January-February 1969-page 13, 14, 15, 18, 20

 

“Southeast Asia”

 

“Silver Star Presentation …..  24 Hours Later …..  “

Capt Harvey B. Bell, HH-43 copilot, shows on map where two downed Army fliers were rescued the day after Parares­cueman Ingulli, left, received the Silver Star. 1stLt John F. Kolar, RCC, is on the right; SSgt James P. Baldwin, stand­ing. (USAF photo)

 

BIEN HOA (7AF) - A1c Charles R. Ingulli, Jr., likes to celebrate in a big way. He recently received the Silver Star for "gallantry in action" from the USAF Chief of Staff, Gen John P. McConnell. Less than 24 hours later he celebrated by adding two more "combat saves" to his record.

During a ceremony at Bien Hoa, Ingulli, a PJ (pararescueman) with Det 6, 38th ARRSq, was awarded the Nation's fourth highest decoration for valor. The award was made for Ingulli's rescue of a seriously injured Air Force pilot last February. The day after receiving his award, Ingulli was on alert with three other members of an HH-43 HUSKIE rescue helicopter crew at Bien Hoa - 1st Lt John F. Kolar, RCC; Capt Harvey B. Bell, copilot; and SSgt James P. Baldwin, flight engineer - when the alarm was sounded and they scrambled. An Army observation helicopter had been downed by enemy fire in the jungles 45 miles from Bien Hoa. At the crash site, Ingulli was lowered 125 feet through the dense, triple-canopied jungle growth. Below, an Army pilot lay pinned under the wreckage.

"As I went down on the penetrator, I fed out 200 feet of nylon rope I would need to unpin the trapped man, "Ingulli said. "As I hit the ground I saw another survivor walking around in a daze." The PJ made the dazed man lie down and then quickly tied the rope to the helicopter wreckage. He then called for Lieutenant Kolar to lift with the HUSKIE. Clearing trees by a scant five feet, the HH-43 strained upward, trying to lift the wreckage off the injured pilot.

"Things started looking pretty bad as the chopper couldn't get that little extra budge I needed," Ingulli said, "then an Army patrol arrived on the scene and we got the man out. " With the soldiers and Ingulli pushing and the chopper pulling - the "tug of life" was won.

Sergeant Baldwin lowered a Stokes litter to the ground and the injured pilot was hoisted to the helicopter. As this was being done, the pararescueman informed Lieutenant Kolar that the Army man's condition was so grave that minutes could mean the difference between life and death. Ingulli requested that he and the less seriously injured survivor be left behind so as to get the pilot to a hospital as quickly as possible. Reluctantly, Lieutenant Kolar agreed. He broke the hover he had held the HH-43 in for 45 minutes and headed for the Medevac hospital at Quan Loi. Ten minutes later the HUSKIE landed near the medical facility. Meanwhile, the 10-man Army patrol back at the crash site had set up a perimeter defense.

"When the chopper left it looked like a long night ahead for the rest of us on the ground," Ingulli recalled. "As it got dark we could hear strange noises around us and were positive there were enemy elements nearby. As we waited, Air Force fighters were working over positions in the area and dirt from their bombs was falling on us."

After leaving the patient at Quan Loi, the HH-43 flew through the darkness back to the crash scene. Ingulli lit a flare to guide the HUSKIE to its hover point and the pararescueman and injured crew member were brought aboard the helicopter. The Army man, who had suffered a broken leg, was delivered to Quan Loi, then the HUSKIE crew headed for Bien Hoa. On the way, evasive action was taken to avoid enemy fire. From start to finish, the mis­sion had taken exactly three hours and 30 minutes.

The rescues were the 1398th and 1399th combat saves made by units of the 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group in Southeast Asia. For Ingulli, who had made four of those saves, it was the second eventful day in a row.

51 Combat Saves Made by 3rd ARRGp  “PJ”   - Sgt Steve M. Northern

DA NANG AIR BASE, RVN (7AF) - At age 21 Air Force Sgt Steve M. Northern has completed his Vietnam tour. Barely of voting age, Sergeant Northern has recorded more "combat saves" than any other person in aviation
history - 51. The all-time record was established by Northern during two consecutive Southeast Asia tours as a pararescueman (PJ) with the 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group of the Military Airlift Command (MAC).

