The Ban'Shee Gazette: August 2000

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Dear Fellow Banshee's,

Dear Fellow Banshee's,

Well here we are, with another reunion just around the corner and I can hardly wait to get together with some old friends and meet the new comers that are planning to attend this year.

Max Roberts and his wife Elaine have been working hard to make this year's reunion at Ft. Rucker, enjoyable and interesting for all. If you are planning to attend and have not sent in your registration form, please do not wait until the last minute. We have deadlines to meet such as room reservations and gift orders. If, because of personal reasons, you have to wait to the last minute to know whether you can attend or not, please contact me to let me know that there is a possibility you may attend. You can reach me via e-mail at jhmatthews@prodigy.net or by phone at 412-466-3557.

I would like to remind those of you attending to take a few minutes and talk to Dr. Ron Frankum. He is an honorary member of our Association and Head Archivist of the Vietnam Archives at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. He and his staff are very interested in documenting the oral history of our highly decorated unit and gives you the opportunity to record into history, your own personal experiences during the Vietnam War. It is always said that history is never written by anyone who experiences the actual event, but this is your chance to document history as it actually happened to you and preserve that record for anyone interested for years to come.

There is not much Association business to report to you in this newsletter, but I want to let you know that we have filed a request for copies of official unit rosters from the personnel center in St. Louis, Mo. It is going to cost us a few dollars for the records (what doesn't these days), but this is the only way we can get an almost accurate list of people that served in our unit.

I hope most of you are busy packing your bags to attend this year's reunion so I will not bother you with any more babble. If you not attending this year's reunion please have a safe enjoyable summer and we hope that you maybe able to attend next year's reunion in Lubbock.

Take care, God bless, and see you in Ozark, Daleville, or Enterprise, or where ever Ft. Rucker is located. If you have been there, you know what I mean.

"Out Front"

Jim Matthews


Reunion 2000 Ft. Rucker, Alabama

The time is nearing for this years Reunion, which is scheduled at Ft. Rucker, Alabama from September 29 through October 1.

The official Hotel for the Reunion is the Holiday Inn, Ozark, Alabama. Once you send in your registration fee you will receive a packet that will have information on booking your room at special rates. If you are planning to attend and have not made reservations you can contact the Hotel at 334-774-7300. Please try to book your rooms prior to September 15th.

Friday night will be our regular show and tell. Hopefully Randy and Fernando will show up with their recent pictures of Vietnam.

The tour of Ft. Rucker's Aviation Museum should be exciting. The recently released postage stamp depicting grunt's getting out of a Huey is a display at this museum. They also have one of the world's largest collections of helicopters.

If you cannot make the Reunion, their website URL is: http://www.aviationmuseum.org/

See you at Ft. Rucker!


The Vietnam Archive Oral History Project

by David Martin

I would like to remind everyone that The Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University is dedicated to preserving the records of the Vietnam War. They are the second largest archive in the United States only second to The National Archives.

I am fortunate to live close to the archive in Lubbock. I have seen many of their donated items that will eventually be housed in their museum on the Texas Tech campus. Also, I have already donated items from my tour in Vietnam to insure that they will be preserved properly.

If you are interested in providing an oral history you can contact Steven Maxner through their website at http://www.lib.ttu.edu/vietnam/index.htm, write or call him at:
The Vietnam Archive
Special Collections Library Room 108
Lubbock, Texas 79401-1041
Attention: Steve Maxner
(806) 742-9010

Dr. Ronald Frankum will be at our reunion this year and you can schedule interviews with him if you desire. Let's work with the archives to build a better understanding of B Troops involvement in Vietnam.

Remember oral histories can be accomplished over the telephone or the internet. You do not have to be in Lubbock to participate in this historic endeavor!


