Dear Mr. Callison,

Thank you so much for your reply.  VERY interesting and the photos are great.  I'm sure that all of this information will be useful to our patron.

I will suggest that our researcher should write directly to you.

If I can ever help YOU with anything, please don't hesitate to write or call.

Thanks again for your help!

Can you enlighten us both?

Many thanks,

Jill Redington
Chief, Aviation Technical Library
Building 9204
Fort Rucker, AL 36362

Webby's response:

They just got together and ordered some tan cowboy hats from the States. A couple of guys even had somewhat authentic looking, circa 1860 uniforms made, as in the photos below:

The Yellow Scarves appeared on the scene at about the same time. It is known that the Cavalry never wore yellow scarves, they were a Hollywood creation.

 

The notion was that the Tan colored (Not Gray) hat was the traditional "Working" hat of the Cavalryman. Like the the old "Fatigue" hat was in the 60s and 70s.

 

The hat color caught on and became the standard in the unit at Dong Tam then at Vinh Long until it stood down in 1972. Eventually, most of the hats were ordered from Stetson. The Stetson official color is "Silver Belly". The hat has been out of production for 10 or 15 years. It was the "Sherriff"s " model with 4 inch brim.

 

It is important to note that in January 1971 "Light Horse" D 3/5 exchanged unit designations with C 3/17. The members of the Unit continued to wear their Tan hats although they were now "Light Horse" C 3/17.

 

We are very proud to be the only unit in Viet Nam to wear the Tan Cav hat.

 

Occasionally we liked to jab at the other units by saying,

 

"The Cavalry wore Tan hats when they went to work.
They wore Black hats when they went dancing!"

---

10/8/05

Hi don, just thought i would drop you a line or two, gotta guestion too.  char and i couldn't make your party, with such a short notice we have to watch our $$s this time of year cause my work isn't there in the winter.But if it's on next year, we will give it our best shot to make it. How did the fishing trip turn out ? catch any big ones?

       Question, a few years ago at Bills you had a disc with the history or our helicopters, you looked up the two that i was crewchief on, 66-01197 uh-1h and i can't remember where you said it was, and uh-1h 69-15897 there was no recent info cause you thought was left for the vnaf. well anyway, i am trying to get a huey to mount on a pedestal at our vfw, tacom says there are none avail. at this time but they said that if i could locate one that was ready to be decommisioned from some guard unit or whereever that they would gladly see that we could get it, one of our old birds would be super but i'm sure next to impossible. now, if you were in my shoes where and how would you begin to locate one, does any one in the vhpa have any pull? any info you have don will be more than i have now.

              the weather is starting to turn wintery, won't be long and the snow will be flying again glad we got a woodboiler with the way the darn fuel prices are.

           hope all are well at your place, i'll see ya later

                            Russ Marsden

If you can help Russ out  please email me and I'll forward it on to him.
14

---

10/7/05
Chief,

I am looking to find some photos and some personal information regarding my uncle, SP5 James Dale. He was with D Troop 3/5 from 28AUG68 to 20NOV69 when him and his pilot W01 Blantin were killed when thier OH-6 exploded on the flightline during a pre-flight inspection. He was at Vinh Long airfield with 7/1 Cav when it occured.

I would really like to find out about my uncle as we now have the same bonds of combat as this is my second deployement overseas and my first in Iraq. We have been here since January and will hopefully be home for Thanksgiving; God willing. I am sure that he had friends that he worked with that might still be around that can send some photos or maybe share some stories with me and my family.

If you could help me out with this, I would be grateful. Also I appreciate the work that you have done with the website as I learned things already about him that I didn't already know.

Sincerely,

SSG John Dale
Intel/Operations Platoon Sergeant
250th Signal Battalion
Operation Iraqi Freedom III

Response:
Thank you for your service to our Nation John.

I have sent out a inquiry to the Troop requesting details of that tragic
morning. I've also requested info from anyone who may have known James
personally.
I will forward what information I recieve.

Don Callison
CWO4 USA (Ret)
War Wagon 14

---

10/7/05

Viet Cong Anti-Aircraft Claymoore Mine.

 

    This design varied with the materials available and the ingenuity of the “Little People.”   Basically the mine consisted of metal food container approximately 6” by 2” in size.  It’s bottom hand formed to a bowl shape. Then it was filled with C-4 explosive which had been packed with ball bearings, lead shot, bits of scrap metal, rocks, anything that was handy to use as shrapnel. The example we saw was about the size of a large Sardine can that was in a triangular shape.

         

    The fuse was adapted from a Com Bloc grenade fuse.  A trigger line (string) was tied to lightly fitted fuse safety pin.  The other end of the string was wound on the capstan on the propeller shaft.

      These Home Brewed weapons have observed set up in trees and on the ground in the grass.  The mines can be left unmanned and many times we set up at sites as Helicopter Traps, at places made to look like VC bunkers and weapons caches from the air.
 Or near anything that Charlie thought might attract US Army aviation's attention.

    These Anti-Aircraft Claymoor worked very simply. When the Helicopter hovered overhead to check out the supposed target, the down-wash from the rotor blades would start the bamboo blades of the Booby trap spinning. The string would wind up on the capstan pulling the pin on the spring-loaded fuse releasing the firing pin.

     The shaped charge then exploded sending a cloud of frags in a narrow cone more than 40 feet into the air.

---

10/6/05
Don,
       Does the net have a new addy or somethin'??
       Ain't nuttin' new since July .... I miss somethin'???

