Were li eere live at the archives in washington, d. C. , where theyve just opened an exhibit on the vietnam war. Were here with jerry sego. Why are you out here today with these vietnam Era Helicopters . To help the archives bring attention to this remember vietnam series and help us, our continuous goal to honor the Vietnam Veterans by display with the vietnam Era Helicopters. Sometimes the vietnam war is referred to as the first helicopter war. Why is that . Well, the helicopter after they found out the utilization of it was multiple uses, the helicopter took the part of trucks, jeeps and other equipment that had been used in other wars. Medevac and troops was a big key from the field. They could put troops into lzs quicker and safer. They could pin point them into a place quicker. It brought a whole new industry out there for the use. Can you tell us about your own personal experience . When did you serve in vietnam . Did you volunteer or were you drafted . All helicopter pilots wer
Utilization of it, it was multiple uses. The helicopter took the place of trucks, jeeps, and other equipment used in other wars. That is lacking troops medevac him troops from the safer. As if you believe it is safer, it actually was. Arriving along roads that could be ambushed, and even though they took aerial fire, they could pinpoint a man to a place quicker. A lot of things was learned by utilization of the helicopter, like our medics today used the helicopters. It brought a whole new industry out there for the use. Can you tell us about your own personal experience . When did you serve in vietnam . Did you volunteer or were you drafted . All helicopter pilots were volunteers. It was not something you were told you were going to do. I flew lift ships and gunships a total of nine months, and then i went to maintenance which was not necessarily safer than being shot at every day because in tontenance you were subject engine failures, transmission failures, hydraulic daily ors, hydrau
You just try to put it behind you and go on with life. Did you have to deal with people who were critical of our involvement in vietnam or did you just not talk about it at all . Botheredvery few who most of them didnt know that i was involved in vietnam. We just went about life. I was never really in that kind of situation where people work trying were trying to attack me or anything like that. You enjoyed your time talking to the public . I loved it. Im think that the archives to this. My grandson and i were down at the wall the other day. It was a wonderful experience for them. I ran across a man down there and he said where were you in vietnam and i said i was at camp he said, were you a bikini . I said yeah. How do you get that . He said, well, youre a pilot. He was in the three 61st 361st, the pink panthers. Both of our companies were in the central highlands. He supported the fourth division. We supported artillery units and the special forces out of pontoon. With the cobra unit