swash plate december 2011

President’sMessageRobertFrost

December2011

•“TShirtsforHeroesProgram”•“BookReview”byJohnPenny•“LifeMemberships”•“ImportantProposals”•“USTroopsLeaveIraq”TehranTimesandmuch,muchmore!

Presenting!

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Iampleasedtoreportthatafteralaterthan expected start to our Christmas Boxprogram for deployed helicopter aviationunits,wehavehadourmostsuccessfulyearintermsof thenumberofboxessent. The finalcountwas178,andthisyear,asinyearspast,we owe a debt of gratitude to all ourbenefactors. Specifically, I want to publiclythankPatrickGlass,aCHPAmemberwhohasspearheaded the assembly, packing, anddistribution forseveralyears. Pathashad the

supportofLTCPaulJackson,ProfessorofMilitaryScienceatMcDanielCollegeandagroupofhiscadetswhovolunteeredtheirtimetomakethispossible.CHPAthanksyouforyoursupportofthisprogram.

ItisworthnotingthatthisyearwillmarkthefirsttimewehavenotsentboxestoIraq.Withthewithdrawalpresentlyunderway,wechosetosendalltheboxestoAfghanistan.TothoseunitsreturningfromIraq,wesay“Welcomehome!”

As our families across this Nation gather in fellowship to celebrate Christmas and the holidayseason,weareremindedofourblessingsduringthisspecialtimeoftheyear. Italsoremindsusofourdutytoothers.OurmenandwomenwhowearthisNation’suniformfulfillthatdutyeveryday–hereathome,ontheseasandindistantlands.Wewhohaveservedandbeendeployedatthistimeoftheyearknowithasalwaysbeenadifficulttimetobeawayfromfamilyandfriends.Ourmilitaryisthebestintheworld because it has always been able to adapt, improvise, and overcome. Those tens of thousandsprotectingusmaintainlonelyandharshvigils.IthasalwaysbeenthatwayinourNation’shistory–fromthebrutalwinteratValleyForgefortheContinentalArmy,theindescribablefreezingcoldoftheBattleoftheBulgeandBastogneduringWWII,thecoldwinterbattleofChosinReservoirinKorea,thesteamyhotjunglesofVietnam,andthedesertheatandcoldofIraqandAfghanistan.

DuringthisseasonwealsorecognizethesacrificeofourNation’smilitaryfamilies. Theycarryaheavyburdenwhiletheirlovedonesareservinginharm’sway.ThisNationisblessedtohavesomanywhoarewilling toprotectournationatgreatpersonal sacrifice, including their families. WeatCHPAunderstandthisaswellasanyone.Ourwarriorshaveliveditandinsomecasesarestilllivingit.IwouldurgeallofyouwhoreceivethisnewslettertofindsomewaytothankourmilitarythisChristmasseason.Ifyouseeuniformedservicemembers,takeaminuteandthankthemfortheirservice.Ifyouwanttodomore then check out the website: Americasupportsyou.mil.Therearemorethan150organizationsthatcanuseyourhelp.

MERRYCHRISTMASANDHAPPYNEWYEAR

Volume 7, Issue 12 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org

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TheSwash!Now, I know there are stories out there yet to be told in this forum. Helicopter

crewmembers lead a most interesting life and stories abound from qualification courses, non-flying assignments, combat missions or just goofing off. Our most entertaining and informative stories come from you, our membership.

So, 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

[CallForArticles]

OnefinalthoughtIwouldliketoleavewithyouisthepassingofsomanyofourWWIIveterans.Thisyearmarkedthe70thanniversaryoftheattackonPearlHarbor. ItwastobethelastofthePearlHarborSurvivorsAssociationgatheringsattheArizonaMemorial.Theassociationwasfoundedin1958withover28,000members.Nowlessthantenpercentsurviveandmostofthemaresoadvancedinagetheyareunabletosustaintheorganization.ItismyhopewewillalwayskeepDecember7thasanationaldayofremembrance.ThoseofuswhoservedinKoreaand/orVietnamrecognizeoureventualpassingaspartofthenaturalprocessoflife.Asournumberscontinuetodeclinewewillsomedayberelegatedtoachapterinahistorybook.TherewillbenoonetotalktoschoolchildrenaboutourNation’spastwars.Itisourdutytodowhatwecantopromoteourlegacyandthelegaciesofthosewhoprecededus.

