On arrival to Vietnam, a group of our company was sent to AnLoc in the back of trucks. Everyman a newbie and from New York and Chicago. We were support troops, fueling helicopters, keeping the fuel bladders full. Anyway on the way to AnLoc we came under fire. Trapped in the back of a deuce and half, squeezed in shoulder to shoulder we were sitting ducks, with most of the men sitting on their rifles. A few of us returned fire. And out the clear blue a Cobra shows up, unleashes fire on the enemy position. Thank You Robert.
Oh, thank goodness! I wish every single one of our guys could have made it back home alive. But, we know war doesn't work like that. I wore one of those MIA bracelets in High School. I had forgotten about it until I started watching some of these videos several months back. I wish I had made a point of keeping it. I don't know if I recall the name correctly. Bless all of you! 🙏💜🌿🙏💜🌿
Yep…I was assigned to the 334th at Bien Hoa Aug 68-69, 3rd PLT (Dragons). I was a warrant officer at the time. Later in my career I took a direct commission and retired as a lieutenant colonel. High times!
When duty calls character Counts .and that deserves Respect Did you know your fellow brothers in arms referred to you helicopter pilots as angles in the skies , I didn't make that up .Take care Warrior of your day, and job well done 👏 to all who served 🇺🇸
I loved seeing cobras working, especially at night. Looked like.a steady stream of fire from the aircraft to ground. My respect goes out to all of the chopper pilots that served in Vietnam. I was in an khe for 3 months then went to ba loc where I was on a mortor crew at camp Woodstock on ql 20.
Too bad the crew chiefs who maintained these helicopters are not heard or seen. I was one. I had 2 Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) when I arrived in the Republic of Vietnam in 1968. One MOS was for the Hughes OH-6A (67V20) and the the other MOS was for the UH-1 Bell (67N20) helicopter. I was given a merit promotion to E-5 within 6 months of being in the Army. I skipped E-2 and E-3 rank. Upon arriving in Vietnam, the goof balls put me working on a civilian aircraft carrier for a fortnight off the coast of Vietnam and putting rotor blades on new Cobra helicopters. I ended up with 1st Aviation as a OH-6A crew chief flying all over the place. We ran out of gas once -dumb pilot. Hahaha.
I was at Cobra Hall 1969, work at the range arming the Cobras. I was a range armor. Then went to RVN in late 69 till 1971. I was stationed at plaku in Vietnam. He was in the first aviation brigade, which I was in. I flew in a OH-6A Loch.
Thank you for sharing this time of your life. When you mentioned the Parrot's Beak I was thinking, well this is going to get interesting. Glad you made it back and welcome home.
Spent 1969-1971 with the 1st Cav. (BLUE MAX) BRAVO An all Cobra unit. I was the head armor & electric repair person. Also, I got to fly front seat at times do to being the head armor and had Rec. Flight license. Love that bird and the BLUE MAX unit. Finished my last 3 months with the 1st Aviation Bde. Worked both core III region & core I region.
The Cobra is America’s first true helicopter gun ship. The Cobra served proudly for a few decades from Vietnam to Panama, the Middle East and even the Horn of Africa. 🍻 to those first generation Cobra drivers.
Feb/Mar 1971 Attached to an assault helicopter battalion that was assigned to Operation Lam Son which was intended to disrupt flow ow supplies coming down the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. It was the largest helicopter operation ever conducted and placed Vietnamese Marines in Laos and brought them back. I volunteered for an assignment as a radio operator located at a secret location at a place called LZ Leatherneck on an ARVN artillery LZ. It was the command center for our Vietnamese forces. Only Americans were 2 AF, 1 Navy and 2 Army mixed with high ranking Vietnamese Officers. It was located just southwest of Khe Sahn. Exciting and dangerous times.
I worked at USNTPS in the mid 1980's. We had a Army warrant officer there who was an instructor and had quite a bit of combat time in Nam in Huey's & Cobra's. He was a absolutely amazing rotary wing stick and his experience clearly showed. FLY NAVY!!!
My father, who is still kicking, Piloted the AH-1G with the 1st Cav 2/20th ARA Bluemax - A battery. I never tire of his stories. What he went through weighs on him as the time passes. I don't wish it on anyone.
Also, I’d like to add many of the young warrants from Vietnam stuck around in the army and became CW4s at the platoon level and many new young warrants learned from them. These guys flew Hueys, Cobras and OH-6s. And the stories they told of flying in Vietnam were wild. All were either in aircraft that were shot up or shot down. One CW4 Huey driver in my unit at Fort Ord had received the Distinguished Service Cross while in Vietnam. He was old school army; which I appreciate to this day still.
