May-June-July 1971-page 11+16,17,18,19,20

“Southeast Asia”

  "Airborne Fireman Flies to Work in HH-43"

Story by SSgt Roger A. Crescentini                USAF photo by SSgt Randy Kersey 

UBON RTAFB, Thailand - Everybody knows that most firemen ride big, red fire trucks, don rubber boots and rain coats and wield hooks and axes atop long ladders to rescue fire disaster victims from second-story windows.

At Ubon, there are a few additional duties for firemen attached to Det 3, 38th ARRSq. Sgt Fred L. Jessee, on a rotational assignment from the fire protection branch of the 8th Civil Engineering Squadron, flies to his work. The nine-year service veteran lists his main duty with the detachment as maintaining the 1,000-pound fire suppression kit lifted by the unit's HH-43B helicopters. The kit, or "bottle," as it is called by the unit members, is filled with five gallons of fire foam and more than 50 gallons of water. Sergeant Jessee must see to it that the equipment is in constant readiness, but most importantly, that he is primed to handle any situation.

"You have to know an awful lot about the different types of aircraft in use by the wing," he said, "and the ordnance they normally carry.

"Each type of ordnance has a different time factor involved until detonation when it is engulfed in fire... knowing how long you have before a bomb goes off can mean the difference in saving an aircrew member and getting into a big mess."

Once a fireman or other rescuer reaches the cockpit of a downed aircraft, he must know how to release or pry off the canopy to get to the crew members. He must also know what switches inside control environmental systems, such as the oxygen supply, and also know where the master and "safe" switches are in the aircraft.

During an emergency, Pedro members "scramble" into action. Sergeant Jessee and another fireman, plus medical technicians and other rescue specialists speedily board their alert aircraft, hook up to a fire suppression kit, and head toward the crash site. Many times, the chopper is in the air, hovering over the base in full readiness, "just in case."

According to Sergeant Jessee, its always better to just "take a ride and come back..."

(A mission in which Sergeant Jessee participated is described in the right column. (here below) 

Disregarding detonating ordnance in the immediate area, an HH-43 crew landed in a rice paddy and picked up the survivor of a fighter crash. The mission began only 13 minutes earlier at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, when the Pedro crew from Det 3, 38th ARRSq (MAC), scrambled in the early morning darkness.

As the helicopter was waiting for a position report from the battle-damaged aircraft which had declared an emergency, it plunged to the ground eight miles from the base. Capt John M. Higbie immediately headed the HH-43 toward the red glow which lit the sky to the northeast of the airfield.

Halfway to the crash site radio contact was established with the downed "backseater," but locating the survivor was difficult. At an altitude of 200 feet the ground could not be seen since there was no reflected light because of the overcast, and the floodlights were not effective due to the haze. Through vectoring by the survivor, his position was estimated and Captain Higbie decided to land in a nearby rice paddy that had been spotted with the landing light. The pickup was then made without incident despite the nearby explosions. Afterward, the HH-43 conducted a search for the missing "frontseater" until low fuel made it necessary to return to base.
Others manning the Pedro were Capt Samuel L. Ferguson, copilot; SSgt Richard C. Former, helicopter mechanic; Sgt Jack W. Demler, medical technician; SSgt Blake C. Dow and Sgt Fred L. Jessee, firefighters.

A MIGHTY LITTLE BIRD WITH A MIGHTY BIG JOB

PHAN RANG AB, Republic of Vietnam (7AF) - The aircraft is small in size compared to the giant C-5 Galaxy or C-141 Starlifter transports of the U.S.Air Force. It does not compare to the F-4 Phantom jet fighter in speed or range and unlike the F-111 it carries no sophisticated weapons systems.

It has a simple name – Pedro - it's a helicopter and its mission is to save lives. It is flown by the aircrews of Det 1, 38th ARRSq here, who are on alert 24 hours daily, ready to scramble their twin-rotor life-saver to respond to any trouble call from a disabled aircraft or one that has an unsafe condition.

Capt Mike H. Nelson is a Pedro aircraft commander and a veteran of both base and regional aircrew rescue missions. He said "We may receive our scramble call from the Phan Rang AB, near Saigon. From the initial call we can plan our mission's needs and be airborne in a very short time and, depending on the mission requirements, we may or may not be needed. But if it is decided that we are needed in the rescue, we'll be there, and we'll use any system at our disposal to help."

Primarily commissioned as an airborne firefighter, Pedro, a Kaman HH-43 HUSKIE helicopter, doubles its role in Southeast Asia as an evacuation and rescue helicopter. The specially modified Pedros on duty here have increased range and speed and use a 200-foot cable for rescuing downed airmen from tropical jungles. The helicopter will airlift a team of two aerial firefighters and a medic to the scene of an aircraft crash. The firemen use a fire suppres­sion kit which is slung underneath the aircraft. The kit includes a foam dispenser capable of discharging 850 pounds of foam, enough to clear a path for the evacuation of a downed crew, with the aid of the downwash from the helicopter's twin rotor blades. 

The detachment has the assigned task of evacuating airmen downed in the Phan Rang area. To do this the helicopter flight mechanic doubles as the hoist operator, who, with the aid of the jungle penetrator seat or an evacuation basket, can place a medical technician on the ground to assist any injured personnel and extract the crew and the medical man to speed them to the nearest medical facility.
The Pedro may not be huge, sleek or lightning fast, but to a downed crewmember, it is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. As Captain Nelson stated, "If we are needed, we will be there. After all, the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service's motto is, "That Others May Live."   