Northern came to Southeast Asia in July 1966. He was first assigned to Det 6, 38th ARRSq, at Bien Hoa AB where he served as a PJ aboard HH-43 "Pedro" rescue helicopters. He was wounded in action less than two months after his arrival and awarded the Purple Heart. Enemy bullets couldn't stop the then 19-year-old youth, however, and he went on to become one of the most highly decorated pararescuemen in the Nation's history.

Sergeant Northern received the first of two Silver Stars for "gallantry in action" for an heroic action on July 15, 1967. His second Silver Star as a PJ came for an action on Aug 23, 1967, when he volunteered to be lowered from his HH-3 "Jolly Green Giant" helicopter "to aid an immobilized survivor located in a position completely surrounded by hostile troops and gun positions. Airman Northern carried the survivor to the hoist and shielded him with his own body as they were brought into the helicopter..."

Both Silver Stars came for action while with the 37th ARRSq. Like Northern, the 37th ARRSq is one of the most decorated units in history. Earlier the sergeant served with the 38th ARRSq which was awarded a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation in 1966 for its combat rescue activities. At that time more than 300 individual awards had been made to members of the squadron. Sergeant Northern received two Kaman Scrolls of Honor for HH-43 rescue missions while flying with Det 6 and was honored again by Kaman with a third Scroll while serving with Det 7, 38th ARRSq, based at DaNang. Two of the rescues were made at night and all were made while flying over hostile territory.

While at Da Nang, Northern flew more than 240 missions with the HH-3. He flew an average of 45 combat missions a month, many deep into enemy territory and as far north as the Haiphong area of North Vietnam. During his off-duty days, Northern volunteered to fly HH-43 rescue missions with Det 7. He is one of the few pararescuemen who flew missions interchangeably in both the HH-43 and HH-3 helicopters. At other times Northern participated in Medical Civic Action Patrol flights, offering medical aid to local Vietnamese villagers.

Sergeant Northern completed his final two combat saves off Tiger Island, North Vietnam, on Oct 20, 1968. Ironically, Northern's last save was a fellow PJ, Alc Robert Cassidy. Cassidy and three other crew members were rescued in a dramatic action when their helicopter was destroyed by enemy fire while attempting to rescue two Marine Corps F-4 crewmen from the Gulf of Tonkin.

Northern plans to attend El Camino Junior College, Torrence, Calif., in February. Asked how he felt about leaving the Air Force and Southeast Asia, the soft-spoken, dark-haired, six-foot one­inch, 175-pound PJ said: "I'll miss it!"

 

At the risk of their own lives, an HH-43 crew from Det 9, 38th ARRSq, Pleiku AB, rescued LtCol John Rivers, pilot of an F-100 which had crashed on the base and was in imminent danger of exploding. Capt James G. Ellis, III, pilot of the HUSKIE, took off with the fire suppression kit and followed the stricken aircraft down the runway as the pilot attempted to land. The F-100 slammed through the barrier and then went off the runway.

Captain Ellis set the FSK down in a rice paddy in front of the wreckage and the airborne firefighters, Sgts Henry Michalski, Jr., and Robert W. Colclough, Jr., leaped to the ground and ran to the suppression kit. At the same time copilot Capt Derry A. Adamson, ignoring the fact that he was not dressed in protective clothing, ran toward the F-100. He had seen that the engine on the fighter was still running and wanted to get the pilot out before ingested FOD caused the engine to explode. Two members of the base transit alert had blown the canopy and were releasing the pilot's lap belt as Captain Adamson climbed the side of the aircraft and straddled the cockpit. Seeing that the ejection handles were full down, he stood over the seat in order to get the pilot out as quickly as possible. He was joined by Sergeant Michalski who straddled the front of the cockpit. The rescuemen heard and felt secondary explosions as they lifted the survivor out, but disregarded them. They lowered the injured pilot to Sergeant Colclough and other firemen ; then, as Captain Adamson helped carry the colonel to safety, Sergeant Michalski stop­cocked the throttle to lessen the danger to others in the area.

Throughout the operation, Captain Ellis hovered the HH-43 in a position to render instant assistance in the event of a fire or explosion. By so doing, he exposed himself to the "hot guns" in the downed aircraft as well as the danger from an explosion. Afterward, as the barely conscious F-100 pilot was taken to the hospital, he was given first aid by Captain Adamson.

