1998 Calendar, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) - Have Guns Will Travel
Document Item Number: 20080205001
- Pages
- 28
- Media Type
- Document
- Information removed from digital copy?
- Yes
- Physical Location
- Box 02, Folder 05,
- Copyright Statement
- This document is copyrighted
- Language(s)
- English
Dates
Creation: 1998- General Note
- Table of Contents
Front Cover Photo – Have Guns Will Travel by Joe Kline circa 1995. Featuring CUH-1C Huey Gunships.
January
In the Beginning…
Although these photos were not taken in Vietnam, few good photos of these helicopters exist. They were the forebears of the most successful helicopters in history, the UH1 series and the CH47 series. So they deserve to be shown. Clockwise from upper left: CH21 goes hot, CH34 Choctaw in flight, CH37 Mojave at a hover, CH21 with sling load. These sots were taken at Fort Rucker, source unknown. If you have better photos, please send them with captions to Ken Fritz, c/c VHPA Hqs, for a future calendar.
February
Big Boy at Rest
CH54A Sky Crane with pod removed at An Khe. This photo was taken by SP5 Allan Holm, USA SP Photo Det, Pacific, December 10, 1965. On the back it says, “An Khe, RVN where the 1st Cav Div. (Air Mobile) is stationed”. Note the Cav patch on the door and the logo on the nose. Further details are sought. Please send comments to the VHPA Newsletter.
March
Tomcat 31
UH1-B gunship of D Co. 229th AVN (AW) 1st Cav, December 1966. Near Phan Thiet with pilots WO1 John Mateski and CPT Dave Hockett. Photo by VHPA member Dave Rittman. Look carefully in the background below the clouds for the C-130 flying right to left. Inside the blue emblem on the door is a Smiling Tiger by Disney Studios. Disney sent them decals to use for their “nose art” after one of the crew members wrote complaining that they had no good artists, but since Disney had good artists, maybe they could help? Resourceful!
April
Flight Lead
A Minuteman UH1-H, 176th AHC, 14th CAB, 16th CAG, Americal Div. out of Chu Lai carries a load of grunts from 198th Lt Inf Bde into the mountains of southern I Corps on a late combat assault along the river west of Quang Ngai. Photo by VHPA member Ken Fritz, Minuteman 17, ’68-’69.
May
The Deans at Work
These CH21 Shawnees arrived in Saigon December 1961 aboard the USS Core, with the 57th Transportation Co., first helicopter company in Vietnam. The photo was given to the VHPA by LT. John “Peg Leg: Givhan, one of the Deans of the 120th AVN Co. Dated 1/17/64, the Kien Hoa assault was the largest heliborne assault in the history of Vietnam to that date. This date was taken after an all day series of lifts into bad Lzs and is good formation, especially after logging over 10 hours of assault work. Thanks John!
June
Looking For Holes
At LZ Oasis, Trp C, 1/9 area, April 1967, a USAF Kaman H-43 Husky landed to check out the ship for holes after receiving enemy fire over Cambodia on a rescue mission. Note the civilian blade antenna under the hose. 1/9 crew member was there to look over what he called a strange looking bird in their area.
July
Smiling Tiger
A Smiling Tiger UH1-B, D Co. 229th AHB 1st Cav Div. flies through the Bong Song pass June 1967. Armed with four flex mounted .30 cal machine guns, fourteen 2.75 inch rockets and m-6 40 mm grenade launcher, it is ready to go to work. Photo by VHPA member Al De Mailo, Smiling Tiger 21, ’67 – ‘68.
August
Cobra on the Move
Photo taken somewhere in the Delta by Don Agren, Emu 10 of the 135th AHC, LZ Bearcat and later Dong Tam, August ’70 – August ’71. Anybody who can identify the aircraft’s unit and location, please write to the VHPA Newsletter with details so Don will know whose photo he took.
September
Precision Delivery
CH47 delivering the goods near Hue, October 1968. Photo by VHPA member Curt Knapp, 2 Bde 101 Abn, ’67 – ’68.
October
Dust Storm
Troops of C Co. 1st Bn 50th Mech 1st Cav at LZ Quick hunker down from the dusty rotor wash from the CH47 Chinook after it unloaded. They are preparing for a search and destroy mission on the Cay Giep mountains, 29-30 October 1967. Photo by SSG Alfred Batungbacal, US Army Photo Det, Pac.
November
Minuteman Fly By
176th AHC UH-1H’s from 176th AHC, 14th CAB, 16th CAG, Americal Div. do a fly by over LZ Gator for this 198th Lt Inf Bde with smokes in the doors. Near Chu Lai, this was taken November ’69 by VHPA member Ken Fritz, Minuteman 17.
December
EMUs, Go Trail
“Emus, Go Trail” was the command from the lead ship as the group flew into the sunset at Moc Hoa Airfield, southwest of Saigon in the Plain of Reeds region. Although an emu is a flightless Australian bird, it was also the call sign of the Experimental Military Unit which was composed of both US Army and Royal Australian Navy Pilots. VHPA member Don Agren, Emu 10 of the 135th AHC ’70 – ’71 took the photo of his flight leader in 1971.
LZ English Goes Ballistic
Artillery illumination flares were drifting over and dropping into the ammo dump at LZ English, Bong Song, II Corps, June ’67. The gunships belong to D Co. 229th AHB , 1st Cav. Div. Note the shrapnel in the blade on the blade on the far ship. Although VHPA member Al DeMailo reported this when it began, he was later surprised by the sound of what he at first thought was incoming. In his attempts to photograph the fireworks he was almost wounded by the flying shrapnel. He speculates that the incident was probably attributed to enemy activity rather than the artillery group.
- Perma Link
- https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=20080205001
- Citation
- 1998 Calendar, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) - Have Guns Will Travel, 20080205001. 1998, Box 02, Folder 05, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) Collection, Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University, https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=20080205001, Accessed 27 Jan 2026.
- Pub Credit Line
- 20080205001, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) Collection, Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University
- Added: 25 Apr 2018 [Updated: 25 Apr 2018]
Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive
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Address
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Email
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