More detail on this person: On 30 August 2020, Norm 'Whiz' Whitbeck passed away from cancer and other related health complications. He was 77 years old. For the past, several years he had been in VA and other assisted living facilities near his hometown of Scranton, PA. He is survived by his son Andrew. "Whiz" served as a squadron pilot with HMM-361 in Vietnam in 1966-67. He was one of the best H-34 pilots in the squadron, always cool and fearless under fire. He was also known for his great sense of humor, tagging FNGs with nicknames that would last a lifetime, and always keeping things light for all of us during our 13-month combat tours. For example, in the hootch ceiling above our racks he had written the following - "You Can't Wear Air Medals on a Madras Sports Coat," and "You Can Take My Bar, But Not My (R)." There are many stories that could be told about Whiz/ Whizzer/Whisper Jet, the following is but one... A new pilot checked into the squadron. He was a friend of Whiz's and many others. His name was Jim Atkinson, a nicer guy you'll never find. Jim's nickname was "Jimbo." However, Jim had an occasional stuttering problem, especially when under stress. So, naturally his new re-designated nickname became "JJJimbo." Whiz took him up on his first in-country fam flight to show him the squadron's area of operations. While flying around they were monitoring the FM radio that was used for talking to the grunts. All of a sudden, the usual chatter was interrupted by Vietnamese being spoken on the "Fox Mike." This was unusual to hear, and it prompted Atkinson to nervously ask Whiz wha, wha, what was going on. Without missing a beat, Whiz responded that this was really serious stuff, as those were definitely NVA on the radio. Now JJJimbo started to stutter even more when further asking how he knew they were North Vietnamese. Whiz responded immediately... "Well, it's obvious, they don't have a southern drawl." The tension had been broken and Whizzer had broken in another new guy. Welcome to the war, Jimbo... and oh by the way, you may have to hootch with the "Whisper Jet." Just sayin'. It was typical Whiz; he was one of a kind. Many other adventures would follow him during his tour. He will be missed by all, and never forgotten. Written by Roger Herman
This information was last updated 09/01/2020
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Date posted on this site: 04/13/2025
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