Eagle Bird Down

To each life comes a time for reflection; to each a time, to each a season. Many years ago I had my world come down around me. My life was hanging by a thread. Into this I had no control, no course but acceptance. Into this I was to form a new life and a new purpose, one which owed my very existance to so many others. This event was to reform my very soul.

This story however is not about me. It's about a lot of other fine young men, who once a long time ago, in the war torn country of Vietnam, came to the aide of a down bird. This is the story of the first low observation helicopter (LOH or LOACH) lost to B Troop, 2nd Sqdn, 17th Cav., 101st Abn Division back on May 13th, 1969. It's about the courage and dedication of the pilots, crews, and men who came to save a fellow soldier. In some ways it's like so many other stories that happened there, where the efforts of saving a life was paid by placing other lives on the line. In this case, I am only here today, because of that courage, dedication, and effort.

It was a hot summer day and I had just come out of a three day comma. The world around me was alien and foreboding. I had no idea what happened to me, who I was, or even why there were others in the hospital beds around me. What was this strange place and how did I fit in? Was it days later, or weeks, that I finally began to piece a few things back together? I felt very isolated in my surroundings and searched desperately for anyone that I might recognize; someone to help me out of my confusion.

Everything existed in a different world. No one knew me, or I them, until a chance meeting in Da Nang weeks later.

I had come to remember my name by then and maybe so much more but I couldn’t remember the critical day. I had no idea what happened or the events leading up to it. By then I was able to stand on my feet again and a group of us were waiting in a holding area for a flight to Japan for further hospitalization. A young man approached me and asked if he didn’t know me. I didn’t recognize him and yet I clung to his every word. He explained his name was Bill Wroolie and he was in the scouts with the Banshee’s...
...memory come back...

He told me I had been shot down and that there was a big battle fought. Not only did he know the particulars but he was in the scout ship overhead as we were being extracted that afternoon.

My mind raced to keep up with all that he told me. It was from Bill that I learned who I was flying with that day and from that day forward the name “Felix” became an icon to me. (It would be 28 years later before I would see what Felix looked like again.)

The events Bill described to me had taken place weeks before. Bill’s scout ship had been shot down about ten days after we were when our unit became involved in Operation Lamar Plain in the Chu Lai - Tam Ky area of Northern I Corps. It was through Bill’s ordeal and suffering that this chance meeting took place, and I got back an important part of myself. I had my identity back.

With that in mind I give the rest of this story.

In early May of 1969, there were signs of a large scale NVA offensive in the A Shau Valley. Operation "Apache Snow" was launched on May 10th by the "Screaming Eagles" of the 101st Airborne Division. 65 UH-1D helicopters and 1800 men of the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry (1/506), the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry (3/187) and the 2nd Battalion, 501 Infantry (2/501) from the 3rd Brigade. In addition, five battalions of the 1st ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) Division were brought in for the attack.

Two days later I requested and was transferred into the scout platoon of B Troop, 2/17th Cav, 101st Abn. I had been in-country for seven months flying Huey “slicks” with A/3/17th Cav until that previous March when I transferred to the 2/17th. We were still getting our feet wet then. On May 13th I flew my first mission with the scouts as copilot starting my transition time.. We left Camp Eagle in the morning and by late morning we were breaking up an ambush the NVA had set up on a hill just to the north in the A Shau. We were replaced by another team and came off station because we were low on fuel.

It was shortly after 11 a.m. when we landed in our staging area there in the valley. I remember our artillery bombardment to the hill being my background serenade as I started to eat my C rations. I had 2.3 hours in Loaches just then and was mulling over the fact that I would be on my own very shortly and wondering if I would be ready for it all. I looked up to see a tall, lanky young man standing over me.

"Hello, I'm Felix." (we'd never met before) "Was wondering if you wanted to get some more time in? ...We're leaving right away."

It took little time for me to wolf down the rest of my lunch and get permission. We were airborne before I really had a chance to think about it. I remember the climb out as my last real positive memory of this flight. Felix told me these many years later now, that we went back to “The Hill”. There, we replaced another team on station; we had maybe three operating out there. While working this area we were asked to scout out a trail on the western slope.

Let me introduce you to the pink team. In the scout ship, F.(Felix) Ray Knight, Jr. sitting in the right seat, I was in the left seat, and The Crewchief was in the back right seat. In Cobra cover, old Wayne Flhur in pilot position, and Bill Russell up front. This combination matched our most experienced scout pilot and our most experienced Cobra pilot together. We had the A team of B Troop. We would need that combination. We were about to meet the varsity team of the NVA.

At this point I'm going to beg off telling the rest of this story from my perspective. You see, I don't remember it anymore. I hadn't known the rest of this story for about the last 28 years....Oh, the story's here all right. I just got the rest of it this past year.

I was able to find Felix after all these years. I located his name in the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Association Directory. Just before Christmas of 96 I sent him a letter telling him, "Thank You Felix. Thank you for saving my life and our Crewchief. Your name has a permanent place in my heart from years and years of thinking of you. I Never forgot. Over the years I've thought of you a lot and you've gotten my silent recognition."

Felix's letter to me these many years later:

Mar. 18, 1997

Hi Steve,

It was super great to hear from you at Christmas Time. I was home that day from work. I was down with a mild case of flu. The Wife came in with the mail and asked me who I knew in Minnesota. I said "Hell if I know," She then asked me who is Stephen Jones and I said I didn't have a clue. She then opened the card and about cried and handed it to me. I will admit I did get a tear in my eye also. I immediately remembered you when I read the first paragraph of your wonderful letter....

About being the first. When we were shot down on the West slope of Hamburger Hill the battle had not officially been designated as such and we were completing the initial scouting of that monster.

We had actually come down off the west side and crossed the picket line in the neighboring country of Laos. It was because of the trail and traffic there on that the assault on the hill began, so we started the battle no matter what ever anyone else tells you. However, it was two days after we were shot down that the actual assault on Hamburger Hill started.

As we came back over the mud puddle so I could show you the foot prints I had seen we were hit with what appeared to be .50 cal fire. The tailboom of the LOACH was taken off right at the Dog House. We landed about 75 feet from the trail we were working, I had tried to make a clearing that was off to our right. Needless to say we did not make it. We were on the ground for about 5 hours before our blues made it to us.

During that time every Cobra in the Squadron had been diverted to provide us cover. I was told that there was a constant Daisy Chain from the Valley floor to where we were, and that over 50 sorties were flown in covering us. I cannot remember the observer's name. He had been thrown from the bird and landed about 15 feet from where we were. I did my best to make him comfortable and secure until the blues arrived. I was chucking hand grenades in all directions not knowing if I was doing any good or not. You were pinned in the bird as we had landed upside down and on the left side. You came in and out of it constantly.

I saw the slicks landing in the clearing I had been trying to make and then headed off to lead them back to the crash site. I can say that at times I truly panicked. I was trying to run through that jungle mess and ended up suspended off the ground twisted up in the vines. After I untangled myself I got to the clearing and the blues back to you. They lifted the aircraft off and loaded us both on one of the Huey's and flew us directly to Phu Bai. You and the Crewchief were evac'd almost immediately to Japan.

I stayed in Phu Bai for two days and then was sent to Tam Kai on a C-130 to make room for the mass casualties from Hamburger Hill. All that was in the news and radio was Hamburger hill and the Casualties that we were sustaining. I talked to Wayne Flhur, our Cobra cover that day (Bill Russell was front seat). He said that he had seen NVA/VC within 75 feet of our position before we were finally pulled out. He said if the jungle had not been so thick and the Cobras had not raised holy hell we would have been permanent guests of the Hanoi Hilton.

I was also told that things were so bad that they had finally scrambled Marine Jolly Greens from Da Nang to get us out. But they arrived just after our blues found us. We were shot down at approximately 12:01 p.m. that day and were admitted to 85th Evac at 6:15 p.m. so you can see how long we were down there.

I hope this clears up some of the black holes that exist.

Friends always

It does Felix. I would just make one correction to your story. If you had not been so brave that day and the NVA/VC had been allowed to get through to us, I would Not have become a permanent guest of the Hanoi Hilton. Our crewchief and I were in no condition to go anywhere.

I would have been shot, our Crewchief would have been shot, and You would have been their honored guest, I would not have had this opportunity to write this story, and I would not have had this opportunity now to Thank you.

It was good that we should have met once a long time ago. It is good we now are ready to meet again and to tell our story. Your family will come to know you far better as the person I have known all these many years. In days of old these were how legends came to be. Let Camelot live again in the hearts of men. Bring me my horse Sancho. There are worlds to conquer, Stars to reach...your copilot is now back in place and ready to find that mud puddle again.
Hyperdrive, Felix...

In Honor of: Ray "Felix" Knight
Bill Wroolie
Bill Russell
Wayne Flhur
...And so many others...