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Part 1

 

Part 2a

 

293d Aviation Company

The house was finally ready, furniture unpacked and replaced as needed.  I reported in the unit.  The new unit was to be the 293d Aviation Company, Medium life helicopters (Chinooks, CH - 47C-).   We were on secret orders for Viet Nam.  The secret was that we did not know where we would be assigned in Viet Nam.  No location or parent unit was designated at this point.  The procedure was when we were enroute to Viet Nam, actually off the ground and enroute, the Army would tell us the destination.  We would land, then go to the port and draw our equipment from ships that had been loaded in the states.

The commander of the unit was Major Merrill Adamcik.  The executive officer or XO was Major Samuel Kaiser.  There were two Platoon leaders, Major Leroy Jones and Captain Jeffrey Fillion.  The supply officer was a senior Captain, Larry Cooper.  All the above had experience as Army Aviators.  The only other members of the unit with aviation experience were the maintenance pilots and commanders.  The unit was actually a combination of two units.  The aviation company had the pilots, administrative staff, door gunners, and crew chiefs assigned to each of the 18 aircraft.  The maintenance detachment assigned to the company as the 2d part, had a commander, two test pilots, as well as 300 enlisted men who were to become experts in sheet metal work, avionics, blade repair, engine repair, hydraulics systems, etc. within months.  This was very important, as they were ALL fresh out of school.  Almost to the man, the age was 18 or 19 and total time in the Army was 6 to 12 months.

All maintenance procedures were accomplished by all the enlisted, whether crewmembers or repairmen, by a team effort.  One would read the book, explaining how to do a job, the second would do the job as it was described in the book.  This was true whether the job required one or two men to perform, as a daily inspection would, or 30 - 40 men as a major inspection would require.  The system was slow at the start, but it proved it worked, and each man learned to use the "book".  The unit was a stickler for "going by the book".   I liked it, and used it for another 30 years.

 

Commo and Motor Pool

Paul Cuda and I were the only other commissioned officers in the unit.  Before going to OCS, Paul and I had been in the same unit at Fort Ord, with Paul, as the acting platoon sergeant.  By the time we arrived at Fort Sill, he was my junior in rank.  I had finished OCS a month or two ahead of him. "like Virginity among whores... unless you are senior man!"

Paul was assigned as the unit's Commo officer.  He was the communications specialist for the company, not the aircraft.  Paul had to maintain all the company radios for operations section, and all the vehicles.   Paul had 2 or three technicians assigned to him as part of the TO&E ( Table of Organization and Equipment) that told each unit what people and equipment they were authorized.  Not what they would get, just what was "authorized".  

Almost immediately upon signing in to the company, I was told I was the new "motor officer."  This meant I was in charge of the vehicles assigned to the unit - jeeps, 3/4-ton trucks, 2 1/2-ton trucks etc.  We were an aviation unit; this couldn't be that hard.  Then I remembered, vehicle maintenance and accountability were some of the classes I slept through during OCS. Now I had a problem.

I asked where the motor pool was, thinking the vehicles and mechanics were there and I would drop by and have a look.   Oops!  The motor pool location was found, and I went by.  What I found was two empty bays in a long building, an office, and a large fenced area.  I was to be allowed to use two bays, the office and part of the fenced area as "my" motor pool.  The balance of the bays and parking belonged to the home unit.  When I asked where the vehicles were, I was told I had to "draw" them from Fort Sill facilities.  When I asked what I was to draw from Fort Sill, the answer was, "don't know, check your TO&E".  So the next two weeks were spent looking for a copy of the unit TO&E and then trying to figure out the number of vehicles, types, and above all the tools and spare parts authorized. (Table of Organization and Equipment - TO&E)

It seems the Army had a system.  If you owned 1 - 3 jeeps, you might be required to have 1 spark plug as a replacement item.  4 - 8 jeeps 2 plugs, 8 - 12 jeeps - 3 plugs., etc.  This was true for each part on the vehicle from tires to oil filters.  It was also true for each vehicle you owned.  In my case, I owned a lot.  

