32 VIETNAM
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chanical failure. In a rescue operation, the crew would
roll out a 120-foot aluminum ladder attached to YH-
20’s rear ramp, and troops on the ground would hook
up their harnesses’s “D” rings so they could be pulled to
safety, hanging below the helicopter like a kite’s tail.
Practicing before the mission, the pilots hovered at 100
feet while the crew rolled the ladder out.
Then they climbed an additional 50 feet and
gently came down to simulate bringing the
attached troops to the ground.At about 8 a.m. on Sept. 11,\PMPMTWWЅ-
cers were briefed by Marine Lt. Col. Harry
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squadron, which had chosen the menacing
“Scarface” as its call sign. About 11:55 a.m.
the Marines got the green light to “deliver
the package.”
The helicopters left Dak To and headed
for the landing zone 60 miles inside Laos.
The site, however, was only large enough for
one CH-53 at a time. That meant a longer landing peri-
od—giving enemy gunners plenty of time to target dis-
embarking troops.
The Cobras prepped the landing zone with a huge
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so, the helos approaching the landing zone one by one
were under constant attack.
The co-pilot of the lead aircraft, 1st Lt. Bill Beardall,
recalled, “As we made the approach to the LZ, the ene-
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were being hit, and later we counted 50 hits in the nineMarine aircraft taking part in this mission.”
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Groah repaired as much battle damage as they could,
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Marines then returned to Marble Mountain and were
placed on a one-hour standby.
Late in the afternoon of the following
day, Sept. 12, the Marines got word that
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and needed to be rescued. The helicopters
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that the ground troops had engaged a
large force at an enemy base camp and suf-
fered numerous casualties in need of a
medevac. But once again, bad weather put
the Marines on standby. At about 10:45
a.m., the pilots learned that the mission
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and departed for the extraction site.
Groah was again on the search and rescue helo, YH-
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Bustamante was co-pilot. Just before the helo taxied
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aboard, saying he didn’t want to miss the action.
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Marine helos circled in their marshaling area, while an
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extraction site with smoke. At 4,000 feet the Bronco pi-
lot realized that the landing zone was small, consider-Enemy rocket fire directed at the Army’s Dak To airfield on Sept. 8, 1970,
while Marine helicopters were there waiting for Operation Tailwind to
begin, struck an Army Cobra attack helicopter.When Groah’s
chopper went
into a hover
about 25
yards from
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he heard
“Bam! Bam!
Bam!” on
his side.