Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Returns to the Air in Class with Combat Helicopters
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- On October 3, 2020 Combat Helicopters, LLC, a Wisconsin based benevolent organization, made this Vietnam vet's dream come true by granting him his first ride in a Huey in over 40 years. He's my dad and I was happy to get to ride along to tell the story. Thank you to Barry and Sam Hammerback for the their deft pilotage and Crew Chief Dave Mattsson for taking care of us in the back.
Music is, of course, Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride. Used according to UA-cam's rights policy.
I'll always picture Vietnam veterans as in their late 30's, early 40's like when I was a kid-now they're like WW2 veterans were to me.
Funny, I was literally thinking the same .
@Matt Hooper It's crazy whenever I think about my grandma and her favorite 'Uncle Billy' relative who would stay with them during the summer. He was a Civil War veteran. My Dad remembers as a kid during the 50's the old 'doughboy' WW1 veterans always leading the parade-and my grandparents remembering Civil War veterans leading it when they were kids.
I know what you mean still remember my wife's great grandfather ww1 vet and my grandfather ww2 and Korea time goes so fast
same goes for the vehicles; stuff like F-16, F-14 and so on are almost half a century old now ... getting old is weird; your mind seems to get stuck in the past while everything advances
The end of Vietnam is almost 50 years old. And so am I. I was born I 1976
Kids today of the 2020's have no idea how "bad-ass" there Grandfathers were in their day!
no sh*t!! My grandfather was a WW2 merchant marine in the pacific and was in the army and fought in Korea.
Kids today have no idea of anything!
Douglas , you just reminded me how old I am getting. My brother , not my grandfather :)
Kids today fought two wars already.
@@jasonwilliams4159 When he said kids I think he meant teenagers tho tbf there were plenty of late teens in combat. Still I think he meant kids whose most dangerous activity is crossing a street.
In 1971, I serving overseas in the US Army and got krunched.
I was Medivaced to the field hospital in Huey.
I will Never Ever forget that chopper screaming in to land.
I thought they were going to crash! As soon as they landed, I was loaded in and my stretcher strapped down. I will also never forget the full power lift off and the flight to the hospital!
They were flying to save my life.
I owe them a debt I can never repay. God bless the Medivac crews.
I crewed Medevac 75 -76 at Ft Campbell and 83-85 at Ft Irwin. We had a saying, "No slack Medevac, you're dying we're flying".
@@laymansview5246 Huuah !
not an American or plan to be, but thank you for your sacrifices and making the communists think twice about sweeping all over East Asia.
o7
You totally had no business being there in the first place.
@@davidj4662 The freedom you enjoy today was due to the sacrifice of men like him, so STFU.
These heroes never got the recognition they deserved . God bless
And for that moment in time, he was back in 1966, in hell, but with a smile on his face. The smile of a soldier. 💙
well was it hell, is daily normal life not more hell? for many it is, thats why many signed up again. as killing became their new normal. they didnt know better after a while.
My Dad is a Marine and I was BORN in 1967 after he met a cute nurse near Quantico Marine Base, VA!!!… Growing to be a pilot myself and understanding the love and passion for flight, it is so amazing and emotional to see these Vets back in their birds!!!… Thank You ALL for your service!!!
Tell your dad Semper Fi for me
Okay, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Steppenwolf instead of CCR. Magic Carpet Ride was a nice touch.
Well a helo is kind of a magic carpet. 😊
@@dannygjk it sure is, Dan, it sure is
I used also Steppenwolf in my aerial videos back in the days
Paint It Black ~ Rolling Stones ✌
@@patrickharris5172 Well, I'm not a nerd, so not me.
Graduated in 1967 in Ft Rucker, Alabama. Helikoptercourse UH1. Two norwegians, Asbjørn Saethertbakken and I.
Very good course. Regards Ltcol Rein Lae Solberg Norw. Air Force
I live in Enterprise you would not believe how much it's grown. We first got here in the early 90's and Rucker still had all the old buildings. Now they are all open fields
Going there soon, so forward for it
Respect to all who served in that thankless conflict. My dad was a door gunner for almost his entire tour, amazing that he made it back with the stories I heard of how short their expectations were.