We started out the list with 1 Cushman scooter.  It was a miniature motorcycle with a 5HP engine.  The inspectors were to use it as transportation on the flight line when they were inspecting aircraft.  The next item was a "mule", another 5HP engine on a four-wheel flat bed about 30" wide and 6' long.  It too was for the flight line, used to haul tool boxes and replacement parts to the aircraft.  Then came jeeps, or 1/4 ton trucks from WWII that were still issued in the Army.   

I had 17Jeeps, about 12 with radios.  Paul would equip the jeeps for radios and install them when they were needed, then remove them for storage when not in use for security reasons.  Once in Viet Nam, the radios would be left on the jeeps all the time.  3/4-ton trucks, 2 1/2-ton, 5-ton cargo trucks were drawn from post.  A 5-ton tractor and trailer was drawn, then a mini-bulldozer, D-6 caterpillar, water trailers, a heavy forklift, and a 5-ton wrecker.

In addition, each vehicle had a trailer that was authorized, although none were ever issued.  Each piece of equipment was new.  All the attached equipment was still in the crates from the factory when we drew it from the consolidated supply at Fort Sill.

I had a Motor Sergeant, actually an E-4 instead of an E-5, and a mechanic, PFC or E-3.  Both were fresh out of maintenance school and had never worked in a motor pool.  To help me, a warrant officer was assigned to me as an assistant motor officer.   Even with new vehicles, we found  maintenance was almost too much for the number of personnel assigned to the motor pool.  We assigned vehicles to the different sections and finally had drivers assigned and trained.  Control was the key, everyone wanted his or her vehicle all the time, but was not willing to have the driver do proper maintenance.  The vehicles were finally locked up and not released until maintenance was completed.   This made for a lot of mad officers, but better mad than having the vehicle breakdown.

Waiting on Aircraft and Transitions

While we waited for the Chinooks to be made and picked up at the factory by our pilots, I flew OH-23s Fort Sill had assigned.  A couple of hours practice and I was back in the groove.  We could take them out just to keep proficient, or operations would call us for missions taking ROTC students up for recons of training areas during their training.  Most of the time, ROTC students (college students that had taken military courses and were commissioned upon graduation from collage) were excited and wanting to learn.  Now and then a few came through that bragged about their "experiences" and abilities.  One of the first flights was a couple of these "experienced" 2 Lts.  They both proceeded to explain to me that they flew all the time in civilian life and my briefings were a waste and I didn't have to bother.  No problem.  I got them strapped into the seat, and began to crank. The OH-23 has a huge Plexiglas bubble and being summer, we took the doors off.  It provides a great view, front, down, sides, and top.

Cranked, and ready, we took off.   Take off was straight for the mountain to the west of the campsite.  As the mountain climbed, we used a small valley and climbed also.  Keeping below the tree line on either side, and at the top, just clearing the trees, we finally were up and in free air.  So they thought.  I climbed enough to see the convoy we were supposed to watch, then dived to the tree tops again to " stay out of the enemy radar".  Having flown through the trees for months in school, this was great fun. For the two new 2 Lts with so much "civilian experience", it was pure stark terror.  It took about 30 minutes for them to want to be at the bivouac site waiting for the convoy to arrive.  I delivered them, waved and returned to the airfield and shut down.  I doubt they ever told another Army "pilot" how much experience they had.  This was normal treatment to most all that assumed the attitude of "old hat" at helicopters and low-level flying.  It has

never, never, failed to get a passenger’s attention.

Other passengers that said it was their first flight, or listened to briefings and tried to follow safety instructions were given flights that were so smooth a baby could sleep through them.  No one was ever scared intentionally unless they asked for it, or tried to play the big shot routine. This was to continue into Chinooks and years later into fixed wing.

Learning to Fly the Chinook


In addition to setting up the motor pool, drawing tools and equipment as well as the vehicles, I began my transition into the Chinook.  We had a couple of officers that were qualified before arriving at Fort Sill.