We had a senior TAC at A Co, Rucker named Alfred Lehmburg or something like that. He was a Vietnam vet and his uniform looked like a Christmas tree. He was an awesome guy and even wrote me a letter of recommendation that I get returned to flight school I got a medical down slip and couldn't fly....just in case I got better (long story). I never got back there, but I still have his letter.
I was in 73-75 missed Vietnam by the skin of my teeth but was always intriqued by the Cobras. Then in like 2013 or 2014, was in a classroom at the Helena Montana airport and looked out the window and at the side of the building were a bunch of OLD SCHOOL Cobra fuselages just laying there piled on top of each other. I wondered if there was still some value in them for restorers. I also remember how small they looked compared to my memory. They sure were mean looking things as a Marine in the 70's.
Was there as a Controller (ATC) at the same time (also with the 125th) only at Dau Tieng . I'll bet you have some memories of the Michelin rubber plantation!
Yep , did the lll Corp T.O.D also . With some side trips into the Bode ,of course . If you can name a FSB , Base Camp , SF camp or LZ in lll Corp . I was there in one capacity other the other as a medic . Did some time working out of An Loc. Welcome home brother ..
Lead tank of the Army Training center Europe.(91-92) Rolling in a column down a beautiful German Valley, looking to my right, flying parallel over the stream, was one of our RED-FOR Cobra, nose down, 3 foot off the deck. Truly cinematic experiences that will never be shown in film. Too much money to have 5,000 soldiers; 50 tanks; 120 armored carriers; dozens of 'copters; hundreds of hummers; dozens of mobile artillery... millions a day in assets.
FYI, the C-123 was present as a wreck in July 1969. I don’t know when it actually occurred. Sobering to see such a relatively large aircraft in a pile.
Too bad this young man is so confused about many things RE flight school and Vietnam. Thanks for your service. Rebel 11, Dustoff 39, Playboy 12 . 1965, 66, 67.
And intense it was. South Vietnam and North Vietnam was a real war, the South was attacked by one of the kings of the east who was backed by a real dragon
Thank you for protecting me and my family’s life! You’re a great hero.i was supposed to go straight out of nursing school, but the war ended. A great thing for the world, but I really wanted to go (silly girl, huh?). God bless you in Jesus’s Precious Name, Amen.
I would have gotten my draft notice in about 2 wks according to what was in the local newspaper. I was just out of high school. They stopped the draft just before I was up.
In the late sixties having pre qualified for OCS I was then offered Warrant Officer school and perhaps an opportunity to fly helicopters. I declined becoming an enlisted man. I have often wondered if I made the correct decision.
I wonder.. what was the real purpose of the Cobras, instead of using Hueys? Were they protected with armor in any way or just as vernable as the Hueys?
@@Mingus8 The Cobra was designed as a dedicated weapons platform from the skids up. It was highly maneuverable and carried significant fire power. Given its streamlined design it could cruise at higher speeds arriving on fire support scenes quicker. The Huey was a multipurpose utility helicopter. Although in the early days it could be configured to carry guns and rockets, its primary design purpose was to carry troops and supplies. Cobra pilots were specifically trained to engage targets with the miniguns, 40mm grenade launcher and 2.75” aerial rockets. The advent of the Cobra gunship provided superior firepower and maneuverability that did a better job of protecting troop-carrying Hueys as well as providing close air support for ground troops.
@@Mingus8 The Cobra and Huey both had armor protection, but the Cobra’s armor also protected vital areas in the engine compartment. Having flown both I found the armor protection for the two pilots in the Cobra to be somewhat better, but not by a huge margin.
@ 7.62 was about the upper limit. Anything bigger would do serious damage. And it also depends on the angle of impact and distance. I once took several hits in unprotected areas and kept flying. Another time I took a single 51mm round through an unprotected vital component and had to land immediately.
He said he was contemplating auto rotate because he thought he might have lost his hydraulics but he did not have to because he still had his hydraulics
@@mattharper588 I didn’t pick up on that, but that’s correct. Autorotation is performed when there’s an engine out condition. Autorotation is the helicopter equivalent to loss of engine power in an airplane where one would, if successful, glide to a safe landing, although a helicopter’s glide angle will be much steeper. A hydraulics failure necessitates performing a running landing like an airplane. The Cobra has a dual hydraulics system that would provide hydraulic power to the flight controls if one system failed, but the emergency procedure dictates landing as soon as possible under full power to a suitable landing area. Continued flight was not recommended as the backup hydraulic system could fail as well, making landing significantly more difficult. The Huey has a single hydraulics system so pilots had their work cut out for them when their aircraft lost hydraulics. At any rate, autorotating with a loss of hydraulics in a Huey or a Cobra was not a given emergency procedure as the controls would be extremely stiff. Performing a successful autorotation with extremely stiff controls would be very difficult if not impossible since reaction times would be seriously degraded in the final moments of an autorotation.
