Reprints from 1967 and 1968

68th AHC, 334th AHC Combine to Save Two

Duc Hoa (145th Avn Bn 10)- During six hours of darkness recently, the 68th Assault Helicopter Company and the 334th Armed Helicopter Company persisted in searching efforts in a jungle area just outside of Duc Hoa and rescued a stranded crew chief and gunner.

SP4 Richard Parnell and SP4 Paul Richards were surrounded and cut off from their own helicopter by enemy forces when they made an attempt to retrieve the miniguns of a downed gunship.

In a nearby area troop-carrying slicks from the 68th were resupplying ground troops that had made contact with an unknown size enemy force. Because the downed ship was in the vicinity, the pilots of one slick decided to make a recovery attempt of the miniguns following the resupply mission.

As the slick touched down near the downed aircraft Parnell and Richards jumped out and began making their way to the deserted gunship. They were met by intense enemy fire.

"As we jumped and began running towards the wreck, automatic weapons opened up at the 12 o'clock position," Parnell stated. "As we hit the ground two more automatic weapons began firing at an angle which covered both of us and our ship at the same time. We waved to our aircraft commander to take off; we could see that the ship was receiving hits."

By this time it was almost dark, so the "Firefly" team from the 334th was called to suppress the enemy and protect the crewmen on the ground.

MAJ Donald L. Beaker, 145th Combat Aviation Battalion executive officer, and MAJ Larry F. Sanders, the battalion assistant operations officer, made several attempts to rescue the stranded crew, but the enemy fire was too intense.

As total darkness came the air teams lost contact with Parnell and Richards. LTC Robert M. Deets, 145th commander, gave orders to continue searching for the two, and for six hours the helicopters continued sweeping the area and suppressing the enemy. The two were eventually located hidden among bushes by the "Firefly" ship.

The .50 caliber gunship of the "Firefly" team, commanded by Warrant Officer Robert Dawson, made an approach, while Warrant Officer James R. Britt held the light ship on course. SP4 Alan B. Shults kept the powerful spotlight on the landing zone and subjects below.

When they landed the VC cut loose from everywhere, but the two quickly scrambled aboard and the aircraft lifted out of the area.

In thanking the 334th crew, Richards remarked, "The pilots and crew on the 334th ship really had a lot of guts to come in and pull us out, because they knew how hot the area was."

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Firefly Foils Enemy Action

Bien Hoa, (145th Avn Bn 10)- A Viet Cong squad moves quietly along a canal, carefully completing an order to reposition itself for mortar attack that night. They move with care to prevent detection, and by staying close to the canal bank the cover of darkness conceals them and their sampans. In the distance the sound of helicopters becomes increasingly louder. A single searchlight beams from one of the choppers, turning night into day wherever it wanders. Suddenly the small sampan convoy is found. In stark terror the Viet Cong flee, but the spotlight follows its prey. In just a matter of minutes they are casualties; their sampans splinters. The 334th Armed Helicopter Company Firefly Team has again added to its record of enemy kills.

In the beginning of the United States involvement in the Vietnam War, the hours of darkness belonged to the Viet Cong. An enemy who rarely made contact even in daylight, except when the tactical situation was clearly advantageous to himself, the communist insurgents used the night hours to carry out logistical resupply, tactical movement, ambush, and interdiction. As daytime operations increasingly wrought destruction upon Charlie's forces, the cogent need for nighttime mobile firepower became paramount.

In the early spring of 1965, the 197th/334th Armed Helicopter Company, was given the mission of developing the armed helicopter for operation at night. The mission was initially given on an experimental basis, but by the summer of 1967, the system initiated and developed by the 197th/334th was in nightly use thoughout III Corps. Thus the Firefly System of nightly harassment and interdiction was born.

The system developed by the 197th/334th Armed Helicopter Company was totally unique in its planning and is even deadlier in its employment. Three helicopters comprise the Firefly team: the low ship, the middle or "lightship," and the high ship. The low ship is armed with rockets and miniguns, and usually flies from treetop level to one hundred feet of altitude. The middle ship contains the lights which provide the "eyes" for the Firefly. Seven C-130 landing lights are mounted onto one pod; thus giving the operator of the searchlight ample candle power to focus on suspected enemy locations. The leader of the Firefly team flies on the high ship, with a .50 caliber machinegun for armament. Cruising at an altitude of fifteen hundred feet-just above the lightship at seven hundred feet-he has full view of the entire operation.

