“Air-Mobile”

**Warrant Officer, 11 Air Assault (Experimental):

The 11th Airborne Division (TEST) was reactivated on 1 February 1963, Their mission was to explore the theory, and practicality of the use of the “Helicopter” as a vehicle to transport battle-ready troops, and develop the tactics for the use in the new “Air-Insertion method”, as a possible “Option” to “Paratroopers” (Air-Envelopment) as they had been being used about WWII. But it was just a test of the ability, dangers, and real limits of the aircraft and troops, before making their commitments to the Army’s Budget group, in having to spend a heap of money on the development of the Helicopter as a military “Tool” and an entirely new vehicle(s) would need building and developing, and complete commitment of the Army, in the millions and millions of dollars there was a lot to consider, how much time it would take, and the costly lessons they have yet to learn and are unaware of… what these new Rotory-Wng, vertical lift.. low, altitude aircraft was capable of doing, and what the limits were, what would be the best type of platform to fly in! Let alone the development of new “Air-Assault” Tactics, and airborne troops’ abilities for various operational use.

The Infantry-Taxi went to another level in the 1960s, another stage up from movement by truck, and air-droped, which sped up the time it took to get from the compound to the battle, in just moments, and the ability to move about the battle, checking the enemy movement, to find the enemy and pile-on policy. It’s a good concept. They had taken an experimental rotary-winged aircraft, and lessons from Korea, and the idea of getting a lot more, and using them to ride into battle, ready to go. They developed and tested new theories, the men were trained as best they could, with a good mindset, and believed in their ability. The idea was a great one. Well, maybe until you think about how easy it would be to draw the new, young, inexperienced Skysoldiers into a big clearing, and if the area wasn’t mined, or full of boobytraps and punji stakes, the thought of jumping out and being completely encircled, by the enemy throwing everything they could at you! Shooting rifles, and grenades, hell, even arrows and rocks! They may have box-fed / heavy 51 caliber machine guns hidden in the tree line, or even radar-guided Quad x 37mm heavy weapons shooting at you on the extraction, but ya, the concept was good, the battlefield would thoroughly test all the various tactics of war, and the various helicopter missions. That said, the helicopters were there for the entire time; they changed, morphed, learning lessons, and adapted to them. The soldiers also changed, but it was over 11 years of fighting, it was challenging, and costly. They did prove themselves, especially for saving lives, and they’re still around. By the end of the war, RPGs with proximity fuses on them would be dropping a lot of Troop Ships, and SAMs were taking down Cobra Gunships. But other than that, ya know, it was pretty safe, I suppose (More on this later).

It was a huge commitment, They had to train pilots, as well as personnel to maintain them, fix them, and train in how to use them, how to protect them, and just what the aircraft itself was capable of doing! and if they could provide an edge over possible enemies, but had the promise as a game changer, as did the Paratroopers of WWII, who had achieved many honors, and changed the way of war.

The Germans started WWII with them, and they were effective and did their job, but with very large casualties. The British and Americans were aware of this, but they saw they had also reached their objectives. Hitler stopped the parachute operation after the first few battles. They were disciplined, elite soldiers. The US Army wanted its own Airborne troops, so they came into being in the US Army, and they did help bring the war to an end, but mostly because of their actions as soldiers. Still doing, daylight drops followed, and large, slow-moving planes were easily brought down by the anti-aircraft fire, somewhat compromised at times during WWII.

The Army now hoped to develop another method for use in getting behind their future enemies and be able to cover ground that would stop the use of trucks to bring in troops. So the Helicopter had shown some abilities for possible military use by the end of WWII, and in Korea for moving the wounded soldiers and troops. The Helicopter had come a long way since then, and the UH-1 was being experimented with. The 11th Airborne was inactivated, however, on 29 June 1965, as the 1st Cavalry Division and 101st Airborne Divisions took over the “Air Assault” project. Soon, all of the division's personnel and their equipment were transferred to the 1st Cavalry Division, now having the title of an “Air-Mobile” Division. And right on time, the United States decided we needed to go to Vietnam and save them from themselves.

The uniform is that of one of these early pilots, testing out the new UH-1 Utility Helicopters, being tested out with the Army, and they were learning to fly in. The uniform follows suit of what we think of as the Korean War uniform, but it’s not. They had started with WWII uniforms, with collar insignia turning to cloth, but it was seen in all the war movies from the 1950s and ‘60s.

He had served with the 7th Infantry Division, fondly called the “Hour Glass Division," possibly serving in Korea. All insignia is in the period format for the Fatigue Shirt that would have had matching trousers. On the left shoulder, he wears the short-lived 11 Airborne Patch. So the uniform depicts a particular point in time, while the helicopter was being tested and tactics were being developed. These tactics led right into the Vietnam Conflict as we know it in the US. These tactics would get dialed in, and the pilots learn to be able to do amazing things, often under direct incoming fire.

Note: Above his wings, he’s applied the metal “Proposed Badge” of the “Air Assault Badge” that was never officially accepted but seen in some pictures. Maybe it was not accepted because of the “Pilots Shield” in the center of the wings, implying that only the pilots and air-crewmen might earn them, and that turns out not to be the case; the infantrymen who rode in the Army’s Taxis received them after so many missions into battle. Hence, the helicopter is in the center of a set of wings. The approved, “Real”, or replacement Air Assault Badge was not seen till the very end of the Vietnam War, not that common yet, but from then on it was popular, and has been in use. The uniform has an early field cap and a classic flight helmet.

**Note: Damn right off the get-go! For God’s Sake! Man, it’s embarrassing. But it’s in the works to fix this.

Sergeant, Crew Chief, 7th Cavalry Regiment, “Garry Owen”, 1st Cav. Div. 1 Piece Hot-Weather Flight Suit:

They called themselves the “First Team”, and they are an entity in themselves, they had the patch that stood out, the unit everyone knew, they stood out, but amongst them, they had their people and units that stood out, with their own special stories, so we’ll go back to those that flew with the Air-Cav… and so, if you follow American Military History, you’ve read the story, more than likely, and know something about George Armstrong Custer, and depending on the version, his Civil War exploits, or his last stand (at the Battle of the Little Big Horn (aka the Greasy - Grass River), June 25, 1876). The battle was fought on foot by Men and Women of the Dakota Native Sioux (and other Indian tribes), and the battle was not fought on horses, The cavalry had dis-mounted, and then Indian warriors crawled up using the hill using it as cover, many armed with repeating rifles, shot the cavalrymen down, one by one, every single one of them.

After being shot by a dozen arrows and clubbed to death in some cases, they were mutilated and left in the sun. and took their pistols and saddle guns as souvenirs. 45 of the cavalrymen earned the Medal of Honor while serving with the 7th Cavalry during the American Indian War era. And the loss of Company C, 7th Cavalry, the revenge by the Military and the Government became particularly brutal and decisive.

So the story of the Seventh Cavalry Regiment’s Company C was not forgotten by the Army’s Cavalrymen of the 1960s, the unspoken fear of some worried about having the same fate. Custer’s Irishmen, it’s said, had chosen a riding tune, which became their nickname, the "Garry-Owen". The 7th Cavalry would also fight in the Crow War of 1887 and Wounded Knee. There were other events, but then came WWII, and they would serve at Leyte and the Battle of Luzon. They would then again be called upon to serve in the Korean War, and in August of 1965, they started going to a place called Vietnam. Seven men went on to earn the Medal of Honor serving with the 7th Cavalry in Vietnam.

So the uniform depicted here, a 1-piece jump-suit type of coveralls, in a super lightweight, fire retardant material, I think quite rare, and he, a fancy flyer, but its super practical for Vietnam, at least in the hot weather time, it wouldn’t keep you too dry in the winter months, but you dried out fast, but wouldn’t work so much in the Highlands. The uniform simply has metal (removable) collar ranks and pocket-hanger unit insignia, which would lead one to think he likes to fly in a sterile uniform or just doesn’t want to sew the insignia on the silky-like material. As Crew Chief, he has to maintain the helicopter assigned to him too, and gets dirty a lot, may have used it with a jacket, but with the chicken plate and other gear, he would be warm.

In-flight he may have carried a weapon like an M1 Carbine, or M-16, or a .45 Auto Pistol or 38 Special, in a shoulder holster or on the hip, some carried a favorite fighting knife handy on the vest, but he certainly wore his flak-Vest aka “Chicken-Plate” for sure, and boots, as a gunner he could have had the jungle boots, many wore the black ones though. His helmet is in good shape and retains its markings on the sides quite well, This troop proudly has added the “Garry Owen” (DUI) mark on the back.

1st Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), Ia Drang Valley 1965:

So there were two ways the US Soldiers were going to fight this war, the first was walking in, to do battle, the other was riding in, then getting out and walking in. Some rode in on trucks, then humped it in, other charged in on the back of personnel carriers, got off and chaised Charlie, the rest flew in, jumped out and were left there, to walk in. To many Cavalymen, the memory isn’t so much the Crewmen of the Helicopters as the people who rode in the back as passengers. They remember getting a lift to an LZ, but that was just part of their story. We started with the Helicopter Crewman, who, without they had a ride, jumped right into the 7th Cavalry Regiment and the “Gary-Owen”, derived from George Custer and Company Cs fame. Cust would have been proud of this new “Air-Cavalry”. The 1st Cavalry had a complete arrangement of Armored Cavalry and Artillery elements, as well, but they will be forever known by the Air Assets of the Division, and the use of helicopters in Vietnam.

First off, let’s face it here, the mission of the helicopters was to bring soldiers to battle, in a quick way, the “first-est with the most-est” theory, won the battle, and the 1st Cavalry Division’s “LEGS”, Infantry Grunts deployed in most often with lighter gear, loads of ammunition, but unlike the regular grunt, who had his pack and poncho, etc. As well, the idea that they would be re-supplied by helicopters, and thus in some ways less effective perhaps, like deep canopies, or sides of mountains in the fog, not to mention hot LZs, was another ball game altogether. These Foot Soldiers were known by the enemy as the Ski Soldiers, or, they called themselves the “First Team”, they were “Air-Mobile”, and they were all about Air Assault Supply, and movement of Supplies, an expensive venture, and still a theory and unproven then.

It all rotated around the ground force elements, which far outnumbered aircrews, but there were a lot of them too; their mission was to seek out and destroy all the enemy, period. And that’s what they were doing, and they achieved it most of the time, with their first missions they went into the woods, and landed right on them, and it got real bad, there, they made Cavalry History, Valuable lessons were learned on both sides, and many costly, and devastating battles followed.

The 1st Cavalry had introduced a new form of fighting, where they did not have to bring everything with them for a weeks-long trip with pack mules, they did not have to “jump in” by parachute, or hike in, but showed up fresh and ready to go to work.