I got home in ‘73 after the Christmas bombings that released the POWs. After the war was ostensibly over. Of course we still weren’t too popular with the hippie crowd and the protesters. A girl told me she was against the war. I said YOU.
On arrival to Vietnam, a group of our company was sent to AnLoc in the back of trucks. Everyman a newbie and from New York and Chicago. We were support troops, fueling helicopters, keeping the fuel bladders full. Anyway on the way to AnLoc we came under fire. Trapped in the back of a deuce and half, squeezed in shoulder to shoulder we were sitting ducks, with most of the men sitting on their rifles. A few of us returned fire. And out the clear blue a Cobra shows up, unleashes fire on the enemy position. Thank You Robert.
Oh, thank goodness!
I wish every single one of our guys could have made it back home alive. But, we know war doesn't work like that.
I wore one of those MIA bracelets in High School. I had forgotten about it until I started watching some of these videos several months back. I wish I had made a point of keeping it. I don't know if I recall the name correctly.
Bless all of you!
🙏💜🌿🙏💜🌿
Thank you, and God bless Sir... from the son of a now deceased USAF Vietnam Veteran, Sgt. (E4) 1968-1972... tour of duty summer 71 - summer 72.
God bless you and your family and friends God bless your Dad
Thanks for your bravery & service to our country .🇺🇲
Thanks for your service. One of the lucky ones that put some thought on his future, and lived to tell the stories.
Yep…I was assigned to the 334th at Bien Hoa Aug 68-69, 3rd PLT (Dragons). I was a warrant officer at the time. Later in my career I took a direct commission and retired as a lieutenant colonel. High times!
Welcome home warrior of the day, and thank you for your service and sacrifice to our country 🇺🇲 Hurrah to all you angels in the sky 🌹
I was a crew chef across the way in 1st platoon (Playboys), 68-69 also.
When duty calls character
Counts .and that deserves
Respect
Did you know your fellow brothers in arms referred to you helicopter pilots as angles in the skies , I didn't make that up .Take care
Warrior of your day, and job well done 👏 to all who served 🇺🇸
I loved seeing cobras working, especially at night. Looked like.a steady stream of fire from the aircraft to ground. My respect goes out to all of the chopper pilots that served in Vietnam. I was in an khe for 3 months then went to ba loc where I was on a mortor crew at camp Woodstock on ql 20.
Too bad the crew chiefs who maintained these helicopters are not heard or seen. I was one. I had 2 Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) when I arrived in the Republic of Vietnam in 1968. One MOS was for the Hughes OH-6A (67V20) and the the other MOS was for the UH-1 Bell (67N20) helicopter. I was given a merit promotion to E-5 within 6 months of being in the Army. I skipped E-2 and E-3 rank. Upon arriving in Vietnam, the goof balls put me working on a civilian aircraft carrier for a fortnight off the coast of Vietnam and putting rotor blades on new Cobra helicopters. I ended up with 1st Aviation as a OH-6A crew chief flying all over the place. We ran out of gas once -dumb pilot. Hahaha.
I was at Cobra Hall 1969, work at the range arming the Cobras. I was a range armor. Then went to RVN in late 69 till 1971. I was stationed at plaku in Vietnam. He was in the first aviation brigade, which I was in. I flew in a OH-6A Loch.
Thank you for sharing this time of your life. When you mentioned the Parrot's Beak I was thinking, well this is going to get interesting. Glad you made it back and welcome home.
Thank you sir for your service, sacrifice and our freedoms we hold dear…..🙏🇺🇸
Spent 1969-1971 with the 1st Cav. (BLUE MAX) BRAVO An all Cobra unit. I was the head armor & electric repair person. Also, I got to fly front seat at times do to being the head armor and had Rec. Flight license. Love that bird and the BLUE MAX unit. Finished my last 3 months with the 1st Aviation Bde. Worked both core III region & core I region.
God bless you and your family and friends and welcome home 🏡 🙏
The Cobra is America’s first true helicopter gun ship.