These individuals flew commercial flights to the Boeing plant in PA, inspected, and signed for the new Chinooks, and flew them home.  16 separate trips were made ferrying new aircraft home from the factory.  Each Chinook was the new "C" model.  However, the engines designed for the "C" model were having problems and the aircraft we drew had the "B" model engines.  This meant a heavier aircraft and underpowered engines. With the "C-" aircraft as it was called, we could lift 10,000 lbs. inside or externally with a sling load during almost any weather.  With less fuel and a real smooth control touch in the cockpit, we could get 12,500 off the ground on a good day.   The -10 manual or textbook for the aircraft said 10,000 without over-grossing the aircraft and bending some frame member. Our rule was - if we could get it off the ground, fly it!  

A couple of techniques were taught then that are not taught to Chinook drivers today. (I know because when I went back for the second transition into Chinooks in 1996, the techniques were not taught at all)  The first technique was based on the fact that you could not "weigh" a load before taking off, due to time and weight calculations needed for each load and piece of equipment.  You loaded the aircraft, or picked up the sling load, if the torque meter inside the aircraft didn't exceed the marked red line on the gauge, then you could go if it was external.  

If it was an internal load, and you could not hover at 20', but had a runway of sorts, you did a "fixed-wing" or airplane take off.  That is - using the wheels, and letting it roll until it actually lifted off the ground.  A helicopter goes through "translational lift" at about 18 knots of forward airspeed. This is true whether it is moving forward from a hover, or rolling on the ground. At that point, translational lift, the aircraft flies.  Any power required to maintain a hover is reduced by 1/3 or more.  If the aircraft can't hover for take off, and uses the running take off procedure, then the same is true for the landing. A running landing is made, so that the helicopter is landed just like an airplane would be.  The helicopter is flown to the ground, landing on the rear wheels and braked to a stop.  Using these procedures, weights 2 - 5,000 lbs. above maximum gross weight can be obtained and flown. Running take offs are not taught Chinook pilots today.

Autorotation is another maneuver that is not taught.  An autorotation is a landing in a helicopter without engines running.  The blades freewheel when the engine stops.  The wind is used to create life as the aircraft nears the ground.  As a Chinook was expensive, the plan was teach the pilots how to land if the engines quit.  We did hundreds of autorotations in the Chinook.  Each will scare you to death.  If you look down between your feet, you can see where the Chinook will land in an autorotation.  It falls like an anvil.  Perfectly safe, the roll on at the end of the autorotation is so smooth, if done right, you cannot feel it touch the ground.   Some time in the 1980s, the Army quit teaching pilots how to do autorotations in the Chinook.  It's read out of the book, sometimes talked about, and that is the experience the 5 crewmembers and 33 passengers have for a safety factor today.  Not to mention the aircraft cost over 30 million apiece, compared to 1 million for ours in the 1960s.

Within about 3 months of arrival we had our aircraft, most of our equipment, vehicles, etc., and were progressing toward having all the pilots trained in the Chinook.  My instructor was a CW2 XXX.  He had just returned from a trip to Viet Nam, and was back as an IP or Instructor Pilot. He was one of about 4 in the home unit at Fort Sill.  The senior IP was an old crusty W4 who had been flying for years.  We all swore he took the  - 10 manual home and memorized it to ask us questions no one could possibly know the answer to.  He was extremely hard on students because of where we were going and the dangers to be faced, but, he was harder on his instructors to be fair.

At one point, my IP and I were returning to the airfield at the end of the training.  We were passing an old grass landing strip that was used from time to time.  Inside the Chinook were two 105 mm Howitzers.  For the C- model and in August or September at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, this was a very, very heavy load- a load that required two engines or a paved strip to make a roll-on landing with.

