – 1630 Afternoon Training Venues Tour – Transportation provided

Dinner on your own 1700 – Late Individual Choice; BYOB Hospitality Suite open 1800 – Dinner/Drinks at the Rawls Hotel

Day 3 (Saturday, Oct 22nd) 0800 – 1100 Business Meeting – Hospitality Room

1200 – 1330 Luncheon – Army Aviation Museum – Trans by POV 1330 – 1700 Army Aviation Museum Tour – Trans by POV

1500 – 1600 Board of Directors Meeting 1730 – 2030 Dinner and Awards Presentation – The Landings – Trans by

POV

Evening Activity: Individual Choice; BYOB Hospitality Suite open


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Annual Meeting Registration

Registration for the 2011 Annual Meeting is $125.00 per person. This price includes the costs associated with name tags and snacks and ice in the BYOB Hospitality Suite. It also includes

transportation to the training venues tours on October 21st, and luncheon at the Army Aviation Museum and dinner at the Landings on October 22nd. You can register online by clicking the link on the Welcome

to CHPA page, or you can print and fax or mail a registration by clicking here.

Reunion T Shirts

This year we’re offering T-shirts made specifically for the 2011 Annual Meeting. The shirts are black with the CHPA logo on the back and our motto, “God’s Own Lunatics” on the front. The Annual Meeting T-shirts include a smaller CHPA logo on the front and the words, “Mother Rucker” and “2011

Reunion” around the logo on the back. The T-shirts are $35.00 each and can be ordered on the registration form. The shirts are available in short or long sleeve and small to XXXL sized.

Election Year for CHPA

This is an election year for CHPA. The Chairman of the Board, who also serves as the Election

Committee chairman, has been hard at work setting the slate of officers to be voted on at Fort Rucker. Most current members of the Board of Directors are eligible to serve another term and have expressed a

desire to continue. That said, there are two empty Directors seats that need to be filled. The duties of CHPA Director are not arduous and take approximately 1 to 1.5 hours each month for the teleconference. Expenses of the teleconference are paid by the organization so there is no cost to the member.

Currently the By Laws state that to be eligible for service on the board of Directors candidates must be pilot members in good standing with three years of active membership, though not necessarily

consecutive. For any organization to thrive and grow, it needs the guidance of members who share the vision of

the organization. I’ve no doubt you’re all very supportive of our programs and of CHPA’s objectives stated in our By Laws. Now is the time to step forward and lend a hand in guiding CHPA into the future. Give us a call at 800•832•5144 or drop us an email at [email protected] to let us know of your interest in

serving. The effort is minimal and the rewards are great. We hope to hear from you very soon.

CHPA is looking for a few good men and women who

want to serve on the Board of Directors. If you’re a

pilot member with three years of membership, and you

want to see CHPA continue to grow and succeed get in

touch with HQ at 800•832•5144 or by email at

[email protected].

http://data.memberclicks.com/site/chpa/11_Annual_Meeting_manual_Registration.pdf



9

Concluded on page 10

Coalition forces used a precision airstrike to kill Taliban insurgents involved in the August 6th downing

of the helicopter carrying 30 US service members and eight Afghans, the commander of US and coalition forces

in Afghanistan said today.

In a briefing from his headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Marine Corps GEN John R. Allen

told Pentagon reporters the action was a continuation of the original mission to dismantle the leadership of an

enemy network in Wardak province’s Tangi Valley.

“This does not ease our loss,” Allen said. “But we must and we will continue to relentlessly pursue the

enemy.”

Near midnight on August 8th, the general said, coalition forces called in a precision airstrike with F-16s

over the Chak district of Wardak province. According to details International Security Assistance Force

officials released today, the strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who fired the shot

− which ISAF assessed to be a rocket-propelled grenade, Allen said − associated with the August 6th helicopter

crash.

Mohibullah was a key facilitator in an insurgent attack cell led by Din Mohammad, a Taliban leader

killed in a previous special operations mission, ISAF officials said. As a leader in Mohammad’s network in the

Tangi Valley, Mohibullah had as many as 12 Taliban fighters under his command, including potential suicide

bombers.

