Originally Posted by DigitalDan
I miss the guys that didn't make it home. Good men all.

It tears me up to see mangled vets amongst us.

Gawddammitall.

Movin' on boss..............

Odd thing happened yesterday. B-I-L's son had a birthday party, family and friends in attendance. Met "Hank" who used to be a Cav wrench bender (tour 1) and then a pilot (tour 2) and later on he was still flyin' guns in the Sandbox. Now he flies security at Cape Kennedy when they have missile launches. They gave Hank a state of the art Huey...and a door gunner. What a damn fine way to wrap if up, no?

Well, we reminisced a bit. Got to talking about my second tour and the dance we did with evolving tactics caused by the SA-7. Hank said he knew a fella what got shot down by one of those and survived. Curious that, cause I watched it happen. There was only one chopper crew in the war that survived one of those that hit them. Time moves along and memories get a little cranked...he didn't have it quite right. What he was talking about was his friend Rick....who was one of my stick buddies first tour and who I helped extract not far from Khe Sahn, maybe closer to Laos? Doesn't matter really. He got whacked and we snatched him and the gunner in the midst of a bunch of highly motivated NVA, who to our benefit couldn't hit chitt with a flyswatter, as least not twice in one day. Might'a been they were distracted by a Cobra or two. Puzzies.

Just before the pickup I watched Rick (~145#) pick up Jerry (~230#) over his shoulder and carry him to the chopper for extraction. Rick's backside was peppered with shrapnel from exploding ord and half his flight suit was burned off. It was the first of only two LOH's that we lost that burned.

He went on to fly for US Air, and Jerry passed at the Evac hospital from GSW.

I never was that tough.

RIP Jerry.


No words but Thanks BD..