Any Richmond farmer that runs ....is a Republican.....any Richmond Farmer who stands still .....is a well disciplined Republican, ... kinda today’s narrative, ...just having some bizarre world of today fun , I’m ePub ‘ libertarian / middle 🤠
I want to thank your Dad for his service too, it was a damn thankless war. God Bless all our Veterans, here and gone but never forgotten.
Joe, my dad was a door gunner as well. He was on a medevac unit. Many stories to tell, more that he can’t endure to tell.
Amen, my grandpa had to fly back home at 2 am just to avoid being spit on by hippies that had their anger misdirected to the wrong men.
I'm 37 now, still obsessed with hueys.
I was around 6yo when I proudly told my father that I wanted to be a door gunner. He beat me something fierce.
One of my clearest memories and most clueless moments of my life.
1st Cav 1969~1970 Flew many many hours in Hueys, and Chinooks. Always a thrill when I hear a Huey 50+ years later.
E-Recon 2/7th Cav 70-71. Flew mostly in the 229th birds like the one in the video with my knees in the breeze.
Good to see the Aussie flag in there, I was suprised. We fought with you guys, much respect.
Absolutely!!!
The ANZAC'S did bro
And the kiwis
@@Mikedadof2 ANZAC Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. It's sort of in the name. We didn't forget our brothers across the ditch.
My dad (RIP) was a crew chief on a Huey medivac in Vietnam .. thank you guys so much for your service ..
My respect to your father and everyone who signed up for dust off to pickup our casualties.
Thank you DUST OFF.
Weird to see that glass in those old panels. I was at Bien Hoa 70-71. I know my fellow veterans don't like to be called heros, but I can say I really admired the helicopter pilots. They did a hell of a tough job and did it well.
I've always had respect for you guys, if that's any better than calling you guys hero's
But I really do appreciate what you guys did, it was a tough time, it took some tough people.
Thank you for your service!
Vietnam Veterans are around 74 years old and WW2 ones 95.
The WW2 vets were then around 77 when I was born (2002).
I'm a Veteran of Vietnam (70-71) and Gulf War 1991 Iraq ... Iraq ( 04-05) Wars . I was a door gunner UH-1 helicopter in Vietnam with the 118th AHC .... And in Iraq worked on AH-64A Apache attack helicopter for the 1/151Aviation Regiment ... Retired 2011
I flew the OV-10 Bronco, and later the Huey UH-1N Gunship. Was the best life.
I served in the Air Force at McChord back in the mid-80’s with this staff sergeant named Gino who served in the army in Vietnam as a door gunner on a Huey in the early 70’s, he never really spoke about his experience but one day in the shower I saw that on his back he had what looked like 5 mushroom shaped marks on his back and shoulder and another on the back of his arm; he had some other wounds on his legs as well. Later while deployed, I got the nerve to ask him and he proceeded to tell me that he got wounded 4 times and had 7 helicopters shot out from under him. He was in Vietnam until the very end. A few months later during a dress mess event we were all wearing our class A uniforms and was shocked to see 6 rows of ribbons with bronze star with multiple awards, Purple Heart, and many other awards. He had some issues with authority and substance related issues which kept him at an e-6 rank. God bless people like him and all of those who served.
Thank you for that story.
Oh we all should know a few of them guys
Thanks for having the courage to ask and share his story.
Look at the joy on his face, wonderful to see. Hats off to those guys for not forgetting their forefathers.
Just hearing those igniters going and the starter/generator brings make many great memories of my time as a mechanic/crew chief.
@@G1v3EmH3ll Thank you for your support.
@@petecoppola5428 You're welcome sir!
Amazing how he remember the exact date Sept. 22 1966. Before I was even born (1967). Thanks for your service guys.
That brought me back,got tears in my eyes.
I was a 67V in a GS Unit from 77’ to ‘79 but only worked on Cobras and Hueys. Stationed at Schofield but our hangar was at Wheeler. The steel I-Beams and Masonry walls inside the hangar still had large caliber bullet holes in it from the Pearl Harbor attack. Everything we worked on was Vietnam era. Our pilots were all Vietnam vets and the best of those were the Warrant Officers.