Special Operations forces received several intelligence leads and tips from local civilians and after an

exhaustive manhunt, ISAF officials said, they located Mohibullah and the shooter as they were trying to flee the

country.

The security force located and followed the insurgents to a wooded area in the Chak district. After

making sure no civilians were in the area, the force called for the airstrike that killed Mohibullah, the shooter

and several Taliban associates.

On the night of the deadly helicopter crash, the inbound CH-47 carried Special Operations forces in

pursuit of insurgents from Mohammad’s network who were fleeing from an engagement in which six militants

already had been killed, ISAF officials said.

Allen said ISAF does not yet know if enemy fire was the sole reason for the helicopter crash, but on its

approach, the aircraft encountered small-arms fire from several insurgent locations. An investigation into the

crash and its causes began yesterday when Marine Corps GEN James N. Mattis, commander of US Central

Command, appointed Army BG Jeffrey Colt as lead investigator.

Questions to be asked, Allen said, will include “What was the cause of the crash?” and “What lessons

can be learned as a result of that cause?”

The answers, he said, ultimately will feed back into the mission evaluation process to improve future

missions.

The crash was a tragic incident in a very difficult military campaign, Allen said. “However,” he added,

“it was a singular incident in a broader conflict in which we are making important strides and considerable

progress.”

Coalition forces face challenges ahead and tough fights in the days to come, the general said, but all

across Afghanistan the insurgents are losing.

“They're losing territory. They're losing leadership.

They're losing weapons and supplies. They're losing public

support,” Allen said.

NATO Airstrike Takes Out Insurgents Cheryl Pellerin


10

Villages that seek to embrace Afghan local police in the Village Stability Operations program are

mobilizing their communities for their own security, he added.

“That's not widely understood [or] … widely covered,” Allen said. “But that's a great example of where

the Taliban are losing ground and influence because they can no longer get inside the population of these

areas.” Across Afghanistan, he added, the insurgents are losing resolve and the will to fight.

“They face relentless pressure from coalition and, increasingly, Afghan forces,” he said.

Reintegration of former insurgents into Afghan society also is succeeding, Allen said. The effort is an

Afghan program supported by coalition forces that across Afghanistan is beginning to see Taliban foot soldiers

ultimately come forward and seek to rejoin society, becoming members of their villages, he said.

Allen said more than 2,300 people have reintegrated so far.

Success, the general said, “is a function of security operations. It's a function of the establishment of

Afghan local police. It's a function of the establishment of credible governance [and] economic opportunity.”

The numbers of former Taliban fighters rejoining society is an indication that the insurgents are losing,

Allen added. “We're not declaring victory, certainly,” the general said. “We recognize that there are going to

be long days ahead and some pretty heavy lifts.”

But progress also is visible in other areas, Allen said. In July, he noted, the transition of security

responsibility began to the Afghan government and Afghan forces.

“Our military is working hand in hand with our civilian partners to secure the gains we have made by

strengthening the Afghan government and by advancing economic opportunity,” Allen added.

Afghan forces have made immense strides in increasing their professionalism and effectiveness, he said.

“By the time our additional 23,000 troops come out [of Afghanistan] by the end of September of next

year, we'll have seen on the order of 70,000 Afghan national security forces come onto the field,” Allen said.

“So it's a trade-off in terms of the Afghans who are joining us in the battle space with the forces that will be

coming down.”

Allen said the Afghan forces are increasingly out in front, securing territory, safeguarding populations

and, when necessary, fighting and dying for their country and their countrymen.

“We lost eight Afghans in this crash − brave Afghans − and we pay tribute as well to their service and to

their sacrifice,” the general said.

Allen said he’s spoken with coalition and US troops in the four corners of Afghanistan and found them

to be steadfast in their commitment to the mission.

“We remember why we're here in the first place,” he said, “and we know what is at stake.”

Allen said coalition forces intend to continue to work very hard in the south throughout the current

fighting season and well into the fall and beyond.

“We're going to fight all winter,” the general said. “We're going to attempt to disrupt the enemy safe

havens throughout the winter − the opportunity for him to rest and refit.”

