Air & Space Smithsonian – September 2019

A Chinookdelivers

a watertanktoa

mountaintopcamp

inVietnam.

with the crew keeping us just within sight of the

tops of trees. So down we went, about 1,500 feet

beneath the helipad. With the enemy no doubt

all around us on the mountain, we slowly climbed

back up all the way to the helipad. When we set

down and looked around, it was like an eerie movie.

There were dead enemy all over the place, and our

rotors were whipping the mist around. The ground

guys immediately loaded all 23 injured, and then we

ascended back into the sky, did a 180-degree turn,

flew off in zero-visibility till I was sure I was clear

of everything, then descended. I never reported

the mission as I thought I’d get court-martialed

for putting so many at such extreme risk.

BEER, BULLETS, BEANS, AND BEYOND

John Such, Pilot, CH-47A

I always thought that the Chinook was the best,

most versatile helicopter in the military—and

over the decades I flew all types of helicopters.

We really saw the versatility of the Chinook in

Vietnam. We hauled everything: troops, supplies,

even bulldozers, and we also did [medical evacua-

tions]. The Army even converted four Chinooks

to gunships, the ACH-47s.

In Vietnam, I served in I Corps, in the north.

We flew all day long, typically from six in the

morning until around seven at night, and there

was always the possibility of going out again and

doing flare drops at night. Our mission day usually

started by moving a battery of 105mm howitzers.

We’d move a battery from one hilltop to another

hilltop. We’d sling the howitzer beneath the

Chinook with its ammo bag, and the gun crew

inside the aircraft. Then we’d bring them food,

more ammunition, generators, diesel fuel, and

water. With the move complete, we’d go into gen-

eral resupply for everyone else in the area, flying

OUR MISSION DAY USUALLY STARTED BY

MOVING A BATTERY OF 105MM HOWITZERS.

WE’D MOVE A BATTERY FROM ONE

HILLTOP TO ANOTHER HILLTOP. WE’D

SLING THE HOWITZER BENEATH THE

CHINOOK WITH ITS AMMO BAG, AND THE

GUN CREW INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT.

—JOHN SUCH, PILOT, CH-47A

September 2019 AIR & SPACE 43