On behalf of Board of Directors for CHPA, thank you for making this our best year. We lookforwardtoservingyouin2012.

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, CO80814‐0042

GOT PATCHES?


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Please feel free to forward this issue of “The Swash Plate” to your colleagues, potential members and other interested parties!

Sharethe“Swash”

CHPA’sT‐shirtsforHeroesprogramisofftoagreatstart.Todatewe’vebeenabletoshipover40T‐shirts to our aviation brothers and sisters deployed toAfghanistan. The “desert camo”T‐shirts aredeserttanincolorandthelogoandtexthasbeenadjustedtocoordinatewiththatbasecolor.ThecolorwaschosentoallowtheT‐shirtstobewornwiththedeserttanuniform.

Unfortunately,theinitialfundingforthisprogramhasbeendepletedsowe’reonaholdformoreT‐shirtsuntilwegetmorefunding.Ifyou’dliketohelpsponsorthisneweffortjustlogontothewebsiteandfollowthesponsorshiplinks.Sponsorshipcanbeviacreditcardorcheck.Takethisopportunitytoletourdeployedsoldiersknowwerememberthemandappreciatetheirservice.

Thisistheareawhereweplaceyourannouncementsforupcomingreunionsandgatheringsthat

maybeofinteresttoourmembers.It’sawaytohelpyougetthewordoutandsupportveteransgroupsof all sizes and locations. Getting your gathering listed here is simple. Just send amessagewith theinformationtoHQ@chpa‐us.org.Ifyou’vegotalogosendthatalongaswell.Besuretoincludeaccuratecontactandregistrationinformationandwe’lltakecareoftherest.

ReunionsandGatherings

CHPA’sT‐ShirtsforHeroesJayBrown


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ThisreviewbyCHPAmemberJohnL.PennyhaspreviouslyappearedintheVHPAAviator.

JourneytotheGoldenHour,byRandolphMains,isthestoryofhispost‐

VietnamhelicoptercareerandsequeltoDearMom,I’mAlive. Thisstoryhasmany facets and includes his time as a helicopter EMS pilot which hefictionalized in his book The Golden Hour. Mains’ writing skills and hisinteresting,andoftenquiteuniqueexperiencesflyinghelicoptersmakethisaparticularlygoodread.

Likemanyofus,hewasatlooseendsafterservinghisArmymilitaryobligation. Whileattending college inCaliforniaandworking tomakeendsmeet forhisnewfamily,apilot friendaskedifhewould liketotryhishandflying“downunder”inAustralia.Whatfollowsisaseriesofadventuresandmishapsincludinga“Flightof the Phoenix” job recovering a crashed airplane in the northern outback, cattle mustering (read‘herding’)withaHughes300Candflyingonaheli‐rigcontractwithanS‐58TinPapuaNewGuineawherethenighttimeentertainmentinvolvedcrocodilehunting. Suchfunwasnottolast,asthecompanylostthecontract.

Mainsmovedonhoping to findmoresedatework that involvedbeingathomemoreoften. Helearned that a job as a Flight Instructor for Bell Helicopter in Iran was available. It seemed a solidprospectandhefeltsuchahugecompanywouldbeunlikelytogobust.However,hedidnotanticipatetheAyatollahKhomeiniforone.Afterjusttwoandahalfshortyears,Mainsandhisfamilywereontheproverbial“LastFlightOut”ofIranforBellHelicopteremployees.

Shortly after that, Mains received a call and began his most dangerous job: helicopter EMS(HEMS). Itwas thebeginningof aneweraofmedical evacuationwhich tookhim to jobs inHouston,Phoenix,andSanDiegoandearnedhimtheHAI’sGoldenHourAward.Therewerehazards,nottheleastofwhichwas flyingVFR intodeterioratingweather,whichcontinues toclaiman increasingnumberofHEMSpilotsandmedicalstaff.Throwinlongdutyhours,laxFAAoversight,employerprofitmotive,andintensepressureforapilottotakeaflightandyouhavethemakingsforadisaster.Mains’bookincludesasoberinglistofthe343namesofHEMSpilotsandmedicalstaffthathavediedinthelineofHEMSworksince1980.

