January-February 1971-page 12,13,14

“Southeast Asia”

New Commander for 3rd ARRGp

Col George C. Pinyard has replaced Col Frederick V. Sohle, Jr., as Commander of the 3d ARRGp based at Tan Son Nhut AB.
Colonel Sohle has been reassigned as vice commander of the 61st Military Airlift Support Wing, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Colonel Pinyard was formerly commander of the 31st ARRSq, Clark AB, R.P. He began his tour in rescue in 1951. Assigned to the 39th ARRSq, Ashiya AB, Japan, he flew 35 combat missions during the Korean Conflict.

From April 1955 to April 1960, he served with the 1707th Flying Training Squadron as operations officer and commander followed by two years as chief of weapons system division at West Palm Beach AFB, Fla., and Brookley AFB, Ala. After graduating from the Command and Staff College he was assigned to the 79th ARRSq, Andersen AFB, Guam, where he served as operations officer. Returning in July 1964, he was stationed at Hq ARRS, Orlando AFB, Fla., as chief of command and control division.
During World War II he flew 56 combat missions in the B-26 Invader in the European theater.

A command pilot, Colonel Pinyard's decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 12 Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Croix de Guerre with Palm.

Det 13 Rescues Three

An HH-43 Pedro crew rescued three U. S. Army soldiers stranded in four-foot deep flood waters three miles from Phu Cat AB in the Central Highlands. The crewmembers rushed to the scene about 9:45 a.m. after a U.S. Army convoy truck overturned on Highway 1 near the base, dumping its 15 passengers into the flood waters that resulted from the heavy rains that had struck Vietnam.
The passengers were just a few among the many persons affected by the massive floods which left Phu Cat looking like an island in the middle of a huge lake. All the passengers were able to scramble to safety except the three, who were carried downstream by strong currents. They finally managed to hang onto a clump of trees in a section of the water that was about four feet deep. Since they could only be gotten out by a helicopter with a hoist, Army gunships in the area requested help from the 38th ARRSq Detachment 13 at Phu Cat.

"It took us five minutes to get to the area," said Capt Richard L. Oliver, pilot of the rescue helicopter. "We had to hover approximately 30 feet in the air. There was rain and the winds were gusting up to 20 miles per hour."

"The flooded area was on the edge of a village," added Capt Charles W. Vickrey, the copilot. "Although there were many spectators around, it seemed to be relatively secure."

The medical technician, Sgt John M. Coffey, was lowered to assist the soldiers. "They seemed to be okay - a little cold and slightly scared, but nothing else," he said.

The effort took about 15 minutes, and the crew, which included SSgt James B. Reed, evacuated the three to the 12th USAF Dispensary where they were treated and released.

First row, left to right, are Alc Willie J. Dotson, SMSgt Paul K. Koonce, maintenance supervisor; SSgt Alfred R. Smoldon, Sgt William R. Carrell, SSgt Jerry W. McCutcheon, Alc George W. Hemingway, SSgt Robert L. Burke, SSgt Bernie D. Blocker, Sgt Marion W. Faircloth, SSgt Robert E. Morris.
Second row, Sgt Stephen L. Stover, Sgt Michael W. Back, SSgt John W. Markle, MSgt David L. Lancaster, Maj Oger J. Ven Dange, SSgt Bruce A. Wark, Sgt Richard L. Anderson, Sgt John W. Beavers, Capt Richard L. Oliver, Capt Charles W. Vickrey, Maj Allan L. Gruer, detachment commander.
Third row, Alc Carl E. Cooper, Alc David R. Hatcher, Capt Aram Paquin, SSgt Stephen W. Ottgen, Sgt Michael R. Manfred, Alc Bradford L. Leopold, SSgt James B. Reed, Jr., Capt Bruce W. Staples, and Capt Lorenzo M. Crowell, Jr. (USAF photo)

NCO Turns HH-43 Into Control Tower

TSgt James B. Dodd controls Bien Hoa AB air traffic from an ARRS HH-43 Pedro helicopter. (USAF photo by SSgt David Spaner) 

Air traffic controller TSgt James B. Dodd recently averted a possible disaster when power failed in the control tower at Bien Hoa AB a few weeks ago. The noncommissioned officer jumped aboard an HH-43 from Det 6, 38th ARRSq, which operates from the base and directed air traffic from the rescue helicopter until power was restored.

"My first reaction when the power went," Sergeant Dodd said, "was to gain some kind of control over the traffic we had at the time." The NCO explained that he had been aware that a power outage had been scheduled for the day, but he hadn't counted on the breakdown of the power generator and its backup.

