Pretty much the same thing happened to me and my huey gunship crew chief on September 29, 1967. We got shoot down and landed on a dirt road along with about 8 or 9 other huey crews. We had tw gunships circling us as we were taking fire from across a rice paddy. We also had a smoke ship laying down covering smoke. We rand to a recue ship and were taken to a fire support unit. Our aircraft was picked up bt a CH-47 Chinook recovery team and returned to our base camp. When we go there all of our personal equipment, a tool box, big insulated water dispenser, flight helmets and armored chest protectors were missing. Not missing were two extra M-60 lower receivers that had serial numbers. I went over to the Chinook outfit and asked where our stuff was. VC must have got it. BS as they would have taken those M-60 lowers. Not only that no enemy troops ever got anywhere close to that aircraft because the US infantry troops were already being inserted to protect thost aircraft. They just denied it and I reported the loss to our supply room. Couple of weeks someone came down from our battalion with a paper to sign giving the Army the right to take monthly payments out of out checks. I told my crew chief to refuse as I did. Couple of days later the Battalion commander shows up and being that he was a Lt. Colonel he orders us to sign the damn paper. Nope, not happening. I also told him that equipment was still in the US Army but somewhere else and needed to go stir up Chinook crew. He started ranting about what he could do and I told him what I would do. I would notify my congressional representatives and my dad that was a Battalion commander in Tennessee and he would start making calls to newspapers and higher ups he knew. Last we ever heard another word. I later heard he did make his one star General promotion some years later and was still a jerk. Gus like him would not survive in the field treating troops like that. Fragging comes to mind!
Pretty much the same thing happened to me and my huey gunship crew chief on September 29, 1967. We got shoot down and landed on a dirt road along with about 8 or 9 other huey crews. We had tw gunships circling us as we were taking fire from across a rice paddy. We also had a smoke ship laying down covering smoke. We rand to a recue ship and were taken to a fire support unit. Our aircraft was picked up bt a CH-47 Chinook recovery team and returned to our base camp. When we go there all of our personal equipment, a tool box, big insulated water dispenser, flight helmets and armored chest protectors were missing. Not missing were two extra M-60 lower receivers that had serial numbers. I went over to the Chinook outfit and asked where our stuff was. VC must have got it. BS as they would have taken those M-60 lowers. Not only that no enemy troops ever got anywhere close to that aircraft because the US infantry troops were already being inserted to protect thost aircraft. They just denied it and I reported the loss to our supply room. Couple of weeks someone came down from our battalion with a paper to sign giving the Army the right to take monthly payments out of out checks. I told my crew chief to refuse as I did. Couple of days later the Battalion commander shows up and being that he was a Lt. Colonel he orders us to sign the damn paper. Nope, not happening. I also told him that equipment was still in the US Army but somewhere else and needed to go stir up Chinook crew. He started ranting about what he could do and I told him what I would do. I would notify my congressional representatives and my dad that was a Battalion commander in Tennessee and he would start making calls to newspapers and higher ups he knew. Last we ever heard another word. I later heard he did make his one star General promotion some years later and was still a jerk. Gus like him would not survive in the field treating troops like that. Fragging comes to mind!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's wrong as hell. Assholes should cover your back.
Delete