In spring and summer 2012, he said, “we will continue to disrupt the enemy and then spend a particular

amount of attention in the east.”

As the counterinsurgency campaign continues in Afghanistan, Allen said, so will counterterrorism

operations such as the one that ended with the CH-47 crash.

“As our surface area decreases in Afghanistan, the role of counterterrorism operations − and in particular

these kinds of special missions − will become prominent,” he said. “With that as an anticipated outcome, we

will pursue special operations on a regular basis, both now and for the foreseeable future. And it will be an

adjunct and a component of the larger counterinsurgency campaign.”

Whether they’re fighting in counterinsurgency or counterterrorism operations, troops on the battlefield

in Afghanistan are committed to succeed, Allen said.

“They have my full and complete support, and they know that they have the support of a grateful nation

that stands squarely behind them,” the general added.


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Combat Helicopter Pilots Association 2011 Annual Meeting Registration

Member Number

Name

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City State

Zip

Home Phone

E-Mail

Name of Guest(s)

Member name preferred on badge

Guest name preferred on badge

Mark the number of registrants in the boxes provided below. For instance if a member is bringing two guests, enter 1 in the member box and 2 in the guest box. Remember to enter all guest’s names and T- shirt selections.

Member Registration - $125.00

Subtotal

Guest Registration - $125.00

Subtotal

Reunion T Shirt ($35.00 ea):

Long Sleeve (Number)

Size Subtotal

Short Sleeve (Number)

Size Subtotal

TOTAL

Deadline for ordering T shirts is September 15th

Payment

If you are paying by check, please make payable to CHPA and return your application and payment to: CHPA, P.O. Box 42, Divide, CO 80814-0042. If you would like to pay by credit card, please complete the information below and mail this application, or fax it to 719-687-4167.

Credit Card VISA MC

AMEX

Card Number

Expiration Date Security Code

Signature

Please call 800-832-5144 or E-Mail [email protected] if you have any questions. Thank you.


12

CPT Whitehead with aircraft 243

Concluded on page 13

Mission “Bay Run” and Cat Lo Bridge came flooding back from long-ago memories with a message received on August 14th, 2011. The man I remembered as D Troop, 229th, 3rd Brigade, 1st

Cavalry Division, Scout Platoon leader, LTC (Ret) John Berrien Whitehead, III died at the age of 69. His life spanned April 28th, 1942

to August 10th, 2011. John graduated with flight class 67–22 and served two tours in Vietnam; 1968 - 69 with the OH-6A NETT Team

and 1971 - 72 with A Troop, 7/1st Cavalry, D Troop, 229th Avn Bn and F Troop, 9th Cavalry. His awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star,

Presidential Unit Citation, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal and numerous Air Medals.

In early April of 1972 the NVA started what is now known as the “Easter offensive of 1972.” Early reports had indicated groups

with as many as 150 Russian made tanks had moved south out of Cambodia into Vietnam. Loc Ninh had come under attack by armor on April 5th, 1972. The true number of NVA casualties will probably

never be known, but between 7,000 and 12,000 communist soldiers were killed in a savage three-day battle. To the men observing and helping create that carnage it seemed certain that the NVA forces

would surely fold from the losses but on they came, to lay siege to the beautiful, quiet little Provincial Capital of An Loc.

In front of the main force of NVA in their drive toward An Loc were hundreds of survivors from Loc Ninh, trying to evade or fight their way to An Loc. On a few small hills by Highway 13, about midway between Loc Ninh and An Loc, were two ARVN Fire Support Bases. Our mission was to extract

three US advisers from southwest of the Cat Lo Bridge area. These advisers were attached to units that had evacuated one of those fire support bases. To make matters worse, there were so many friendly forces

that had been overrun and were probably evading in the area that the possibility of friendly fire was high. On April 8th, 1972, I was flying wingman in a cobra gunship from D Troop, 229th, 3rd Brigade,

