Part #5, Army Helicopter Crewmen, Cold War & Recent Past:
Let’s take a moment to recognize the men who were given the opportunity, took the challenge, and went to the Army’s Flight School, and the people who trained them:
Major, Flight Instructor, Army Flight Training School, Prior service with Blackhawks (1st Cavalry Regiment 101st Abn. Div.) & 1st Cav. Div:
In August 1967, the 1st Squadron (Platoon) of the 1st Cavalry Regiment (or 1/1 Cav.) had been detached from the 1st Armored Division and thus assigned to the US. Army Pacific, they were focused on Vietnam in 1967 when the squadron deployed to Vietnam, they consisted of three armored cavalry troops and one air cavalry troop, and that was “D Troop”, and they did not deploy until July of 1968. The plan for the 'D' Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment was to join its parent unit, already in Vietnam, they were part of the Americal Division out of Chu Lai.
While they were en route to Chu-Li, D Troop's orders were changed, temporarily attaching them to the 101st Airborne Division. The troop disembarked onto a dock, at Da Nang, on 21 July 1968 with orders to fly directly to Camp Eagle. They ended up staying there, on continuous combat duty, operating in I Corps for the next four years. They used the call sign of “Sabre” and served in Chu Lai, Đà Nẵng, Tam Kỳ, and Thach Khe.
Then there was E Troop, 1st Cavalry, and it was activated on 15 April 1966, as the brigade’s reconnaissance troop, and they were a part of the 11th Infantry Brigade, located at Schofield Barracks, in Hawaii. That wonderful duty ended when Troop E deployed to Vietnam on 19th December 1967, they would serve in Quảng Ngãi and Quang Tin provinces and serve in eleven campaigns, the Troop received the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry for operations in 1969–1970 with the 11th Infantry Brigade, of the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal). Troop E was inactivated in Vietnam on 13 November 1971 and departed Vietnam on 10 May 1972.
On 1 July 1963, the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry was relieved of their duties to the 3rd Armored Division, United States Army-Europe, and reassigned to the 2nd Armored Division, assigned to Fort Hood in Texas. On 8 August 1967, the unit left Fort Hood for Vietnam where they were attached to the 4th Infantry Division, they were headquartered in Pleiku in the Republic of Vietnam.
During their service in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, the troopers saw plenty of action in Pleiku, Đắk Tô, Suoi Doi, Kon Tum, and An Khê in May 1969, the squadron was transferred to Task Force South in Phan Thiết becoming part of the 1st Field Force Vietnam. They fought in and over the rice paddies and rubber plantations. 2-1 Cavalry departed Vietnam in October 1970, they left from Cam Ranh Bay for reassignment to the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
The 7th Squadron (Air), 1st Cavalry remained a self-contained Vietnam-era air cavalry squadron, there were five troops. D Troop (the squadron's armored cavalry troop) fought in operations with the 9th Infantry Division till they were withdrawn from Vietnam then they were used to train the South Vietnamese Regional Force infantry units of the 44th Special Zone (STZ) in air assault missions, which were quite successful. Up till April 1972 when the political changes decided to end the situation and we pulled out, and after peace talks, and promises, all US combat troops were to be withdrawn by 30 November 1972.
Major Shields is now assigned to flight instructor status., He has gotten his commission in the Armored Cavalry School. I assume he flew Huey slicks though with the “Black-Hawks” regiment as proudly displayed on the pocket of his “Nomex” flight shirt. The prior tour was with the 1st Cavalry Regiment. “ANIMO ET FIDE” their motto the Latin means "Courageous and Faithful" the patch is the same as their DUI. There is a Brovo-2 patch as well, which indicates another assignment at another point.
He has had several tours of Vietnam, but there is nothing to point that out, but rank comes more quickly in battlefield conditions, and that’s why in the post (of any war) there are many young officers of high rank, as they were earned in battle when they were needed, they did their job! And rewarded for it, there were many also who should have been given higher ranks, but turned them down to stay with their friends, or there were just no available spots at the right time. They had flown out of “Vinh Long” but their combat operations were throughout all of the Mekong Delta regions.
His assignment with the flight/school training program was not an uncommon-raise, for an officer with an uncertain future, and it changed after the war ended, and it continues to operate today making some of the finest helicopter pilots in the world, one often enters the program in the Warrant Officer status as the starting rank, as did the Major. He would fly less now, more often than not buried in paperwork, but with plenty of flying in Vietnam, he doesn’t need the air-time, he still, has to keep up enough to have flight status and be paid for it, and perhaps to check out the trainees from time to time. But that’s another story, and there isn’t enough space here.