When a suspected enemy position is located, the team quickly goes into operation. The lightship circles slowly above the target, always maintaining surveillance over the enemy. Wherever the Viet Cong move, the light moves along with them, and the lowship moves in for the kill. Rocket and minigun fire are used to saturate the area where the insurgents are known to be. In between the firing runs made by the low ship, the high ship employs its .50 caliber machinegun. In this manner a constant stream of firepower is utilized against the enemy positions until they are completely destroyed.

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118th Kills 20

Bien Hoa, (145th Avn Bn 10) The 118th Assault Helicopter Company "Thunderbirds" on a routine support mission for the 25th ARVN Division, spotted an enemy base camp 15 miles southwest of Saigon. The team leader of the fire support team, CWO Wayne Walker, East St. Louis, Ill., and 1LT Thomas Easton of Wilmington, Del., spotted enemy movement and a large bunker complex and proceeded to investigate.

Upon investigation the team leaders encountered small arms fire, which proved to be a mistake, as the team leaders called the rest of the team and started their gun runs on the complex. Within 30 minutes the team left the site, but only after causing considerable destruction to the enemy base camp and killing 20 enemy soldiers.

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190th Resupplies Beleaguered HQ

Bien Hoa (145th Avn Bn 10-) The district headquarters at Hiep Hoa on the Oriental river had been under continuous enemy attack for over five hours.

The enemy force numbered over 300 men and was a composite battalion formed from local Main Force Viet Cong companies from the Duc Hue sub-sector area. The defenders had almost exhausted their ammunition supply and realized that, as darkness neared, it would be impossible to hold their position thoughout the night unless they were immediately resupplied with ammunition.

The 190th Assault Helicopter Company was directed from an operation south of Saigon to attempt to resupply the beleaguered defenders. The flight consisted of nine troopships, four gunships, a smoke ship and the command and control aircraft.

The operation, as developed by Maj Charles U. Vaughn, Portland, Ore called for the initial troopships, the smoke ship, and the two fire teams to attack simultaneously on a line from east to west.

The landing area could accept only one ship at a time due to its small size, was completely exposed, was outside the compound, and had enemy .50 caliber, .30 caliber, RPG rockets and automatic weapons fire directed at it.

The gunships attacked two abreast with the wingman close behind. As they started their runs, the smoke ship, commanded by CPT Thomas A. Connelly, St. Louis, Mo., dived in under the gunships and with the lead troopship, commanded by CPT Joseph Cancellare, EL Paso, Tex., flying abreast, started his smoke run between the heaviest enemy concentrations and the outpost.

On the initial pass, the smoke ship flew directly over 40 Viet Cong in a ditch along a road, taking the enemy by surprise. As the smoke ship passed over them, They whirled to fire but were engulfed in thick smoke. The gunners fired straight down into the massed enemy formation.

MAJ Vaughn, the 190th commanding officer stated, "We caught them completely off their guard; we hit them hard, and as they tried to figure us out and regroup, we slammed the door on them."

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New CO For 145th

Bien Hoa, (145th Avn Bn 10)-At ceremonies recently LTC Robert M. Deets relinquished command of the 145th Combat Aviation Battalion to LTC Gerald L. Waldron.

Present at the ceremony were Major General Robert R. Williams, commanding general 1st Aviation Brigade and Col Robert O. Lambert, commanding officer 12th Combat Aviation Group and other distinguished guests.

During the 40 minute ceremony Major General Williams, COL Lambert, LTC Deets, and LTC Waldron reviewed the battalion while the 25th Infantry Division Band played "Ruffles and Flourishes." After the pass in review Major General Williams Presented LTC Deets with the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with "V" Device, Air Medal with 5th thru 15th Oak Leaf Clusters.

Attending the ceremony as guests were Brigadier General Dunlop, senior advisor to the ARVN II Corps; Col Walts, GC Hubble, Royal Australian Air Force; Col Ogden, U.S. Air Force; and LTC L.N. Due, Vietnam Air Force.