Training - in top left photo, HH-43 crew uses a rescue basket during a practice mission. The device may be used for land or sea pickups and also as an auxiliary stretcher. In right photos, Det 1 crew practices hookups with simulated fire suppression kit; HH-43 "Pedro" takes aboard a simulated survivor. (USAF photos by Amn Randy W. Day) 

More Training - During practice rescue mission, Sgt Garrett A. Somes, far left, an HH-43 flight engineer, scans the terrain below for any sign of the "survivor." In next photo, Sgt Larry K. Fisher readies the forest penetrator seat used to extract downed personnel from the thick Vietnamese jungle. In photo above, Capt Mike H. Nelson gently maneuvers the twin­rotored helicopter over the "rescuee." (USAF photos by Amn Randy W. Day)

There Would Be No Rescues - Without these and similar efforts, rescue operations would soon be halted or seriously curtailed. Behind every rescue is maintenance and other routine work which must be done by ground and flight crews alike. In top left photo, mechanics wash rotor blades preparitory to waxing them. Top right, Sgt Larry K. Fisher, flight engineer, washes down bubble on HH-43 to ensure that the pilots have clear visibility. In other photos, left and right, mechanics perform maintenance work on Pedro and aerial firefighters clean and ready fire suppression kit for next mission. Firemen are SSgt Roy A. Rivera, left, and SSgt Charles A. Hunt, both from the 35th Civil Engineering Squadron and assigned to Det 1. (USAF photos by Amn Randy W. Day) 

EIGHT COMBAT SAVES ON DET 9 MISSION

Eight combat saves were chalked up by an HH-43 crew from Det 9, 38th ARRSq (MAC), recently after a night mission during which two landings were made in jungle clearings obscured by haze and smoke from burning rice fields.

For Maj Bobby S. Lay and his crew the mission began with an emergency call to their base at Nakhon Phanom AB, Thailand - an AC-119 was coming in with one engine shut down and low on fuel. Pedro launched to intercept the crippled aircraft but while it was 10 miles from the base nine crewmembers bailed out. The HH-43 escorted the AC-119 to a safe landing at Nakhon Phanom and then returned to the bailout area.

An Army O-1 which was orbiting the area aided Pedro in locating the survivors, two of whom were injured. As they hovered overhead the HH-43 pilots could hear multiple beepers and simultaneous voice transmissions from the survivors. Major Lay landed in the clearing and three crew­members were picked up and airlifted to an ambulance. Five more were taken aboard after the second landing in the smoke-obscured, night-shrouded clearing. The ninth survivor was picked up by another helicopter.
Others aboard the HH-43 who shared in the hazardous mission were Capt Howard E. Casey, the copilot, and Sgt Talmadge W. Parker, crewman.

Patient Alive Due To Medevac

"The patient is alive, well and able to talk about his ride in a Pedro”   ….. thus ended another Det 9 report after a medevac during which the patient stopped breathing for the fifth time.
The Pedro crew responded after a night call was received for assistance from an Army camp 45 miles from Nakhon Phanom AB. A soldier there had stopped breathing and was unconscious. Aboard the HH-43 were Capt Oliver E. Schmoker, pilot; Capt George H. Hopkins, copilot; SSgt Alvin A. Malone, helicopter mechanic; and SSgt Charles E. Vickers, medical technician.
As the patient was placed aboard the rescue helicopter, medics at the camp told the HH-43 crew that the soldier had stopped breathing four times before they arrived. Five minutes from the base Sergeant Vickers immediately began administering artificial respiration when the man's breathing stopped for the fifth time. The medic continued his life-saving efforts until the patient was delivered to the ambulance crew which was standing by with oxygen equipment.

Det 7 Medevacs Wounded Sailor From Tossing LCM

A. U.S. sailor suffering from shrapnel wounds was evacuated to the hospital by an HH-43 Pedro crew from Det 7, 38th ARRSq, Da Nang AB. In order to make the hoist pickup from the rolling, pitching LCM, Capt Alvine J. Machtmes held the Pedro in position for 10 minutes while MSgt William T. Walker, a helicopter mechanic, lowered and retrieved the litter. Three-foot swells, gusting winds, and the narrowness of the deck made the transfer difficult, but it was accomplished without incident.
Once the evacuee was aboard, Sgt Wallace H. Long, a medical technician, checked the field dressings on the pa­tient and then made him as comfortable as possible. Flying copilot on the mission was 1stLt John A. Hall.
A larger rescue helicopter was originally scheduled to make the medevac while Pedro flew cover. The HH-43 was called on, however, when rotor downwash from the other helicopter was found to be excessive due to the small size of the LCM.

Det 6 Night Flight Saves Life

An Air Force sergeant whose life was threatened when a chicken bone lodged in his throat, was medevaced by an HH-43 crew from Det 6, 38th ARRSq, Bien Hoa AB. Manning the Pedro which responded to the emergency were Capt Robert J. Franklin, pilot; Maj Elmer Funderburk, Jr., copilot; Sgt Earl W. Wright and SSgt Earl W. Jarvi, crewmen. The night flight from Bien Hoa to the hospital at Long Binh Army Base was made without incident.

last update : 28/09/2007