                            WW-13
                            Ed Gallagher

Thanks for the, "Get off your ass and do something on the website" prompt.
14

---

10/1/05

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

  saturnaviation@antelecom.net
    SMTP error from remote mailer after end of data:
If folks are gonna send me stuff they ought to clear me through their spam blocker so I can respond!

10/1/05
From Frank Sundquist
Crusader 36  70-71

 9/23/05

July 3/2005

Brothers
Anthony Piccioni Passed on to Fiddlers Green July the 3 rd 2005 at about 4;30 PM. Please keep his family in your Prays on this our Nations Birthday. One of his last wishes was to make the DC Reunion and he was there for it all. May he rest in Peace
Boots And Saddles
My Brother
Mike Cook

Hello,

I came across your website of OH-6A serial numbers a few weeks ago.   You asked that if anyone has any additional information to e-mail you.   One of the helicopters that is listed on your site is 67-16071, also known as "BOO" - well, this helicopter is still around and currently resides at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA in the Aerospace Engineering Dept. research lab (the aircraft got here in 1995 from the Massachusetts National Guard as surplus).   The aircraft is in pretty good shape overall, although the flight controls and instruments were removed and given away many years ago.    However, the Navy is planning on getting rid of it (scrap or sell for parts), and I (along with several others on campus) are working to rescue "BOO," do the clean-up and restoration work, and put the helicopter on display here on campus as a memorial to Army Vietnam Veterans.

I would be glad to provide more information if you would please send a return e-mail to let me know you have received this message. 

Thank you -
Jeff

Operations Research Dept.
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, CA

http://www.hurtwood.demon.co.uk/Fun/copter.swf

I flew this aircraft when it was assigned to B/158/101st. When the 101st left Vietnam it
was reassigned to 3 17 CAV C TRP.

You can view the known records at web site address:

http://www.thelancers.org/ACdatabase/69-15140.HTM

Will get back to you with pictures after a get a few other fires under
control.

Jack Shields

Mel Minney
3101 Juniper Ridge Court
Bakersfield, Ca 93306
(661)871-3384
e-mail : safetyskills1@juno.com

5/11/2004
Great pictures.

Has anyone heard from Mike Howard, Garcia, the Rita brothers, Larry Hudson,
Applebee, or Mike Boron? Does anyone hear from Ace or from Nichols and the
Captain the Crusaders got from the 9th that was Nichols best friend when
they were over with "I forgot the call sign"

I saw Kim Crissman wrote some info, did he leave any contact info? He had
been my copilot on one that we got shotup on.

Paul Bielecki
LK27

LETS THINK OF NOTHING BUT OUR TROOPS-FAR AWAY! 110 % SUPPORT"ALL THE WAY
EVERYDAY"

Mates! The "Freedom Bird" has landed 0400  Fort Riley, KS time.   The Wardawgs, 300th MP CO. has been repat'd.

      My Grand daughter SPC L'Heureux, Nicole is home after a year in Harms Way in the Iraqi Sand Pit.  Her job was much like a Door Gunner on a Charlie Model. She rode in the turette of Armored MP Humvee on Iraqi Hwy Convoy Security behind a Mk 19 40 mike-mike grenade launcher. They fought off many ambushes. and odd-out of place piles of rock by the road side.

   Her Mother Yva Marie and her Aunt Kathy were there to meet her. The Army had Wecoming ceromoney for them at 0630.  There are going to be a tired bunch of GI's by this afternoon. Tired, but darn sure happy.

     Cheers, I just wanted you all to know.  Tony O^Ng CO.p

Joe Paonessa, Brother of Michael

Posted 3/30/04

You may add my name with Hagan and Delaware

Robet Comtois 67-68

Mel Minney
3101 Juniper Ridge Court
Bakersfield, Ca 93306

Thank You,

J.Stinnett Bills
SLLIB@aol.com

   In my notice to you about Smitty's death I said I would get back  to  you  as to the cause, when I find out.
  Well, today I got another letter from his parents, along with  a copy  of the memorial sheet, a photo of Smitty and a copy of his death  certificate. It is listed as main cause of death as: ( Atherosclerotic cornary vascular disease)
Secondary cause listed as: (Acute bronchopneumonia)
Cause of death: Natural.

 I have had prelimanary talks with Chief and Claude about going to the reunion a day early next year.  I would like to go to Smitty's resting place and leave a reath for the troop.  Hopefully his parents can meet with us
there and we can let them know their son was loved and appricated by us all, even though many of us got to see him before he died.  Claude came up with a great suggestion, that we invite them to the reunion if, they can make it.
 I think that would do them a lot of good.  In their letter they talk about how much they still miss him.
Well just thought some of you would like to know, and maybe take better care of yourselfs so you will be around for a long time to come ( Waite& Cook ) and any of you other mocho guys.  I watched my Dad play that shit, not saying anything about the chest pains.  Well all that got him was an early Grave.  Two weeks before he died he looked at me and
said: I sure fucked up huh!   It was to damn late then.   We have all proved our courgage a long time ago.
 We don't have to prove Shit to anyone.

  Stay Healthy, Live long and prosper
     Zeke
A note from 14; Count me in for honoring Smitty and a visit to his grave as a group prior to the reunion. I'll handle the invitation to his parents. Anyone else interested please let me know. I'll track a list of participants.

                              TAKE CARE
                                     GARY LARROW