More detail on this person: He passed away on March 1, 2014. He graduated flight school in Fort Sill OK, in 1954/55. He volunteered to go to Vietnam with the first Army aviation unit sent there, 1961-1962, They flew H-21's. He was stationed with the 17th Aviation in Fort Ord, California and was a pilot with the 57th Transportation Company that was sent to Vietnam. They went by ship with their helicopters cocooned on the deck and then flew their H-21's from ship to shore. My Dad was the 2nd American army helicopter to land in Vietnam, the company commander was first! There were no formal helicopter tactics at that time and they had to make them up as they went along. Also, my Dad made the 1st flight in a HUEY using night vision goggles and flew the Blackhawk, in its testing stages, before it was entered into any of the branches of the military. As of today's date, other than the CH53, my Dad piloted every helicopter the army had in its inventory up to the present date and also the Army fixed winged aircraft such as the Caribou, Otter and Beaver.
This information was last updated 06/01/2018
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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