This is great. Smiling my head off.I flew Huey's and Souix's with allies in Vietnam. I love what you're doing for your vets. Perfect backing track too!!
My dad was there and 3 of my cousins, all Marines and one of them was a F4 phantom pilot.. thank you Sirs for your service
Not to glorify war or what they seen. Im just curious i dnt mean no disrespect but do any ever tell you any helicopter storys.
@@steveraygonzales5353 my cousin told me some not so cool stories as q Phantom pilot and stories of my dad's Sniper days
@@shannahuffman4655 wow!! sniper days.... man I apologize if I seem a lil excited I am just a big history buff and I believe men and women this time period should be recognized and not forgotten about I have family that was in the war in Iraq but that's were are military history stops I don't mean sound anything grateful for your response thank you and those men you have in ur life have to be some of the most bad ass men on the planet your a lucky human being to be of there bloodline. Thanks
@@steveraygonzales5353 a lot of people don't realize how much Vietnam effected the lives of the family and kids who served in Vietnam
@@shannahuffman4655 that is very true that war had alot effect not just on there children but the generations that followed that which is why I'm very respectful towards it you have to be you can't ingnorant towards it. Its effect has had a long run.
Seeing this brings tears to my eyes, watching these pilots reunite with history. Thanks guys for serving.🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️
"If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing." Quote from Brigadier General Charles Yeager
Freaking awesome. Look at the smile on that Vets face.
I tried to go to Vietnam. I told the man I was interested in flying helicopters. Someone handed him a piece of paper a. He glance then told me you're not going anywhere. My hearing was too bad. I was nuclear war bait. You're not going unless there a nuclear war. I'm 69" I love the sound of a Huey wiring up on start up. The thump of them still gives me chills. I love them still.
In 1974-75, in Sumatra, I worked on helirigs and flew in and out in Hueys like this one. Most of the pilots we ex-Vietnam. Two big memories: (1) as the rigs were in jungle clearings getting height when fully loaded could be hard. One day, when I was in the co-pilot’s seat, the pilot lifted-off to 50ft, then leaned the aircraft forward until I was looking straight at the mud, then powered on and went forward all the time at an angle, then as the tree line approached he thrust the stick forward, nose suddenly up, and we zoomed over the trees. Phew... (2) we were cruising along at 1000ft, doors open with tools slung across and a couple of operators in the back. I was in the co-pilot’s seat again. I asked the pilot what he would do if this were Vietnam and he came under fire. He said there were two options, both involving getting down to tree height. He showed me option one: powered-down on the collective and fluttered down to the tree line pretty quickly. This flustered the guys in the back. He then powered-up and took us back to 1000ft to show me option two...... While going forward pretty fast, he yanked back on the stick and we went nose-down straight for the trees. The guys in the back freaked out: they had no idea what we were doing. Stick forward and we skimmed the treetops at speed. Wow.....
As long time crew chief on uh-1h your discription of stick forward to climb and powering down is completely wrong. He could have gone flat pitch to descend or pulled “power” to climb none of which is controlled by the “stick”
yes it was a magic carpet ride!...all of us vietnam era vets appreciate a nice heart token of kindness given to an ex vet from that war...thank you and godspeed guys!
Awesome! Nothing but love and respect for all involved!
🇺🇸👏👍
Thanks fellas for your devoted service. God Bless.
A Magic Carpet Ride indeed - God Bless ALL Veterans/Heroes :)
It must have terrifying as hell to be taking ground fire in one of these....it is amazing anyone survived at all ....and to all of you who served in Vietnam.....this might be 60 years too late but welcome home. You guys were my heros when I was a kid....and to this day you still are...
To all Brave Vets everywhere who read this. THANK YOU for your bravery & Service. God Bless you all.
I love the look on the Vet's face...Wonderful. Its a chopper once you've flown it and in it you never forget it. Its part of you!
You and your support team rock! Thank you for your continued service! Big love from down under!
Six years in the infantry, I rode in a Huey only once. Those guys were big shots to me.
Loved my time riding hueys in the 80’s while in the 101st Airborne. A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to take my then 10 year old daughter on a great ride aboard one of the actual UH-1’s from the battle portrayed in the movie “We Were Soldiers”.