The Cobra served proudly for a few decades from Vietnam to Panama, the Middle East and even the Horn of Africa.
🍻 to those first generation Cobra drivers.
Welcome home, Robert!
Thank you for your service sir.
Feb/Mar 1971 Attached to an assault helicopter battalion that was assigned to Operation Lam Son which was intended to disrupt flow ow supplies coming down the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. It was the largest helicopter operation ever conducted and placed Vietnamese Marines in Laos and brought them back. I volunteered for an assignment as a radio operator located at a secret location at a place called LZ Leatherneck on an ARVN artillery LZ. It was the command center for our Vietnamese forces. Only Americans were 2 AF, 1 Navy and 2 Army mixed with high ranking Vietnamese Officers. It was located just southwest of Khe Sahn. Exciting and dangerous times.
Thank you well home
I worked at USNTPS in the mid 1980's. We had a Army warrant officer there who was an instructor and had quite a bit of combat time in Nam in Huey's & Cobra's. He was a absolutely amazing rotary wing stick and his experience clearly showed. FLY NAVY!!!
My father, who is still kicking, Piloted the AH-1G with the 1st Cav 2/20th ARA Bluemax - A battery. I never tire of his stories. What he went through weighs on him as the time passes. I don't wish it on anyone.
Also, I’d like to add many of the young warrants from Vietnam stuck around in the army and became CW4s at the platoon level and many new young warrants learned from them. These guys flew Hueys, Cobras and OH-6s.
And the stories they told of flying in Vietnam were wild. All were either in aircraft that were shot up or shot down. One CW4 Huey driver in my unit at Fort Ord had received the Distinguished Service Cross while in Vietnam.
He was old school army; which I appreciate to this day still.
We had a senior TAC at A Co, Rucker named Alfred Lehmburg or something like that. He was a Vietnam vet and his uniform looked like a Christmas tree. He was an awesome guy and even wrote me a letter of recommendation that I get returned to flight school I got a medical down slip and couldn't fly....just in case I got better (long story). I never got back there, but I still have his letter.
I was in 73-75 missed Vietnam by the skin of my teeth but was always intriqued by the Cobras. Then in like 2013 or 2014, was in a classroom at the Helena Montana airport and looked out the window and at the side of the building were a bunch of OLD SCHOOL Cobra fuselages just laying there piled on top of each other. I wondered if there was still some value in them for restorers. I also remember how small they looked compared to my memory. They sure were mean looking things as a Marine in the 70's.
AMERICA is blessed to have men like you. May your years pass in peace. Thank you for your service. Well done sir.
My oldest brother flew as gunner in a Cobra. Silver Star recipient.
Thank you for your service and my freedom
Nothing in 4th of July fireworks compares to the fire works I saw in Vietnam.
Respect 🙏🤝the Cobra and Heuy helicopters legendary thanks for for serving your country with pride 🙏🤝
Fantastic narrative
I did the extend thing too. I went to home, NYC and my sweetheart.
Was there as a Controller (ATC) at the same time (also with the 125th) only at Dau Tieng . I'll bet you have some memories of the Michelin rubber plantation!
Yep , did the lll Corp T.O.D also . With some side trips into the Bode ,of course . If you can name a FSB , Base Camp , SF camp or LZ in lll Corp . I was there in one capacity other the other as a medic . Did some time working out of An Loc. Welcome home brother ..
I really like listening to NOT AI . And this stuff of course
Lead tank of the Army Training center Europe.(91-92)
Rolling in a column down a beautiful German Valley, looking to my right, flying parallel over the stream, was one of our RED-FOR Cobra, nose down, 3 foot off the deck.
Truly cinematic experiences that will never be shown in film. Too much money to have 5,000 soldiers; 50 tanks; 120 armored carriers; dozens of 'copters; hundreds of hummers; dozens of mobile artillery... millions a day in assets.
FYI, the C-123 was present as a wreck in July 1969. I don’t know when it actually occurred. Sobering to see such a relatively large aircraft in a pile.
Wow, what an exciting life you have lived.
93 Sniffers January-August 1970 1 Air Cav.
Welcome Home!
Very interesting 👍
Too bad this young man is so confused about many things RE flight school and Vietnam. Thanks for your service. Rebel 11, Dustoff 39, Playboy 12 . 1965, 66, 67.
Going from a H-23 to Hueys without stopping off at Mother Rucker is different.