Sergeant Dodd, chief controller for the 1877th Communications Squadron, asked for an HH-43 Pedro helicopter for support. "I went down from the tower to ask the Pedros for help because no phones were working. We immediately took off and started controlling the traffic. By using the helicopter radios, we finally gained control," he said.

Power was returned after about 30 minutes, but the sergeant's problems weren't over. As soon as he got back into the control tower, the backup generator failed again. "This time," Sergeant Dodd explained, "it was for a little over an hour. They had to completely replace our backup generator. I got down to the rescue detachment again and took to the air. Unfortunately this hit us when we had most of our traffic coming in and going out."

Bien Hoa Air Base handles about 28,000 landing and departure operations per month. During the emergency, Sergeant Dodd controlled about 175 operations. The sergeant said that he has had to do this before in his career as an air traffic controller. He said, "That was my fifth trip flying in the helicopter for that purpose."

Capt Raymond F. Hunter, the rescue detachment operations officer, was on duty at the time the sergeant asked for helicopter support. Captain Hunter said, "We launched immediately and acted as the control tower with Sergeant Dodd in the left seat and myself in the right seat. I was very much impressed with the way Sergeant Dodd handled the situation.

"When we launched," Captain Hunter continued, we had two dozen airplanes in the pattern with nobody to talk to. They were at a complete loss as to what to do. Sergeant Dodd began issuing instructions from that point on and in about five to ten minutes he had the situation under control. I had known of the pressures under which these people worked but I had never experienced it firsthand. The flow of traffic was very smooth after the sergeant got on the scene."

Night Medevacs Made By Det 8

Three Vietnamese nationals who had been wounded in a night firefight were evacuated to the hospital by an HH-43 crew from Det 8, 38th ARRSq, Cam Ranh Bay AB. The trio, two men and a boy, had been treated at the Marketime Naval Facility after being taken there aboard a Vietnamese Navy "Swift Boat." Further medical attention was needed, however, and the Pedro crew responded.

Capt Peter F. Dineen set the rescue helicopter down on the unlighted helipad and the wounded, along with a Navy doctor, were taken aboard. Soon afterward the patients were delivered to the 483rd USAF Hospital. Others manning the Pedro were 1stLt Harold I. Visnick, copilot; TSgt Arthur G. Esteban, crew chief; and SSgt Eugene E. Cramer, medical technician.

In another night flight, a Det 8 crew evacuated a U. S. Army soldier from unlighted Dong Ba Thin Army Airfield. The injured man had been taken there after suffering serious internal injuries in a vehicle accident. The mission was hampered by the unprepared landing site. The only visual means Capt Michael P. Bolline, the HH-43 pilot, had of locating the landing area was a single flashlight operated by one of the men on the ground. The soldier was taken to the 483 USAF Hospital. With Captain Bolline on the flight were Capt Bruce W. Staples, copilot; Sergeant Cramer, medical technician; and Sgt Larry K. Fisher, helicopter mechanic.

Air-Ground Rescue Teamwork At Phan Rang

Air Force ground and air rescue crews at Phan Rang AB showed their capability for reacting quickly recently when an F-100 Super Sabre crashed on landing. Alc James W. Hallock reported the crash and then drove his 12-ton foam­discharging fire truck to the spot where the downed aircraft was resting off the taxiway. He parked his vehicle and ran to see if the pilot was still inside-there was no fire, but he had his asbestos fire suit on "just in case." The pilot had scrambled to safety so Airman Hallock checked the cockpit to make sure all the aircraft systems were shut off.

Meanwhile, others had responded to the airman's alert. Additional ground firefighting and crash rescue equipment arrived on the scene and an HH-43 from Det 1, 38th ARRSq, the Phan Rang LBR unit, hovered overhead. Capt Peter J. Connelly landed and TSgt James F. Butler, medical technician, and Sgt Ralph Reed, fireman, were dispatched to see if they could aid. The downed pilot was examined by Sergeant Butler and then taken to the hospital in the HH-43. Others aboard the helicopter were Capt Lawrence R. Klingbail, copilot; SSgt Donald W. Bruns, flight engineer; and SSgt Jerry L. Ball, firefighting specialist. 

An HH-43 Pedro from Phan Rang AB rescued the crew of a U.S. Army gunship that crashed five miles south of the central Vietnam air base recently, injuring the two crewmen. The Army gunship crashed in a swampy area along a line of rice paddies in Ninh Thuan Province, about 160 miles northeast of Saigon in Military Region 2.

Within minutes of the initial scramble call, the four-man Pedro crew from Det 1, 38th ARRSq at Phan Rang was airborne and on the scene, responding to the request for aid. Capt Roger K. Coffey, HH-43 pilot said, "We spotted Capt Kerry P. Kicklighter, a FAC (forward air controller) with the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, orbiting the crash site in his O-2 Super Skymaster. With his help, and an assist from another Army helicopter from the 192d Assault Helicopter Company, we found the downed chopper on a small mound in the rice paddies. The crew had moved about 100 yards away from the wreckage."