Mains leftHEMSworkandmovedonto fly13years for theSultanofOmanand3years for theKingofSaudiArabia,afterwhichheretired. Butsurprise,hecameoutofretirementtoworkasatyperatinginstructorandflightexaminerona412EPflightsimulatorinAbuDhabi.DearMom,I’mAlivehasbeenoptioned for amovie. He also continues to speakon andwork for change regarding theuniquesafetyissuesofHEMS.HewasakeynotespeakerattheAssociationofAirMedicalServicesconferenceinSt.Louis inmid‐October2011. Many formermilitaryhelicopterpilotshavehadextraordinarycareers.Mainsiscertainlyoneofthose,andhiswritingskillsmakesharingthatcareerwellworthyourtime.

Journey to the Golden Hour: My Path to the Most Dangerous Job in America: Flying a MedicalHelicopter($20.00,367pages)byRandolphP.Mains, ISBN:978‐0986675904isavailable inpaperbackfromrandymains.com/contact.html.

BookReviewJohnPenny


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SubmitYourPhotos!CHPAhasagrowingcollectionofphotos,fromflightschoolclasspicturestoactionphotostohelicoptershotsfromaroundtheworldtothesefromour2011AnnualMeeting…IfyouwouldliketocontributetothecollectionpleaseuploadyourphotosbyfollowingthelinksontheCHPAwebsiteorclickhere!


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Have you thought about a LifetimeMembership in CHPA but thought it was too expensive, ormaybenotworththecost?Tobreakitdown,duesforaLifetimeMembershipforpilotsis$650;forCrewMembersduesare$425.Whilethatmayseemlikealot,whenyoudothemathitcoversyouforjustashadeovertwentyoneyearsatregularmemberdues.Hasanyoneevermentionedyoudon’tnecessarilyhave to pay the entire amount “up front?” Well, you have the option of enjoying the benefit of notworryingaboutanyrenewalnoticesorwritingayearlycheckbypayingtheduesininstallments.CHPAoffersplanstoallowyoutopayyourLifetimeMembershipduesoverseveralmonths.Youcanalsosetupautomaticdebitstoyourcreditcard.Giveusacallat800•832•5144fordetails.

As previously reported, two proposals have been presented to the Board that, if implementedwould require amending the By‐Laws. It is imperative that the membership fully understand andseriouslyconsiderthesechangespriortovotingoneachofthem.TheBy‐Lawsmayonlybeamendedbyan approval vote of themembership. CHPA is your organization and youhave a voice in how it is toproceedintothefuture.Weurgeyoutoletyourvoicebeheard.

The first proposal involves instituting aprocedure to allowmembership‐widevoting insteadofvoting in person or via delegates at the Annual Business Meeting. The second proposal concernsremoving the current barrier to voting andboard service, and increasingCrewmemberdues to paritywithPilotdues. Prior to bringing these issues before the membership for a vote 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 by sending an email to [email protected] or visit the Bulletin Board where questions, commentary, and discussions may be posted on these topics. Now is the time to provide your input on these very important proposed changes to our Bylaws.

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, T-shirts for Heroes or the Association. For further information please look at Sponsorship at the website, http://www.chpa-us.org.

Sponsorship

LifetimeMemberships

ProposalsBeforeTheBoard


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TroopswatchcolleaguesasthelastUSmilitaryconvoydepartsIraqfromthe3rdBrigadeaftercrossingovertheborderintoKuwaitonDecember18,2011inCampVirginia,Kuwait.(GettyImages)

The last convoy of US soldiers pulled out of Iraq onSunday, ending nearly nine years of war that cost over onemillionIraqiand4,500AmericanlivesandlefttheMiddleEasterncountrygrapplingwithextremism,sectarianismandterrorism.

According to the California‐based investigativeorganizationProjectCensored,morethanonemillionIraqishavebeenkilled in theUS‐led invasionandsubsequentoccupationofthecountrysinceMarch2003.

Washington said the military action was carried out todiscover theweapons ofmassdestruction (WMD)when formerdictator Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime was in power.However,noWMDshaveeverbeenfoundinIraq.

