Combat!

This page was last updated on 06/24/17

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Gunship Action and Combat Assault
Combat Resupply/Ass & Trash
Under Attack

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Combat

Gunship Action and Combat Assault
Welcome to the war! These seven pictures of rocket runs along the river in Happy Valley definitely depict what it was all about. These are places on the ground in Happy/Chump Valley where you would not want to be. Here are comments from Steve Kerchenfaut concerning these pictures: "MATTICE WAS THE PILOT. I THINK DEKREON WAS WITH US AND I DON'T REMEMBER WHO ELSE. I KNEW MATTICE WASN'T GOING TO LET ME FLY SO I TOOK PICTURES. IT WAS A HOT MISSION AND I REMEMBER WE TOOK HITS." Pictures contributed by Owen "Butch" Brant and Steve Kerchenfaut. This 1969 picture from Jim Horton shows a WP rocket going off as he approached the LZ in Smokey 500. According to Mike Parris who was gunner on Smokey with Jim Horton, it was SOP for Smokey to hit the LZ during a combat assault just after the gunships and just before the flight of lift ships. Musket gun teams out to kick some serious ass, departing Chu Lai West to the north. 1971 picture contributed by Jolly Wilson. Formation flight (probably returning from Kham Duc). Picture taken around Aug 1970 contributed by Steve Kerchenfaut. Excellent photo of flight on short final to an LZ south of Chu Lai and just west of Highway One. 1970 Picture contributed by Joe Gross. Troops on board slick in formation enroute to Kham Duc. Thank goodness for a good AM navigational radio and AFVN radio in DaNang. It was a long flight from Chu Lai to the old French airstrip near the Laotion border. 1970 Picture contributed by Joe Gross. Bombs drop on enemy position in 1969. Photos taken from observation helicopter on site. Pictures provided by Charles Chatham. Two excellent pictures of a flight with at least seven birds in trail formation during monsoon weather. Pictures contributed by Wallace Young. Excellent series of six pictures as flight transitions to trail formation for a low level troop insertion. 1970-71 pictures contributed by Wayne "Lightnin" Resemius. Troops on board in a formation during a combat assault. Picture contributed by Wayne "Lightnin" Resemius. UH-1H 68-16536 hovering in formation with another aircraft during a combat assault in an LZ in Happy Valley (also known as Chump Valley). Picture contributed by Junior Richmond. Formation at half a rotor disc. Picture contributed by John Longstreet. Inserting or picking up troops in a two ship LZ, possibly at a new firebase. Picture contributed by John Longstreet. Combat assault series of four pictures. These are photos taken by official US Army photographers of troops disembarking in an LZ The 1968 pictures are part of a collection belonging to Jerry N. Tuttle. Pictures and info contributed by Scott Tuttle. The gunner in two of these pictures is wearing a distinctive white flight helmet. E-mail received on 08/23/99 from Mike Parris identifies the gunner. "One of the Gunners on Smokey wore a white helmet, because when I took over from him I painted the body of the helmet grey and left the visor cover white with two black ace of spades on the white visor. His name was Thomas Barr." Combat assault series of six pictures contributed by Dave Grieger. Part of a group of 60 UH-1 Hueys and 12 CH-47 Chinooks taking part in a combat assault in 1967. Picture contributed by Hank Anthony. Combat assault series of five pictures from LZ prep to short final. Pictures contributed by Tom Herrington. Smoky 500 lays out smoke around a hilltop LZ (frame 1) and the slicks insert/extract troops (frame 2). This looks like NVA territory. Pictures contributed by Tom Herrington. Smoking up the the LZ. Major Metcalf and Captain Horton show their styles. Pictures contributed by Dave Grieger. A LRRP on a string. Look closely at this picture and you can see a Ranger (G Company most likely) suspended on a rope from the UH-1 Huey slick. The G Company Rangers were the long range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) unit for the Americal Division. They were an excellent unit which often performed risky patrols in the heart of enemy territory in order to gain information about the enemy. When they needed a quick extraction, ropes dropped down through the trees were often the only way to get them out. The equipment used to extract them was often referred to as "strings" but was known as the "McGuire Rig". Pictures contributed by Tom Herrington. Formation flight over pickup zone, all aircraft trailing white and red smoke.Obviously a successful combat assault. Anyone recognize this location? Picture contributed by Steve Kerchenfaut Echelon Right Formation - Days end, time to head for the barn. 1970 picture contributed by Roger Ladd. Sweet Love - The name on this M-60 machine gun. It definitely was as sweet as love to hear those 60's returning fire on a "hot " CA. Check out the size of the bomb crater in this picture -Nov. 1969. Picture contributed by Henry Lipscomb. Gunner's view of a combat assault during the dry season. You can feel the heat and taste the grit while looking at this picture. Picture contributed by Henry Lipscomb. Gunner's eye view on a combat assault-Nov. 1969. Picture contributed by Henry Lipscomb. Gunner's view of a combat assault into dry rice fields. Picture contributed by Henry Lipscomb.