 

In a midnight mercy flight, an HH-43 crew from Det 8, 38th ARRSq, Cam Ranh Bay AB, evacuated a Vietnamese woman in childbirth to the hospital. To make the pickup, Capt Peter J. Connelly landed on a small dirt road while the patient was brought from a boat which had transported her across the bay. Other members of the HUSKIE crew were Capt John P. Smariga, copilot; Sgt Gary P. Bryant, pararescueman; Sgt Jon A. Knox, flight engineer.

 

On another Det 8 mission, a seriously-injured U. S. soldier was evacuated by an HH-43 crew consisting of LtCol Flavious F. Drake, pilot; Capt Peter W. Gissing, copilot; Alc Donald H. Goodlett, pararescueman; Alc Wilber L. Jeffcoat, flight engineer. On the flight to the hospital, the airmen administered first aid, applied splints to the patient's broken legs and treated him for shock. 

In a night "life or death" medevac mission, an HH-43 crew from Det 7, 38th ARRSq at DaNang AB transported two seriously wounded combat casualties from a hospital at China Beach to the base for C-141 airlifting out of the country. The first casualty was in a bulky foster frame litter which elevated him so he could be rotated. He required an attending physician to be with him at all times.

Afterward, Det 7 received a letter from LtCol Paul R. Hanson, 22nd Casualty Staging Flight Commander, which thanked them for their efforts, and said that both men were so seriously injured the flights were truly of a "life or death" nature. Pilot of the HUSKIE was Capt Robert S. Henderson and Capt John E. Murray was copilot. Crewmen were TSgt William S. Sands and Alc Donald H. Goodlett.

In another Det 7 life or death medevac mission, Maj Keaver Holley, III , and his crew airlifted a seriously ill patient from the Naval support activity hospital at the Marble Mountain Army Air Field to Da Nang. The flight was across an insecure zone but the HUSKIE did not come under fire. With Major Holley was the copilot, Capt Henry E. Hooke and a crewman, Sgt Edward A. Deshae.

 

TAKHLI RTAFB (MAC)--Smoke billows from blazing jet fuel while firemen, using afire suppression kit, extinguish the flames. An HH-43B HUSKIE rescue helicopter from Det 2, 38th ARRS (MAC), hovers behind the firefighters. The rotor blades supply a blast of cool air that protects the firemen. In an actual emergency this procedure is used to rescue trapped crewmembers from the burning aircraft. (USAFphoto by A1c Robert W. Hollis)

 

TUY HOA (7 AF) -HH -43 helicopter crews from Det 11, 38th ARRSq (MAC), at Tuy Hoa AB have rescued many downed airmen from both land and sea. The efficient and professional manner in which these rescues were carried out is based on the numerous practice and training exercises, like those shown on the right, conducted by the detachment. Using a mountain climber's rappelling technique, Alc Steven R. Tuttle, pararescueman, lowers himself by rope from a hovering HUSKIE. Sgt Richard Rodas is hoisted from a life raft in the South China Sea. Alc Ian T. Burr hits the ocean after jumping from an HH-43. (USAF photos)

 

TAN SON NHUT AB (7AF) - Rescuemen from Det 14, 38th ARRSq, at this base are shown in front of one of the detachment's HH-43's. First row, left to right, are Sgt Russell K. Dun­ning, Sgt Gerald J. Wiersma, Sgt Gary W. Wilcek, CMSgt. William E. Johnson, SSgt Donald J. Nason, SSgt Ermon L. Russell (377th CES), Sgt Richard W. Peterson, SSgt Jerry L. Ball (377 CES). Second row, TSgt Kenneth H. Hogan, Capt Peter J. Kerrigan, Capt Henry L. Pierce, Capt Lawrence E. Bielstein, Maj Donald L. Jordon, detachment commander; Maj Robert B. Vaughan, A1c Michael L. Kaufman and SSgt William R. Gladish. Rotor Tips welcomes group photographs of personnel who fly and maintain Kaman helicopters. (USAF photo)

 

DA NANG (7AF) - SSgt William P. Owens performs a pre-flight inspection on an HH-43 assigned to Det 7. In right photo, a detachment HUSKIE takes off in answer to an emergency. (USAF photos)