Let me know when there is a COMBAT TANKS version of this lol. I was a Bradley mechanic and M88a1 operator for 15 yrs in the Army. I did 3 tours in Iraq and a Kosovo rotation. God I miss working on tracks and doing recovery work. The M88 was my bread and butter in the Army for most of my career.
Thank You.
Above all else, I remember the thunder of Hueys overhead in Fort Jackson , SC , as a child in 1964,while we were visiting with my grandfather in the VA hospital that spring.
in 64 your grandfather was in the va hospital: when was he in the service please. thanks to you and all your family for your service.
@@JOSHL50 ......he was a WW1 veteran, my father was in the 99th Quartermaster Co. out of Camp Maxey TX, I had an uncle KIA in Belgium in November 1944 with the Marines- another uncle USAF in Korea and Vietnam.
@@ervinthompson6598
Wow! Brings back so many memories! I was 19 again for a min.
Awesome seeing a Huey fly !! Great thing to do to get all the Vet's who see it up close get a big smile !
I flew slicks in Bien Hoa about the same time. Fall of 68 to fall of 69. Personally, I don’t care for another ride.
I crewd them in the 80s, My dad flew them in Nam, was shot down, rescued by an OH6 hanging on the skids! then was maint officer in a Medivac Unit at the 82nd, when he retired he walked away, didnt even look back, you talk to him you would never know he even served. I was trying to get him to fly life flight for hospitals, he could do it with his eyes closed good $ more than qualified but he was through with it! (would rather flip burgers a Mcdonalds)So i can relate a little and certainly respect how you feel!
Ppl@@Ladiesandgentlemen121
I am 74 years old and a Vietnam veteran I was on ch47s I have 900 crew member flight hours there mostly as a FLT.ENGNEER. I think it is so cool for the veteran to be able to go on that flight, I would love to get on a Chinook and go for a flight.
And those guys could make their chopper dance around the skies. Full respect and thanks for their service.
Bless you and your Pa from England .
Get out the way young buck let me show u how to fly this baby into a HOT LZ ...loved it👍
You guys were in country at the same time I was! Thank you for you service. 🇺🇸
Should have let that old boy take the collective and cyclic for a few minutes. Back in the day, he was probably a bigger badass pilot than you would rver hope to be!
Right. He flew in action.
I thought that was the point of this video. Understand this helicopter cost $$$$ to restore and keep flying. Maybe insurance won't let people fly up front and has to be a licensed pilot and co-pilot. Would have been great to see old man fly again though!! 😁
indeed, many are still asked for stunt flying in movies. they were trained like they are not any longer. fuck this.
FAA probably would have thrown a fit. I’m guessing the current pilot wouldn’t have had a problem with it.
I served in the military from 1983 to 2017 in the Army, USCG and USAF active/reserves with some breaks....in the beginning of my service all E-7 s and O-5 s and above were Vietnam Vets.....I feel bad when I was a teenager I was not as appreciative of them as I should have been....if I could have gone back I would have loved to hear their stories about Vietnam......also I had quite the mouth on me back then and could have been more respectful.....oh well.....
This is fabulous. I love the expressions of the veteran pilots. I'm sure they are time traveling. Love the music too. My family was stationed on Guam during the 1960s. My mom brought wounded soldiers home to have dinner with the family, with CMSGT Dad at the head of the table.
Takes me back 40 years...as soon as he pulled pitch. 6600/324
I knew a Navy PBR River boat veteran in 1977. He had no friends except me. Everybody thought he was crazy and dangerous. He taught me how to disassemble a M1911, 45acp. Clean it, lube it, reassemble it. I still remember everything.
The electronics that “just weren’t there” back then. Amazing. 👍
Wish I could give this more than “one” thumbs up; what a great experience for him!
USAF 20th SOS "Green Hornets", 27th Spl Ops Wing, UH-1F and H, AH-1F late 1972, Capt. (pilot) 1970-72, 2 full tours, retired USAF Reserves 1988. It's too bad that everyone, especially the various media, thinks only the Army flew Helo's in Vietnam and seem to ignore all of us USAF, Marines and Navy flyers. I also flew A1 and AT-28 Ground Attack /Support fixed wing during my tours, let's see Army helo pilots be that versatile.
