Title: U.S. Army helicopter names in Vietnam
Description: Review Written By Bernie Weisz, Historian and Book Reviewer, Vietnam War  August 8, 2011 Pembroke Pines, Florida USA Contact: BernWei1@oal.com   Title of Review: "Army Chopper Names During The Vietnam War: A Clue Into The Crew's Mindset!"

American involvement in the Vietnam War went through phases, and the mindset of participants at each particular period reflected this. John Brennan's "U.S. Army Helicopter Names in Vietnam" will show you through the changing nature of aircraft personal naming, how the attitudes of Army aviators changed during different phases of the war. Although the U.S. had advisers in Vietnam in the early 1960's, the war was in its genesis. The president at the time, John F. Kennedy sent inept South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem limited military advisers and Green Berets, but became so frustrated by Diem's incompetence that he turned his back on him upon learning of a coup being planned to remove him and from office. In early November of 1963, Diem's own generals kidnapped him, shuttled him and his brother to a basement in the Cholon section of Saigon, murdering them both. Twenty-two days later, JFK was assassinated in Dallas. Shortly before his assassination in November of 1963, Kennedy had begun a limited recall of U.S. forces. 


The true era of what one would call American involvement in Vietnam started after Lyndon Johnson took office, and the Tonkin Gulf Incident supposedly occurred in August of 1964. In regard to the North Vietnamese torpedo attacks on two U.S. warships, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara failed to inform LBJ that the naval task group commander in the Tonkin Gulf had changed his mind about the attacks he had reported earlier that day, and the result was the famous Tonkin Gulf Resolution that gave LBJ the power to conduct military operations in Southeast Asia without declaring war. From this, went a frantic period of men and supplies shipped from American shores to S.E. Asia in what was called "the build up" phase of 1965. The next two years,1966 and 1967 was the "escalation phase" involving search and destroy ground operations as well as devastating aerial bombardment of the North. The apex was 1968, the "Tet Offensive" period, and the final, or deescalating phase referred to as "Vietnamization," which occurred from 1969 to 1973, signifying America's swan song. 



Without exception, every make and model of Army helicopters that served from 1962 until the end of the war was ornamented by either a personalized name and affixed illustration. John Brennan's book has a lot to do with these periods, as his book shows that the visuals on these propeller driven war birds reflected the mood of the times. A peace sign painted on a "Huey Slick" was non existent in 1965. "U.S. Helicopter Names in Vietnam" gives the reader an in depth breakdown of these personalized abstractions, where America's primary war chariot was indeed the helicopter. Why would someone even care about that? A lot of reasons. Many Vietnam Vets, particularly helicopter crews during their one year tour had formed a deep camaraderie with each other, a bond formed out of the exigencies of combat. They would never again experience the esprit de corps the conditions of South Vietnam presented. These men formed an unbreakable loyalty to each other, sharing intense friendships with painful losses. 



At the end of their tour, departing Vets always promised to keep in touch with the men staying, and good byes were emotional. Most Veterans going back to what they called "The World" had painful feelings of abandonment and separation issues, however their vows of communication disappeared upon leaving Vietnam. With new relationships, careers and responsibilities, the months after DEROS'ing back into society turned into years, which turned into decades. Many Vietnam Veterans that were in helicopter crews have lost touch with their buddies over the years. A former Gunship pilot might be wondering: "whatever happened to my door gunner," while the design or the motto on his old helicopter's nose is the only strong memory he is left to search with, Brennan's book might very well serve as the magical key. Another issue that this book can resolve is the fate of those still missing in action. After the conclusion of the 1973 "Paris Peace Accords," 591 American prisoners of war were returned during "Operation Homecoming." The U.S. listed as prisoners of war or missing in action about 1,350 Americans and another 1,200 men were reported killed in action, their bodies not recovered. Most were aviators that were shot down over North Vietnam or Laos.
 


Subsequent Investigations of these incidents attempted to determine whether these men survived their shoot down, and if not, a continuing effort was made to recover their remains. Currently, the remains of over 700 Americans killed in Southeast Asia have been returned and identified. Unfortunately, there are nearly 1,800 Americans who still remain unaccounted for. By this thorough documentation of helicopter names, if a search of the area in S.E. Asia turns up a helicopter part with only the artwork still identifiable, this book might solve cases and help the families still suffering with closure issues. Furthermore, the socialist and particularly the historian can use these names as a basis of historical research. Prior to the 1968 "Tet Offensive," helicopters were more apt to have very different names than after its occurrence. The Tet Offensive was a Viet Cong surprise attack that began on January 31, 1968. Their intention was to strike South Vietnamese military and civilian command and control centers in the hopes of inciting a general uprising among the indigenous population that would then topple the Saigon government, thus ending the war. This offensive was the largest military operation yet conducted by either side up to that point in the war, with more than 80,000 VC troops striking more than 100 South Vietnamese towns and cities, including 36 of 44 provincial capitals. 



While the South Vietnamese citizenry did not rise up and rebel, and over 100,000 Communist troops were killed. While in reality it was a Communist trouncing, the U.S. press presented it to the nation as a staggering Allied defeat to the American public. With massive domestic antiwar sentiment, LBJ refused reelection, and the decision to extricate from the war was permanently forged. However, if one pays attention to Army helicopter names before this offensive, you found monikers such as "Miss Fit, The Octopus and How Do We Look." All represent hedonism, unconcern with misfortune or for the consequences of war. The Tet Offensive was not the only malaise of 1968. Aside from the February 1st televised incident where a South Vietnamese police officer executed a VC suspect with the cameras rolling, the My Lai Massacre occurred on March 16, and two weeks after that, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots erupted nationwide, lasting for several days afterwards. On June 5th of that year, U.S. presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan. In July, the CIA officially started their "Phoenix Program" in Vietnam, which ultimately killed 40,000 civilians between 1968 and mid-1971. In August, antiwar demonstrators clashed with police at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. There were approximately 10,000 demonstrators. 