1st Cavalry Division. Throughout the whole mission I had a ringside seat to watch everything unfold. What has not been mentioned in many accounts of this mission is the use of a gas to prep the extraction. The gas dropped was an experimental incapacitating chemical Agent. We were told one whiff of the gas

would knock a person out. They could only find gas masks for the three crewmen who would be flying low to pick up the US advisers. I believe one of the write ups in the after action report was that the crews

that were given the masks could not get a good fit with the masks. The four crewmen who flew the two AH-1G Cobras were not issued gas masks because no other masks were available. It was intended that

the mission would take place just after dawn. The wind was forecast to be light, with some light fog. An inversion layer was expected to keep the gas low to the terrain surface until 1000 or 1100 hours. The incapacitating gas was expected to knock out everyone within three miles of the extraction point,

including the ARVN and US advisers. Ray Waite was expected to get out and carry all the US advisers to the aircraft and then we would fly out without any ground fire or anti-aircraft fire around the extraction

point. Well you know what they say about planning. The kick-off time kept getting pushed back, until 0700 hours turned to 1045 hours. When we

overflew An Loc I knew we were up the proverbial creek without the Evinrude.

Mission “Bay Run” Jimmie Ferguson


13

1. It was getting warm. 2. All the fog had burned off and fair weather cumulus clouds were forming.

3. And this was the big clincher; we were hearing the expected incapacitated US advisers talking on the radio.

In the conversations from the C and C bird to the advisers on the ground it was obvious that the

advisers did not know what was about to take place. I believe the wording was, “We have a surprise for

you, it’s five minutes out. As we got near the extraction point I could see the white smoke or gas developing vertically instead of spreading out like low laying fog as was planned. The two OH-6s, with

aircrews wearing gas masks, dropped down to nap of the earth while the two AH-1G cobras covering them were dodging vertical columns of incapacitating chemical clouds that would put us to sleep if we

flew through them. Then of course we had to deal with small arms and anti-aircraft fire, which I would have to describe as heavy to intense. As the two OH-6s arrived at the extraction point and went to a hover they were engulfed in a cloud of red dust. I lost sight of the flight and couldn’t tell how the mission was

going, other than what was said on the radio. It seemed to take the advisers forever to get on the

aircraft. As things unfolded on the radio it became clear that the advisers had not been briefed on the

extraction mission at all. They were not willing to leave the ARVNs behind and a long discussion ensued leaving the OH-6s taking small arms fire from close in

and the AH-1Gs taking anti-aircraft fire. The fire was getting more and more intense as time dragged on,

and the guns couldn’t shoot because friendly troop positions could not be marked. The cobras were

trying to stay in an orbit around the little birds but we were also avoiding the drifting columns of clouds or gas. I really can’t say what I was more concerned

about, the anti-aircraft fire or the GAS! Finally, as I remember, a direct order was relayed through CPT

John Whitehead, Smiling Tiger 16, to the adviser commander to get all US advisers on the aircraft. From that point on any thought of radio discipline went out the window. Once the advisers started to get on the

aircraft the ARVNs swarmed both OH-6 aircraft. I would guess that at one time CPT Whitehead’s and LT Ripley’s aircraft both had 12 to 14 people on them as they started to depart. I saw at least three or four people fall from one of the OH-6s as they tried to climb to altitude southwest bound toward An Loc. They

were either shot or could no longer hold on to the aircraft and simply fell to the ground. The plan was to get to the nearest location where a UH-1 Huey could land and pick up the troops. We overflew An

Loc and flew south down Highway 13 to Chon Tanh where they landed. When LT Ripley closed the throttle on his OH-6A the transmission froze up from lack of oil. The aircraft spun around on the pad.

John Whitehead was nominated for the Medal of Honor but received the Distinguished Service Cross. I had read on at least two occasions there was a push to have the DSC upgraded to the CMH, but it was never approved. He retired as a LTC. Dave Ripley was awarded the Silver Star and lives and

works in Oklahoma. Ray Waite was awarded the DSC, left the army, graduated from college, and is an independent lobster fisherman in Maine.