The theory was good, the helicopters had their backs, all the time, or as much as possible, and would bring in all the needed elements to support the ground missions, but soldiers being soldiers, it was always about bringing ammunition, not so much food, and the theory worked to some extent, the Communist, North-Vietnamese quickly learned how to bring the enemy to them, their traps and criss-cross gunfire that sent people into the mines, etc. And when to bring down the supply aircraft, how to lead them with overwhelming firepower of 51 caliber machine guns, and RPGs, even setting up traps for them with anti-aircraft fire, and be effective at their jobs. But the aircraft would come in and try 9 times out of 10 if possible. Thus, it was costly. Gluttons for punishment, the “Choppers” would also come and bring the troops back from their mission, quite often under fire, and haul back the tired, and wounded, and take the dead home too.

The fatigues would go threw 3-4 changes in patterns and materials, and the patches became subdued, often The uniforms never even received a patch, and were used as a disposable uniform, dropped in one pile upon return from the field, and another grabbed from the washed pile if you found a similar size.

Infantryman jackets became ragged pretty quickly, they were shredded by elephant grass, moldy, and rotten, covered in filth and feces, sweat, maggots, and blood, you get the just of it. And after the sleeves have been cut off, they’re toast, and as soon as possible exchanged. The pin-on insignia was left so, as to be removable, before going out into the field, a necessity not to draw attention to yourself, and a common practice with all, he already had to be right next to the radiotelephone operator, and in the middle of a group, still never point, never seen giving orders out there.

Sergeant First Class, 1st of the 7th, 1st CAV. DIV. Khaki Summer Uniform:

There were three battalions, the 1st, 2nd, and the 5th, that served during the Vietnam War as we know it; they were part of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, and they often called themselves the "Garryowen Brigade".

The new UH-1 "Huey" helicopters now equipped the 1st Cavalry Division, and now they have a new role as an "Air-mobile" unit. The 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Division, brought the AIE-Mobile concept with them to Vietnam, and one of their first large battles was in the Ia Drang Valley.

They would test their men and helicopters in battle for the first time, and the lessons came quickly and profoundly. found out reconnaissance was vital, and the mandatory “pile-on” method could be dangerous if drawn into an ambush of heavy weapons, mines, or even rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 gunfire. They could now be blown right out of the sky, and the enemy learned to get in close and grab the Americans by the belt (close combat) so the Americans would have to bring in fire support from artillery and Air Assault right onto themselves, The NVA and prior Viet Mien had been at this a long time, and had a plan how to slowly work the Americans, till out the people at home would get tired of it and give up, and unfortunately they were right. And no, many years later, it is hard for some to see why it all happened … but it did, it was always about politics doing right through their eyes, and puffing their cheeks out, but all the people suffered, and if any is a lesson.

There were two other Army units as part of the 7th Cavalry. Rgt., the 3rd and 4th Squadrons, but they were in Germany and South Korea, respectively. The 1st, 2nd, and 5th Battalions were deactivated after the Vietnam War, and only the 3rd and 4th Squadrons remained as divisional Reconnaissance squadrons assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division and 2nd Infantry Division, respectively.

The squadron was formed, then reformed, then re-assigned to different Divisions, and places since Vietnam, with elements deployed to Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait, Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as Combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom III.

This shirt depicts yet another soldier on his way back to the Big PX and is waiting on his “Freedom Flight” back to “The World” as it is known. His spiffy uniform makes him stand apart from his fellow soldiers, who still wear their beat-up fatigues, he’s all fresh as a daisy clean-shaven and washed up, the uniform had to be emasculate, quite the challenge while waiting at a dusty red airfield in the center of Vietnam.

Sargeant First Class Williams now has a dozen decorations (the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Commendation Medals multiple times) after ending his second tour of Vietnam, It’s not clear if his prior tour was with the Cav, but he was with an infantry element earning the CIB, and served with or has so much air-time the he has 4 air medals! But now, air-crew official wings. He also carries the unit’s DUI on his green “Leader” loops on the shoulder straps and a metal DUI on his overseas cap.

Spec. 6 Class, 1st Cavalry Division “Airmobile”, Infantryman:

I cannot begin to tell all the thousands of stories, from all who served with the 1st Cav., most of which would actually come from the Cav-Grunts, the Infantrymen who flew in an out of battle, but fought on the ground, in the fields, paddies, and mountains, and humped through the jungles searching for and engaging the enemy, generally on their terms. So I’ll show some of these guys too, here in the Army-Helicopter-Guy section. These were the main part of the theory of how to drop in troops on the enemy positions.

The Spec.6 wears the early jungle fatigue uniform jacket, with standard subdued insignia, except the 1st Cavalry Division patches! I think a style that was manufactured in Vietnam. It is even brighter than the State Side producer (Class-A Patches)I added stuff in his helmet band, like the Cav’s Death Cards, of these were several variations, and matches, toothbrushes, and spoons. etc, were common items. His Boonie cap is more hip and was popular because they were practical. A young man who was drafted had to show how he felt, with the American Peace-Nick movement pin attached to it, and was like many likely brought into the anti-war thing before he was even drafted. A lot was going on back in the world (America) then, and none of it was good, thus they created pandemonium this became more and more of a morale problem during the conflict with the troops, and worse as the years went by, by 1969 it was a very unpopular war, for whatever the reasons, the first troops with boots the ground were volunteers in the military, that changed with the draft of civilians, and more rumors and problems began.

It has been pointed out to me that it was often the helmet that was a soldier’s data book to him there, and carried his precious personal items he cherished, a spoon, or waterproof matches in a jar, Toilet paper, extra ammunition magazine, or a comic book. tins of sunscreen cream, bottles of bug spray, gun oil, grease tubes, what might be needed on each patrol, and a good luck charm, or rosary. All these have been seen under the retainer band, but it’s also been mentioned about the helmet markings, which we might call graffiti now, short timer calendars were one of the many items applied to the helmet cove, using writing bens, or whatever they had, they would rite their girlfriend names, verses from the bible to the feelings about the draft or the war. The are a few with this stuff, most I chose not to personalize that much, as all the name tapes have been added, by convenience, and represent no particular person really, I wouldn’t want to stir something up in anyone. They represent the people and units, but rarely someone in particular, then would be noted.

1st Cav. “Leg”, Infantry Sergeant, 2nd Tour:

Another Mid-War Jungle fatigue, this sergeant wears the black-edged, yellow cavalry patch, two, as his prior tour of Vietnam was with the same outfit, and why he’s back. He’s already earned the CIB, likely a half dozen decorations under his belt already, too. He has the popular Boonie hat as an issued item.

This helmet has the very common, gun oil, in a plastic container, and some 1st Cavalry death cards as well, common, I suppose, but then, how often were they used? This is another variation of the cards. Like most, it has a leaf pattern camouflage cover that’s reversible, and an identifier as an American Soldier. The helmet itself is a re-issue, rebuilt (Several Times) by then, item, with the clear-orange as the indicator, the WW2 helmets did not have this in the liner, and the webbing has had upgrades and quick fixes applied to it.

1st Lieutenant, 1st Battalion, Airborne, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, “Platoon Leader”:

The Leutnant is not only “Airborne” qualified but has been through the Stateside Ranger School as well, obviously thinking career here. He needs battlefield experience now, and it’s decision time. After this, continue, or move on, but he’s put in a lot of dedication and work. It would be fair to say he was trained as trained gets for a new officer gets trained, some went to jungle training, and a few to the county Recondo Course, but that was for more specialized soldiers. He is actually on his second tour as well, definitely not a newbie; he has a good idea of what he’s in for. He has Senior Jump Wings too, with the Star over his wings.

A big deal to Paratroopers, and having all this prior service and training, he would have been looking forward to working with the Screaming Eagles; the 101st was his Airmobile ticket, but the 1st Cavalry grabbed him up first, right from the tarmac after his arrival for his second tour. A seasoned troop over a newbie every time. Still, he went through OSC pretty quickly and would have to prove himself, time and again; it was his platoon, but the longest in country, or the top NCOs would call the shots, while he learned the territory and how things were being done, at least in the start, the men were probably happy to have an officer with a prior tour under his belt too.

He was ready for the job. An officer, with the 1st Cavalry Division-Airmobile, soon found out that his proudly worn patch made him stand out, real good, maybe an old hand mentioned why some guys wore no insignia or in-country subdued insignia, and so he’s tried to dye it somehow with green to tone it down, and it’s worked to some extent. He was in a position to get into action, and working patrols, search-and-whatsoever, direct assault missions as well as reconnaissance in force and forward elements in the field, and perimeter duty on base.

Leutnant Kincaid (No Doubt called the “El-Tee”) carries a “Camel Cigarette” pack under his helmet band and some emergency TP. The helmet’s chin strap is missing for some reason. His Ball Cap has his senior wings proudly displayed on it. It often sees the men with little to no gear with them other than water bottles and ammo, but that is not necessarily so. The Cav did their fair share of humping through the woods, and only getting supplies from the helicopters during their operations. It’s still early in the American involvement in the war; it’s past the advising and training of the Arvn, now they’re deployed there in divisional strength, and a great expansion of forces is building up on both sides, and more intense by the day. The NVA was in the picture now coming down from the North, and the Viet-Cong were building up more and more as they went South. The Americans were controlled by Washington, and had put all kinds of restrictions on themself, and rules of engagement. The Communist Forces ‘ leader was in Vietnam, with no restrictions or rules, biding his time, and would wait out the American leader’s time.

Corporal, 1st Cavalry Division, RVN:

Another “Good to have Troop”, The Corporal has been through the “Panama” Jungle Training School. His early pattern jungle fatigue uniform has a fully subdued type format to it. The Divisional patch is the Government issue type. His hat is a locally obtained item, and the helmet displays yet another “Death Card” variation (but Just to show another style card, they were not all that common I don’t think).

If Air-Mobile had anything, it was bravado; they were a very tight team, and that can’t help to make an operation function all the more smoothly. They were really “Gung-Ho” if that can apply to Army Soldiers. The 1st Cavalry Division was one of those you wanted to have on the right shoulder, meaning you served with them “In-Country”. The Unit insignia goes back to before World War Two, and in Japan and the Korean War as well. And proudly warn in battle, but it did not take long to realize bright shiny things are bad in the jungle- and draw fire. So it took time to gear up and make even after the ok and order to go to completely subdued uniforms, but quickly this became the standard, and understandably so.

Spec. 4, 1st Cav. Rifleman (Infantry):

Trooper Maddox’s Spec. 4 rank might indicate he’s an RTO, or Heavy Weapons Platoon trooper, at any rate, he’s a “Leg” and flying to places, getting out and humping it threw the jungle, along with everyone else, The Enimey were in the woods and they had to dig them out. The people flying them in and out of the boonies were from the same outfit, but they were the “Truck Drivers” of this war, and often and generally completely exposed to the enemy, Their up-side was they didn’t sleep in the field if at all possible. people who were flying them in and out were in constant use as well and did not get a lot of rest, and in fact, may have had more bullets thrown at them on a regular day than the grunts!

