| Date: 04:23, 28th May From: Webmaster Email: viking23@crunet.com Message: Martha Raye (1916-October 19, 1994) was an American comic actress and singer in motion pictures and later, on television. Miss Raye was best known for the size of her mouth, which appeared enormous in proportion to the rest of her face. It relegated her motion picture work to largely supporting comic parts. She became known as "The Big Mouth"; apparently she was often made up in a way which tended to cause it to appear as even larger than it actually already was. For example, she appears in the picture The Big Broadcast of 1938 where Bob Hope first sings what became his theme song, Thanks for the Memories; however, it is not sung to Miss Raye, but rather the female leading actress that she supports. She joined the USO soon after the US entered World War II. During WW2, Korea and Vietnam, Martha travelled extensively to entertain the American troops. In October 1966, Martha came to Soc Trang, Vietnam, to entertain the troops at this base which was the home base of the 121st Aviation company, the Soc Trang Tigers and the gun-ship platoon, The Vikings along with the 336th Aviation company. Shortly after her arrival, both units were called out on a mission to extract supposed POWs from an area nearby. Martha decided to hold her troop of entertainers there until the mission was completed so that all could watch her show. During that time, I was flying a "Huey Slick" carrying troops into the LZ. My ship received combat damage to the extent that I had to return to base at Soc Trang and, as there were no replacements, we could not return to the mission. While waiting, Martha played poker with us (I should have known better) and was very genial. When the mission was completed, which had resulted in the loss of a helicopter gun-ship and a Viking pilot, CWO2 James W. Hargrove, there was also a wounded officer, Major R. Nutter, Viking Lead, acting as co-pilot who had been wounded when that ship went down. When he and the two remaining crewmen were returned to Soc Trang, Martha volunteered to assist the doctor in treating the wounded Major Nutter. When all had been completed, Martha waited until all were available and then put on her show. An outstanding trooper and wonderful person. In 1968, she was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in the form of an Oscar. In November of 1993, President Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.. Date: 01:58, 28th May From: Roger Swindler Email: viking23@crunet.com Message: Crew Members: P MAJ RT NUTTER P CW2 HARGROVE JAMES WELDON KIA CE SP5 D OLSON G SGT DI SWINDLER Accident Summary: Aircraft received undetermined amount of small arms fire and automatic weapons hits. Lost control and crashed in flooded wooded area. Pilot, crewchief and gunner encountered hand to hand combat. Picked up 18 hours later. War Story: The 121st had the mission to insert a CIDG force that was trying to deal with some POWs that 'had turned;' meaning they would radio the friendlies to come and then ambush the rescue force. The first insertion was routine. The ground force made heavy contact before the second lift could be put in. Initially we were talking to the American advisors but then an English speaking Nung came on the radio saying that all the Americans were KIA or WIA and that they needed to be extracted. The VC had about two battalions in great ambush positions. MAJ Nutter, the company XO, was flying AC. CW2 Hargrove was the pilot. SP5 Olson was the CE. I was the gunner. We made a 'look pass' down the line to see if we could determine where the CP was. We climbed a little, made a turn and started in to extract some of the Americans even though we were in a gunship. Suddenly we received very accurate AW weapons fire from several sides at very close range. Basically the front of the Huey was shot up and the controls knocked out. We impacted upside down at about 80 knots in a swamp. Mr. Hargrove was either killed from the hostile fire or died in the crash. I could get out of the Huey easily because my side was facing up. I walked around a little to check things out but returned to the Huey when I heard movement. MAJ Nutter was able to get out by himself and I helped Dave some. My left arm was cut in the crash and would late take 15 stitches to close. MAJ Nutter's knee was injured rather seriously and he had hit his mouth on the console. Dave had a gun shot wound in the forearm. We had a grease gun, three survival knives, and an M-14 without a magazine; but we had a pocket full of shells for the M-14. After E&Eing for 18 hours, we linked up with some 21st Division ARVNs and were extracted by a DUSTOFF ship to Soc Trang. While it was still light, we had to keep moving because the VC were all around us. We got into several fire fights and acquired weapons from them. Finally we worked our way out of the swamp and after dark made it to the second dike. There were lots of air strikes and artillery coming in all night long. We didn't have any water but the mosquitos were terrible. We were scarred to death and the only sleep we got that night was in the form of cat naps. The VC were moving out of the area. Several walked within a few feet of us but we were not discovered. The next morning we organized ourselves for a 'last stand' in all directions. Eventually I could see some guys with steel pots coming. They started shooting at us when we moved. Finally I jumped up and yelled at them. When they saw that we were Americans, they stopped shooting. Soon some gunships passed over us and we waved. Within