Rattler One-Seven PDF
Preview Rattler One-Seven
RATTLER ONE – SEVEN RATTLER ONE – SEVEN A Vietnam Helicopter Pilot’s War Story CHUCK GROSS Number 1 in the North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series Ronald E. Marcello, series editor ©2004 Chuck Gross All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Permissions: University of North Texas Press P.O. Box 311336 Denton, TX 76203-1336 The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, z39.48.1984. Binding materials have been chosen for durability. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gross, Chuck, 1950- Rattler one-seven : a Vietnam helicopter pilot's war story / Chuck Gross. p. cm. — (North Texas military biography and memoir series ; no. 1) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-57441-178-0 (alk. paper) 1. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975—Personal narratives, American. 2. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975—Aerial operations, American. 3. Military helicopters—Vietnam. 4. Gross, Chuck, 1950- I. Title: Vietnam helicopter pilot's war story. II. Title. III. Series. DS559.5.G76 2004 959.704'348'092—dc22 2004003457 Rattler One-Seven: A Vietnam Helicopter Pilot’s War Story is Number 1 in the North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series. Text design by Eric Sawyer of Rose Design The electronic edition of this book was made possible by the support of the Vick Family Foundation. I dedicate this book to Mary, Pam, Jennifer, Molly and Eva. Whoever battles with monsters had better see that it does not turn him into a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. —Friedrich Nietzsche CONTENTS List of Illustrations Preface Prologue—18 Days CHAPTER ONE—First Assignment CHAPTER TWO—Company Checkout CHAPTER THREE—Newbie CHAPTER FOUR—My Cherry CHAPTER FIVE—Special Operations CHAPTER SIX—Goodbye Friend CHAPTER SEVEN—Laughing and Crying CHAPTER EIGHT—The Holidays CHAPTER NINE—Quang Tri CHAPTER TEN—Rank CHAPTER ELEVEN—Lam Son 719 CHAPTER TWELVE—LZ Lolo CHAPTER THIRTEEN—Landing Zone Delta CHAPTER FOURTEEN—Realization CHAPTER FIFTEEN—Chu Lai CHAPTER SIXTEEN—R&R CHAPTER SEVENTEEN—Homeward Bound Epilogue Notes Glossary Bibliography LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Pilot Chuck Gross in left seat 1. Beech Eighteen 2. Steve Israel 3. Preparing for Battle 4. Map of South Vietnam 5. Little Mac 6. Kham Duc Airstrip 7. C-123 8. Behind the Hootch 9. Author’s Bird 10. O’club 11. Firebird Pilots 12. Skull 13. Widow Makers 14. The Green Lizard 15. The Rockpile 16. Map of Quang Tri and Khe Sanh 17. Parking at Quang Tri 18. Doug Womack 19. Riley and Freeman 20. The Fastest Gun in Vietnam 21. Fat Rat 22. Sling Load 23. Pat Callahan 24. Down Time 25. Hard Landing 26. Days Off 27.Then 28.Now PREFACE I slowly lowered the collective (pitch control) as we began our descent into Landing Zone Delta. All hell was breaking loose. The Firebird gunships were laying down cover as they screamed along side us. Their miniguns were puffing smoke, singing their loud, but familiar sound. Their rockets were yelling out loud, screaming sounds as they flew past. I told my crew, “Go hot.” My crew chief and gunner unlocked their weapons and opened fire. The noise was deafening. Our helicopter felt as if it was coming alive from the shuddering and shaking from her guns. Tracers were flying in all directions. Fear and terror saturated the air. We continued our descent down into the hell below. We already had two ships shot down and four more damaged by fire, but we continued. My crew chief yelled, “Taking fire at ten o'clock!” Then my gunner yelled, “Taking fire at one o'clock, no three o'clock. Hell, it’s coming from everywhere!” We were now only three hundred yards from the landing zone and just about in, when I heard a loud explosion and felt the bird whine as a shell slammed through the transmission. The Huey reacted with a violent jolt, and then wham, another shell found its mark. I instantly pushed the cyclic forward and pulled up on the collective control, thinking to myself, “We’re out of here.” Fire was coming from everywhere and there was no place to hide. Time slowed to eternity as we slowly climbed out. Foot by foot, we distanced ourselves from the enemy and madness below. We had taken a direct hit into the transmission, but thank God we were still flying. We could not set the bird down, it was too dangerous. We had to make it back, a little closer to the friendlies. Suddenly my crew chief yelled, “Mr. G, she’s leaking bad, it doesn't look good.” I took a quick look back over my right shoulder in the direction of the transmission. There was fluid running everywhere. It was time to make a decision. Looking back on it, those moments of terror stand out in my mind for what it was like to be a combat helicopter pilot. Rattler One-Seven is a book about my tour in Vietnam. When I left for Vietnam, I was a nineteen-year-old Army helicopter pilot. I spent my entire Vietnam tour flying choppers. My tour started on May 15, 1970, and lasted through May 14, 1971. In the 1970s, I wrote down most of the high points of my adventures, when my memory was still clear with the facts and events. I have written Rattler One-Seven as I experienced it, using my old letters written home to help keep the mindset I had when I was in Vietnam. I have included excerpts from some of the letters to reveal my feelings at the time about what I was experiencing. The grammar and spelling in the excerpts have been left as written. With age, you find out that your ideas and
The list of books you might like