**Combat Resupply/Ass &Trash**
Three pictures depicting a 176th AHC aircraft being "hooked" back tho the Manor by a CH-47 Chinook. These pictures were likely taken by a gunship escorting the Chinook. Pictures contributed by Steve Kerchenfaut. Lightnin and Larry Arnett in # 962, stop to give some VC a ride. 1971 picture and info contributed by Wayne "Lightnin" Resemius. Resuppling a firebase during monsoon season. 1969-70 picture contributed by John Longstreet. Abrupt End of a Resupply Mission. 176 AHC UH-1D 65-10053, on its head just north of Duc Pho. "We crashed 24 July 1967 at about 1120 hours. Jeff Huss was AC and I, Max Mizejewski, was flying right seat, Mack Bargainnier was crew chief, and Worney Smith Jr was gunner. A passenger, Pvt Clifford Randolph, lost his life in this crash. We had two other pacs and 300 pounds of explosives and 200 pounds of rice on board. At approximately 300 feet AGL and 30 to 35 knots forward air speed one of the retaining bolts holding one of the tail rotors failed causing the rotor blade to come apart and take a good portion of the tail boom with it. The aircraft revolved around the mast five or six times before hitting the ground, bouncing once, and finally resting on its head as shown." 1967 picture and information contributed by Max Mizejewski. Crane escort mission in late 1971. Crew Chief William "Jolly" Wilson took these nine pictures from UH-1C 66-00520 while escorting Hercules #430 on a mission to place an artillery piece on a firebase northwest of Chu Lai near the Laotian border. The AC on the gunship was Cpt. Robert Fureigh, Musket 39 .The fire base pops a smoke and a CH-47 Chinook lands at the firebase as the CH-54 Crane maneuvers over an empty gun pit. Pictures and information provided by William "Jolly" Wilson. Musket escorting a Crane, possibly to LZ Debbie for a howitzer placement. 1969-70 Pictures contributed by Tom Herrington. Victor Charles gets a chopper ride to the monkey house! 1969-70 picture contributed by John Longstreet. Flight is shut down in a rice paddy near a ville, waiting to lift troops on a combat assault. Picture contributed by Steve Kerchenfaut. Landing to resupply a unit in a field position. LZ is marked with "grape smoke" 1970-71 picture was contributed by Steve Clark. Loading two Viet Cong prisoners at FSB Stinson. 1970-71 picture was contributed by Steve Clark. March 22, 1971 Near Laos. The 176th AHC slick 759 has just been loaded with a parachute pack in order to drop emergency resupply on LZ Delta. The drops were mostly unsuccessful and LZ Delta was overrun. The crew of 759, aircraft commander Reginald Cleve (Minuteman 21), pilot John Traver, crew chief Don Knutsen, and gunner Walter Hall, never returned from this mission. Photo taken by Ty Thomas, Hornet 21, 116th AHC. March 22, 1971 in Laos along the Xepon River shortly before 759 and crew were shot down. E-mail (07/20/2001) excerpt from Ty Thomas, "Was about 1 minute behind Minuteman 21 on emergency resupply into Laos, when they were shot down, 1971. LZ Delta was being overrun and we had tried to fly resupply in previously but due to intense ground fire, C and C had us regroup, and we were loaded with huge parachute packs.... Due to hazard and smoke, none of my crew saw it happen, but C&C ordered us back across the border. Because our call signs were so coincidentally linked (I was Hornet 21), I thought at the time, that only 1 minute in time kept it from being me and my crew." Photo taken by Ty Thomas, Hornet 21, 116th AHC.

Under Attack
Flares light up the Chu Lai perimeter during a night attack by the enemy. Pictures (2) contributed by Steve Kerchenfaut. Rocket attack at Khe San, March 1971. Butch Brant, "I took this picture at Khe San, the day during Lam Son when we were all lined up for the insertion and the 122s came raining in. If you look close, right in the middle of the picture you can see an explosion. As I remember, there were 60 lift ships and 70 guns on the field that took off at once. Everyone made it off without benefit of ATC." Picture contributed by Butch Brant. This photo is of the result of a rocket that hit Mag 12, Aug 14, 1969. This was a huge explosion which turned over chairs in the mess hall. My memory says that it hit the new hanger where they kept the F-4s. The back of the photo said it hit a POL area. What ever it hit was bad hurt. The man in the photo on the roof is SP4 Roy VanAmburg, Operator of the Main Generator. Picture and info provided by Mike Parris. Racing to the Duc Pho ammo dump in a jeep during an attack in 1967. SSGT Godwin-radio, Hank Anthony-M60, David Combs-shotgun, Larry Rorie-driver. Picture contributed by Hank Anthony. The Eagles Nest at Duc Pho, 1967. Three pictures of the ammo dump and beach area going up in smoke 1.5 miles away. The wind rushing to replace air from the explosion sucked some of the tent over. Picture contributed by Hank Anthony. Daylight rocket attack on Division Headquarters. Picture contributed by Tom Herrington. Picture #1, Picture #2, Picture #3 - Spooky working out southwest of Chu Lai near LZ Bayonet while flares light up the sky. As seen from the Manor. Pictures contributed by Tom Herrington. The 14th Combat Aviation Battalion Dispensary after a rocket attack in 1970. This incident is recorded in the 23rd Infantry ORLL for Period ending 30 April 1971. According to the ORLL, an unspecified enemy force fired 18 122mm rockets at Chu Lai Base resulting in 7 US KIA, 4 US WIA, 3 VN civilians WIA, and a dispensary destroyed. Picture contributed by Owen "Butch" Brant. ORLL provided by Les Hines, ADVA historian.
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