Where We Going ? Story by : Cleve Stanley
Even thought most mornings we were up before dawn and ready to fly when the
sun came up, but this morning was a little different when we were woke
up. It was different in that we were told to bring our M16 and all the ammo
we had . Most flights you sometimes brought your M16 and a few clips of ammo
just for the hell of it, but not often as you had a M60 for each gunner
if you got shot down, but when they said bring all your ammo speculation
went wind. Some thought we were going into Laos as it was rumored the 101st
was gearing up to go across the border. Some thought North Vietnam. Every
time we asked where we were going we were told you will find out when your
airborne. This was to keep the VC and NVA from knowing where we were going.
After a quick breakfast we started getting the ships ready to take off when
a truck came across the flight line and pulled up to ours and the three other
hooks getting ready for the mission. This was no big deal as the truck sometimes
bring cases of C-Rations and supplies to the ships before take off, but this
truck also had a crates of M60 ammo on it and extra chicken plates. Each
ship was to take 2 extra crates of ammo for the flight and each crew member
was made to wear a chicken plate as well as a extra to sit on. Look out North
Vietnam here we come!! We loaded up the ammo and extra chicken plates and
took off heading north. We asked the pilots where we were going and still
all we got was you will find out later. We landed some where away from anything
we knew and other then on our flight line I had never saw that many hooks
sitting in a row there seemed like 10+ hooks and god knows how many Cobras
and Huey gunships. The sun still was no where to be seen as we set there
still trying to figure out where we were going. Finally the pilots returned
and said lets get going. We flew to the other side of the area where we had
shutdown and picked up a slingload of mixed ammo and off we went to the north
a little ways to join up with the hooks that had loaded up before us. Off
went all the hooks and gunships to the north flying as low as possible.I
don't remember who the CE and FE was that day, but one finally told the pilots
that it would be nice to know where we were going to which the pilot replied
Firebase Fuller. OUCH!! We had all heard about Fuller and how it was being
almost over run and how choppers were having a bad time trying to get in
to resupply it as the NVA had it surrounded and pounding it with everything
they had. FSB Fuller had been under siege for 42 days and some general had
came up with the idea of resupplying Fuller by sneaking in all these hooks
just at daybreak... Yeah right sneaking in one hook would be near impossible,
but sneaking in that many hooks was the dumbest thing we had ever heard of.
Our ship was number four in the long line and I remember looking at number
3 and wondering what he was hauling as it looked like a big black box in
the darkness. I asked what number 3 was hauling and was told a radar unit
to track the incoming rounds hitting Fuller so they could pinpoint the targets.
The sky was just starting to get lighter and the pilots were on the radios
talking about us being 5 minutes out when I asked the pilot to check if any
friendlies were out side the wire at Fuller and after talking to the firebase
he came back with negitive friendlies outside the wire which meant if anything
moved we were to fire it up! The first ship in was doing ok and had punched
off it's sling load and was coming out, but then the second ship in
was reporting taking fire. The second ship also got out with just a few new
holes in it and we watched as the third ship took in the radar unit which
he had to position just right. As the third ship hovered trying to position
the radar just right here come the mortar rounds hitting the firebase. We
watched as the rounds walked towards the third hook and just before they
got close enough to do any damage to the third hook it released it's
load and off to the south it went.
Learn everything you need to know about free online poker rules by reading good articles about poker. You can find a bunch of good online poker rules articles scattered over the net. The important thing is that you find good ones for the games you want to play so as an example if you're interested in Texas hold'em rules then make sure you understand the game completely before you start playing poker online.
( I have a copy of that newpaper article and will post it as soon as I locate it)
Follow Up Below
I received this email and thought it should be for all of us that were on the flight to FSB Fuller that day as well as all the hookers that ever flew into FSB Fuller...
From : George Ragsdale <benhai@alltel.net>
Sent : Wednesday, November 24, 2004 9:55 AM
To : "sky pony" <skypony777@hotmail.com>
Subject : FSB Fuller
Just read your story about the trip to FSB Fuller during the summer of 1970. I was the radar warrant who guided the Q-4 radar in and fought the counter-battery duals with the NVA during the summer of 1970. FSB Fuller did not fall and we defeated the 27th NVA Regiment in detail.
I have just completed a book ("Ben Hai 211 Alpha") in which there are three chapters about FSB Fuller which includes details about your trip and the "highers" string of CH-47. Also, it has many pictures of FSB Fuller.
I think your folks would enjoy the chapters about Fuller. I have this book at a publishers and hope to have out next year.
Just some facts, the next day after your trip, the first CH-47 to the LZ was hit by a 120mm mortar round while in the air. The NVA had fired two 120mm rounds which hit the LZ as I arrived the same day of your string of CH-47s and another round had hit the LZ as I was guiding in the Q-4. The next helicopter to hover over the LZ was lost, I could not believe that the "highers" did not know that the LZ was zeroed in and as the CH-47 approached I said to the man in the bunker next to me, "...they are dead men".
Hard fight but we won!
George W. Ragsdale
benhai@alltel.net
"This Ain't AT&T" Story by... Jim Brady
We had a mission to transport some PAX from Camp Evans to a firebase. Pretty dull and usual routine, briefed the PAX about ditching procedures, about muzzels to the floor, helmets on the laps, and no grenades on the web-gear, etc,etc.
The LT for the platoon was late arriving at the aircraft, and we had already boarded the PAX and had gone from 1 and 2 to ground to 1 and 2 to flight. I was still on the ground behind the ramp when a Brand New 2nd LT showed up in a jeep. By his gait as he strolled up, he oozed an air of cockiness. I informed the pilots that the grunt officer had arrived.
The young lieutenant's uniform was very new, and his boots looked like they had never been worn before. He could'nt have been over 20 years old. Brand new in-country. He marched right up to me and demanded that I remove my flight helmet so he could use it to communicate with the pilots.
I got on the intercom and said "Hey guys, watch this.." Both pilots and the Crew Chief and Gunner turned to watch as I pretended that the mike did not work. I told the young LT that we were having trouble with the intercom, and that he would have to use our "Voice Powered Intercom" to talk to the pilots. I handed him the relief tube from the ramp, and he proceded to yell into the funnel and put it to his ear. He tried several times, but could not get the darned thing to work. The rest of the crew were in stitches! After a couple of minutes of this, I told him the Voice Powered Intercom was out of order, and gave him my helmet. I told him that maybe it might work now.
I wonder if he ever got wise to the Hook's "Voice Powered Intercom".
Send me your stories and I will post them here with your name. If you think you can't write or spell good don't worry I will correct it for you.
Home Stories 2