My IP pulled an engine off line, giving me an emergency procedure to do, i.e., land single engine, which requires a running landing.  I immediately told him it was too hot, and we were too far from the grass strip to safety do a single engine approach and running landing.  With the weight on board, I would have to over torque the engine to get it on the ground safety. “Put the engine back on line, and do this at the airport".  He refused.  I landed on the grass, rolled to a stop, and he brought the engine back on line.  I said nothing more, took off, returned to Fort Sill main heliport, landed, shut down, wrote up the over-torque, went up stairs, shut the door and told the senior IP.  As I left the building you could hear him chewing on my IP.  The crux of the lecture was that a student should not be the one to know more about the limitations of the aircraft than the IP, that's why there were IPs in the first place.   Never again was that procedure done with heavy birds and hot days, at least at Fort Sill.

We flew with the IPs for 40 hours of flight time.  During this period we also attended 40 hours of classroom instruction on the aircraft and its systems. We were then off and on our own.  Two 40-hour pilots assigned to a Chinook for everything from local missions with passengers, slingloads, cross country to Texas, Oklahoma, and then Georgia.

Today, pilots might have 500 - 1000 hours of Chinook time before they are carried as Pilot in command and allowed to 'be in charge' of a Chinook. Most units today are run by politics, rather than pilot’s ability.  There is no mission today, as there was then.  Pilots then, were expected to be pilots.

All our pilots, operational pilots in the unit were fresh out of flight school. Most were 19 - 20 years old, high school grads, enlisted and then to flight school.   - In the Army a year, and flying a million dollar machine. -  Not bad for a kid!  Arrogant, cocky, good, and shortly to be some of the best aviators in the world.  All of this usually before their 21st birthday.  

One of our young warrants, was 19, married, a father, and by 2/3s of his tour in Viet Nam (1 1/2 years after flight school) he would have 3 aircraft shot from under him, crashed, damaged one aircraft as it was shot down, saved the aircraft from a 1,000 foot cliff, put in for Silver Star (3rd highest award in Army ), and 1200 flight hours.  All before he was old enough to vote!  

Fort Sill and Lawton, Oklahoma


Lawton, as we found, was a quiet Oklahoma town, for the most part. Lawton is or was made to support Fort Sill, which had been there since the 1860s.

Fort Sill was an original Cavalry post for the 9 and 10 Cav. of black, Buffalo Soldiers assigned there to pursue the Commanche Indians raiding KS, OK, TX.  The original post was only about 500 yards square.  Over the years the old post grew from stables and tents to a quadrangle of 1 sq. mile and stone buildings (now storage and offices), with the commanding General's quarters the center piece, to today's post of 40 - 70 miles across and 10 miles deep.  The main post is west of the original site.  Most of the original Fort Sill has been converted to museums and left in its original condition. From the old garrison, to the quadrangle, to the stone 8 X 8' jail for Cochise, not much has changed.

The western corner of the post is a Commanche Tribal settlement.  This is part of the original Indian Settlement from the mid 1800s when Quanta Parker led raids against the whites.  When we were assigned to Fort Sill, the III Corps Artillery Commander was a relative of Quanta Parker.  He was inducted into the tribe and invited to all ceremonies.

Lawton grew up from that era and with the attitude Fort Sill was the blood of life.  What Fort Sill wanted, Fort Sill got.  South of Fort Sill was housing for about 3 miles.  From the fence surrounding the post to downtown was a mixture of business and housing.  Small, quiet neighborhoods, with strips of bars, stores, pawnshops, and car lots.    The farther west, the newer homes, and less business.

Down-town Lawton had always been a bit of a military town and rowdy.  By the late 1960s it was going full steam.  The Army was conducting Basic Training, Advanced Artillery Training, Officer Candidate School for Artillery officers, a basic branch course for ROTC graduates, and the Advance Course for Army officers of Captain and Major Rank.  By the time we arrived with the Chinook unit, Fort Sill had a population of approximately 60 - 70,000 soldiers.  Most were enroute to Viet Nam, young, and wild.

The two parallel main streets in downtown Lawton were almost solid bars for 3 blocks on each street.  Friday and Saturday nights were wall-to-wall soldiers in each bar and most of the sidewalks between the bars.  The MP or Military Police from Fort Sill rode in the city police cars with the local cops.  This at least doubled the City police department, and helped the court system, as most of the trouble was from soldiers.