CWO/4, into the Post-Vietnam Era:
Following its service in WWII, and the Korean War. The division was relocated and reformed in Augsburg in West Germany on July 1, 1958. The 24th “Hawaiian Division” replaced the 11th Airborne Division. The division had been organized under the Pentomic Division / TO&E, basically using five oversized battalions (called "battle groups"). Then came the Lebanon Crisis of 1958.
The 6th Feet was in range, and on the night of July 15th, the U.S. Marines landed at Beirut and took control of the Beirut airport. building up, and training, as well as training a Lebanese Army, a show of force in play, and when there was a political settlement, they left. They had lost one man killed by a sniper.
Early in 1963, the 24th was reorganized as a mechanized infantry division under the Reorganized Objective Army Division “ROAD” TO-&- E, replacing the pentomic battle groups with conventional-sized battalions, now organized into three combined arms brigades, it was in 1965, that the 24th Infantry Division received its “DUI”
To continue the story of the 24th, the 24th had remained in Germany, at Augsburg and Munich. in September 1968, the 1st and 2nd Brigades were deployed to Fort Reily, in Kansas as part of Exercise Reforger but the division's 3rd Brigade stayed in Germany. Then as we always do, came the downsizing of the Army, and Military funds getting slashed and whatnot, the 24th Infantry Division’s three brigades were inactivated on 15 April 1970 at Fort Riley, and again we retired many very talented folks into / and having to start over, and re-make their lives as civilians.
In September 1975, the 24th Infantry Division was reactivated at Fort Stewart, in Georgia, when it was decided we needed a buildup again, predicting the need for 16 U.S. Army Division size force. The Army did not have the elements to bring this together at Fort Stewart, so the 24th had the 48th Infantry Brigade from the Georgia National Guard assigned to fill in its 3rd Brigade. Then the 24th Division was again reorganized as a mechanized division in 1979.
This uniform depicts that this soldier had done his service with the “1st Field Force Vietnam” (that story told with another flight uniform) and came home to serve with the 24th after his tour. A CWO4 was rare at the time, and non-existent in Vietnam (an indicator of just how stuck he was I suppose) it would represent a time near his retirement, during his fifth enlistment in the service. It appears maybe his first tour was with an Infantry unit, where he heard his CIB. and came back fighting, as a pilot, flying with the 1st Field Force, still early in the war. He had earned other decorations with the Good Conduct Medal with 3 knots.
He has the Defence Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Star with V, Merotous Service, Air Medal x3, Army Commendation Medal, and 5 other Medals pertaining to his service in Vietnam. It appears he completed both hist tours of Vietnam. Often when the soldiers came home from Vietnam, they wore the patch of whatever the hell that group of guys were to register as (a completely different outfit) because they also wanted the paperwork to imply so many from here and so many from there going home during 1970-72 they were pulling out of Vietnam, but many guys stayed longer as needed, and others left under another unit guise. That said he came out with his guys, and he stuck with them for a time or may have been much the latter even though we don’t know, the 24th was probably considered a good duty.
The 24th ID story is not over, and the outfit has been activated and de-activated several times and continued to find its place in history like the Gulf War, it was in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and for a while a Training Command, now I think inactivated again.
And then they were gone, with the ending of the Vietnam War, and “Peacetime” coming to America, the normal, political powers downsizing the Army, and military, and the funds disappearing, many pilots and air crewmen soon had to make career decisions, and for the pilots, the forcing of new equipment upon them, in the name of upgrades, but they wanted the grants, they had to learn new aircraft themselves, or changing branches, etc, the air-crewmen, retired out or moved on, but the Huey lived on, and in fact still with the National Guard in some states, and with the US. Marines till recently I think, in that the entire Corps has been downsized, This uniform represents one of these flyers, stuck in his career, been at it a very long time, a WO-5 is a created position, originally 1-3 but not wanting to become a commissioned officer but wanting to stay in and fly, what have you? the option of completely starting a new career is a tricky proposition., so raises came, but he is stuck. This was his stateside Class A uniform, its days were numbered as well, and soon to be phased out.
The UH-1 Aircraft received several upgrades after the war, with ait-cable devices added just above the pilot’s heads before the delicate rotor shaft, and before the doubles at their feet, more powerful engines and the guns pulled off the sides. The Marines received a multi-engine system for their lift helicopters, and the UH-1G Cobra gunships have turned into AH1W Twin-Engioned Super-Cobras last I heard were being used by the U.S. Marines, and they like them. The U.S. Army has Black Hawks and Apaches. and every bit the worrier, but much more high-tech. The new aircraft would also bring in unknown soldiers, that would learn the new systems, but intel we went to war again, pilot training was still very chosen, and fewer trainees.
