IT'S BEEN 36 YEARS SINCE MY VIETNAM TOUR

Incredible to me is the fact that I left Vietnam in late 1971 and today (9/30/2007) it is 36 years later! But, the memories still stay with me. I can't remember the smells or tastes but I can remember that Vietnam was different from anything I had experienced before and since. (Right picture -Me in the 219th Headhunters "Dog House", Pleiku, Vietnam October 1971)

I was a young 2nd Lieutenant when I hit the ground in Vietnam September 1970. Only a few weeks earlier, I had graduated from Army flight school at Ft. Rucker, Alabama with my pilot wings and an eagerness to try them out in real combat. I was also very motivated by the fact my finance' Ruth, an Army nurse, was already in Vietnam and had been there for six months. We had stayed in communication with each other through the MARS radio system that linked shortwave radio with the land line telephone. I remember having to say "Over" at the end of each sentence so that the live operator monitoring our calls could switch from transmit to receive. Ruth had to do the same thing on the other end. It was awkward and there was no privacy but it was all we had. Frankly, for us it was great!

My motivation to be in Vietnam was high. I remember calling the Department of the Army Officer Personnel Section in Washington, DC. and asking that I not be sent anywhere else. I also remember the reaction of the Captain on the other end of the phone, when he asked me my name again. He exclaimed that he did not get a lot of calls with urgency to go to Vietnam and wanted to know if I was ready to leave within the next 2-3 days. That was too quick for me and I asked for a 7-day leave to visit my family in California, which he granted.

As I write this more memories are starting to return. In my week before Vietnam, I can remember my Dad who was a six year World War II veteran telling some of the stories he never previously shared with anyone about his Army experiences. What I did not know then but found out year's later was my Dad never expected to see me again. It was for him not just a visit from his son but a "good-bye". This can only be felt by a parent when part of their family, son or daughter heads off to a war zone. At the time, it never occurred to me that my folks discussed my not coming back. I did not even think about it. At age 23, I was immortal as are most youth entering combat for the first time. Life was an adventure to be lived not to be pushed away. There was no fear in me, only excited anticipation of what was to come.

My flight training was excellent. Probably the best in the world! I was selected by the Army, not to fly helicopters but airplanes. At that time, 10% of Army flight school graduates were being trained in airplanes. The mission varied greatly from reconnaissance to VIP transport to resupply. A little known fact at that time was that the Army had more airplanes than the Air Force and more ships than the Navy. It was a big and diverse force and I had my part in it.

I flew many airplanes in training but it was the last one I trained in that would be my life while in Vietnam. That airplane was the L-19 or O-1 Birddog. The Birddog was a great aircraft and had as its primary mission reconnaissance. The pilot sat up front and an observer sat directly behind. This was called tandem seating. The L-19 was also a tail dragger with high wings. You could not see over the nose when taxiing which made it a challenge on unimproved surfaces. Many a Birddog pilot found himself and his airplane in an unseen ditch or hole when landing on a tactical poorly improved dirt or grassy runway. The L-19 was built by Cessna in Witchita, Kansas and was the result of design specifications developed during the Korean War. In Vietnam most of the Birddogs were built in the early 1950's, which made them 21 years old by the time I arrived in Vietnam. Not old by aircraft standards but nevertheless not the latest in technologies and equipment.

This is the background that took me to Vietnam. Next I will share what happened on my great adventure as an Army pilot. Experiences that would shape my life and forever change how I would look at war.