On any given Friday or Saturday night there would be a shooting or knifing. On payday there would be at least one killing.  It was a wild and woolly town, and equal to Dodge City in its best days.

Every bar had Go-Go dancers.  Girls in mini skirts or G-strings dancing on stage while the guys drank beer.  Lawton, as well as the rest of Oklahoma only allowed 3.2% beer, but it was enough.  Soldiers can get drunk and stupid on most anything.

We were lucky as a unit.  None of our soldiers were shot or stabbed in Lawton.  

We heard, that shortly after we left for Viet Nam, the post commander put the city, down-town, off limits to all soldiers, in an attempt to stop some of the violence.  When I returned years later it had quieted down.  The city fathers had actually managed to get a mall developer to move in, buy two of the worst city blocks, and level it for a huge mall.  Quite a difference from the period 2 years before.  It was on its way to being a town for families.

Supply and Tools


Part of any good supply section is to have what the military says you can have, and also what you will need to keep the unit running.  The two are not necessarily the same.  Actually, they are rarely the same.  

While the unit was forming for Viet Nam, part of the "formation" is all the sections within the unit drawing the authorized equipment, tools and repair parts.  The supply room or supply section at all levels of command are designated to request or process the request for all supplies needed.  This is the official and authorized method of doing things.

Each section supplies its own list of things needed.  This does not by any means, mean that a section cannot or should not acquire needed items on its own.  Example, in the motor pool we were authorized one toolbox with certain tools in it for each of the mechanics.  Additional tools were allowed for the "motor pool", meaning tools that were assigned to the unit, vs., the mechanic and therefore available to any mechanic during duty hours. Reality was, mechanics lose tools.  Spare tools are needed to fill the losses or work cannot be done waiting on the supply channels to re-issue a wrench.  

It was incumbent on us to find and keep extra tools.  Because the extra tools are not accountable items they cannot be available for any inspections.  Anything extra, or not allowed by the Table of Organization and Allowances would be moved from the unit during any and all inspections.

Drawing Equipment


As soon as I could figure out the number of spare parts and pieces I was authorized to stock, I began ordering them.  One at a time we picked up the vehicles and the equipment that came with them.  A jeep here, 3/4-ton truck there, a 2 1/2-ton truck here, etc., finally all the vehicles were drawn except the wrecker truck.  As an aviation unit we were authorized to have a wrecker for the vehicles recovery, if and when needed.  After all, we were going to a war zone.  I go and pick up the new wrecker.  It is a beautiful 5-ton wrecker with hundreds of pieces of equipment  - welders, chains, wrenches, pry bars, etc.  All the 250 vehicle pieces of equipment is boxed in large wooden crates.  When we left the supply unit I had two.  Two months later I was to turn the vehicle back in as we were changing designations and 5 boxes of equipment was then required. Oops.

God looks after babies and fools I guess.  When I went to turn the wrecker back in, the extra 2 boxes of OVM, or parts, that I didn't pick up the first time was still sitting by the door of the supply room where I left them at post supply.  Still sealed and didn't even have to count the parts.  Lucky.

After all the spare parts authorized for the unit were drawn from supply, all the vehicles drawn and stenciled and put into service, the Army changed our unit designation, we ended up turning in all the equipment, and redrawing it, or most of it anyway under a different unit designation. Mostly it was a paperwork drill.

Tools, gold and silver welding rods.

One of the "trips" for pilot proficiency was to an Army supply depot on the Red River, oddly enough called the "Red River Army Supply Depot".  There we managed to talk the management out of spare parts and tools they had listed as extra and not on the Official Army record books.  Part of the loot was a full box of gold and one of silver welding rods.  We kept the silver for the motor pool, and used the gold to trade for other supplies we would need more than welding rods.