Undera2008bilateralsecurityaccord,knownastheStatusofForces Agreement (SOFA), all the troops are required to leave thecountrybyDecember31.

The final column of around 100 mostly US military MRAP armored vehicles carrying 500 UStroops trundled across the southern Iraq desert from their last base through the night and daybreakalonganemptyhighwaytotheKuwaitiborder,Reutersreported.

Honking their horns, the last batch of around 25 Americanmilitary trucks and tractor trailerscarryingBradleyfightingvehiclescrossedtheborderearlySundaymorning,theircrewswavingatfellowtroopsalongtheroute.

“Ijustcan'twaittocallmywifeandkidsandletthemknowIamsafe,”SFCRodolfoRuizsaidasthebordercameintosight.Soonafterwards,hetoldhismenthemissionwasover,“Heyguys,youmadeit.”

ForUSPresidentBarackObama, themilitarypullout is the fulfillmentofanelectionpromise tobringtroopshomefromaconflictinheritedfromhispredecessor,themostunpopularwarsinceVietnamandonethattaintedAmerica'sstandingworldwide.

ForIraqis,though,theUSdeparturebringsasenseofsovereigntytemperedbynaggingfearstheircountrymayslideonceagainintothekindofsectarianviolencethatkilledmanythousandsofpeopleatitspeakin2006‐2007.

The intensityof violenceand suicidebombingshas subsided. But a stubbornSunni insurgencyand rival militias remain a threat, carrying out almost daily attacks, often on Iraqi government andsecurityofficials.

Iraqsaysitsforcescancontaintheviolencebuttheylackcapabilitiesinareassuchasairdefenseandintelligencegathering.AdealforseveralthousandUStroopstostayonastrainersfellapartoverthesensitiveissueoflegalimmunity.

FormanyIraqis,securityremainsaworry‐butnomorethanjobsandgettingaccesstopowerinacountrywhosenational gridprovidesonlya fewhoursof electricity adaydespite theOPECcountry'svastoilpotential.

USandforeigncompaniesarealreadyhelpingIraqdeveloptheworld'sfourth‐largestoilreserves,but its economy needs investment in all sectors, fromhospitalstoinfrastructure.

USTroopsLeaveIraqTehranTimes


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Call on Us! Contact Quick Reference ChairmanoftheBoard–RheaRippey BuzzCovingtonChairman@chpa‐us.org BCovington@chpa‐us.orgPresident–RobertFrost AlMajor Callus!president@chpa‐us.org AMajor@chpa‐us.org 800•832•5144VPAdministration–Vacant RichMiller Faxus!admin@chpa‐us.org RMiller@chpa‐us.org 719•687•4167VPMembership–RustyBourgoyne RandyZahn Writeus!membership@chpa‐us.org RZahn@chpa‐us.org CHPA

POBox42Secretary/Treasurer–LorenMcAnally JimFerguson Divide,CO80814‐0042Treasurer@chpa‐us.org JFerguson@chpa‐us.org Remember!ExecutiveDirector–JayBrown JohnFore FeelfreetocontactusHQ@chpa‐us.org JFore@chpa‐us.org usanytime. RandyJones RJones@chpa‐us.org

“Wedon'tthinkaboutAmerica...Wethinkaboutelectricity,jobs,ouroil,ourdailyproblems,”saidAbbasJaber,agovernmentemployeeinBaghdad.“They(Americans)leftchaos.”

After Obama announced in October that troops would come home by the end of the year asscheduled,thenumberofUSmilitarybaseswaswhittleddownquicklyashundredsoftroopsandtruckscarryingequipmentheadedsouthtoKuwait.

USforces,whichhadendedcombatmissionsin2010,paid$100,000amonthtotribalsheikhstosecurestretchesof thehighways leadingsouthtoreducetheriskofroadsidebombingsandattacksonthelastconvoys.

Only around 150 US troops will remain in the country attached to a training and cooperationmissionatthehugeUSembassyonthebanksoftheTigrisRiver.

Attheheightofthewar,morethan170,000UStroopswereinIraqatmorethan500bases. BySaturday,therewerefewerthan3,000troops,andonebase‐ContingencyOperatingBaseAdder,300km(185miles)southofBaghdad.

swash plate december 2011

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