PS - if gauges ain't round with a mechanical pointy thing, they ain't gauges and don't belong in a UH-1
Awesome! THANKS VIETNAM VETS 🙏💯👍🍺🎗🇺🇲
This is my favorite chickenhawk of all time, thanks guys!
God bless our troops and to the helicopter crews all over the world
Brought a tear to my eye. Navy March 16 '77 to '81. Engine mechanic A-4. Great to see him in the air again. Thank you.
I was in 227th AHB 1st Cav May '67 to Aug '68 Crew Chief!
I was 174th AHC 1st Avn Bgd 66-67, crew chief Dolphin911. Welcome home, bro...
Thanks for video. Flew in 69/70
God damn once the music kicked in I got chills
Oh Yeah !!!!! :D
Here, too!
STEPPENWOLF!!!!
I was just thinking it only need music, and it kicked in, wow..
One of my dad's friends was a Huey Pilot in Vietnam with 4 purple hearts for crashing/being shot down. The story as told to me is my mom was sitting with Pat at the bar at a wedding or some other event talking about something random. There was a little pause in the conversation and then out of nowhere, Pat turned to my mom with a drink in his hand and a lot of emotion in his eyes and said, "and I never left anyone on the ground!" What could you say back to that? These pilots are heroes.
I miss flying with my uncle Jack. Around the early 80's ever so often I had the pleasure to go flying in his UH 1 He would land and pick me up and we would fly somewhere then he would eventually land near a restaurant or parking lot for lunch. Then take off and go sightseeing before returning home. I really miss that and even took to the controls ever so often. I pray I can do it again it would really make my day.
My grandpa drove a wrecker and transport truck in Vietnam. He passed in this past September
Please put these gentlemen in one of the pilot seats! Saddened to see this man riding in the back.
I could just picture these guys pulling off some insane manoeuvres.
YOU AINT GETTING ME CHARLIE
He mentioned it had been a long time since he had flown one of these and while he could probably handle the controls, he learned and flew helicopters with gauges. Not to disparage his abilities, but not sure he could fly this aircraft with its new avionics and screens instead of gauges. At least not without a lengthy refresher course. I just appreciate the crew for their public service.
Thanks for all of your service you guys!!
What a fantastic helicopter...
Killer tune by Steppin Wolf. This is a cool video. I served in the 101st Airborne Division 501st Air Mobile division back in 74-76. Wished I woulda stayed in.
I hardly ever comment, but I have to on this it made my week the hole thing I was smiling the whole video helping people old and young
Please keep up your great work and make us old folks smile 👍
I can't even begin to imagine the state of mind these cats were in '66...a lot for a human being to coordinate and reconcile with.
In '66 I was barely 20, finished maintenance school at Ft. Rucker, 2 weeks leave and off to Vietnam. Was made crew chief on a D model like that one . Pretty awesome to be 20 and handed a few hundred k dollar helicopter "it's all yours, kid, keep her flying". I'd love to sit in the crew chief cubbyhole one more time, and give the "clear left" call to the pilots...
It's amazing the lifespan of some aircraft when properly maintained. Thank you to all our veterans, and thank you Combat Helicopters for taking them for a ride to enjoy the better aspects of their service without the bad.
Especially a helicopter , a buddy’s dad in Rayford was restoring a Huey project , wish I kept up on than
If ya got enough parts,money, & know how you can keep anything running indefinitely 👍
I so MISS cutting the “Air”. It’s a SOUND & FEELING You go only Get by Being There. Still a Good Video.
I'm not American but I grew up during the Vietnam war. I found this very emotional, why I have no idea.
You probably watched a lot of Vietnam war films with hueys. Crazy times, life expectancy of chopper pilots wasn't much. Cheers, Bob (Syracuse, NY)
This is SO totally awesome to watch!!!!
I’m from Iran and I respect Vietnam vets. It’s so heartbreaking that there are Americans that didn’t thank them and disrespected them upon arrival after the war. God bless nam vets.
By the way we still use hueys in our air force in Iran. Great choppers and very reliable . Built to last and fight .