Playboys 68-69 (Crew Chief)
And intense it was. South Vietnam and North Vietnam was a real war, the South was attacked by one of the kings of the east who was backed by a real dragon
Thank you for your service sir God bless did you were you in the Easter offensive
Bravo bravo bravo thank you for sharing your story. Love live the united states, soldier.
That you for your service Sir 🇺🇲 😁
Hiller H-23
He made good choices
Thank you for protecting me and my family’s life! You’re a great hero.i was supposed to go straight out of nursing school, but the war ended. A great thing for the world, but I really wanted to go (silly girl, huh?). God bless you in Jesus’s Precious Name, Amen.
I would have gotten my draft notice in about 2 wks according to what was in the local newspaper. I was just out of high school. They stopped the draft just before I was up.
I was in An Loc several times. 10Th Armored Cav. Not a friendly place.
lIKE THIS VET, HEE WASS HUNGRY AND GOT IT DONE TO BE A COBRA PILOT.
Welcome home, brother snake man from a troop 3/17 cav
Heavy Cav, Sir
So it seems like we hear very little from the crew chiefs who maintained these helicopters in the Republic of Vietnam.
In the late sixties having pre qualified for OCS I was then offered Warrant Officer school and perhaps an opportunity to fly helicopters. I declined becoming an enlisted man. I have often wondered if I made the correct decision.
Hooah, sir!
U.S. Army '89-'95. Welcome home brothers.
Were you a chief warrant officer you went from high school to flight School used to be the call motto back then
I would not be here if wasnt for gunship.
I wonder.. what was the real purpose of the Cobras, instead of using Hueys? Were they protected with armor in any way or just as vernable as the Hueys?
@@Mingus8 The Cobra was designed as a dedicated weapons platform from the skids up. It was highly maneuverable and carried significant fire power. Given its streamlined design it could cruise at higher speeds arriving on fire support scenes quicker. The Huey was a multipurpose utility helicopter. Although in the early days it could be configured to carry guns and rockets, its primary design purpose was to carry troops and supplies. Cobra pilots were specifically trained to engage targets with the miniguns, 40mm grenade launcher and 2.75” aerial rockets. The advent of the Cobra gunship provided superior firepower and maneuverability that did a better job of protecting troop-carrying Hueys as well as providing close air support for ground troops.
@@Mingus8 The Cobra and Huey both had armor protection, but the Cobra’s armor also protected vital areas in the engine compartment. Having flown both I found the armor protection for the two pilots in the Cobra to be somewhat better, but not by a huge margin.
@@DragonPilot Ok, thanks.. could the Cobras withstand machine gun fire, like 7,62mm on these protected areas?
@ 7.62 was about the upper limit. Anything bigger would do serious damage. And it also depends on the angle of impact and distance. I once took several hits in unprotected areas and kept flying. Another time I took a single 51mm round through an unprotected vital component and had to land immediately.
@@DragonPilot Thank you for the informartion! Very interesting.
Why would you auto rotate if the engine is still running?
He said he was contemplating auto rotate because he thought he might have lost his hydraulics but he did not have to because he still had his hydraulics
@@mattharper588you don’t autorotate with hydraulic failure. Running landing your best option
I’m just repeating what he said
@@mattharper588 I didn’t pick up on that, but that’s correct. Autorotation is performed when there’s an engine out condition. Autorotation is the helicopter equivalent to loss of engine power in an airplane where one would, if successful, glide to a safe landing, although a helicopter’s glide angle will be much steeper. A hydraulics failure necessitates performing a running landing like an airplane. The Cobra has a dual hydraulics system that would provide hydraulic power to the flight controls if one system failed, but the emergency procedure dictates landing as soon as possible under full power to a suitable landing area. Continued flight was not recommended as the backup hydraulic system could fail as well, making landing significantly more difficult. The Huey has a single hydraulics system so pilots had their work cut out for them when their aircraft lost hydraulics. At any rate, autorotating with a loss of hydraulics in a Huey or a Cobra was not a given emergency procedure as the controls would be extremely stiff. Performing a successful autorotation with extremely stiff controls would be very difficult if not impossible since reaction times would be seriously degraded in the final moments of an autorotation.
🫡🇺🇸
what was america doing in nam
Enriching the warlords.
Why was North Vietnam invading South Vietnam?
@@packrat76 This was a bankers war DO SO HOME WORK
I got home in ‘73 after the Christmas bombings that released the POWs. After the war was ostensibly over. Of course we still weren’t too popular with the hippie crowd and the protesters. A girl told me she was against the war. I said YOU.
@@badwizard1312I think most military personnel don’t want to go to war but train in the event they have to.
Thank you for your service sir