Visits to cities  


Almost anywhere we wanted to go and could do a little coordination to arrange a pick up of some sort was an excuse to do a  "training flight". These are flights that the crew makes to get or remain proficient in the aircraft operation.  For us, all flights could and generally were, classified as training.   Going to Viet Nam and a combat zone was not considered to be going on vacation.  In all its wisdom, the Army doesn't figure a soldier in a combat zone needs to bathe, or wash his clothes.  It’s one of the things the Army doesn't put a lot of faith in, until the soldier isn't in the jungle, then he is expected to be starched and clean.  Just another case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing.

We were lucky.  Of the senior officers and NCOs in the unit, most had already served one tour in Viet Nam and knew what the items were that would be needed, yet not issued by the Army.

Top of the list would be water heaters, washers, dryers, sinks, etc., for staying clean.  A call was put out, have all the members of the unit contact their relatives in Texas, Oklahoma, Ark, etc., for anything that could be used to wash clothes, dry them, pass as a water heater, etc.  If anyone had any of these items, we would send a Chinook to the home town, with the crewmember on board, spend the day, show off the aircraft, let the serviceman see his family, then load the items on the Chinook and return to Fort sill.  Training for all the crew, and supplies to go to Viet Nam.  

It worked like a champ.  Before long we had two or three of everything.  We were probably the only unit to arrive in Viet Nam with enough sinks and showers for every man in the unit, enlisted and officer alike.

When the Army finally designated our unit, we were authorized to ship approximately 75 steel conexes or steel boxes 6 x 8 foot, by 7 ft high, filled with our authorized equipment.  We shipped almost 400!  Not authorized, but needed.

In addition to the trips made to the local area, when we moved the aircraft to California for shipment to Viet Nam on board Aircraft Carriers, the maintenance crews made separate trips back to Las Vegas and Nevada to the gambling halls.

 Mob bosses may be bad guys, but be sure of the fact they are patriotic! The amount of napkins, decks of cards, dice, drinking glasses etc., they supplied was enough to fill another steel conex.  All free, simply by saying, "we're enroute to Viet Nam".  The doors were open and we were outfitted.  

AF tugs stolen


On one of the "training" flights an Air Force Tug appeared parked nearby. At the time, and ever since, that I know of, the rule is that any military vehicle is locked when it is parked.  If a truck, car, jeep, etc, has a key, it is removed and the doors locked if they can be locked.  If no key or locking doors is available, a heavy chain is run through the steering wheel and through the clutch pedal or brake pedal and a lock is used to secure the ends of the chain.  This prevents the brake or clutch being moved and the steering wheel being turned, therefore the vehicle can't be driven.  

When the flight crew was ready to return to Fort Sill, the Air Force had graciously left an Air Force Aircraft Tug next to the Chinook.  

A "Tug" is a very expensive piece of equipment used to push or pull aircraft in and out of hangers and parking spaces.  Civilian aircraft at commercial airports are moved with the same piece of equipment.  The cost for an Air Force Tug is estimated at 1969 prices to be about 25,000 dollars. This one was new!

The crew chief or a flight member drove it up and into the Chinook (same way we carried jeeps and artillery pieces inside), then tied it down while the pilots cranked and took off.  Yes it was illegal, but only if you got caught. After all, it was one military branch helping another!

Arriving back at Fort Sill, I was called at the motor pool and told there was special equipment for me on the flight line.  I retrieved the Tug, repainted it, made an official looking logbook and the Air Force Tug became an Army Tug, even though the Army didn't own anything similar.

We used it at Fort sill for the next 6 - 7 months, moved it when inspections were due, loaded it on a train, sent it to Houston, then by ship, the Tug was sent to Viet Nam, where it served proudly in the Army until the unit left and returned to the states.  

The unit commander wasn't aware of the theft until we were back from Viet Nam.  He was not involved in the theft, therefore couldn't turn us in, if questioned, and we didn't have to worry about him telling us we couldn't have the tug, if he knew.  All in all, a favorable way to conduct business, if you didn't get caught.

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Part 2b