But then, they were different playing fields now, too. He wears his Boonie Hat for preference, and his helmet for work, seen here with the “Agent Orange” Camouflage out, no joke. Dead-Foilage Brown-side out was when it was needed, and the men would go through these places, and get completely slimed, and still not wash for days. We forget these were, really, disposable uniforms. In battle, soldiers are beaten up, they don’t eat right, and it’s jungles or rice paddies, filth, death, and leeches. etc.

Let’s get real for a second. It’s not uncommon to soil yourself in battles or by bombings, close calls, and the like, uniforms take a beating, they get burned, ripped up, and even rot off the soldiers. The name on the chest is to identify your body, that’s reality, and the guys often didn’t wear underwear or get to bathe, as one would like to, so they just disappeared, or burned in piles. Washed in mass, boiling water or whatever was available, often never getting their name on them, let alone the unit patch, or ranks, that was with the first issue of 3 like. And just as fast, one grabbed his new uniform out of the clean pile in the field, hopefully with the sleeves still on, and cut the name off and sewed on a new one (or used the old one), added the rest as ordered, boom, good to go.

Captain, 1st Cavalry Division, Chaplain:

Chaplain, a Soldier Priest, not generally considered a front-line troop, but they did find their way there. But they're quite important, to justify the difference between good and evil and to portray it, and to give those soldiers who need some advice on various subjects, like marriages, moral rights, and the soldier’s needs and questions, they need a middleman sometimes between them and officers. So this Captain fills the void, like the rest, he was picked for this tour of a year in Vietnam, he may have volunteered for it or just drew the lucky number, and he went.

He would do his best and be a replacement for another officer, Chaplain, and let him go back home. And although not out humping in the boonies very often, he was kept busy with the troop’s personnel situations, their problems maybe at home, or personnel tragedies, and to help them cope, keep them going, help them obtain personnel peace in their lives, help them to get what they needed, and perhaps and get them going where they needed to go.

The Captain has chosen his profession as a minister of his faith. Still, when that happened, I am not sure, he may have been drafted, and a conscientious objector, possibly, or volunteered to join if he could be assigned to the Chaplain Services. I don’t know how all that may have worked, but he does not have the CIB from the previous tour, so I assume it was part of the plan for him, and he feels the need to do a second tour, now with the First Cavalry Division, “Where the action is”. The jacket is a later jungle issue type, but carries the earlier stateside full-color format, except for the name tapes.

His cap also has a bright finish, though the helmet has a subdued cross, logically so. Another part of the Captain’s job was to give last rites at hospitals, or even on the field at times, and he had to carry all this home with him.

WO, Pilot, Flight Suit, 1/9 C-Troop “Scout Pilot”:

OK, on to the structure and operations of “Air Mobile”. If you’ve heard anything about the 1st Cavalry Division, you’ve heard about the “1st of the 9th”; they had a lot to do with the fame attached to the 1st Air-Cav Division in Vietnam. With the arrival of the regiment in Vietnam, the experimental 1/9 Air Cavalry ushered in a new era of airborne combat, the “air assault.” Troops were arranged into teams composed of aero weapons (Reds), Aero-Scouts (Whites), and Aero Rifles (Blues).

Together with the ground and air surveillance teams, the Aero-Scout was the one that patrolled the Vietnamese countryside to seek out the enemy. Once located, they would call in follow-on infantry units, or hit them with Artillery, Aircraft-Bombs, or their own “ARA” Armed-Helicopters. After contact was made with the scouts, they would need to be pulled out, or if a scout ship went down, then the infantrymen on stand-by (Blue Teams) would be inserted (and extracted) via Helicopter. After being dropped quickly, running on foot, they would engage the enemy, with full contact with their air support. These teams earned the nickname “Headhunters”. This concept did away with conventional front-line warfare that had become typical in land warfare. During the Vietnam War, the 1st of the 9th Cavalry earned 3 Presidential Unit Citations and 5 Valorous Unit Citations. It was inactivated on 26 February 1973 and was one of the last conventional units to leave Vietnam.

This Warrant Officer has managed to get his hands on a set of Air Force” flight coveralls. And well, the Army had “Mechanics coveralls” in cotton, and there were the Nomex-like fire retardant coveralls. They were not really issued to flight crews, but they were practical and comfortable and work clothes. It was chosen as these were all that was available early on. One should think, take what you can get, was the situation, and carry early Army insignia on it. He has a standard ball cap with standard metal insignia on it. The flight suit is shown with a flak jacket (not to be confused with a Chicken Plate vest) and flight gloves. His helmet is buff, very well taken care of, and stock except for the large blue dot on the back indicating his affiliation with the 1/9 Scouts. I’ve added some pictures of the early scout helicopters, as maybe the suit fits that time.

Specialist 4, 1-9th A Company, Scout:

In 1971, as the 1st Cavalry Division began redeployment to the United States, F-Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment had been formed from one platoon each from the 1/8 Cavalry, 2/5 Cavalry, and 1/7 Cavalry. This unit operated independently of the 1/9 cavalry. In an Air CavalryTroop (ACT), there was a ‘Slick Platoon’ of 6-8 UH-1D/H aircraft, the Blue Team, The Gun’s (or Red Team) consisting of 6-8 Gunshpd using UH-1 B or C models of aircraft, and AH-1G’s, then there was the Scout Teams, (the Whites) that they flew low and slow with 8 or 9, Houghs OH-6 “LOH” Aircraft commonly called ‘Loaches’ these were considered the “Norm” for reconnaissance aircraft.

Specialist Smoger, as a Scout Aircraft crewman, is the crew chief and gunner, and there is only him to take care of his weapon and his aircraft, so it was uncommon for scout pilots to help out with the observation helicopters, in Maintainance and arming it up, some late LOHs even carried a minigun as well.

He wears the M65 field jacket, obsolete by 1968-69 or so, but some still fancied them, especially in the cooler months, he wears his scarf behind his jacket’s collar and has a unit scroll over his Cav-patch rather than a pocket patch, which are quite tricky to sew on a pocket unless you sew through both pocket and jacket-making the pocket defunct.

The unit scroll over the 1st Cav-patch would be one way, but a rarer method of application, reserved for Ranger Scrolls and Airborne Rockers, and not to be mixed up with aero units. His cap is typical, albeit it has the metal form of wings and range, in both subdued and unsubdued. His Helmet has gotten much attention and appears to have been applied over several months, likely during downtime.

Sergeant, C-Troop, 1/9, 1 Cav. Division, SCOUT, Crew Chief:

In the common air cavalry mission, an ACT would conduct a visual reconnaissance using 1 or 2 scouts, with 1-2 gunships in what they called ‘Pink Teams’ (Red and Whites). Once initial contact was made with the enemy, the ACT would exploit the contact by combat assault, with the Blue Platoon, a platoon of infantry organic to the troop, into battle.

After this was completed, the ACT’s slicks would provide remediate support for this platoon, as much as a company might be brought in for the combat assault operation. As they developed, larger units still could be air assaulted into the battle. The ‘Pink Teams’ continued their attacks as well and observed the enemy providing pinpoint locations for direct ARA (Aerial Rocket Artillery), with 2.75-inch folding fin rockets, often 40mm grenades, and 7.62mm machinegun fire.

The gunships could even work in a rotation providing freshly fueled and re-armed gunships on stand-by for continuous fire support. After an artillery fire mission and aircraft bombing missions, the Aero-Teams would come into the battle, and do (BDA) bomb damage assessment on the targeted areas. But they constantly were watching trails, looking for smoke, or whatever reconnaissance was needed for any particular mission.

Sergeant Rayan is a door gunner/observer, flying in the OH-6’s back right-hand seat. He’s armed with an M-60 for backup fire, he also has an M78 ‘Thumper’ Grenade, or shotgun rounds type bee-hive rounds for it, in the back seat with a box full of explosives like White Phosphorous, various Fragmentation Grenades, plenty of colored smoke cans, maybe Tear Gas whatever he could throw at the enemy. Often, he would mark the targets for the Red Teams as he flew over them, then protect their backside as they pulled out and away from the sites.

Ryan here wears the lightweight fire retardant shirt and trousers with jungle boots. A web belt with canteen and combat dressing pouch on it, often a sidearm or knife was carried as well, and somewhere in the ship, he might carry other weapons just in case. When not wearing his helmet for flight operations, he would wear his issued enlisted fatigue cap, most of the insignia is sewn onto it, and occasionally, a “FOB” pocket hanger might dangle from the pocket button.

Then in a brilliant stroke of ideas, the Army decided to add to their arsenal some CH-47 Chinooks, slightly modified to carry grenade launchers, a couple of pods holding 2.75-inch rockets, as well as two .50 machine guns on each ship. Additionally, the battalion added the motor delivery system consisting of 81 mm mortar rounds, in a tippable box, used to drop into heavy canopy cover.

In March, a five-man recon team on the ground came under heavy weapons fire. Lift ships wouldn’t make an extraction of the team from a sharp ridgeline obscured by clouds, so a CH-47 hovered near the ledge, which was too small to allow a landing, set its rear wheels on the ground, and took the men aboard. The enemy fire did make several hits on the aircraft, but the extraction was completely successful, with no injuries.

Another “Ryan” (They seem to get involved in every war) this Crewchief has managed to pull the right strings and wears the lightweight retardant shirt, These took a while to get out to the guys who needed them, seen more near the end of the Army’s involvement in Vietnam Conflict.

All subdued but does retain the bright 1st Cavalry Divisions patch, with black trim-so probably in-country obtained, as well as his sewn-in pocket patch. We show a real dress-Stetson hat, and his ball cap with nice cloth insignia on it, the way to go for sure. And his helmet, a beautiful item, is still like new, and marvelously personalized.

Private, Door Gunner, 1 / 9 Cavalry, B Troop, “Blue Team”:

The Blue Team was the Ready Reaction Force and rode in alongside the LOHs and Gunships, and the 1/9 had theirs. The regular UH-1 D (or H) “Slick Aircraft” were used, and daily brought infantry troops into the field, Infantry - Not necessarily as a response group but in bulk, full regiments, and the like. The Slick brought in troops regardless, was their primary mission take them in, and bring them out, repeat over and over all day, the Blue Teams were more reinforcements, or if a plane or chopper went down, they would come in and secure the area quickly-so the downed aircraft and be hooked up to a sky-crane or CH-47 and pulled out and brought to an air base, you get the drill, and they did it with 5-6 guys at a time, as they carried lots of ammunition, and the ship carried 4 crewmen itself.

The gunner, he has moved around as needed between aircraft of his group then he knew all of these aircraft, where a crew chief was assigned to a particular plane. So the Gunner helped out with the crew chief, wherever he ended his day, but he would clean the weapons, and he would have known all of the crew chiefs in the squadron so he worked as needed and learned the different aircraft quarks.