Travel Advisory

by David C. Martin

Jinger and I are excited that the Reunion is just around the corner. It will give us a chance to head down to San Antonio, Texas for a brief visit with our son Troy who is in Dental School there. Of course the visit will cost us at least one diner…and no, not Mexican food. I know San Antonio has many excellent Restaurants but, our favorite is a time tested Steak House… The Barn Door!

I have continued to visit this extraordinary restaurant since the early 80's. It was opened in the 50's and has been a favorite of locals and celebrities ever since.

When I first visited The Barn Door I was amazed at the service…as soon as you sit down you had a salad in front of you. The service has been excellent ever since my first visit though they no longer have you a salad immediately. If you like crackers their variety is abundant!

When your meal arrives you have plenty of cheese, sour cream, and real bacon bits for your baked potato. We have yet to get a substandard meal or poor service in over twenty years.

I normally order the peppered steak, even when they took it off the menu I was always able to order it. It is a thin sliced steak, peppered and topped with jalepenos. It will bring sweat to your forehead quicker than the heat in Vietnam.

On your next visit to San Antonio I suggest you venture out to New Braunfels Avenue and have a wonderful meal.

Don't forget to send me information on your favorite eating establishments.


The History of Helicopters

by David Martin

It's 1950, the year I was born and we resume our history of helicopters. As we have seen the United States military became interested in helicopters in 1924. Their anticipation materialized in the 50's.

In 1951, Bell Helicopter division moved their facilities to Hurst, Texas. As many of you know they are still headquartered there today. This is where we received our Huey's from.

In December 1951, a modified K-225 equipped with a Boeing 502 engine became the world's first gas turbine powered helicopter; this was the beginning of a new age in helicopter history. If you get to Washington, DC this helicopter is now at the Smithsonian

The world's first transatlantic helicopter crossing with stops was completed in 1952. Two US Air Force H-19s (Sikorsky S-55) flew from the United States to Wiesbaden, Germany. This was a leisurely trip taking a total of 21 days, although the total flight time was only 52 hours.

In March of 1953, Bell Helicopter designed the world's first helicopter designed for antisubmarine warfare. Fifty of these helicopters were built for the United States Navy.

In 1954 a modified Kaman HTK-1, becomes the world's first twin-turbine powered helicopter. The first military aircraft production of the Hughes Company, was an observation version called YHO-2, built in 1956.

In 1954 Sikorsky Aircraft built the first S-58 Choctaw/Sea Horse, an aircraft that would eventually see service in Vietnam (see 1962 later in this story). It was the pioneer of commercial airline helicopter operations. The S-58 had a single piston engine, four-bladed main rotor, a gross weight of 5900 kg and the ability to carry 18 troops.

In 1956 Bell Helicopter introduced the 204 "Huey" (UH-1). This was the US Army 's first production-line turbine powered utility helicopter. Officially the UH-1 series is called the Iroquois. Model 204, was powered by the new Lycoming T-53 engine of some 850 shaft horsepower and featured a typical Bell two-blade teetering rotor. The first flight of the new design was in October 1956.

When the US Army adopted its own two-letter designation system for aircraft, the H-40 became the HU-1 (Helicopter Utility). From this designation came Huey, the name by which it has remained known. The US Department of Defense standard designation system reversed this to UH-1, the first designation in the new Department of Defense helicopter series. With larger engines and increased capacity, the UH-1 has developed through successive models.

1959 brought in the Sikorsky S-60, dubbed the Skycrane, with its thin strong fuselage which could carry any load it could lift. The S-60 grew from the S-56, using the same piston engines. It was built as a research vehicle to demonstrate the flying crane concept.

It was in October 1959 that the US Army released its aircraft development plan for the 1960s. Within this plan was the concept for Low Observation Helicopters (LOH).

By May 1060 the Army had compiled its requirements for LOH's. They wanted them to be turbine powered to replace the existing piston-powered helicopters. Specifications would require it to be smaller and lighter. The ideal helicopter would also be easier to maintain.