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Press Release. For Immediate Release

The Combat Helicopter Pilots Association (CHPA) recently announced its choice of the Fort

Rucker area as its 7th Annual Reunion & Business Meeting location. A wide range of activities, many

scheduled on the Fort Rucker installation itself, will be based out of the Hampton Inn-Enterprise HQ hotel over the period of 20 to 23 October, 2011.

"CHPA is a non-profit veterans organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the combat helicopter pilot and crew member," commented Rhea Rippey, current CHPA president. "We are an

unusual organization in that our membership is open exclusively to combat helicopter warriors who have served in any US service branch in any war. Normally, such military organizations focus on a single military unit, service branch, or a specific war."

CHPA is receiving special support from Fort Rucker for its Reunion activities. The post is providing speakers, static aircraft displays, tours of some of its training venues (the NVG Lab, the

emergency ditching procedure training facility, the excellent Army Aviation Museum); and so forth. "We are truly grateful to Fort Rucker for its excellent support for our Reunion," observed Rick Roll, CHPA

Reunion Chair and former instructor pilot at Fort Rucker. "They have provided us with outstanding hospitality over a range of activities. The vast majority of US military helicopter pilots and crew members received their training at Fort Rucker, so it is appropriate that we gather here to celebrate our

commonality." "Rick has done a bang-up job of organizing this Reunion," said Rippey. "His hard work has

generated more early registrants than any other in our history. We expect this year to be our largest turnout ever."

Rick added, "Since there are so many current and retired combat helicopter pilots who live in the vicinity of Fort Rucker, we invite them to join our association and participate in our Reunion."

Details of all Reunion activities can be found on the CHPA web site: CHPA-US.org. For

additional information, Rick Roll can be reached at [email protected].

Reminder! CHPA’s Web Site offers many features that can

only be viewed by members once they have

logged into the system. Please remember to

log in, and to review and update your online

profile from time to time! If you forget your

username or password, you can request it by

contacting us at 800•832•5144

CHPA News! Are you looking for current news related to

the military and helicopters, as well as

breaking news from CHPA? Weekly, we

update the News under the About Us tab at

www.chpa-us.org.

CHPA’s Wiregrass Homecoming Christy Elmore

http://www.chpa-us.org/



15

Call on Us! Contact Quick Reference Chairman of the Board Buzz Covington [email protected] [email protected] President – Rhea Rippey Chris Fecher Call us! [email protected] [email protected] 800•832•5144 VP Administration – Vacant Al Major Fax us! [email protected] [email protected] 719•687•4167 VP Membership – Rusty Bourgoyne Rich Miller Write us! [email protected] [email protected] CHPA

PO Box 42 Secretary – Robert Frost Randy Zahn Divide, CO 80814-0042 [email protected] [email protected] Remember! Treasurer – Loren McAnally Feel free to contact us [email protected] us any time. HQ – Jay Brown [email protected]

Two proposals have been presented to the Board that will require amending the By Laws in order

to make important systemic changes to the manner in which CHPA functions. It is imperative that the

membership fully understand and seriously consider these changes prior to voting on each of them.

The first proposal involves instituting a procedure to allow membership-wide voting instead of

voting in person at the Annual Business Meeting. The board believes that this change will be more

inclusive and more universally reflect the opinions of CHPA members.

The second issue concerns Crewmember status. Presently, Crewmembers pay reduced annual dues

and cannot vote or serve on the Board of Directors. The proposal is to remove the current barrier to

voting and board service, and increase the annual Crewmember dues to parity with the Pilot dues.

Given that much detailed research and work remains to be done on both topics, neither will be on

the 2011 Business Meeting agenda at Fort Rucker. The Board intends to place these motions before the

membership sequentially, starting with the Voting Proposal then followed by the Crew Member Initiative.

Prior to bringing these issues before the membership it is imperative that we gather input and

opinions from our members. Please consider these proposals carefully then share your opinions with your

Board of Directors. We have established a venue on the Bulletin Board where questions, commentary,

and discussions may be posted on these topics. I invite you to visit the Bulletin Board and provide your

input on these very important proposed changes to our Bylaws.

CHPA Board Considers Voting and Crew Member Initiatives Rhea Rippey










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