This would be another 1st Cav, Huey-Door Gunner. He’s got the late jungle fatigue jacket on, He’s gotten a prior tour of Vietnam under his belt, with the 101st, and may have gotten the Helicopter bug there, as sometimes like if you had been an M60 gunner in the field when you got to be a short timer, they might let you got to the helicopter element, in a rotation spot, and then came back trained as such, and did a full tour with helicopters or something like that.

He proudly wears the dark yellow scarf with his stetson hat at decoration time and the like, but he has a ball cap like everyone else; he’s chosen the metal rank and uses it on his collars as well. His “Blues” ID Pocket Hanger “Fob” indicates his assignment, but they used the “Hangers” rather than sewing them on, I think more often than not were used rather than sewing, because it’s hard to sew the unit patches on floppy pockets, and for washing, you won’t lose your unit ID, more so than for black operations or sterol uniforms in the field, albeit that would make sense for some units, and places they were fighting.

In-flight, he wears a typical helmet, with no personalized markings on it whatsoever. He was probably happy with this duty, frightening at times, but exciting, and beats hoofing it through streams, up hills covered with vines, and through triple-canopied jungles … full of snakes and things that bite you, while it rains all over you … but you never know.

Spec. 5, 1/9 CAV. Khaki-Going Home Uniform:

Sadly, Many of these khaki uniforms, in the late 1969 and into the 1970s period, were asked not to be worn in Airports, upon arrival home, the “Peace” movent was apparently “Un-Safe” for the American Soldiers, and many of the Liberal-Hippy Movement, called them names, ridiculed them, and spat on them, and much worse, shocking behavior in the least, from their own country’s people, really, shame on these protestors, most were just cowards, besides was never the soldier’s fault for doing their duty, answering the call and joining, or getting drafted, and answering the nations call for service. They wouldn’t soon forget the treatment, nor would many forgive them for it, nor should they. It’s appalling if you think about it.

The garbage cans at the airports filled up, with trousers, shirts and their jackets, decorations and all, disturbing and offending, their friends and family bringing clothes to change into, the hair would grow in time if it came back at all, and some just erased the whole event!

“New” Warrant Officer, Peter-Pilot, 1st Cavalry Division, Lift-Ship:

Warrant Officer, Slick Pilot “BESEDA”,1st Cavalry (Set of 4 Uniforms):

A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cav (Call sign “7” first sergeant position it’s said so? I don’t exactly get that) “The Boldest Cavalry The World Has Ever Known”, The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry was the reconnaissance section of the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Viet Nam 1965-1971.

The story here is that it was bought at an auction, and all bundled up in an old travel bag. a “Go Bag”, you might call it, with much of the rest of the uniforms missing already, and a couple of bits with no matching uniform to go on, so the pocket hanger went here with what I did have.

So, I bought a duffle bag with 3 uniforms in it basically, and a helmet as I remember, so that was upgraded, but he had been a Cav pilot, The jacket and shirts, were a mix of ranks, but I did not notice at first, there was a mix of insignia too. It had his leg-note book, and other personnel items to show as well, not all of that was shown here.

Warrant Officer, 174th Assault Helicopter Company, 3rd Platoon “Guns” Sharks:

The 174th Aviation Company was activated at Fort Benning, Georgia, on 1 October 1965. Then, before deployment transferred to Oakland, California, the next stop was Qui Nhon, in South Vietnam, on 6 April 1966. In early April of 1966, the unit made their base camp at Phu Tai Valley, west of Qui Nhon, where they received a name change, becoming the 174th Assault Helicopter Company, and became a part of Task Force Oregon, and later an element of Airmobile Light. The 174th AHC was initially assigned to the 52nd Aviation Battalion.

Near the end of May 1966, like many units in Vietnam was moved around from time to time, and the next appointment for the 174th AHC was placed under the operational control 14th Combat Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade, they worked with the 71st AHC Rattlers and Fire Birds, 161st AHC Pelicans and Scorpions, 176th AHC Minutemen and Musket, 178th ASHC Boxcars and "C" Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry's Ruthless Riders.

The majority of the 174th operated in the Phu Cat Mountains and associated valleys. The 174th Shark's Gun Platoon went to “General Claire Chennault” and asked and received permission from him to use the “Flying Tiger” Shark’s Mouth on their gunship platoon, and many remember them as the Shark Mouths.

The uniform is the lightweight flight shirt in subdued form, other than his pocket hanger. The uniform shirt has a ball cap and Stetson too in fine form, The helmet is unique, as he managed to apply the unit emblem to the visor cover.

To think it was handy, as the cover is a replacement, in white plastic, the red paint is all that was needed and hastily added onto it, the teeth are all crooked, but looks great, and he pulled it off, the back side has his original art work applying his name and rank. The uniform is to represent a “Sharks” pilot. The period pictures, borrowed from the internet, show the earlier gunships, and then they received AH-1 Cobras. It may be that other units also used the menacing shark’s mouth.

CAPTAIN, 2nd Battalion, 20 FAR “Blue Max”, 1st Cavalry Division, RVN, 1969:

The battalion ashore as Qui Nhon, ‘The Republic of Vietnam’ as the original Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA) battalion assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) on September 15,1 965. Two days later they flew their first combat mission as Charlie Battery fired 2.75-inch rockets supporting the 101st Airborne Division.

At this time the 2.75 Inch rockets were mounted on the UH-1B Huey Helicopters. The battalion had the ability to provide immediate artillery fire support to the Airmobile units of the First Team, often operating beyond the range of conventional artillery. Because the ARA pilot was at the target site, Rocket fire could be quickly adjusted for maximum accuracy and could provide extremely close fire support.

On September 18, 1965, the battalion demonstrated another new technique, the ‘Light Ship’, a Huey mounted with seven landing lights mounted in the doorway; the illumination of the ship provided an external effect as a tool for base security. On October 11, the battalion fired the first SS-11 guided missile to be used in combat, destroying a Villa and the Viet Cong inside it. During the period from September 17 to October 20, the battalion flew 78 missions, expending 2,870 rockets.

In late October, the battalion was called upon to provide support for the Pleiku Campaign, for which the Division would earn the Presidential Unit Citation. Alpha Battery saw the first major action in the campaign when the Plei Me Camp came under attack the night of October 29-30. Using the light from flares dropped by the US. Air Force, Battery Pilots bombarded enemy forces, assaulting and destroying the camp. As one platoon expended its ordinance, another would take its place. This action continued until 0430 hours with rockets fired within 100 meters of friendly forces.

During the Pleiku Campaign, Charlie Battery was positioned on a small strip on a Tea Plantation south of Pleiku City. On the night of 12-13 November, the enemy attacked the position in battalion strength. As the first mortar rounds hit the camp, pilots dashed to their helicopters and quickly had them in the air. The first instance in Vietnam, when all aircraft evacuated from an airstrip under attack.

Bravo Battery flew a unique mission on November 28 when Special Forces requested that the battery destroy the gates of a fortified VC village. the gate’s heavy timbers were protected by booby traps and weapons positions. Three well-aimed SS-11 wire-guided rockets blasted the gates open.

In 1966, the battalion participated in numerous operations. The battalion also began a major civil affairs program in early 1966, donating clothing, toys, and sundries to villagers in the hamlet of Tu Luong, near Camp Redcliff. This program proved its effectiveness when, in February, a battalion helicopter crashed south of An Khe. The Villagers volunteered to go search the VC-infested hills for the aircraft and its crew, and successfully located the Helicopter, and in time to save two seriously injured crewmen.

On May 16, 1966, the Battalion Commander, LTC Morris Brady, and the C Battery commander, MAJ. Roger J. Bartholomew volunteered to fly two ARA birds in support of a company in contact and in danger of being overrun by a large VC force. They inched their aircraft through the Fog, and heavy rain, into the darkness up the side of a slope of a mountain peak east of An Khe, until they were hovering right over the beleaguered company; then, directed by the forward artillery observer below them, the un-leashed ripple fire after ripple fire of rockets into the enemy assault force. Their timely fire support was credited by the ground commander with stabilizing an extremely grave situation. On May 22, 1966, the battalion fired its 100,000th rocket in Vietnam in support of Operation Crazy Horse.

On October 9, 1966, the battalion demonstrated just how much the enemy feared their weapons. Alpha Battery received a fire mission against an enemy bunker that was not being effectively engaged by the 2.75 rockets. Two SS-11 Guided Missiles were fired into the bunker; the first missed the 6-foot aperture by 1 foot! The other went through it, entering the bunker, then exploding, and destroying it! The 55 VC in the adjoining bunker decided not to test the pilot’s accuracy, and all put down their weapons and surrendered.

At 0105 hours on December 22, LZ Bird was attacked by the 18th North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Regiment, and Alpha Battery responded to the call for support. Despite the night, fog, and heavy rain, the battery delivered withering fire on the attacking enemy, half an hour after the battle had started. Charlie Battery soon joined in the fight,t and the aircraft stayed in the situation until the attack was repelled, the enemy force defeated.

In 1967 the battalion continued in a vigorous civic action program with an emphasis on schools, medical aid, and long-range civic improvement programs.

Operation Pershing was to be the division’s longest operation, it began in February to root out the enemy forces in the Bong Son Plain, An Lao Valley, and the mountains adjacent to An Lao. The Battalion moved its command post, with A and C Batteries, to LZ Two Bits. By the end of the year, the battalion had fired its 500,000 rockets since arriving in Vietnam.

For actions from December 6-19, 1967, the battalion was awarded the Valorous Unit Citation. According to the citation, “The Officers and men of the battalion displayed extraordinary valor in accomplishing all assigned tasks in the face of almost certain death”. The division moved from II Corps in 1968, meeting the enemy head-on in the battle of Hue City, Kha Sanh, and the A Shau Valley. In numerous close firefights, aerial rocket artillery blasted the enemy, foiling his plans for victory. The deadly accuracy of the SS-11 missiles penetrated his bunkers and fortifications. Psychological Operations used pictures of ARA aircraft to frighten enemy soldiers into surrendering.

In 1968 the battalion made the transition between Huey ARA ships and the AH-1G Cobra Aircraft. Unlike the Huey, the Cobra was specifically designed for the role of fire support and carried firepower equivalent to that of three conventional artillery batteries. The Cobra could pack 76 rockets and a mini-gun capable of firing 4,000 per minute. Added to some of the later models was a 40mm grenade launcher, which could chuck out 400 rounds per minute.

The battalion fired its 750,000th rocket in Vietnam, in July 1968.; however, the unit had forgotten the other side of the war. That Summer it also adopted an orphanage in Quang Tri, helping to expand the orphanage space, building on the number of beds, and providing medical care. In addition to their regular fire missions, the ships of the battalion carried regular mortar patrols at the division base camp and brigade headquarters.