Bystanders and press were beaten by police officers in a melee depicting graphic police brutality. After 1968, the names of Army helicopters took on a dark hue, reflecting the times. Appearing on Cobras and Hueys were characterizations like "For God, Country & Body Count, Patience My Ass and Short, Don't Shoot Me." The war had changed to these aviators, and these tags stood for subtle announcements translating that nobody wanted to be the last to die in a war America had given up on. However, this book does more than just help the plight of MIA families and those studying the climate of the times. What about the aviation enthusiast? Despite the fact that this book is about helicopter names, the reader learns about the different helicopters, and their role in the Vietnam War, the first real helicopter war. The number one helicopter workhorse of the Army was made by a company called "Bell" a manufacturer headquartered in Hurst, Texas. In March, 1960, the Army ordered into production an aircraft that was powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The designation of "HU-1" led to the helicopter's nickname of the Huey, and eventually the manufacturer modified the helicopter according to its use. 



Hueys used for ground attack or armed escort roles were outfitted with rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and machine guns, and promptly called "gunships." If they were for troop transport or medevac, they were called "slicks." In the course of the conflict. the UH-1 went through several modifications. The UH-1A, B, and C models had a short fuselage and a Bell 204 single-engine, capable of lifting a maximum weight of 8,500 lbs. or 10 passengers. The UH-1D and H models had a more stretched fuselage and a Bell 205 single engine, capable of lifting a maximum weight 9,500 pounds or 14 passengers. The UH-1B and C performed the gunship, and some of the transport duties in the early years of the Vietnam War. UH-1B and C gunships were replaced by the newer "AH-1 Cobra" attack helicopter after 1968, necessitated by the increased intensity and sophistication of NVA anti-aircraft defenses. AH-1 Cobras, and ever improving models of "H, D and finally G," Cobras provided fire support for ground forces, escorted transport helicopters and formed "hunter killer" teams by pairing with OH-6A scout helicopters. Another common helicopter was the "CH-47 Chinook." This was a twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter made by the Boeing Corporation. Its primary roles included troop movement, artillery emplacement of batteries in perilous mountain positions that were inaccessible by any other means, as well battlefield resupply of food, water and ammunition. 



Finally, the "OH-6A" Light Observation Helicopter, or "Loach." was a single-engine light helicopter with a four-bladed main rotor made by the Hughes Corporation. It was used for personnel transport, escort and attack missions, as well as scout observation. Finally, another valuable use of Brennan's book is for those that go to helicopter "Boneyards." Currently, the "309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group" is the largest "Boneyard" in the U.S. Located on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, the Air Force has its aircraft and missile storage and maintenance facility. This is where scrapped Chinooks, Hueys, etc. go for storage. In the event that an old helicopter needs to be identified, an insignificant item like a name or other artwork painted on it's body can go a long way in assisting identification. How did the author go about collecting all of this information? He undertook a meticulous study of Internet reference resources, unit history photo books, memoirs, and military association archives. Brennan took the burdensome task sending of innumerable e mails to Vietnam Veteran Army helicopter crews in a quest to identify and chart the personal names and artwork affixed to every helicopter model in Vietnam from JFK's adviser period of 1962 all the way to the Paris Peace Accord settlement of 1973. There were four areas called "Corps" that the U.S. delineated their forces in Vietnam. "I Corps" was the northernmost military region in South Vietnam, "II Corps" was the Central Highlands military region in South Vietnam. The densely populated, fertile military region between Saigon and the Highlands was called "III Corps" and finally, "IV Corps" military region was located in the southernmost marshy Mekong Delta. 




Brennan collected information equally from all four areas of Army Helicopter usage without prejudice. Out of the myriad of outgoing inquisitive e mails, he would try to garnish as much information as he could from what came back to him. . Eventually, he received back over 10,000 e mails with personal information, photos of artwork on helicopters, names of who drew the artwork, etc. If he received a photograph, of say, a Huey, the art work had to be placed with an assigned crew, the dates the helicopter was in service. Through incredible detective work, Brennan was able to break all the information down into an organized system, of which this book is the result. Seventy five percent of the information in his book came from the mass of e mail correspondence and photos attached. The other twenty five percent of data contained in this publication came from web sites, memoirs, reunions and interviews. The final result is over 3000 helicopter names correctly cross -referenced with the helicopter unit that it served with, the type of model the helicopter was (Huey "A,B,C,H or H"), etc. Furthermore, wherever possible Brennan was able to find the helicopter's serial number, it's function ("slick vs gunship") the crew member's names, the artist that drew the name on the helicopter, and the location of the name on the chopper, i.e., the nose, pilot door, etc. An additional bonus is that the book is attractively laced with 40 rare shots of different helicopters with their names clearly displayed. This is an incredible book, simple to understand that will appeal to many groups!
Subjects: United States, Registers, Vietnam War, 1961-1975, United States. Army, Nicknames, American Aerial operations, Military helicopters, History
Places: United States, Vietnam
Time periods: Vietnam War, 1961-1975