In October 1961, The H-43 Huskie sets an altitude record of 10.000 miters and numerous rate of climb records. During the Korean, the Huskie flew more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined - with the best safety record of any U.S. military aircraft.

In November 1961, the US Army awarded contracts to Bell Helicopter, Hughes, and Hiller Aircraft Corporation for prototypes of new LOH's. The prototypes were scheduled for delivery in November 1963. 1962 brought in Sikorsky 's second Skycrane the S-64 Skycrane. It was designed to carry payloads up to 4500 kilograms. The US Army bought 97 and deliveries began in June 1964. In Vietnam the CH-54 was used to retrieve hundreds of downed aircraft.

On June 30, 1964 the Hughes 369 Cayuse (OH-6) received certification from the FAA. OH-6 was originally designed to meet the needs of the US Army 's Low Observation Helicopter competition. On May 26, 1965, the US Army awarded Hughes Aircraft a contract for 1000 OH-6 helicopters at the cost of under twenty thousand dollars each.

During 1966, the Hughes OH-6A made its appearance in Vietnam. Soon to become known as the "Loach". It soon proved its capabilities as an armed scout helicopter. It proved to be more versatile than the helicopters that it had replaced.

The techniques used by scout pilots of flying low to draw enemy fire were successful. The OH-6A was probably shoot down more than any other type aircraft in Vietnam. B Troop 2nd 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division was deployed with 10 OH-6A's in March of 1969, within 60 days all 10 had been shoot down at least once. The OH-6A proved to be crashworthy.

In Vietnam, the LOH was used in combination with Bell Helicopters Cobra's. The LOH was used to find the enemy, then mark their position so the Cobra's could attack.

The LOH was armed with an XM27E1 minigun. Many also, carried a door gunner with an M60 machine gun. An M79 grenade launcher was also normally carried by a crewmember.

In Vietnam, the LOH became a legend. Probably more crashes with less causality than any aircraft used in Vietnam. If you wanted to find the enemy, a sure bet was that a LOH flying at treetop level would gain their attention.

Over the years the OH-6 has provided services for a large family of users of commercial, corporate, and private helicopters. Many different versions have been built for both the military and civil markets for a variety of missions and requirements. Numerous police departments use various versions of the OH-6 today. The Cayuse set the record for Major distance in a straight line for a helicopter: 3.561 Kilometers in 1966.

Another aircraft used extensively in Vietnam was the Bell Helicopter Huey UH-1. The Huey story goes back over four decades. This is where I will continue next issue.


Reputation Preceded Us

by James H. Matthews

After serving one year with the 101st Airborne Division, I had formed this opinion. If you took the meekest, most polite person in the world and put him in an army uniform with the Screaming Eagle on either sleeve people would think that he was one of the meanest people on the earth. One story that lead me to believe this theory happened when our unit along with the rest of the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division was sent to Chu Lai in 1969.

On May 15, 1969 our whole unit, B Troop 2/17th Cavalry was awakened in the early morning hours with the news that we were moving south and to pack for three days. As soon as the sun started to light up the sky our LOH's, cobra's, and slick's started the journey south to assist the Americal Division. Upon landing at Chu Lai West, a runway that was used by the larger fixed wing and Marine Corps fighter jets, we found that we would spend our first night in a huge empty hanger at the very end on the runway. If I remember correctly there wasn't even a place to get a drink of water and in our haste to leave Camp Eagle, most of us didn't have time to refill our canteens. Toward evening we started to get a little thirsty and although being tired, no one could really get comfortable on a poncho liner spread out on a concrete hanger floor.

A few of us went to see Sgt. Phillips, who was put in charge of the aircraft maintenance people that were in the advance party. We told him that we were starting to get a little thirsty and would like to check out the area to see if we could find a place to grab a few cold beers. He told us to go ahead but there were two conditions. One was that we would stay out of trouble and the other condition was that if we did find some club, we had to bring a few "cold ones" back for him.