 

-DA NANG (7AF) - "To me, performing a mercy mission is more gratifying than anything else." With these words SSgt William P. Owens explains why he enjoys his job. Owens is an HH-43 flight engineer with Det 7, 38th ARRS (MAC) at Da Nang AB. The detachment's function is aircrew recovery and aircraft firefighting. HH-43 HUSKIE helicopters are used by the detachment for these missions. When scrambled for a fire suppression mission, it is the flight engineer's task to prepare the unique fire suppression kit which is slung beneath the HUSKIE. With the special 1,200-pound kit and the downwash from the chopper's blades, it is possible to suppress fire long enough for firefighters to rescue the crew members.

Owens and the other flight engineers have the responsibility of making sure the detachment's HH-43's are always ready to fly. Therefore, immediately after completing a mission, the flight engineer readies the aircraft for its next "scramble." He performs any needed maintenance and refuels the helicopter. As an integral member of the helicopter flight crew, the flight engineer goes along whenever the helicopter is scrambled. On aircrew recovery missions he operates the hoist to raise downed pilots and works with the pilot and copilot to guarantee a smooth operation. During search missions he acts as a scanner for downed aircrew members.

Earlier this year, Owens was decorated for a difficult night pickup. It was especially hazardous because it was over water and there are no established training procedures for such an operation. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in the save. Major Keaver Holley III, detachment commander, says of Owens: "You can always count on him to come through in an emergency ... and this goes for all my flight engineers."

Det 7 has two helicopters, with one ready for action at all times. A complete crew - pilot, copilot, pararescueman, two firemen and flight engineer - is on duty 24 hours a day, ready to go. Within two minutes after notification of an emergency, the aircrew is airborne and on the way.

With the exception of a few support missions and aeromedical evacuation flights, every mission flown by the small unit is a scramble, making speed one of the primary qualities necessary for an H-43 flight engineer.

 

 From Rotor Tips Jan-Feb 1969 - page 18 :

SCOTT AFB, Ill. -LtCol Robert J. Kavanagh, Chief of Safety for Headquarters Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, recently received the third through seventh Oak Leaf clusters to the Air Medal. BrigGen Allison C. Brooks, ARRS commander, presented the medals.

Colonel Kavanagh earned the medals during his year as commander of Det 6, 38th ARRS, Bien Hoa AB, RVN.
He logged 250 hours flying an HH-43 HUSKIE. He and his crew accounted for three men saved under combat conditions. Colonel Kavanagh also earned his second Distinguished Flying Cross and second Air Force Commendation Medal while in Vietnam.

 

From Rotor Tips Jan-Feb 1969 - page 20 :  

3000 HOURS - HH-43 number 59-1562, assigned to Det 3, 38thARRSq, Ubon AB, Thailand, recently accumulated its 3000th flight hour. Posing with the sign announcing the event is the crew which was aboard the helicopter when the 3000th hour was logged. Left to right are, Sgt George W. Tefferteller, flight engineer; Maj Robert C. Collom, detachment commander, Capt Bobby L. Meadows, rescue crew commander; and Sgt Philip E. White, crew chief. The HH-43 HUSKIE is also often referred to affectionately, especially in Southeast Asia, as "Pedro, " the radio call letters of the helicopter. (USAF photo)

 

Two HH-43 crews from Det 3, 38th ARRSq, Ubon Afld, Thailand, teamed up to rescue 1stLt Peter R. Nash, USAF, copilot of an F-4D which crashed at night five miles from the airfield. After considerable searching over the dark terrain, the downed aircraft was located by a HUSKIE crew consisting of Capt Arthur C. Plunkett, pilot; Capt Nicholas O. Gaspar, copilot; Sgt William C. Murphy, medical technician; and Sgt Glenn A. Todd, flight engineer. The second HH -43 picked up Lieutenant Nash and the first returned to base for refueling. Manning the pickup helicopter were Maj Robert C. Collom, RCC; Capt Rolland C. Urie, RCCP; SSgt Igor E. Ivanoff, flight engineer; and Capt Vernon P. Wagner, flight medical officer. The pilot of the F-4D, who had not survived the crash, was located afterward by the rescuemen.
(add by Sid Nanson : The rescue involving Peter R Nash was on 19 Sep 68.  ; 435 TFS, 8 TFW)

 

 

A Det 3 crew scrambled after two RTAF T-28's were involved in a mid-air collision and crashed five miles from the base. Major Collom landed the HUSKIE near the flaming wreckage of one plane and the FSK was used to extinguish the fire. It was determined that the downed pilot had not survived the crash. The second T-28 pilot was then located near the other aircraft involved in the collision. He had bailed out and suffered minor injuries. With Major Collom were Sergeant Murphy, medical technician; and SSgt Alfred E. Ellis and Sgt Booker T. McCoy, rescue specialists.

