![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Lessons of a Vietnam Helicopter Crew
Jun. 30th, 2005 12:02 am(yes, there are several numbers missing, that's the way I got it)
1. Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if it was
a good idea.
2. Helicopters are cool!
3. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn
toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward
off this natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best
efforts of the crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.
4. NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition than the other guy.
5. The engine RPM, and the rotor RPM, must BOTH be kept in the GREEN.
Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.
6. A billfold in your hip pocket can numb your leg and be a real pain
in the a$$.
7. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover you.
8. Letters from home are not always great.
9. The madness of war can extract a heavy toll. Please have exact
change.
10. We share everything. Even the Pound Cake.
11. Decisions made by someone over your head will seldom be in your
best interest.
12. The terms "Protective Armor" and "Helicopter" are mutually
exclusive.
13. The further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is
that they can help you when you really need them the most.
13a. Before I try to rescue him, can anyone tell me if he was wearing
his Rolex when he went down?
14. If being good and lucky is not enough, there is always payback.
15. "Chicken Plates" are not something you order in a restaurant.
16. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going
exactly as planned, you're about to be surprised.
17. The B.S.R. (Bang, Stare, Read) Theory states that the louder the
sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to
the gauges.
18. The longer you stare at the gauges, the less time it takes them
to move from green to red.
19. It did too get cold in Vietnam.
20. No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get
you. So too can the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern".
21. Gravity may not be fair, but it is the law.
22. If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line
troops probably do not have what they need.
23. If you are wearing body armor, the incoming will probably miss that
part.
24. It hurts less to die with a uniform on than to die in a hospital
bed.
25. Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
26. If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to.
27. Eat when you can. Sleep when you can. Visit the head when you
can. The next opportunity may not come around for a long time. If
ever.
28. Combat pay is a flawed concept.
29. Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of
the day beats the alternative.
30. Air superiority is NOT a luxury.
31. If you are allergic to lead it is best to avoid a war zone.
32. It is always a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and
ideas all at the same time.
32a. Nothing is as useless as altitude above you and runway behind you.
33. While the rest of the crew may be in the same predicament, it's
almost always the pilot's job to arrive at the crash site first.
34. When you shoot your gun, clean it the first chance you get.
35. Loud sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided
attention.
36. Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations, ( today they are
called M.R.E) which, in turn is better than cold C-rations, which is
better than no food at all. All of these, however, are preferable to
cold rice balls (given to you by guards) even if they do have the
little pieces of fish in them.
37. WHAT is often more important than WHY.
38. Boxes of cookies from home must be shared.
39. Girlfriends are fair game. Wives are not.
40. Everybody's a hero on the ground in the officers club and after
the fourth drink.
41. There is no such thing as a small firefight.
42. A free-fire zone has nothing to do with economics.
43. The farther you fly into the mountains, the louder the strange
engine noises become.
44. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one
piece at the end of the day is a whole lot better.
44a. The only medal you really want to be awarded is the Longevity
Medal.
45. Being shot hurts.
46. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every
day. A few were even awarded.
48. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all
bad ideas. Any combination of these can be deadly.
49. Nomex is NOT fire proof.
50. There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the
Rules.
51. Living and dying can both hurt a lot.
53. While a Super Bomb could be considered one of the four essential
building blocks of life, powdered eggs cannot.
54. C-4 can make a dull day fun.
55. Cocoa Powder is neither.
56. There is no such thing as a fair fight, only ones where you win or
lose.
57. If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose
you don't care.
58. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do
tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing NOW to solve our
problem.
59. If you have extra, share it quickly.
60. Always make sure someone has a P-38 (in the gulf we used the M-9).
61. A sucking chest wound may be God's way of telling you it's time to go
home.
62. Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt.
63. Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running.
Running is better than crawling. All of these however, are better
than extraction by a Med-Evac, even if this is technically a form of
flying.
64. If everyone does not come home none of the rest of us can ever
fully come home either.
65. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It
is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR.
66. A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter.
Every helicopter flew in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the
grunt. It is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the
opportunity to fulfill their one true mission in life simply because
someone forgot this fact.
