November-December 1967-page 12+17

The US Navy river patrol boat from Task Force 116 was operating in the Mekong Delta as part of Operation Game Warden when VC gunners suddenly opened fire from well-hidden emplacements on shore. The PBR immediately returned fire and silenced the enemy guns but two of the four sailors forming the crew had been wounded and required immediate medical attention. During the hours of darkness, landing places for PBR's in the Delta are few and far between - without making a long run back to base, the only safe means of evacuating the wounded was by picking them up from the boat while in the middle of the river. Within minutes, an HH-43F from Det 10, 38th ARRSq, Binh Thuy AB, arrived and the wounded were hoisted aboard for a quick flight to the hospital. Rescue crew commander on the mission was Capt Donald E. Van Meter.

Such pickups are now practiced frequently under various conditions to familiarize the Air Force and Navy crews with proper procedures. Working in the Bassac River near Binh Thuy, pickups are performed while the patrol boat is still or underway at speeds up to 15 knots.

In a similar incident, two HH-43F's from Det 10 evacuated five sailors who were wounded when their PBR received a direct hit from a 57MM recoiless rifle. Enroute to the scene, the HUSKIES were joined by an Army helicopter fire team, and a medical evacuation helicopter. A flight of F-100's supplied additional fire support coverage. The first HH-43 picked up a critically injured sailor and another of the wounded at a PBR outpost and headed for the hospital, the second HUSKIE then hoisted two more from the PBR - they couldn't be moved ashore because of the deep mud and their injuries -and transferred them to the med evac helicopter. The pararescue specialist on the first HUSKIE, Alc Gary G. Harold was credited with saving the life of the critically injured man on the way to the hospital. Other crewmembers on this HH-43 were: Maj Harold Pickering, pilot; Capt William P. Shea, copilot; and Alc Bernard L. Touchette, flight engineer. Manning the second HUSKIE were Captain Van Meter, pilot; 1stLt Granville B. Goza, III, copilot; TSgt Walter H. May, flight engineer; SSgt James C. Patterson, rescue specialist.

A sailor, critically wounded when a grenade exploded next to him on a river patrol boat, was evacuated in an HH-43 from Det 10. During the hour and fifteen minute night flight over hostile terrain to Saigon, a constant battle to keep the Navy man alive was waged by Capt Bruce W. Wittia, flight medical officer, and Airman Harold. Thunderstorms and lightning along the flight route required the constant skill and teamwork of the pilots, Captain Van Meter, RCC, and Captain Shea. The entire flight was made on instruments because of the lack of horizon and almost blinding lightning flashes. An added complication arose when flight-following radar had difficulty in identifying the HH-43 - when centers were switched near the destination, the flight was inadvertently vectored through an artillery firing zone. A quick al­teration of altitude was made. The other member of the crew on the life-saving flight was Alc Curtis E. Nickles.

The flaming wreckage was loaded with bombs and a warning had been issued to clear the area - but an HH­43 crew from Det 8, 38th ARRSq, moved in anyway to evacuate an injured pilot from the dangerous area. The incident occurred at Cam Ranh Bay AB after a plane crashed, skidded off the runway, and finally came to a stop at the water's edge. Aboard the HUSKIE which scrambled when the plane set down were Capt Allen R. Martin, RCC; 1stLt Willie L. Farrow, copilot; SSgt Jacob V. Carter, medical technician; SSgt Hubert R. Perkins and Alc Gunther Koppenhofer, rescue specialists.
The HH-43 was hovering over the flaming aircraft with the fire suppression kit when crash trucks arrived, so Captain Martin used rotor downwash to aid the ground rescuers in approaching the plane. Soon afterward, as the HH-43 withdrew in response to a signal from the fire chief, the helicopter crew spotted a pilot lying in the water a short distance from the wreckage. As the FSK was set down and a landing made approximately 100 feet from the survivor, the tower advised the rescuemen to evacuate the area because the time factor on the bombs had elapsed and the fire vehicles had already moved away. Instead, the HUSKIE crewmen left the helicopter and hurried toward the burning wreckage. As they did so, the crackling of the flames was suddenly penetrated by a series of small explosions - they kept on! The pilot was placed on a stretcher, carried to the waiting helicopter, and then airlifted to the hospital.