Sergeant, 16 ABN. BG. (Flight) Crewchief, 'Post-Vietnam Huey Crewman':
The Huey has slowly been phased out now, but you still see them and hear them, they did not get the attention in the post-Vietnam years, and they wore out, and got old. all military aircraft have a life span and are expected to be used by young in-experienced pilots, pushing the rotary-wing aircraft to its limits under extreme conditions, most have made their way to other places, and some civilians used them with Police or Medical Aid, and Transport Units, but that says a lot about them, in general, the aircraft was liked but the crews and those who had rides in them, and it was the right aircraft in the right time, meaning, that in Vietnam the Helicopter came into their own. They were used in most of the following conflicts in the background, and they did receive continuous upgrades, which led to what assault and attack helicopters are like now, the HUEY had been a leap in aviation, and now that’s been taken to the next step, night flying ability, with heads up displays, and digital gauges and GPS, for a nap- of -the earth flying, at high speed, efficient, in stealthy, highly armed helicopters.
Colonel, Teaching at the Snake School (AH-1 Cobra):
6 Cav. Cold War Flyer:
New Equipment came to the Army, like, night flying with OH-58s that carried Hellfire Missiles and the Apache Atack Helicopters, and many other variants they experimented with.
Warrant Officer 3, 3rd Armored Division, Post Vietnam War Pilot’:
The 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, story began on 1 February 1963, officially Bravo Company, 227th Assault Helicopter, assigned to the 11th Air Assault Division. They weres activated at Fort Bening, Georgia, on 11th February 1963. But then, Bravo Company, 227th Aviation Battalion 1 July 1965. they were assigned to the 11th Air Assault Division, and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. They served six years during the Vietnam War and were decorated with the Presidential Unit Citation (Twice), the Valorius Unit Award (3 Times), the Valorous Unit Citation, the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (with Palm) also 3 times, plus the Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class.
They were inactivated and reactivated several more times in 1974 at Fort Hood, TX. Then in 1978, B Co. 227th Aviation Battalion, Fort Hood, then inactivated in September 1983. Then on 16 July 1987, the unit was redesignated as HQ and HQ Company, 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment. They were relieved from the 1st Cavalry Division to be reassigned to the 3rd Armored Division stationed in Germany and activated there. They served out of Hanau, Germany, until their inactivation on 26 June 1989.
In Sept. 1989 at Fort Hood, Texas, the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation was going to operate with Apache Training Brigade. Then on 17 March 1990, the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment was activated at Fort Hood, Texas yet again.
On 17 July 1990, then the battalion deployed back to Hanau, Germany, and operated with the 3rd Armored Division. Then on 28 December 1990, the 2nd Battalion was deployed to Saudi Arabia destined, to serve in Operation Desert Shield and in Desert Storm. The battalion fought, and flew in operations, with the 3rd Armored Division, and their attack on Kuwait City. They can be very proud of their work in South West Asia. They were then redeployed to Germany in 1991.
In 1991, the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Battalion was relieved of its assignment with the 3rd, Armored Division, they were assigned then assigned to operate with the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division. Then, the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment was again relieved on 15 February 1997 and became part of the 4th Brigade 1st Cavalry Division. EDITING
The 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment served in the Balkans, supporting the Stabilization Force 4. More recently out of Fort Hood, the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, has been assigned to “general aviation support” for the 1st Cavalry Division. They have been called upon several times now to support the aerial fire-fighting operations in the area of their local community. In 1999, the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, was selected as the Army Aviation Association of America's Aviation Unit of the Year.
In September 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Rast Coast, and it was horrific. The 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation, with the brigade command team deployed to Louisiana, in support of disaster relief operations throughout the New Orleans area. right after that the 2-227 AVN and the brigade command team redeployed to East Texas in the wake of Hurricane Rita. of late the 2nd Bn, 227th Avn Regiment, and elements of the 615th Aviation Support Battalion were called upon to support the humanitarian aid mission for the October 2005 earthquake, that devastated northern Pakistan.
The Headquarters and Headquarters Company was made up during the cold war of Alpha (A) Company using the UH-60L, Bravo (B) Company with the heavy movers, flying in the CH-47F helicopters, Charlie (C) Company with the HH-60M. Delta (D) Company, being the Aviation Maintenance team, Echo (E) Company for Forward Support, and Foxtrot (F) Company the ATC. The flight jacket depicted here well represents the winter conditions these soldiers operated in the US, or Germany in the late 1970s and 80s. WO3 Walters, could not get away with decorating up his helmet and it’s been left entirely a stock issue.
3rd Armored Division (AIR), WO, 1st Gulf War:
