2011 Calendar, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) - BIERE '33' EXPORT
Document Item Number: 20080217001
- Pages
- 28
- Media Type
- Document
- Information removed from digital copy?
- Yes
- Physical Location
- Box 02, Folder 17,
- Copyright Statement
- This document is copyrighted
- Language(s)
- English
Dates
Creation: 2011- General Note
- Table of Contents
Front-Cover-Photo – BIERE “33” EXPORT Jim Spiers provided this photo of MAVERICK 33, a 175th AHC UH-1C named in honor of that wonderful Vietnamese beer, flying over the Mekong Delta in 1968.
January
Maverick Tools of the Trade
175th AHC UH-1C weapons systems circa 1969. VHPA member Jim Spiers took these photos while serving with the Mavericks, the 175th AHC’s gun platoon based at Vinh Long. The top left shows the business end of the XM-21 System that included an M134 7.62 cal minigun and below the M-5 nose turret for a single M75 40mm grenade launcher. The top right shows the side of Biere ‘33’ Export with an empty M159 2.75” 19-shot ‘Hog’ pod. The bottom right shows a XM158 2.75” 7-shot pod loaded with HE (high explosive) and VT (variable time) 17-lb warheads. In the center we see ‘messages’ written on rocket warheads. The small photos shows some Maverick pilot door and battery cover artwork.
February
Setting up at Khe Sanh for Lam Son 719
Khe Sanh February 1971. VHPA Member Mike Cochran provided these photos from his tour as a Huey pilot with Troop C, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry. VHPA Member Jim Fulbrook took the aerial photo. Like many 1st Aviation Brigade units, C Troop moved north to support Lam Son 719 and eventually positioned their air operations at the old Khe Sanh Combat Base. They were assigned an old metal revetment for their living space and a section of the old runway for their flight line. The small photos show some pilot door artwork and the infamous fog and rain at Khe Sanh. Some guys have all the luck!!
March
Mike Cochran and Tom Marshall, two Army pilots, provided the left photos taken at the Khe Sanh refuel point about March 1971 during Lam Son 719. Doug Orahood provided the Scarface AH-1G photo on the ramp at Marble Mountain in late 1970. Herb Silva provided the photos of the AH-1J still wearing stateside paint soon after it arrived in Vietnam in Feb 1971. Doug and Herb, two Marine pilots, both served with HML-367. With Scarface and Cobra the Marines had wonderful material for aircraft art! The AH-1J, Sea Cobra, had several features not found on the Army AH-1Gs such as: Two engines for better survivability during over-water operations, US Navy avionics, a rotor brake for ship-board operations, and a three barrel XM197 20mm cannon in the nose turret. Four AH-1Js arrived in Vietnam on 22 Feb with a detachment of 9 officers and 23 enlisted for combat test and evaluation. They joined the AH-1G equipped HML-367. Normally one G and one J flew a mission. During Lam Son 719 their priority mission was escorting the UMSC CH-53s doing heavy lift into Laos. On 28 Apr evaluations ended and the Sea Cobras departed Southeast Asia. They returned in 1972 and in 1975 to support the various mine removal and evacuation operations.
April
Apache Scout
A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry OH-13S, May 1968. VHPA Member Myles Henry provided these photos from his 1967-68 tour with A/1/9th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. They were taken at LZ Sharon in Quang Tri Province. We don’t know the name of the Observer with the M-60 and right leg hanging out the door. Note the 3-shot rocket pod on the pilot’s side! The insert shows the ‘basic configuration’ of a Scout ship. In addition to a loose belt of M-60 ammo, we have an M-16 plus a fine assortment of fragmentation (small round ones), white phosphorous (light green ones), and smoke (soup can shaped) grenades. The chicken plate belonged to VHPA Member George Bartol who passed away in 2004. Myles served with in the Gun Platoon. VHPA Member J.R. Nielsen provided the small photo of an Apache Scout circa 1966.
May
Silver Spur Super Scout
A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 17th Calvary OH-58A #68-16946, April 1971/ These photos are a tribute to 1LT Tom Knuckey and SGT Philip C. Taylor who were killed in this aircraft on 27 May 1971. VHPA Member Robert Mills took these photos just a few weeks earlier at their Quan Loi base camp. SGT Taylor not only painted his flight helmet but also the artwork shown in the left insert. The right insert shows their “toys” and ammo. VHPA Member Tom Richardson provided the pocket patch.
June
The Good, the Bad, and the Sad Sealord
UH-1Ls with HAL-3 at Navy Binh Thuy – August 1970. VHCMA Member Wayne Mutza provided the upper left Bell Textron photo of USN Bureau Number 157851 taken in the states. This collage is dedicated to LT MUlcahy, AMS Frahm, and AO1 Bowles who died on 1 June 1970 while landing at Navy Binh Thuy in this aircraft. Ed Pietzuch, the webmaster for the Seawolf Association provided the other photos. The top right shows BuNu 157853. The lowers show BuNu 157856 that crashed 13 August 1970 while lifting off at Navy Binh Thuy. All eight UH-1Ls built for the US Navy served in Vietnam; six were damaged or destroyed. The photos show that the Sealords had their own emblem. To date neither the Seawolf Association nor the VHPA have been able to obtain a good copy of this emblem.
July
BATTLE 17 at Chu Lai
OH-23Gs from the Air Section, Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at their base area outside the wire at Chu Lai, June 1967. VHPA member Bill Abbey provided this photo of three of the Air Section’s four OH-23Gs. He wrote: “The squadron moved from Xuan Loc to Chu Lai as part of Task Force OREGON near the end of April 1967. There wasn’t any room on the base for us until the Marines moved north; so we set up on some sand dunes just outside the perimeter. We did a lot of scouting missions for the Armored Cavalry troops in addition to flying the commanders around plus providing air courier service and some resupply. Battle was the 2/11th’s nom de guerre. It was a thrill to serve with the Blackhorse guys!” Bill also provided the small photo.
August
A Company, 229th Aviation Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Division II Corps, November 1967. VHPA member Rick Berry took this photo of UH-1H #66-16642 somewhere in the Bong Son area. 642 served with several units during its tour in Vietnam and it survived the war, so you might see it in one of the many Huey memorials.
September
Bravo Troop
A OH-13S and an UH-1B from B Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division at Phu Cat September 1966. These photos were taken by VHPA member Walt Gutsche during one of Bravo Troop’s visits to the Bong Son area of eastern II Corps. The top left shows how the Scout Platoon lived and worked until their trucks arrived with the ‘roomy’ hex tents showed in the lower left. The top right shows Walt’s ship loaded and ready to move to the next field location. We see VHPA member Stan Nash sitting in his gunship in the lower right photo and Walt with his yellow scarf. Stan’s radio call sign was FIXER 6 XRAY (because he often flew with MAJ Chuck Wingate, now deceased, the Troop Commander) and Walt’s was WHITE SABER 12 (White was for the Scout Platoon and Saber for Bravo Troop).
October
Iron Dance
This is another magnificent painting from VHCMA member Joe Kline. Joe attends all our Reunions and provides customized prints. VHPA Member Felix Bessler provided the small photo of CH-47A #66-00120 picking up a load in early 1968.
November
Serpents Come Home
A Company, 229th Aviation Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Division returns to LZ English, November 1967. VHPA member Rick Berry took these photos of “Home Sweet Home” at LZ English in the Bong Son area. The lower left photo shows the company’s Operations bunker. The right photo shows the Operations clerk’s FM radios and desk. Needless to say but at this time Serpent was their nom de guerre! The small photo shows what happens when a mortar round lands less than 10 feet from the front of a Huey.
December
Lam Son II
CH-21Cs from the 8th and 93rd Transportation Companies – August 30, 1962. VHPA member Ramon Williams provided these photos of the staging area at Quang Nhai for Operation Lam Son II. About 20 CH-21Cs from the 8th and 93rd Transportation Companies, plus 10 CH-34Ds from the VNAF’s HS-1 squadron, an Air Force B-26, and a UH-1A from the MACV detachment participated at some time during this battle.
Top:
This is one of the GREAT photos from the Vietnam War. It was taken by SP5 John (Tim) Stidham about Nov 1967 when A Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry inserted their Aero-Rifle Platoon to search an area near Dak To in western II Corps. John was a member of the Squadron’s PIO (Public Information Office) and took literally dozens of photos that are now priceless to the Ruthless Riders Association.
Below:
VHPA member Dave Rittman provided this photo of a CH-54A Skycrane from the 478th Heavy Helicopter Company, 1st Air Cavalry Division working a fuel bladder farm near LZ English in March 1967. He was looking east toward the airfield that is behind the Skycrane. His note for the photo reads: “This is the area that blew up in March 1967.”
- Perma Link
- https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=20080217001
- Citation
- 2011 Calendar, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) - BIERE '33' EXPORT, 20080217001. 2011, Box 02, Folder 17, 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=20080217001, Accessed 26 Jan 2026.
- Pub Credit Line
- 20080217001, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) Collection, Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University
- Added: 04 May 2018 [Updated: 08 May 2018]
Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive
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