Army Reporter information
for 2 BDE 101 ABN
A/4/77 ARA

For date 710329


2 BDE 101 ABN was a US Army unit
A/4/77 ARA was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
South Vietnam
Location, FSB Brick
Description: 29Mar71 LOH pilots stand in for Cobra's rockets FIRE BASE BRICK - Capt. George Powers, aviation platoon leader, 2nd Bde. 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), and M. Sgt. Robert Furniss know how a rocket feels being mounted to the underside of a Cobra. Powers and Furniss were on a low-level reconnaissance mission in northern Military Region 1, about 20 miles south of Hue, when their OH-6A light observation helicopter came under heavy automatic small arms fire from the dense jungle below. Furniss returned fire with his M16 rifle as Powers flew the ship from the ambush site. Powers made a precautionary landing in the tall grass of a jungle clearing when his fuel pressure suddenly dropped. While the LOH was flying to safety, an AH1 Cobra from Btry. A, 4th Bn., 77th Aerial Rocket Artillery, escorting the LOH, roared in on the enemy location with rockets and 40mm fire. WOs Gary Long and Fred Hayden expended their ordnance on the enemy and then quickly flew to the landing site to aid Powers and Furniss. "The Cobra came in and checked out the area for any signs of the enemy," Furniss recounted. "Then the pilots brought it in to the clearing, landed and picked us up. I never expected to be extracted by a Cobra." The Cobra pilot, Long, dropped the rocket pods," Powers explained, "and told us to climb into the empty rocket compartment under the cockpit. We did, and he extracted us to Fire Base Brick. That's one ride I won't soon forget!" Upon their arrival at the firebase, Powers and Furniss obtained another helicopter and flew back to the site of their extraction to aid in bringing back the slightly damaged LOH. "It was quite a day," Furniss recalled with a grin. "Now I know what a rocket feels like up there."
Comments: CPT Powers, George; pilot; ; MSG Furniss, Robert; ; : WO Long, Gary; pilot; ; WO Hayden, Fred; pilot; ;

The source for this information was 7103AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023