New Squid On The Block

[vikingr12]

I went down on a Jolly Green. That whisper when the pilot does an auto-rotate just before he hits the ground is sheer terror. You just hopw it's enough thrust to keep from becoming someone's pancake. All this while you are trying to make sure the explosives -- grenades, claymores, etc -- are at least kept separate so they don't all go together. There is a whole ritual you learn.

And another sweat breaks out. Is this site itself a trigger? :eek:

 

[Sarg]

Well, no damn wonder, the Jollys are so damn heavy. Used to watch through the scope as you guys extracted downed pilots. Don't know how you stayed in the air taking all those hits. I'll tell you who the unsung hero's were in this case...the Laotian Air Force. Those guys would fly cover in their A1E's as you extracted the pilots. Looked like an air show with all the precision flying.

Sarg

 

[vikingr12]

They weren't just Laotians. There were some real American cowboys flying those things. One guy landed the plane in the jungle, picked up the downed pilot, and took off. His aircraft had to have been full of holes. And of course, he had a big yellow scarf, just like the old Flying Circus guys.

 

[Sarg]

I read about that guy. Not only did he land to pick up the fighter pilot, but he jumped down from his bird and ran over to the seriously wounded pilot and literally drug the guy back to the plane and crammed him in behind the pilot's seat. You talk about brass ones. I watched some absolutely courageous actions, from most services through that scope. A John Wayne movie through a yellow-green lens.

The really heart breaking night was when two Air America C-46s went down under withering fire after Special Forces raided a POW camp trying to rescue POWs. Felt like crying, but we weren't allowed to cry back then.

Sarg

 

[vikingr12]

I am really torn about some of those missions I was not assigned to. I knew I would not come back. Felt it in the bones. And I am still so sorry for the guys we lost. I remember some of the names and they are not listed in the monument in Washington. I guess because we were really not there according Ops Plan 34-Alpha. But because of Tet during my time, most of our Ops were near border or in country. We wanted COSVN in the worst way and lost so many trying. It's the source of much of my depression. Yeah, I just cry too. Some things you have to remember though. Tings really changed after Tet. I think we were late to react. JMHO.

 

[Jimmy1]

I am really torn about some of those missions I was not assigned to. I knew I would not come back. Felt it in the bones. And I am still so sorry for the guys we lost. I remember some of the names and they are not listed in the monument in Washington. I guess because we were really not there according Ops Plan 34-Alpha. But because of Tet during my time, most of our Ops were near border or in country. We wanted COSVN in the worst way and lost so many trying. It's the source of much of my depression. Yeah, I just cry too. Some things you have to remember though. Tings really changed after Tet. I think we were late to react. JMHO.

Viking, I know a lot of Nam veterans over here who are sort of in your boat, they have trouble dealing with one particular issue and that was the border and places they 'Were Not' and the missions 'They were not on'. I suppose it must be hard as the official secrecy period is over and most things can be discussed, but there will always be things that are never 'Common Knowledge'.

 

[Sarg]

Ha! We were sitting there, all four turning, start to taxi and a flight truck comes to a screeching halt right in front of us. AC tells me to open the crew entrance door and this little guy comes in, ask me my name, hands me a little strip of paper and says sign it. It read " I have never been in Cambodia or Laos". I sign it, he grabs it and we buckle up and get ready to fly off to Cambodia ot Laos. Shhhh. It's a secret.

We were never a big secret. It was during that time when we were flopping from one side other the other as to whether or not we were there.

I'll bet that little strip of paper is still in a file in some massive storage facility.

Sarg

 

[AfricaVet]

Back to the Master Chief...,can we open a goat locker for us Chiefs? I just started here and while I was never ships company, I spent 11 years riding various boats. Now for a humorous anecdote. My rack on the USS Nassau was right below the flight deck. For some silly reason I had a dream that we were playing Russian roulette with a water gun. When it was my turn someone decided to drop a tie down right above my bunk. Needless to say I bolted upright and hit that $%# light bar across the rack with full force. So here I am bleeding like crazy right after I shot myself in the head with a water gun and everyone is staring at me.

 

[Barberian]

This is my humble opinion, do with it what you want. Sectioning off he forum by paygrade/rate/rank/specialty/war served in/branch would be counterproductive to the cohesiveness of the forum.

 

[Jimmy1]

Back to the Master Chief...,can we open a goat locker for us Chiefs? I just started here and while I was never ships company, I spent 11 years riding various boats. Now for a humorous anecdote. My rack on the USS Nassau was right below the flight deck. For some silly reason I had a dream that we were playing Russian roulette with a water gun. When it was my turn someone decided to drop a tie down right above my bunk. Needless to say I bolted upright and hit that $%# light bar across the rack with full force. So here I am bleeding like crazy right after I shot myself in the head with a water gun and everyone is staring at me.

Mate, I had to Google 'Goat Locker' first to see what you were talking about. Being a 'Master Chief' equivalent and Warrant Officer level in the Australian Army, I get where your going with this. A Seniors lounge would be nice, but there is no rank on the forum. In actual fact, I hardly know any of the ranks on here bar a couple. You could try the suggestion by messaging Anthony, but I bet that would be the answer.

My suggestion is this. You can start a conversation and include people, up to five and call it goat locker, I will do it so you know what I mean.

Cheers

Jimmy

 

[AfricaVet]

This is my humble opinion, do with it what you want. Sectioning off he forum by paygrade/rate/rank/specialty/war served in/branch would be counterproductive to the cohesiveness of the forum.

Fellas,

That there was humor. As usual I'm the only one that got it.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Jimmy1]

Well I missed it completely, I must have had a blonde moment. lol. Welcome again Mark.