In December 1968 the battalion, as with the rest of the division, moved to a new (AO) Area of operations, in that they were moved to the III Corps Tactical Zone, near the Cambodian border, north of Saigon.

That same month, the NVA assaulted LZ Dot, located 43 kilometers northwest of the new division base camp at Phuc Vinh. Some 2,000 enemies hit the tiny LZ at midnight using human-wave assault tactics following mortar and rocket attacks. ARA was called in, completely decimating the force just as they were penetrating the outer wire. At 0630 hours, the enemy broke contact, leaving 287 confirmed dead; many were likely drug out.

By the end of 1968 the second battalion, 20th Artillery helicopters were known throughout the First Cavalry Division as “Blue Max",” a tribute to those crewmen whose skill and daring at least matched that of the WWI flying aces where the award originated. The “Blue-Maltese Cross” of the original medal was adapted by the battalion as their symbol, and pocket patches and pocket ‘FOBs’ started being seen on the uniforms of the crews.

In 1969 the Cobra had completely replaced the Huey as the main force of the battalion. Each battery consisted of 12 Cobras. Three platoons of 4 aircraft in a battery. A service platoon maintained the Cobras. An ARA section contained 2 Cobras, and that is generally what was used to carry out a strike. Among the many firsts to their credit, the battalion added that they were the first ‘All Cobra’ unit in Vietnam in January.

In 1970, the enemy continued to try to overrun 1st CavFirebases, and the battalion remained vigilant in its support of the defense of the bases and in support of the ‘Air-Cav’ Troopers on patrols.

On May 1st, 1970, the day for symbolic parading of military might in Communist countries, the First Team and the Army Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) units surged in force into Cambodia finding the enemy unprepared to defend their previous sanctuaries across the border, Pushing into the “Fish-Hook” region of the border.

The Cavalrymen exceeded expectations and conducted what was one of the most successful operations in the division’s history. The drive of the division and ARVN units deployed into Cambodia was supported by B-52 strikes, Tactical Air missions, and the support of ARA assets of the division that inflicted devastating losses on the enemy.

During the remainder of 1970, the division continued the task of clearing the remainder of the enemy combative elements from the III Corps area, which was north, east, and west of Saigon. But then they would leave, and no one held the positions then.

The battalion began its stand-down of its assets in March of 1971, with the 31st of March being the last day of the battalion as an operational unit in Vietnam. Captain Swenson here wears the ‘Nomex Flight Shirt’ with the late pattern battalion patch, having the Aireal Rocket Artillery replaced with Aerial Field Artillery phrasing. With the shirt, he wore trousers with black leather boots. His helmet received some attention, having the 1st Cav Shield, Battalion “Blue Max”, crossed rockets unofficially replace the artillery cannons, and added “MAX 12.”

SFC. Crew Chief, 1st Cav. 227 Aviation Company:

Oh my gosh, what a can of worms I opened up here from bits and pieces of notes, on the internet, to a rather involved and detailed story. All of this I will have to simplify and make it so it fits the space I have. Sorry if I leave a lot out, Military regiments and various groups bounce around a lot, some stay with the same division forever, but others are all over, over the years, And Infantry outfits are different than Aviation, or Air Assault units, so I’ll pick up the story of this unit during its Vietnam deployment time.

On 1 February 1963, the “31st Transportation Company” was redesignated to the 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion and assigned to the 11th Air Assault Division. In mid-July 1963, the Battalion was activated at Fort Benning, Georgia. For two years, they trained intensively, receiving new equipment and abilities.

They were there when on 01 July 1965, the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) with the 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia. They reorganized and redesignated, becoming the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).

The 227th (AHB), along with the 228th (ASHB), 229th (AHB), and the 11th General Support Aviation Company, operated under the command of the 11th Aviation Group. Consisting of the Assault Helicopter Battalions (AHB) had three companies, “A”, “B,” and “C”, of twenty UH-1D helicopters plus one Aerial Weapons Company, “D”, with twelve UH-1B helicopters armed with XM-16 kits (4x M60 Maineguns and rocket pod).

The -1D helicopters were replaced with model -1Hs with the weapons company upgraded to AH-1G Huey Cobras. For the most part, the 227th supported the 3rd Brigade, and the 229th supported the 1st Brigade, and both battalions were assigned the responsibility of supporting the 2nd Brigade.

Arriving in Vietnam on 11 September 1965, some of the most notable operations would serve as a part of the 1st Cavalry Division. The division was the Pleiku Campaign, Nathan Hale, Paul Revere, Thayer, Byrd, and the 227th went on to serve in the Pleiku Campaign, airlifting troops near Cambodia, in the Cambodia operations, they flew a total of 6,066 sorties and so they received the Presidential Unit Citation.

then threw the end of 1966 to 1967, the 227th AB operated with the 1st Cavalry Division in Binh Dinh Province, with Operations Thayer II and Pershing. They would serve in supporting Operation Pershing; they would now be fighting in a new environment … mountainous terrain, clouds, heavy rainfall, and constant low-level, contour flying. In 1967, they were fighting the NVA 610th Division, as well as Viet Cong Units in the II Corps Tactical Zone, and the enemy suffered heavy losses, over 700 in the two campaigns.

Then they moved into the I Corps area. They went “Up North” to a place called Camp Evans, their new base camp. They were there when, on January 31, 1968, the Vietnamese New Year, it was called “Tet”, and the Offensive, using some 7,000 NVA regulars, attacked Hue City. They raised Hell with the ARVN troops and the US Marine response, and yet the enemy kept coming.

During the battle for Hue A number of pilots distinguished themselves, One was CWO Frederick E. Ferguson CWO Ferguson saved the lives of 5 of his comrades. His actions were in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself and the US Army. It was not the only battle.

TET was a battle of all of South Vietnam at the same time, part of the Cav. Immediately shifted part of the team to Quang Tri City, the Capital of the Northern Province. The Cavalry went on the move with four companies from the 1st Battalions of the 5th and 12th Cavalry, They went to the hamlet of Thorn An Thai, East of Quang Tri. The Quang Tri was broken down, and the enemy broke and left the city. 10 days later, the city was under control again.

They fought at Thorn La Chu, then the 3rd Brigade was needed back at Hue.

The southwest wall of the city was soon taken after the 1st Battalion, The 7th Cavalry, overcame severe resistance and linked up with the 5th Battalion. At this point, the NVA and Viet Cong invaders were driven from Hue by late February. The Tet Offensive was over. The NVA and Viet Cong had suffered a massive defeat, with 32,000 killed in action and 5,800 captured.

Next came a major battle against the Viet Cong stronghold called the “A Shau Valley.” It was called Operation Delaware, and it started on 19 April 1968. Operation Delaware was a coordinated airmobile and ground attack using elements of three divisions – the 1st Cavalry, the 101st Airborne, and the 1st Army (ARVN). In an area where the VC and NVA lived fairly comfortably, they felt they controlled the place, but they were going to be hit very hard in this battle, and like most of the big battles, they would leave knowing they had blooded their enemy again, and they would be back.

The 227th had been flying massive missions, 3 in a month, and were committed to this battle, it started with an attempt at dropping in a reconnaissance team, to secure the top of a hill called “Signal Hill”, where possibly an “RRT” (Radio Relay Team) could set up their equipment. on a 4,879-foot peak 5 kilometers northeast of A Loui Airfield, and it was above the clouds most of the time.

This is an incredible story about a long battle, with a lot of parts to it should be read, It’s quite a read, and it should be read, See: WELCOME TO BASE CAMP PHU LOI (weebly.com). On 10 May, the extraction phase of Operation Delaware began. bottom line, Along with other units, the 227th was able to help ensure the success of Operation Delaware/Lam Son.

Near the end of 1968, the battalion moved to a new AO to the south, in the III Corps tactical zone. They would be helping the efforts to cut off the infiltration routes, weapons, and food stashed along the border of South Vietnam and Cambodia. The double and triple-canopy jungle allowed for the extensive use of the battalion’s Nighthawk helicopters, these were modified aircraft with a unique installation of an infrared light coupled with a starlight scope, a powerful spotlight, three M-60 machine guns, even a minigun, really made moving around at night in the III Corps areas very dangerous for the enemy.

The III Corps was mostly an area, but it was a maze, with heavy tangle-foot vegetation, poor for landing zones, and the enemy often had portable .51 mm anti-aircraft weapons, certainly frightening to helicopters, so escort Cobra gunships were generally escorted during the lift. The typical insertion formation consisted of six Hueys, which carried the infantry, and two gunships from the “D” Company. The gunships come in on strafing runs and pepper the areas around the landing zone before troop landings.

They continued doing flight missions day in and day out assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, in much the same way, and through 1970. Then The 1st Cavalry Division started going home. The 227th Aviation Company participated in 14 campaigns and received seven decorations during its 7 years of duty in Vietnam. The 227th AHB departed Vietnam on 25 July 1971. The first Army aviator to win the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War had been a member of the 227th Aviation (4th Battalion).

By 05 May 1971, the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division (minus those of the 3rd Brigade) were moved from Vietnam to Fort. Hood, Texas.

On 30 August 1971, “D” Company, 227th Aviation Battalion was finally inactivated in Vietnam. They didn’t leave, though; they reactivated and were assigned as “D” Troop, 9th (Air) Cavalry Brigade (Prov), who had been assigned to the 12th Aviation Group previously on 10 April 1971.

This Crewmember wears a set of Army Coveralls, which are sometimes issued to tankers and maintenance mechanics, and suits this soldier just fine. Why does it say “Company” on the pocket identification? I’m not sure why; I guess it covered all 4 of them. The rest of his insignia is all subdued, and his helmet remains standard green, as issued. He would have had leather boots and a web belt, likely as well as a sidearm. And he would have had a Chicken Plate vest on.

Air-Crewman, 1st Cav./B Co. 228th ‘Long Horns’:

Major, 229th ‘Slicks’ RVN:

Let me tell you when I started the US Army / Vietnam-Helicopter Crewmen section….I never imagined it would grow to such a large section of the collection, a collection in itself now, of course, there were no names on anything, and I’ve tried to put it all in some kind of order now and represent the soldiers that were there, hope any veterans who may look at these-don’t get too bent out of shape for what I may have messed up on, but it’s a hell of a story, and I did my best to get it right, to you I say, it sucks that you were drawn up into that nasty mess of a war, and thank you for stepping up to the plate.

I’m sure the are many Vietnamese who remember what you gave then and tried to do there, I was a pre-teen for it, but much remember my Uncles and Cousins going over there, none of which I can talk about now, unfortunately, but we were all proud of them-and looked up to them, this section I dedicate to all you fine people, thank you, God Bless You, and welcome home.

‘Slick’ Captain, 1st Cavalry Division, 229th AHC:

The Battle of the Ia Drang Valley was a series of engagements in the area between the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and the 33rd, 66th, and 320th regiments of the North Vietnamese Army, as well as local Viet Cong elements. This military engagement featured close air support by U.S. bombers.