 

Two Vietnamese, seriously injured in a mine explosion, were evacuated at night from Providence Hospital in Tuy Hoa to the 91st U. S. Army Medical Evacuation Hospital at Phu Hiep AF by an HH-43 crew from Det 11, 38th ARRSq, at Tuy Hoa. To pick up the patients, Capt Daniel A. Nicholson had to make a landing in a dark and unfamiliar field with power lines in the immediate area. Many Vietnamese "scurrying" around the helicopter during the loading process was a further complication. On the flight the patients were administered intravenous fluids by Sgt Donald L. Soden, flight engineer; and Alc Paul E. Fatka, pararescue specialist. Major Delmar G. Worsech was copilot on the mission.

 

During a night evacuation, an HH-43 HUSKIE crew from Det 10, 38th ARRSq, Binh Thuy AB, landed in a darkened, tree-lined field to pick up a sailor who had been seriously wounded while aboard a Navy River Patrol Boat (PBR). Another sailor, killed in the same action, was also placed aboard the helicopter. During the landing and takeoff, light enemy fire was directed at the HUSKIE. On the flight to the hospital, TSgt Dudley R. Peckinpaugh, the HH-43 paramedic, applied multiple pressure bandages to the sailor's wounds. He had been hit in both legs by shrapnel. Capt John L. Debevec was pilot of the HH-43 and LtCol Roland E. Speckman was copilot. The flight engineer was Alc James E. Tarantino.

 

In another Det 10 mission, Capt Thomas D. Precious and his HH-43 crew flew through heavy rain showers and then landed in a flooded rice paddy to pick up the four-man crew of a Navy Seawolf helicopter that had gone down in hostile territory. Cover for the rescue helicopter was flown by another Seawolf and additional cover was provided by several PBR's. The downed crewmembers made their way through the two-foot-deep water to the HH-43 and climbed aboard. They were uninjured but covered with leeches. Colonel Speckman was copilot of the HUSKIE, SSgt Gordon L. Browning, flight engineer, and Sgt Lonnie G. Conner, pararescueman.

 

“That Others May Be Clothed and Made Well”

At the headquarters of the 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group at Tan Son Nhut AB, Saigon, the normal daily efforts of the men are to assist in rescuing downed airmen throughout Southeast Asia. Their off-duty efforts are also concerned with humanitarian service - helping the Co-Nhi-Vein Viet Hoa Orphanage in every way possible.
Det 11, 38th ARRSq, continued its program of civic actions as an HH-43 helicopter crew recently distributed 500 pounds of clothing to Vietnamese in hamlets near Tuy Hoa AB. The clothing, which was gathered in the United States by families of Det 11 personnel, boosted the total distributed by the rescue unit to more than 1000 pounds. Aboard the helicopter were Maj George S. Manum, detachment commander; Capt Daniel A. Nicholson, and Alc Robert Brooks.
Det 11 personnel are also engaged in medical civic action program (MEDCAP) projects throughout the province.

Four times a week, HH-43 crews fly medical teams to 10 different sites where Air Force doctors, dentists and medical technicians treat Vietnamese for a multitude of ailments.

"When we first started making the MEDCAP trips, the people would run away and hide when we started to land, " Maj or Mangum said, 'now they know who we are and why we are here and they come running out to meet us."

Another facet of the HUSKIE crews' outstanding record of service to the local residents is the medical evacuation flights bringing injured and sick Vietnamese out of remote, often hostile territory. The HH-43 has flown children to the Tuy Hoa dispensary for corrective surgery; Vietnamese civilians wounded in land mine and booby trap explosions to hospitals; anybody, anyplace, any­time help was needed!

 

last update : 20/07/2007