I had the fortunate experience in the Army in the late 1980’s to ride with Nam pilots. Not only did I have the chance to ride in Huey’s I also rode in Blackhawk medivac’s. 1989 seems like a long time ago now too, as for our Vietnam vets who we held in high esteem while serving we were blessed for their presence.
Deeply impressive!
You couldn't have found a better song to play at lift off, perfect!
Definitely one of the coolest videos I have ever watched!
I was there the same time this guy was. Served with the 11th ACR(66) then the 9th infantry division(67) we did several air mobile operations in the Mecong Delta. I always liked the flight time because it got you out of the smell of Vietnam. Thank you sir and your fellow pilots for getting us home.
I lived near Ft Lewis and remember six & eight ship formations of Hueys flying around the base. They made an unforgettable sound.
Outstanding !!😊
Lift versus rotation and drag.🇺🇸
Thanks for your service outstanding program. Back in the seventies I remember the national guard by the Clackamas Oregon landed in the middle of the field where we were riding our dirt bikes. I've been in love with them things ever since.
Memories 1971-73.
God bless our veterans. My life’s dream was to ride in a Huey and experience the sound and feeling of these beauties. I got to fulfill my dream and it was nothing short of amazing. Combat pilots have the biggest balls and skills!!
How did you manage to fly in a huey. Its on my bucket list ever since being a kid in the 1970's in the UK and reading every book on Vietnam.
@@keziasarah One of our local law enforcement agencies has one. During the solar eclipse event in Tennessee we used it for our rapid response team.
My God! This brought tears to my eyes. I've done that startup several thousand times. Wow, what a flashback!
I liked the video but when the music started i got pumped. Too cool.
Nice video. Greetings from the Philippines. Our air force still fly these Hueys.
She is a real lady. She has so much to give if you treat her right. I would love to fly a Huey again, your Air Force is lucky to have them.
@@stevehovanesian3979 Sadly they are being replaced by the new S70i Blackhawks since many hueys have crashed before And getting old
Love this majestic birds
I hadnt seen a Huey for 40 years. My first trip to Philippines I'm driving north of Solano. I heard them coming first and knew the sound right away, then two of them were on my left flying over rice paddies. Sure brought back some memories.
goddamn my eyes started watering on startup. Just because of the significance of this. And im a Brit. We even have an old Huey flying over here. But aside from all of the politics my respect to those who served during Vietnam.
Great to see the Australian (Aussie) flag flying high and proud along with the American flag in the background. I was only a kid during the Vietnam War, most Fridays and Sundays I have a beer or two with several mates who served for Australia during the Vietnam War. When the subject comes up, they always tell me, “There’s no winners in war.” Cheers great vid. 🍻👍
Great video Scott!! It is great to see that you were able to share that experience with your father and give him something exciting and fun. I live in New Richmond and regularly see this Huey flying overhead. I always stop to watch and admire it. Thank you for sharing! ;)
This is a priceless mission.
MAN WAS MEANT TO FLY BUT IT IS A MIRACLE TO HOVER, "DAREDEVIL DAN" GOD I MISS IT AND I'M OLD NOW.
Beautiful machine.
This is awesome but you just know that guy was thinking "as fun as this is I'd rather be behind the stick"
That's exactly what he was thinking.
Fortunate son intensifies, even though you played magic carpet ride.
73 nw 19....I spent 2 1/2 years in III Corp...1969-71. I had my share of the Whup,Whup under my ass and in my ears...even though I was Quads and Dusters.This brought back memories ...some I had forgotten.Snippets like this can be so bitter sweet. I watched this with a smile and a tear...It was a time I felt alive...lol even the background music. In that time of our lives we ran...now older, we plod along doused in memories that made the heart beat so fast...Time goes by fleetingly and now a pace maker assists. Thank you for a momentary trip to when things were simple... and I had hair ....
III CORPS would have placed you out of Fort Hood, my hats off to you brother.
13 years and 1000 hours as a Huey CE in the Iowa National Guard. Desert Shield and Storm at Ft. Hood doing Medevac.
Dad served in IA Nt Guard for 10 years.
I was at Ben Hoa in 1068 ; MACV TOC. Flew many, many days with the Huey Slick Pilots. God Bless every one of them.