a few second, a DUSTOFF landed and took us to Soc Trang. MAJ Nutter was evaced. Dave and I were treated and went back to work. Martha Ray was visiting Soc Trang at the time. She waited until we returned and met our ship. She said: "You guys are in big trouble - you missed bed check last night!" Date: 01:32, 28th May From: Hall of Fame Email: james38011@yahoo.com Message: Chief Warrant Officer (W2) (later Lieutenant Colonel) Jerome Daly, was a proven expert in aviation operations, maintenance, and the development of innovative tactics and doctrine and proven hardware systems. In 1966 at the US Army Aviation Center he was the leading instructor of helicopter gunnery and an expert with M-3 and M-5 weapons systems. There he was not only noted for his fine skills but also for his efforts in modernizing and improving of aerial gunnery training. In 1967 while serving as combat aviator and maintenance officer with the 121st Helicopter Company in Vietnam, CW2 Daly heroically rescued three downed helicopter crews who were threatened by two Viet Cong battalions. To conceal the area in smoke, he completed 12 separate smoke runs through a hail of enemy fire allowing a rescue ship to recover the downed aircrew members. During this action his aircraft was damaged beyond repair. For this action CW2 Daly was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He continued to make many more significant contributions while assigned to key aviation positions, including commander of the 4th Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade. In August, 1982, he retired in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel. Date: 22:47, 3rd May From: Gene Traczyk Email: * Message: Soc Trang sure looks a lot different now than during the war. I was an Air Force crash rescueman with the 1st Air Commando's. stationed at Soc Trang for seven months starting mid May 1964. We had several types of animals at the military compound to include: a tiger (Tuffy), a boa constricter,(Suzie), a monkey (SN), a couple dogs with lot of character and smarts. "Tiger", was a large beige,short haired lab mix that belonged to the 121st aviation, and "Porkchops",a short terrior mix, that belonged to the 1st Aircommando's. They sure were territorial, protective, and smart. Porkchops would hunt down rats and was very good at it, and Tiger would stay mostly on her side (Army) of the compound. Moved to Bien Hoa to finish my tour. My war memories are still vivid however, I also remember the lighter side, especially going into town to visit the "Blue Note" the "Bungalow", and the local restaurants. A "Bom de Ba" (33) beer, went for 5 piastras and we could get a large bowl of "Fauh" soup,(not sure how to spell it), some french bread, all for about 25-35 piastra.(less than 50 cents) Try that now! The cooks at one of our favorite eating spot in town would boil our chop sticks since at first we were were concerned about the sanitary conditions. The food was super and we frequented this place fairly often. Sure was better than eating the "K" rations they gave us on the compound. Great food and great people except for "Charlie VC". I currently live in Crystal River Florida Signing off for now. C-ya, Gene Ph. 352-442-5267 e-mail gtraczyk2001@yahoo.com Date: 16:31, 24th February From: James A. Jones Jr. Email: jajones1@bradentonherald.com Message: The U.S. Defense Department news release Friday was just a tidbit, maybe, something appreciated mostly by active duty military and old veterans, like me. Starting Dec. 2, about 1,000 copies of The Stars and Stripes, the newspaper of the U.S. military, have been printed daily by a contractor near Kabul, Afghanistan, according to the news release. The newspaper no longer has to be delivered from Germany and gets to the troops quicker and free of charge. I read the Stars in Stripes in Germany while in the Army from 1967 to 1968, and again later in Vietnam. My dad read it all across Europe during World War II. The paper was designed for GIs on the go: an easy-to-handle tabloid with a smattering of essential local, national and world news, written in a concise, easy-to-read way. I also received my hometown paper - the St. Augustine Record - while overseas. But it was always weeks or months old when it arrived. With the Stars and Stripes, a soldier could be away from American television and radio for a year or more and return home with a general understanding of the news that had transpired. Critics might charge that the news had been sanitized and that it lacked the robust clash of opinion found in mainstream papers. But that was not necessarily true. I remember reading about the student deaths at Kent State and many of the other turbulent events of that era in the Stars and Stripes. I have a clipping - just one - from Stars and Stripes. It's dated Nov. 6, 1970, and includes a piece of my war. Here's the lead paragraph from that clipping: "SOC TRANG - Vietnam - The American flag was lowered for the last time over Soc Trang airfield Wednesday during a ceremony in which Robert C. Seamans Jr., secretary of the Air Force, helped mark the first transfer of a totally American-run base to the Vietnamese." The article went on to report that two squadrons of UH1 helicopters were turned over to the Vietnamese during the ceremony. The 121st Aviation Company, the first U.S. Army helicopter company to operate in the delta, going back to 1962, was inactivated, Spc. Larry McQuillan reported. I spent a very intense seven months in Soc Trang as commander of a signal company. I generally look at that assignment as the