There were five or six of us that set out on our mission. We had no vehicle and had no idea where we were going because none of us were ever here before. We started down this deserted black top road and saw nothing but sand and palms for about the first twenty minutes of our walk. We had circled around the airfield where our helicopters were parked and it looked like we were headed back toward civilization, the main part of Chu Lai base, if you wanted to call it that.

We finally came across someone else on that road. There was a ¾ ton truck off the black top, stuck in the sand. The only person with the truck was the driver who had on jungle fatigues, sporting the Americal Division patch. He took one look at us and our Screaming Eagle patches and questioned us nervously as to what we were doing in Chu Lai and weren't we afraid that we were going to be picked up by the MPs, because no one was supposed to be on this road. He told us that he was trying to turn around and got stuck in the sand and he was worried that the MPs would come and put him in the connex containers they used for a jail.

We told him we had no idea why we were sent to Chu Lai, but right now we were concerned with finding a few "cold ones" and not getting picked up by the MPs. We struck up a bargain with him. If we got him out of his predicament he would take us to the nearest club where we could quench our thirst and wouldn't be picked up for being in an unauthorized area. After a little rocking back and forth and a little muscle power supplied by us, we got him out of the sand. Once on the black top we jumped in back and off we went.

Our nervous driver seemed have gotten lost while trying to uphold his part of the bargain, because he kept driving around in circles for awhile. I think he was really trying to find a place to unload us without being seen. After a few trips around the block he dropped us off and pointed in the direction of a typical "hootch" looking building, telling us we could find a few "cold ones" in there. It was still light out but as we were walking down a short, hard packed sand driveway, it seemed that there was no one around this particular club and there was no noise coming from inside.

When we walked inside we were almost speechless. This was one of the most beautiful EM and NCO clubs that we had ever seen. The ceiling was painted the shade of the night sky and had white stars sprinkled here and there. It almost had the effect that there was no ceiling at all and you were actually looking up at the sky. There was a huge silent Whirlitzer jukebox in the corner and neatly placed around the interior were empty cocktail tables and padded chairs. The bar itself was really decked out and looked like it belonged in someone's game room. Behind the bar was the club's only occupant, one bartender wearing a Hawaiian shirt. This place was immaculate, to say the least.

We bellied up to the bar and asked for a couple of "cold ones." The bartender nervously set us up with our request and took our MPC. We asked if the Whirlitzer worked and he told us yes, but he would have to exchange our MPCs for slugs if we wanted to listen to the music. After a quick exchange from MPC to slugs and making a few selections of a wide variety of music, including some of the latest hits, we sat down at a table to enjoy our long anticipated cold beers.

I don't think that we had finished our first round of beers when this mountain of a man appeared at our table. He too was wearing a brightly flowered Hawaiian shirt. I don't know where he came from, but he just loomed there for a few seconds and the Whirlitzer went dead. He squared himself up and told us that he was the 1st Sergeant of the EOD Company that owned the club and asked what were people from the 101st Airborne Division doing in "HIS" club. Feeling a little intimidated and remembering that Sgt. Phillips warned us not to get into trouble, we politely explained who we were and how we arrived at his club. He was quiet for a few seconds then said. "If you guys behave yourself and don't mess up my club, the beers are on me." "I'll even get you a ride back to the airfield when you're ready to go. That way the MPs wouldn't get you." It was a bargain that none of us wanted to turn down, not because of the free beer, but because I don't think any of us knew exactly where we were and how in the hell to get back to the airfield anyhow. We passed the night drinking on the huge 1st Sergeant and enjoying the tunes coming from the Whirlitzer.