The Pedro commander continued, "The injured crewmen were knee-deep in water and there was no place nearby dry enough to land because of the swamp, so we hovered about 10 feet off the ground while the flight engineer, MSgt William F. Pell, lowered a rescue device to them on our hoist cable. We made one hoist drop for each of the two crew­men, and got them aboard without a hitch."

SSgt James W. Holden,, the rescue medical technician on board, examined the injured crewmen while the Pedro flew the men to the 35th USAF Dispensary at Phan Rang. Both Army aviators were admitted to the dispensary for emergency treatment and further observation.

This was Captain Coffey's first rescue as a Pedro aircraft commander in Vietnam, and he recalled, "It was exciting and satisfying to be able to help someone, but all-in-all it was a pretty straightforward mission without any serious complications."

The entire rescue operation took only 25 minutes from the scramble call to delivery at the dispensary's helipad. Copilot on the mission was Capt Mike H. Nelson.

Det 4 Aids Crash Victims

An HH-43 Pedro crew launched in "minimum weather conditions" - heavy rain, low ceiling, scud, thunderstorms and lightning - after an EB-66 crashed two miles short of the runway at Korat AB, Thailand.
(add by Ragay : Mr Sid Nanson reports on 27 Sep 2009 : the crash date was 24 Oct 1970  - although some sources give 26th Oct  - it was EB-66C  55-0384 of 42 TEWS, 388 TFW)
A few minutes later a landing was made and the injured crewmen from the downed aircraft were being placed aboard the rescue helicopter. Five of the six survivors had suffered compression fractures of the spine. Three flights to the crash site were made. Afterward, Pedro was credited with being "the only piece of rescue equipment capable of reaching the crash site due to the heavy rain and resulting mud."
Other members of the HH-43 crew, all from Det 4, 38th ARRSq, were Maj John A. Tyson, pilot; Capt Marvon D. McLaughlin, copilot; SSgt Gerardo Ramos, medical technician; SSgt Keith L. Moser and Sgt Marshal Richmond, Jr., firefighters.

Bien Hoa Det Saves Eight

Eight U.S. Army troops were rescued by an HH-43 Pedro crew recently after their Army helicopter crash-landed in a flooded rice paddy two miles southwest of Bien Hoa AB. The rescue effort was "expedited because the area was suspected of being hostile," said Maj Elmer Funderburk, Jr., commander of the rescue helicopter.

The flooded rice paddy prevented Major Funderburk from landing and expediency prevented the use of the hoist to haul all eight troops to safety aboard the Pedro. "We hovered with the right landing gear resting on top of the levee," Major Funderburk said.

Sgt James W. Warf, helicopter mechanic, assisted four troops aboard and remained behind while the Pedro made the first shuttle to the air base. The second group and the Pedro mechanic were returned to the base 15 minutes later. Other members of the Det 6, 38th ARRSq, that participated in the rescue were Capt John C. Troolin, copilot; and SSgt Glenn A. Mumpower, medical technician.

In another Det 6 mission, an HH-43 flown by Capt Roy M. Litzen, scrambled recently to rescue an injured Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) A-1 Skyraider pilot. The A-1 had crashed near the base while attempting an emergency landing.
Captain Litzen's copilot on the mission was Capt John W. Mack, and the medical technician on board was Sergeant Mumpower. The VNAF fighter had crashed slightly more than one mile from the east end of the runway here. Captain Litzen, describing the mission afterward, said, "The tower called us, saying that an A-1 was coming in with engine trouble and that it was losing altitude but it appeared that it would make the field here. Then we were notified that he had crashed. It took us about 45 seconds to get airborne after that.

"In about two minutes we were at the crash site," the captain continued. "There was too much underbrush and the terrain was too rough for us to land. We put the medical technician down and Sergeant Mumpower placed the injured pilot on the forest penetrator and brought him back up into the aircraft."

Sergeant Mumpower added that when they got to the accident site, "it looked at first like the pilot was in good condition, but we found he was unable to get into the harness by himself. I was deployed and quickly checked him for any type of injury. We got him back to the helicopter and I treated him for shock and applied dressings to his open wounds. After we picked up the pilot it only took us about six minutes before he was being treated at the Long Binh Hospital."
For Captain Litzen this was his seventh such rescue in more than 20 months of Vietnam service. He previously had been assigned to the Pedro rescue unit at Cam Ranh Bay AB.  

last update : 28/09/2009