67. "You have the right to remain silent" is always EXCELLENT advice.
1. Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if it was
a good idea.
2. Helicopters are cool!
3. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn
toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward
off this natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best
efforts of the crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.
4. NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition than the other guy.
5. The engine RPM, and the rotor RPM, must BOTH be kept in the GREEN.
Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.
6. A billfold in your hip pocket can numb your leg and be a real pain
in the a$$.
7. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover you.
8. Letters from home are not always great.
9. The madness of war can extract a heavy toll. Please have exact
change.
10. We share everything. Even the Pound Cake.
11. Decisions made by someone over your head will seldom be in your
best interest.
12. The terms "Protective Armor" and "Helicopter" are mutually
exclusive.
13. The further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is
that they can help you when you really need them the most.
13a. Before I try to rescue him, can anyone tell me if he was wearing
his Rolex when he went down?
14. If being good and lucky is not enough, there is always payback.
15. "Chicken Plates" are not something you order in a restaurant.
16. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going
exactly as planned, you're about to be surprised.
17. The B.S.R. (Bang, Stare, Read) Theory states that the louder the
sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to
the gauges.
18. The longer you stare at the gauges, the less time it takes them
to move from green to red.
19. It did too get cold in Vietnam.
20. No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get
you. So too can the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern".
21. Gravity may not be fair, but it is the law.
22. If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line
troops probably do not have what they need.
23. If you are wearing body armor, the incoming will probably miss that
part.
24. It hurts less to die with a uniform on than to die in a hospital
bed.
25. Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
26. If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to.
27. Eat when you can. Sleep when you can. Visit the head when you
can. The next opportunity may not come around for a long time. If
ever.
28. Combat pay is a flawed concept.
29. Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of
the day beats the alternative.
30. Air superiority is NOT a luxury.
31. If you are allergic to lead it is best to avoid a war zone.
32. It is always a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and
ideas all at the same time.
32a. Nothing is as useless as altitude above you and runway behind you.
33. While the rest of the crew may be in the same predicament, it's
almost always the pilot's job to arrive at the crash site first.
34. When you shoot your gun, clean it the first chance you get.
35. Loud sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided
attention.
36. Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations, ( today they are
called M.R.E) which, in turn is better than cold C-rations, which is
better than no food at all. All of these, however, are preferable to
cold rice balls (given to you by guards) even if they do have the
little pieces of fish in them.
37. WHAT is often more important than WHY.
38. Boxes of cookies from home must be shared.
39. Girlfriends are fair game. Wives are not.
40. Everybody's a hero on the ground in the officers club and after
the fourth drink.
41. There is no such thing as a small firefight.
42. A free-fire zone has nothing to do with economics.
43. The farther you fly into the mountains, the louder the strange
engine noises become.
44. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one
piece at the end of the day is a whole lot better.
44a. The only medal you really want to be awarded is the Longevity
Medal.
45. Being shot hurts.
46. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every
day. A few were even awarded.
48. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all
bad ideas. Any combination of these can be deadly.
49. Nomex is NOT fire proof.
50. There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the
Rules.
51. Living and dying can both hurt a lot.
53. While a Super Bomb could be considered one of the four essential
building blocks of life, powdered eggs cannot.
54. C-4 can make a dull day fun.
55. Cocoa Powder is neither.
56. There is no such thing as a fair fight, only ones where you win or
lose.
57. If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose
you don't care.
58. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do
tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing NOW to solve our
problem.
59. If you have extra, share it quickly.
60. Always make sure someone has a P-38 (in the gulf we used the M-9).
61. A sucking chest wound may be God's way of telling you it's time to go
home.
62. Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt.
63. Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running.
Running is better than crawling. All of these however, are better
than extraction by a Med-Evac, even if this is technically a form of
flying.
64. If everyone does not come home none of the rest of us can ever
fully come home either.
65. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It
is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR.
66. A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter.
Every helicopter flew in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the
grunt. It is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the
opportunity to fulfill their one true mission in life simply because
someone forgot this fact.
67. "You have the right to remain silent" is always EXCELLENT advice.