The club never really got crowded, but the concerned 1st Sergeant sat at the bar where he could keep a close eye on us. When last call came we got a couple of extra "cold ones" to enjoy on the trip back and a few for Sgt. Phillips who let us sneak off for the evening. As soon as we were loaded up with what we could carry, we heard this "beep - beep" like a huge truck backing up. We stepped out the door and found a big dump truck waiting next to the club. This was our ride back to the airfield. Without any argument from us, we piled into the back of the dump and off we went. A ride is a ride and a promise is a promise. Free beer and a ride home as long as we didn't mess up his club, which we had no intentions of doing anyhow. I don't think any of us ever made it back to that club the next three months we spent in Chu Lai but I'll never forget the hospitality of that 1st Sergeant or the appearance of "HIS" club.


Ice Cream Party

by David C. Martin

Jim's story reminded me of one of my trips to an NCO Club in Chu Lai.

After we had settled in Chu Lai we were informed that we would us the Marines facilities for chow and entertainment. As many of you may remember their chow hall was great compared to what we normally ate. Their NCO Club was also above our usual standards as I remember it.

One of the first evenings after we became TDY in Chu Lai, I had returned late from flying and decided I was in the mood for some liquid refreshment.

Larry Moore and I headed for the NCO Club to ease our thrust. We traveled over the pallets that had been set out to make the trip easier.

When we arrived the Marines were like long lost buddies. We were late and the club would be closing soon. We befriended a couple of the Marines that informed us that they had some hard stuff in their hooch and we were welcome to come over for a drink when the club closed. Not being one to turn down a free drink we obliged the Marines after the club shutdown.

We drank in merriment into the night. As the clock neared 12 midnight I decided I was hungry. If you remember the midnight mess the Marines had it was great!

We enjoyed our meal, as well as one can under the influence. I was felling tipsy and ready for bed. That's when the craving hit me…I needed some ice cream. But, what about the guys back at the tent. I was sure they would enjoy a scoop of ice cream.

I proceeded to attempt to talk to one of the Marine cooks and explain that I needed a 5 gallon drum of ice cream for me and my pals. You see we had been flying late and some of the guys were too tired to come over to the mess hall. I'm sure he understood everything I was saying.

Before I knew it, I had a 5 gallon drum of ice cream heading back to our tent. As I stumbled across the pallets I lugged my newfound treasure, for a late evening ice cream party for my buddies whom most were asleep.


Where To Send Information

DUES and Reunion Registration (any monies)
Randy Kunkleman
2395 N. Conant Road
Elida, OH 45807

ADDRESS CHANGES
Jim Matthews
6743 Madison Avenue
West Mifflin, PA 15122

BANSHEE GAZETTE
David Martin
6602 Huron Avenue
Lubbock, Texas 79424


THE JOSEPH GUY LA POINTE JR SCHOLARSHIP FUND

"I, Banshee 46, hereby challenge every Banshee regardless of where he or she may be, to match, DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR, every penny I bring to the reunion for the La Pointe Fund".

Start emptying the piggy banks.

Thanks

Fernando De Pierris


Making the Reunion

We want to let everyone know that if you cannot make the Reunion you will be missed. We understand that everyone is busy and it is hard to find extra time to travel to the Reunion.

You will be missing a great time based on the last three Reunions. We have a great group of members from the late 50's that have help with supplying B Troop's history from that era.

You do not have to be a paid member of the Association to come to the Reunion. We understand that some of our members cannot afford the dues, for whatever reason, and THAT'S OKAY. As an Association we have always put Banshee's before money! We would love to have any Banshee that can attend the Reunion.

We also understand that some Banshee's have a desire to leave their memories of War behind. I think one member said it best at our first Reunion in Shelbina, "This has helped me more than all the counseling I have received at the Veterans Administration". Together we will continue to be "Out Front".

If you cannot make it for the complete time, please consider a day or two if you can. I know there are allot of Banshee's in the Alabama area. Come on over and visit the members of our Association.

See You
at
Ft. Rucker


The Banshee Gazette is the OFFICIAL PUBLICATION for B Troop 2nd 17th Cavalry Association.
A nonprofit Veterans Organization