high point of my time in the military, if not my life. So, I was a bit sad to read that Stars and Stripes article in 1970. I was serving another tour in Vietnam, this time at 1st Signal Brigade headquarters in Long Binh, then the largest U.S. military base in the world. I worked in the plans and training division and, as a junior officer, was involved with the "Vietnamization" of the war. We operated schools at Vung Tau and Long Binh, where we were training the Vietnamese to take over our communications. Turnovers like that in Soc Trang would soon be repeated all over South Vietnam. Ultimately, for complex political and military reasons, the Vietnamization effort failed. We can only pray that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have a happier outcome. Date: 16:14, 24th February From: Bob Email: james111@yahoo.com Message: Unit Citation Awarded To Aviation Company WASHINGTON (ANF) - President Lyndon B. Johnson has awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation to the Army’s 121st Aviation Company and its attached units for “extraordinary heroism” in Vietnam. The citation lauded the units for their “indomitable courage and professional skill while providing direct support for a Republic of Vietnam military ground operation in territory known to be dominated by insurgents.” The action took place in the vicinity of Ca Mau on December 5, 1964, while the 121st and its attached forces were supporting the South Vietnamese 21st Infantry division. Date: 01:43, 9th February From: Story by Sgt. Daniel L. Bean Email: bbjones@yahoo.com Message: Remembering Martha Raye During those nine years, she traveled to the most remote locations to visit troops and often did more than entertain. She also put her skills as a nurse to use treating patients and even assisted in surgery. While visiting a special forces camp in Soc Trang in 1967, she spent her performance time in the operating room instead of on stage. After 13 straight hours in surgery, she went through the wards talking, joking and comforting the soldiers. "Maggie ... helped everybody she could in Vietnam," said Tom Squier. a veteran and friend of Raye. "She told jokes and played cards with us. treated our wounds and got wounded like one of us. She was one of us ... eating what we ate and sleeping in the mud. She never ran out of energy and could not stand to see someone depressed." Raye’s willingness to travel to the "ends of the earth" to see soldiers earned her a special respect from special forces soldiers, who normally operate in small groups in remote locations. Raye was the one USO entertainer willing to risk her safety to be with them. And, as she did in Soc Trang, she did more than entertain; she took care of the soldiers. "She loved the Green Berets, and we all loved her," Squier said. "She was a star in her own right, but she was one of us." Date: 04:32, 12th November From: CPT Hamner, Ralph H Email: **** Message: 121 AVN was a US Army unit Primary service involved, US Army Ba Zuyen Province, South Vietnam Location, Soc Trang Description: The 121st AVN reported that 20 UH-1B aircraft were delivered to the Company during May. The armed platoon, dubbed the "Vikings" by its members, received the first 8 to arrive. The remaining 12 were assigned as "slicks." CPT Ralph H. Hamner was named the platoon leader of the armed ships. May was the last month that the CH-21 "Shawnee" flew. A final total of 481.6 hours was logged on the retiring aircraft during the month. Since the Company's arrival at Soc Trang on 19 Sep 1962, more than 17,000 hours were logged in the "Flying Banannas" by pilots of the 121st. During that time, many hearts were won by the unwieldy bird. As one pilot remarked, "They were the dickens to keep flying, but you can't help getting attached to an aircraft that you've been through so much with." None hesitated to put the old aircraft aside, however, and all looked forward to the increased capabilities and reduced maintenance problems with the UH-1B's. Comments: CPT Hamner, Ralph H.; Viking Platoon leader; The source for this information was 121st AVN CO Annual Supplement 1 Jan 64 - 31 Dec 64 Date: 19:29, 1st November From: Michael Sherman Email: dfofl@earthlink.net Message: I was reading your "warstories" articles and came across one by Randy Stewart titled WIA 5 February,1969. I was the co-pilot on that flight and the Mr. King Randy mentioned was Brian King who was flying the lead that day. As stated, we took small arms fire and I was hit with plexiglass in the face which was only superficial. I lost conciousness momentarily and came to with another Brian as A/C yelling that I had been shot in the face which scared the hell out of me. We then hosed down the area pretty good and returned to Soc Trang where the doc patched me up. As a side note, Brian King was flying on a mission when his 90 degree gear box failed and detached from the aircraft. This threw the acft out c.g. and it spun out of control nose down. Brian did a heck of a job under very limited control functions and managed to put it down flat with no roll or forward momentum. He sustained some fractured vertabrae and returned to Ft. Wolters where he received a disability discharge. His aircraft is pictured in the photos section and makes you wonder how anyone could have survived the crash. I finished my tour and was sent to Ft. Wolters where I was assigned as an IP and later as a flight evaluation pilot. I met Randy and gave him his check ride in which he earned that high score. Glad to hear you made it back from your second tour. [1] [2] [3] |