I was flying C&C the day his ship disinagrated in the air.
Rick and his gunner were working and took  heavy fire.  If I remember right they broke left as the Cobras were inbound using 40mm among other firepower. As the lead cobra broke I saw Rick's Loach explode in mid air.  It supprised the shit out of
me because it was the fisrt air explosion I had seen.  The whole damn thing just went poof, gone. My first thought was we won't even find the pieces. I did see two large pieces falling to the ground.  As the shock to the whole C&C crew eased almost instantly, my AC started to dive in, when I saw these two "MUD MEN" pop up out of the rice paddy. They started running and falling, stopping only to help each other get up.  As my AC swooped in they jumped in my ship and away we went, with the two of them cussing and swearing.

    Yes I know its hard to believe Rick would use bad language, but I think he was a little upset at the time.  I don't remember Rick having any wounds to anything but his pride and ego. His gunner was playing with his tongue.  Seems a piece of
plexiglass went through Bill's cheek and I think is cut a groove through his tongue.

  Now I think most people would take the rest of the day off.  WRONG.

When we got to the staging area Rick and his gunner commandered another ship and away they went.  Payback time.  The rumor and questions started almost immeditaley.  Someone asked did they get hit by a B-40 etc. Then came the possibility of the cobra hitting them on the break.

    Either way it was some weird shit.  You hear about that slow motion stuff, but that is how it seemed at the time.

     I watched my share of lead Loach crews while I was there but Rick and Bill, shit, what can I say.  These guys were something special.  It was like there brains worked as one.  There thoughts, instincts, and reactions all worked as one.
 
    It was a joy to watch them work, and sometimes a little Weird.   A lot of the stuff they did would make the average person PUKE.  But the two of them got my vote for the baddest Loach crew of all time, and it was and is a pleasure to know
the both of them.  I am thankful they both made it home.

      It may seem funny to many people now, but I dont remember anybody laughing then.
 

Paul Zaneske
D Trp 3/5th Cav
70-71