The US's main objective was to thwart an effort by the North Vietnamese to split South Vietnam in half by attacking eastward across the central Highlands to the South China Sea. The 1st Cavalry Division 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, launched a heliborne combat assault, directly into the enemy assembly area, closer than they had realized.

They came under fire quickly and soon were pinned down, but having the ability to call in B-52 bombers, the North Vietnamese elements in the area were routed and forced to retreat to their Cambodian border sanctuaries. But the enemy had learned some very valuable lessons in the process, and also claimed victory, as when we left, they came back.

Although the North claimed victory at the end of the battle, it was won by the American units, since the NVA was hindered in their attempt to cut South Vietnam in two, and 1,800 troops of the NVA and Viet Cong were killed by U’S. Troops. The Americans had suffered 450 casualties, 220 Troops were killed, and 230 were wounded. Most of the American losses occurred on November 17th, when the U.S. second battalion, the 7th Cavalry Regiment, was drawn into an ambush by NVA retreating forces. The Commander of the enemy was ‘quoted’ as saying something like ‘We have learned to fight the sky soldiers by grabbing him by the belt and fight the enemy very close in, so they would have to call in fire on themself to get to us. LZ X-ray would go down in 1st Cavalry History.

The 1st Lieutenant uniform reflects the ‘Air-Mobile’ Army combat dress in 1965, and the Cavalry Pride, which is the standard fatigue shirt; he would have matching trousers, a helmet, and black leather combat boots, using standard load-bearing equipment, containing rifle ammunition and water. He carries on his chest the combat infantryman’s badge, he served in Korea, and he has Airborne wings pinned on as well. Not a Cavalry Officer, he commands a platoon of infantrymen, who were delivered into battle using helicopter insertion. Later, these units would be known as ‘Blues’ elements in all cavalry regiments.

I guess I’ll add this story here. One notable 1st Lieutenant, Rick Rescorla, was born in 1939 in the village of Hayle, Cornwall, in England. A natural leader of men, he chose the life of a soldier. He joined the British Army and served with them in Cyprus, then in present-day Zambia, Africa. He later emigrated to the United States. As soon as he could, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He quickly became an officer and a young lieutenant, soon leading patrols in-country and being involved in some of the nastiest fights of the Vietnam War. Rick Rescorla was known for his great personal courage in the Battle of Ia Drang. In the highlands of Vietnam, he raised the spirits of his men by singing Cornish and Welsh songs. He had great compassion for his men, for the wounded and the dying.

Rick Rescorla became the head of security at Morgan Stanley, located in the World Trade Center. Rescorla warned the building management in 1991 that the building was vulnerable to a truck bomb attack, which could be planted in the unsecured basement parking garage. No one listened, and in 1993, the building was hit by a truck bomb in the basement garage. Later, Rescorla, on the advice of his great army friend Dan Hill, is led to believe that the building remained a target, and the next time they attack would be from the air. He asked his supervisor to move to a low-rise building, and they refused.

The lease won’t expire till 2025. Rescorla does the best he can to inform them. He put the Morgan Stanley employees through up to four full-scale evacuation drills every year, where they had to walk down and back up 70 flights of stairs in an organized floor-by-floor fashion. The stockbrokers hated it and thought it a big hassle. This sort of drill and frequency is unheard of in NYC. When the first aircraft hit the nearby One World Trade Center, building management announced that the Two World Trade Center was secure and that everyone should stay put! Rick Rescorla ignored these instructions and instead ordered a full-scale evacuation. More than 2000 Morgan Stanley employees marched down the stairs, two by two, first the 1st floor, then the next, and the next, and on and on.

When the plane hit Tower 2, he kept his charges as calm as he could. “Today is a proud day to be an American,” he said over his megaphone. As he had done in the Ia Drang Valley, he sang to his people to keep them calm, ”God Bless America”, and his much-beloved songs from back in his homeland. “The White Rose” and “Men of Harlech”. He got nearly 2700 men and women out. Except for himself, his security team, and one to two others. Afraid that someone was left behind, he went back up, but his body was never recovered. Thank God people like this exist in America.

The pilot’s uniform depicts an early pattern of the standard issue, later 1950s and early 1960s Fatigue shirt, with non-subdued “Jump-Wings” and “Pilots’ flight wings” above the period, US. ARMY tape, in black with yellow-golden lettering on it, and on the right side, his name tape, with black stamped on white cloth. Under the pocket flap, he has a pocket hanger unit insignia.

On his left shoulder, he has applied the 1st Cavalry Division’s “Full Color” shoulder insignia of WWII the Post War style, of his right shoulder in the prior unit in battle spot, is the 11 Airborne patch of the WWII/Post War style, so he may have been in the unit in ether-or, but obviously with the Heliborne testing and training early on. His collar follows suit with the 1950s style cloth insignias, he likely had matching era trousers and black boots, he may have flown, wearing one of the early types of flight vests, armored or survival type. He has the standard early ball cap that went to Vietnam with him, he has the infamous Stetson as well, and his Flight Helmet carries personalized markings. They were pretty rare at the time, I think.

2nd Lieutenant, 1st Cav. Div., 229th AHC, “Guns”:

Company “D” was the aerial weapons section of the 229th, They served in the Republic of Vietnam from September 1965 till August 1972, There are books written about this unit, and I will get more on here at some point in the future. Rest assured they did raise Hell against their enemy.

Crewman, 241st Helicopter Squadron (ARVN), Advisor, with 1st Cavalry Division:

EDITING >>> Working on figuring this out exactly, I’m confused too. Possibly, he was an advisor?

6th Air Division, 82nd Tactical Wing, out of Phu Cat.

Specialist 5th Class, .50 Caliber MG. / Gunner, ACH-47A #154 “Birth Control” 1st Aviation Detachment, “Guns-A-Go-Go”, 1sy Cavalry Division, Ah Khe, RVN:

In late 1965, Boeing-Vertol specially built four Armed and Up-Armored CH-47A Chinook Helicopters. On January 18, 1966, LTC William J. Tedesco assumed command of the Field Evaluation Detachment (Special) (CH-47) (Provisional) at Fort Benning.

On April 18, the unit was redesignated, received a new name, 53rd Aviation Detachment Field Evaluation (Provisional), nicknamed Guns-A-Go-Go, and ordered to Vietnam on TDA (Temporary Duty Assignment). During the detachment’s first six months of evaluation, the ACH-47A destroyed every target presented to them.

The Armed/Armored Chinook used its payload capability to advantage by mounting an extensive array of armaments and armor to protect the crewmen and the vital parts of the aircraft against heavy-caliber ground fire.

Mounted on the nose of the aircraft was an M-5 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher. This turret-mounted weapon covered the frontal 180’ aircraft and was operated by the co-pilot and he could protect the forward flight path of the cH-47, Complementing the weapon in the nose was pylons were mounted on either side similar to a Huey UH-1 Gunships method, carrying 2 fixed belt-fed 20mm cannon, with either a 19 round 2.75-inch rocket pods of 2x 7.62mm ‘High Rate of Fire’ known as Mini-Guns.

The flanks of the aircraft had 4 gunners, 2 per side, with either a 7.62mm M-60 Machine gun or a .50 M-2 Browning high-power weapon on flex mounts. Another gunner was positioned in the rear, on the loading ramp, with one of the two versions of the weapon. From his position, he could protect the aircraft as it left the area, and after the aircraft passed, a capability none of the other helicopters had, but later CH-47 and Marine CH-46s did adapt to the idea.

The Chinook was provided with a new type of steel armor plate, which was built into the crew seats and protected their torsos. Other steel plates protected priority components of the aircraft. The rugged components of the Chinook and extensive duplication systems, combined with over a ton of armor plating, assured a high degree of survivability for the aircraft, but the weaponry on board would also draw fire, and make it heavy; there was no possibility of having infantry to cargo either. There is always a fragile balance with aircraft.

On July 4th, 1966, Aircraft # 64-13151 lost its #2 engine on a gun-run and was forced to crash land in a stump-infested open field. #151 in the process received major damage to the underbelly and its cross beams from the weight. This forced landing earned the ol’ girl a new nickname and henceforth, #151 was known as ‘Stump Jumper’. Nicknames for the other 3 ACH-47A aircraft would be affectionately named by their crews, and they were painted just forward of the crew door on the right side.

Sadly, just 30 days after her forced landing, Stump Jumper was involved in a freak ground taxi accident, colliding with another CH-47 (#62-2118) at Vung Tau Airfield. The Stump Jumper was destroyed, literally breaking in two. With this unfortunate news, testing of #64-13145 at Edwards AFB was halted, and she began the journey to join her two remaining sister ships in Southeast Asia.

The 53rd Aviation Detachment was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division’s 228th Assault Helicopter Battalion in early December 1966 and redesignated as the 1st Aviation Detachment (Provisional). #64-13145, soon to be known as “The Co$t Of Living”, joined her sister-ships a few days later.

Tragically, EASY MONEY and the CO$T OF LIVING had just completed a gun run near Bong Son on May 5th, 1967, when the pilot of BIRTH CONTROL was told that the CO$T OF LIVING had been shot down!… Looking to the rear, they saw a giant fireball. The Accident investigation revealed that one of her M-24A 20mm cannon forward mounting pins had vibrated loose, permitting the weapon to tip upward as it fired, right into the rotor system. The blades quickly separated from the aircraft, causing it to drop and tumble out of control to the ground. THE CO$T OF LIVING and all eight of her crew perished in the crash.

Then on February 22nd, 1968, while participating in the big push to recapture Hue City during the Tet Offensive, BIRTH CONTROL was hit while pulling up from a gun-run and had to auto-rotate into a dry rice paddy about 600 meters NW of the Citadel walls. Under intense fire, EASY MONEY came in and positioned herself between BIRTH CONTROL and the oncoming enemy, giving suppressive fire while rescuing the downed crewmembers. As EASY MONEY was struggling to get airborne from all the extra weight, she received several hits, wounding some of the crewmembers near the back of the ship, but made it safely out to Camp Evans. Before the aircraft recovery could be attempted, the report came in that the NVA had walked mortars up to BIRTH CONTROL, destroying the machine where she sat.

Since the Army would not allow the last ACH-47A to operate alone, plus the fact that lift helicopters were badly needed in the field, the program was canceled. EASY MONEY was transferred back to Vung Tau, where she served as a maintenance trainer ‘In-Country’, at the Boeing Facility until the end of the war. After the Vietnam War, EASY MONEY eventually ended up at Fort Eustis, Virginia, in 1995, where it served as a trainer for the sheet metal course at the transportation school. Through the efforts of many, EASY MONEY was restored and placed on permanent display at the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, on May 1st, 2000.