Two HH-43F's from Det 12, 38th ARRSq, Nha Trang AB, teamed up to evacuate a Korean infantryman injured on a search and destroy mission 20 miles from the base. Communications were established with two FAC's in the area to provide air support or ground fire suppression as needed and then, as one HUSKIE, "Pedro 99" , circled near the patrol's area, the other HH-43, "Pedro 98", picked up a Korean-speaking liaison man to contact the patrol via portable radio. With Pedro 98 overhead for backup coverage, and groundfire suppression available if necessary, Capt Gary E. Robertson in the first HH-43 approached the position marked with yellow smoke. While the rest of the crew watched for ground fire and advised as to tree-rotor blade clearance, Captain Robertson hovered approximately 200 feet above the ground  with the bear paws in the tree tops. Gusty winds and the small opening in the trees required precision hovering as the hoist cable was let out almost its entire length. For 15 minutes the HUSKIE was held in the position until the litter bearing the patient was safely aboard. With Captain Robertson were Capt John L. Belina, copilot; Alc Jonnie R. Childress, flight engineer; and SSgt James Souza, pararescueman. Pilot of Pedro 98 was Capt Melroy Borland and the copilot was Capt Ardven L. Blythe. TSgt Adron D. Ratcliff was flight engineer and Alc Duane D. Hackney, rescue specialist.

Capt Donald D. Metzinger and his crew from Det 9, 38th ARRSq, Pleiku AB, conducted a low-level search for the pilot of an aircraft down in hostile territory. Despite the obvious danger from ground fire, the HUSKIE crew methodically examined the area while flying only 10 feet above the jungle. Twenty-five minutes of the search was conducted without fighter cover. Finally it was determined that the pilot had not survived the crash. Others on the hazardous mission were Capt Francis B. Gilligan, Alc Jose G. Abara and A2c Michael J. Rosler.

An F-100 pilot who splashed into the water a short distance from a hostile shoreline was rescued in less than two minutes by an HH-43 from Det 11, 38th ARRSq, Tuy Hoa AB. Pilots of the rescue HUSKIE were Capt Troy G. Irvin, RCC, and 1stLt James P. F. Egbert. Crewmen were SSgt James A. Phillips, flight engineer, and Alc Paul J. Volges, aeromedical specialist.
Earlier, the HH-43 crew scrambled and hooked up the FSK when the F-100 reported low oil pressure. However, the pilot then advised that he was heading for the sea to bail out. The FSK was repositioned, the firemen dropped off, and the flight engineer picked up in a matter of seconds. The chopper was hovering 100 yards from the downed pilot as he entered the water. For Lieutenant Egbert the mission was a particularly satisfying one - it was his first "save" although he had been with the detachment for several months and had participated in numerous missions made under combat or similar "hairy" conditions.

Flying at night through rain showers and thunderstorms, an HH-43 crew from Det 3, 38th ARRSq, Ubon AB, Thailand, evacuated a US civilian whose neck had been broken in a truck accident 50 nautical miles from the base. Frequent lightning strikes in the area, coupled with a lack of proper equipment on the ground, prevented ground communication to the helicopter. Failure of the air direction finder further complicated the mission for Capt Ted Schroeder and his crew, however, a successful landing was made with the aid of automobile headlights. The return trip with the injured man was made under the same conditions. Sharing in the hazardous evacuation were 1stLt Thomas E. Kullgren, copilot, and SSgt Billy R. Bloomer, crewman.

DET 12 RESCUE Nha Trang (7AF) ... A2c Jerard J. Pearson, second from left, discusses the successful rescue of two Army fliers 15 miles north of Nha Trang AB with other members of the crew. Left to right are SSgt Ray C. House, flight engineer; Capt John L. Belina, copilot; and Capt Melroy Borland, pilot. The Army men were in a light observation plane directing Naval gunfire when they were forced to make a crash landing on Han Hoa, a Viet Cong stronghold. Within 45 minutes an HH­43 from Det 12, 38th ARRSq, at Nha Trang AB, landed near the downed fliers and Airman Pearson leaped from the HUSKIE to guide them aboard. (USAF photo)

last update : 22/06/2007