Spec. 5 Redlinger wears the third pattern jungle fatigue seen in several detachment photos. His First Aviation Detachment (ACH-47) Guns-A-Go-Go patch is sewn to his left pocket, while the 1st Cavalry Shield is on the left shoulder sleeve. He has adopted the new style of metal, collar insignia painted in flat black. He wears matching trousers and boots. When not wearing his crash helmet, he has a standard fatigue cap with metal rank and aviation crewman’s wings on it. The uniform represents all the fine young men of this outfit.

Sergeant First Class, Robert Taylor (R.T.) Jones, Acting 1st Sergeant, 545th Maintenance Detachment  B-Troop 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry 1st Cavalry Division 1969-1972: 

In the autumn of 1968, the 1st Cavalry Division relocated northeast of Saigon.  In May 1970, the Division participated in the Cambodian Incursion, withdrawing from Cambodia on 29 June. Thereafter, the division took a defensive posture while US troops’ withdrawals continued from Vietnam. On 29 April 1971, the bulk of the division was withdrawn to Fort Hood, Texas, but its 3rd Brigade remained as one of the final two major US ground combat units in Vietnam, departing on 29 June 1972.

However, its 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, Task Force Garry Owen, remained another two months.

B-Troop finished out the war at Quan Loi Base Camp, also known as LZ Andy or Rocket City.  Established in 1967 on the site of a former French rubber plantation,n and was located approximately 6 km east of An Lộc in Bình Long Province.  The proximity to the Cambodian border made the base essential in the continued disruption of North Vietnamese infiltration of troops and equipment on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. 

Quan Loi was subject to constant rocket attacks aimed at reducing flight operations and became known as ’Rocket City, Vietnam!

The 545th Maintenance Detachment was added to the Troop for the last two years of their in-country deployment and was responsible for keeping all the various aircraft operational.  With the increase in the anti-aircraft ability of the enemy, this became an around-the-clock operation. 

Overall operational readiness falls to the Det.’s acting Top Kick or First Sergeant, usually a Sergeant First Class.  As the senior 67N (helicopter mechanic) in the Det. he was meticulous, ‘No excuse for a screw lose!’  A play on Jones's initials, R.T., has been incorporated onto his flight helmet; known all over Rocket City as ‘Right & Tight Jones’.  The Det.’s official motto of ‘We Support the Best’ is overshadowed by the unofficial, and well-earned ‘Rocket City Rescue’.

(Prior) 1st Cav. Captain Blair “Transport Corps”, duffel bag set:

Now, this Uniform is a special piece to me, it was attained as a set, both from the same fellow, with his cap and helmet, as I recall in a helmet bag, not that I have that at the moment a duffel bag full of stuff on a bid, The names were of course missing-and I’ve jazzed it all up, hopefully not annoying the original owner but I couldn’t help it.

This is his stateside uniform from after his return from deployment (I think), with an assignment to the Transport Detachment’s Training section. A heavy lift kind of guy, he likely flew them in the Republic of Vietnam, and flying a big-heavy, slow target, you have to be good at it to survive, and these aircraft have to be seen “In use” to understand their capabilities, and importance in the military.

In the pictures alone, we see them picking up and moving a “Daisy Cutter.” These bombs, well, blew up a big enough area you could use as an improvised LZ We see them with Hueys slung underneath, even in tandem! They lifted broken Chinook Helicopters, too, even Phantom Jets. As in Apocalypse Now, they didn't even move small naval craft, like the PBRs (in the movie, a Huey does it, but that’s a heavy lift for them). But they could move to conex boxes full of soldiers, doctors with portable emergency hospitals, you name it, trucks, bulldozers, I don’t know about tanks, but maybe in pieces! They could move mountains if they wanted to, on that note! They were often used for placing heavy artillery pieces, and loads of their ammunition directly on top of hilltops, in building up fire-bases, sometimes used for only a month or two. In the states, they were used in maneuvers, and emergencies, bridge sections can be hauled in and humanitarian supply, while getting a bit long in the tooth now, and expensive to maintain, you still see them in used moving city cranes, and in logging steep hills, but there are smaller cheaper, faster helicopters out there that may even be cheaper to operate, what a piece of machinery though, like a giant dragonfly you can control. The right patch clearly shows his attachment to the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam, odly it is not in the subdued format like the rest of the uniform, a statement of pride perhaps. Interestingly, he has applied his senior pilot wings on his cap with the metal type, while his uniform(s) used the cloth type.

Sergeant First Class, 1st Cavalry, A Cold War Uniform:

This was the team for the state-side soldier, Class- A was the office work suit of the time and for walking out dressed off the base. The uniform depicts a 1st Cavalry Troop, who stuck with the Cav, even after they came back home, after a tour with air-assault elements, having the CIB and the Air Assault Badge (For the Air Assault training course was issued post-1974), and Crew-Wings.

The Sergeant has been through the Recondo school, I’m guessing before he was assigned as a Helicopter Crewman, I do not know the regulation to wear this training badge, or when they were worn in this way (not during Vietnam) perhaps it was was in the early days of the use of it? having been a grunt, he managed to train with LLRPs, but jumped at being a Door Gunner too, and then Crew Chief, he has been in the service for some time, on his 7th enlistment, having 6 hash-marks on his sleeve are 4 Battle Bars, that means 2 full tours in Vietnam, and at least one of them he was wounded during, receiving the Purple Heart and earned the Silver Star, too. He also has the Soldier's Medal (Originally for Army-Air Corps Troops Ribbon).

The Army Commendation Ribbon is on the ribbon bar with the Good Conduct Ribbon, the National Defense Ribbon with a Star, the Vietnam Service Ribbon (with 3 Campaign Stars on it), the RVN Gallantry Ribbon with a Palm Branch on it ( A Unit Citation), and the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon. It’s likely he has moved beyond flying, and into administration, at this point, as soldiers get older, and get married, they have families, etc. They have “Lives” and the Army no longer takes care of them or him; he needs real money, no longer longs to be on the front lines, or needs an adrenaline rush; he’s done his part. He needs to get to a safer place now where he and his wife can also raise a family, he needs to be there.

The CIB/Crewman Wings! and Final, post Vietnam Air Assault locations may be questionable I’ll look into this at some point!

Spec.5, A Company, 101st Aviation Battalion (101-AHB) Lift-Ship Crew Chief:

Company A 101st Aviation Battalion (AHB) deployed early on after the announcement that US Troops were sent to the Republic of Vietnam. Soon afterward, on 11 April 1965, they became the first of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to be involved in combat since World War II. Soon, the Comanchero Call-Sign would be heard over the radios, followed by 1-2, 2-2, or 6 and the like

A Company, 101st Aviation served from 04/1965-09/1966 at Soc Trang Province. The company came to Camp Eagle, where the unit continued to serve until January of 1972, following all the rest who had already left the Republic of Vietnam.

This uniform depicts the earlier time in Vietnam, wearing the early fatigue shirt, with the full-color layout of insignia. The helmet has been refurbished to a very good depiction of the unofficial unit's emblem, a new carry bag to hold it all in, and a handy deal for the collector. He would have still worn fatigued trousers with a black belt and one of the forms of chicken plate over it all. black leather boots were the norm, and often a web belt with a medical bandage and a pistol on it.

WO “Pilot”, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile):

This otherwise-Stariloized Uniform is identified only by his Pocket Hanger patch.

101st ABN (AIR), Slick-Door Gunner:

I love this guy, he’s … a little from the other side of the spectrum. Story coming, on his helmet has added a Screaming Eagle, but perhaps not in such a positive light, a little bit of a paranoid “Oh My God” look on the face. Note the odd unfaded areas, implying there were some kind of shoulder boards or pads on the shirt at some point, and there was a packet patch applied at some point on the shirt as well. I guess it may have been pulled from the clean pile, and his insignia was applied to it.

They say history is not thought much in schools anymore, rarely in any depth, but I like to think some young people are wanting to fill that void, as they know it is important to know, The Helicopter Crewmen, pilots and gunners changed how war was being fought, “The Sky-Soldiers” had come of age. Some had quit high school, others just graduated, some liked Hank Williams, others Jimi Hendrix, and people came from all over. For the Army, there were the people who flew and maintained the Helicopters, and foot soldiers for the most part, those flying on them had to learn a new game, but those who got a ride on them were learning jungle warfare once again, who to fight in rice paddies, or Mountains, sometimes in the cities, just like all wars, but everyone involved in the Vietnam War was important, and were changed by it. We don’t want to forget this war, especially, though all need to be analyzed.

These were people who volunteered, or checked the right boxes when drafted, or, wrong, all answered the call, did their duty, and lived with that. I hope I have portrayed these uniforms correctly, honorably, and maybe help tell some of the story. Some of us who didn’t serve, too old, or too young for this one, were also touched; it affected us, getting ABCs or CBS’s version of the war on the news every inch at dinner, while our uncles and cousins were over there. We didn’t hear much about their tour, maybe opening up with our moms and dads just a bit. 58000 never got to tell theirs at all, other names are on a wall. Hats off to them, I’m sure there are people in Vietnam who look at the Americans and their effort in a positive way. The were 18-19 year olds, some older, trying to make a living, none got to choose, but they went to war, and did what they had to, 11 or more years they tried to do something, while the powers that be, played a vicious and dangerous game, there was a lot of investment in the war, building roads, buildings, moving fuel, bullets, boms, to food and drinking water.

Captain, 101st ABN. Assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

At the beginning of the War, the 101st Airborne Division only sent the 1st Brigade deployed to II Corps, Republic of Vietnam, end of July 1965. The 1st Brigade would operate as an independent “Fire-Brigade,” basically, and adopt the nickname of the "Nomads of Vietnam."

Their Area of Operations (AO) covered the area from the DMZ to the Central Highlands. Then, in May of 1967, the 1st Brigade was tasked to be part of Task Force Oregon.

In 1967, when the rest of the Division arrived in the RVN, their combat elements consisted of 10 battalions of Airmobile Infantry. They had “Assault Helicopters” (Slicks). They had 6 battalions of artillery “ARA” that is, an Aerial Rocket Artillery unit armed with rocket-firing Huey Helicopters, and also an “Air Reconnaissance” Unit (Scouts).

The rest of the 101st ABN. Division as a whole deployed to Vietnam in November 1967, and it merged into the parent division

By July 1968, They had a base called Camp Eagle, and it consisted of the 160th Aviation Group, constituted with elements of the 2d Squadron, 17th Cavalry; the 101st Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter); the 158th Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter); and the 159th Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter), then in June 1969, the 160th Aviation Group was redesignated and became the 101st Aviation Group.

The helmet depicted here might be the epitome of the “Airborne-All The Way”, business-like with just a nice rendition of the unit’s insignia. And I would assume with his assignment with the JCS branch and as an officer, in the world, he flew bigwigs around, now with the Cav, he still has the credentials to continue in the role one might assume.

Lieutenant Colonel, 101st Airborne Division (Air Element) (Set):

The majority of the 101st Airborne Division’s operations were in the Central Highlands and through the A Shau Valley farther north. Some of the more famous major operations were the Battle of Ap Bia Mountain, aka Hamburger Hill.

Note: the Colonel’s helicopters (Staff Hueys) often had extra radio equipment in them, cushioned seats, and kept new looking, but some, looked just like any other only retaining the doos.

101st ABN. (AVN) Vietnam Crew Chief / Door-Gunner:

The last Army division to leave Vietnam, the remaining elements of the 101st Airborne Division returned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where today it is the Army’s only airmobile division.

During the war, troopers from the 101st won 17 Medals of Honor. But the division suffered almost 20,000 soldiers (KIA) killed or (WIA) wounded in action in Vietnam, nearly twice as many as the 9,328 casualties it suffered in WWII.

This uniform had no unit insignia; it was completely sterile, but I dug the helmet, I found the pocket hanger in storage, and they seemed to go together in the “Cool Area”. 101st ABN. Pocket Hanger. It could happen as a temporary placement thing, or due to security reasons, or have you. The helmet, possibly inspired by the “Easy Riders” movie, is a great look, and there were many variations I found pictures of. So we have the “Patriot” now in the collection.

First Sergeant, 101st Airborne (Air), Lancers:

When the first of some 4,000 101st Airborne Paratroopers arrived in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, they gave a demonstration jump for General Westmoreland and the outgoing Ambassador (formerly General) Maxwell Taylor. Both had been former commanders of the division.

The uniform depicted here shows a rather early uniform, or rather USAF stock / Flight Coveralls, which were pretty rare to be used by the army. His cap is a 1950s style “Old Stock” item and carries no insignia, The Helmet has been around, with (I think) getting the lancers on their horses on the sides added first, (lancer) then then on the visor cover, are crossed jousting sticks is more what it looks like, so I assume.

The Viser and the cover had a bad day and were replaced with a white plastic one that got its decorations too.

(CWO-2) Co. B, 158 AHC (Red Lances):

With the arrival of larger American and allied units beginning in 1965, many Assault Helicopter Companies were assigned to Vietnam as organic elements of infantry, Air Cavalry, and Air-Mobile Divisions. These organic units took essentially the same form as the original Assault Helicopter Companies, except they were sometimes organized as complete battalions rather than self-contained, independent companies.

These divisional Assault Helicopter Battalions (AHBs) were usually comprised of 3 slick companies and 1 gunship company. Unlike independent AHCs, each company was made up entirely of either slicks or gunships. A representative example of this type of battalion was the 158th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the 101st Airborne/Airmobile Division.

While we have the other uniform in the collection that had yellow lances, this has red, and Red could imply ARA (Aerial Rocket Artillery and “Guns”). I do not know if there was any particular meaning to this, maybe different ships used different colors at some point?

101st ABN C. Co AVN, Black Widows, Gunner:

There could be a book written on the complete history of the 101st Airborne Division, Company C. So, keeping it short, on November 1, 1966, the 2026th TC Truck Company was redesignated 188th AVN CO(AML) while it was stationed at Fort Campbell, in Kentucky. They were then deployed to Dau Tieng, Vietnam, and then again re-assigned to the 269th CAB “Black Barons,” who had been activated on 1 July 1966 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The 269th Aviation Battalion was part of the 1st Aviation Brigade that was a part of the 12th Aviation Group located at Cu Chi. They arrived in Vietnam on 28 January 1967. But they then relocated to I CORPS and were assigned to the 308th Combat Aviation Battalion with the handle of “Black Adler”, in early 1968. When the 188th was inactivated and constituted as Company C, 101st Aviation Battalion (Wings of the Eagle), in late December 1968.

Filling the ranks, two separate (non-divisional) assault helicopter companies came in, they were a part of the 1st Aviation Brigade assets, the 17th AHC, the Kingsmen became B Company, and the 68th AHC, the Black Widows, C company, they transferred from their parent organizations and were taken into the 101st Aviation Batallion.

The pilots from the Spiders (Black Widow) were transferred to the new battalion Aerial Weapons Company (D/101 Hawk). The 101st Aviation Battalion was part of the 160th Aviation Group until the group was redesignated as the 101st Aviation Group (Wings of Destiny) in June 1969, making the 101st Airborne Division Airmobile, and relocated to Phu Bai in April. They would continue fighting the war day in and day out until the draw-down of forces came, with a sort of with-draw, and they left Vietnam in early 1972 and Relocated to Fort Campbell, (March 29, 1973, a couple of months after the signing of the Vietnam peace agreement, the last U.S. combat troops leave South Vietnam as Hanoi frees many of the remaining American prisoners of war held in North Vietnam).

This uniform represents a Corporal, a Door Gunner with the Black Widows in 1968 or so, with a fatigued uniform in subdued format, except for his “Screaming Eagle” patch, and unit “Pocket Hanger”. He carries only the Flight Crewman’s eagle on his cap, but his helmet had a major makeover. How he got a purple helmet would be a good story, let alone how it’s been called up.

Specialist 4th class, Crew Chief, D Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment:

Responsible for all actions of the crew on the ground, the crew chief makes sure the D 1/1, AH-1G Cobra is ready to rock and roll when needed. Normally the crew chief is part of the flight crew, but in the AH-1 there was only room for the two pilots sitting fore and aft ( in line with each other), so he had to sit out the missions back at the base, patiently waiting for when he knows his ship will come back in a flurry!

And needing him, and, whoever is helping out, to quickly re-arm it, hot fuel it if needed, or check on quick Maintainance, or problems in a hurry, so the aircraft can get back on target. His, and the rest of the ground crew’s jobs started well before the warrant and officer pilots arrived.

He has to see that all the repairs and maintenance were done in the evenings. Often, he worked through the night to make sure the aircraft would be ready for flight at first light. As the ship would undoubtedly be needed at all times to support the white and blue teams out in the woods with the bad guys, and in combat.

Upon deployment to Vietnam in 1967, the 1st Squadron / 1st Cavalry Regiment consisted of three armored cavalry troops and one air troop, D Troop, which was not deployed until July of 1968. D Troop spent that year training and equipping at Fort Hood to be one of the First Air Cavalry Troops constituted as red unit gunships, white unit observation, and the blue unit, being aero-rifle platoons (Quick reaction forces).

This organization provided flexibility, fire support, rapid response, closer communications and, extreme mobility ideally suited for jungle warfare and destined D Troop to primarily offensive missions like scouts, reconnaissance rapid insertion, search and destroy, interdiction and, attack; but also search and rescue, medivac, resupply, night flare drops and recovery of downed aircraft.

D Troop was shipped to Vietnam with aircraft on board to join its parent unit, the 1st Squadron / 1st Cavalry Regiment, which had arrived ahead of them already, and attached to the 23rd Infantry Division, the ‘Americal Division’ dug in at Chu Lai. But en route, D Troop orders were changed. The 101st Airborne “Air-Mobile” was short of ‘Aviation Assets’, so D Troop was sent temporarily over to them. The Troop disembarked at Da Nang (RVN) on July 21, 1968, the ships were uncovered, and put back together, then flown directly to Camp Eagle, prepped, and went to war, supporting the 101st Airborne Infantry Forces under the call sign “Saber”. The troop remained there until March of 1969, when they rejoined 1/1 Cavalry with the Americal Division, back at Chu Lai.

The Crew Chief wears standard jungle fatigues as he is not a part of the flight crew, but often the pilots wear fatigues as well. The rank of SP-4 could well be the result of a rank reduction for some behavior, as normally the job would be filled by a sergeant on a Cobra. Nonetheless, his flight crew values his abilities and wants him for the job. Jungle fatigue trousers and jungle boots would complete the outfit, along with an Army ball-cap, or M1 helmet when needed.

** 101 ABN (Air) Sgt. Class B, Khaki Uniform:

The khaki shirt is much the image of the soldier returning to the continental US. And this troop story, but from his second tour, the first one he had been infantry, and decided to come back as a crew chief.

With three and a half rows of decorations, notably the Silver Star, Purple-heart, Bronze-Star, and Air medal, multiple times, he has nothing to be ashamed of, one again he has done his duty, and the best he could, he tried to do the difference and felt strongly enough about it, that he came back.

His country called out to him, and he went. He was bounced all over the place and did more flying than he ever asked for. And now he will be challenged to put it behind him when he comes home, but it likely will always be in the back of his mind. Other than his specific insignia, he looks like many of the soldiers flying home, Green Overseas Cap (Might work for someone “non-Airborne qualified” but now has an Airborne Cap. And khaki trousers, his boots polished, had checked his weapon and signed back in.

**I caught myself, and now I believe I have the cap was wrongly portrayed, where the DUI is on the left-forward side-there should be the red and white, round, “Airborne” patch. So re-shot uniform shirt with an “Airborne” Overseas Cap. But now the Wings should be under the CIB Award!

Staff Sergeant, 82nd Airborne (Air):

After the Tet Offensive’s, Battle of Hue City, The Commander of the First Field Force, ordered the Commander of the 101st Airborn Division, Major General Barsanti to deploy the Second Brigade of the Division, along with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade, to take over control operational area called “Jeb Stuart”, of the 1st Cavalry, releasing them to get ready for another big operation, the relief of the combat base, “Khe Sanh” operating under control of the Marine Corps.

Co. A, 82nd Aviation Battalion was part of the 82nd Airborne Division's aviation battalion structure at Fort Bragg. In April 1965, Co. A deployed to Vietnam (the rest of the 82nd Aviation Battalion deployed to the Dominican Republic in support of 82nd Airborne operations on the island). When it arrived in Vietnam Co. A operated from Vung Tau in III Corps. It was tasked with supporting the 173rd Airborne Brigade. In October 1965, the unit moved to Bien Hoa, continuing to support the 173rd in its operations around III Corps. In Sept. 1966, Co. A, 82nd Aviation Battalion was deactivated and its assets were assigned to the 335th Aviation Co. In early 1967, the 335th was redesignated as the 335th Assault Helicopter Company. 

One other aspect of this particular outfit is that in late 1965, Co. A started repainting their OD-Green aircraft into a two-color camouflage scheme, adding a flat-black blotchy striped pattern over the beat-up aircraft. And about that time, their identification roof stripes disappeared. The brighter markings were in the subdued format by the end of 1967. There were only a few outfits that ever used camouflage on their helicopters during the Vietnam War; some Special Forces and Air Force aircraft did.

The crew member depicted here wears a fire-retardant shirt. introduced during the middle of the Vietnam War. It uses naturally all subdued insignia on it. His helmet visor cover has been marked both prior and present duties, and a nice job of it, too. The helmet features a green cloth interior, rather than the standard leather, indicating that it is also of the later issue at the time.

****Again, Order of Priority, I’ll need to fix the CIB location with the Wings below it now. It is in the order of achievement now, but they penalize you for that. We’re sending it back to the Tailor to be fixed up.