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Date Posted: Mon, May 30 2005, 22:58:16
Author: Jeff Northridge
Author Host/IP: 4.246.90.92
Subject: Re: "High Flight" By John Cillespie Magee Jr
In reply to: Cody 's message, ""High Flight" By John Cillespie Magee Jr" on Mon, May 30 2005, 19:49:00

Howdy Cody;

I'm not John Gillespie McGee, Jr., but I can tell you that there was only one combat airborne assault via parachute during the Vietnam War and that was conducted by the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Even though the 101st Airborne Division and one brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division were deployed to Vietnam, they never "hit the silk". Most infantry units (including airborne) were transported from place to place via UH-1 Huey Helicopters or "slicks" except for mechanized units. I was with the 2nd/47th (Mech) and we had to go on a few airmobiles and mobile riverine operations (on Navy Tango boats), but we didn't like it much because we couldn't take the .50 caliber machine guns with us.

Riding in a helicopter was kind of fun. At least you could get a cool breeze and look down on the jungle and rice paddies instead of slogging through them on foot for a change. Dismounting was not so pleasant. The choppers would not land, but would hover about five or six feet off the ground and the crew would kick everybody out into a wet rice paddy as quickly as possible and then take off leaving the infantry sunk up to their ankles in mud.

The rest of what was going on in the skies was up to the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Mostly this took place over North Vietnam where we had air superiority if not air supremacy. However, we could call in an airstrike if necessary and it was nice to see those Air Force jets swoop down and unload their 500 lb. bombs on target. On one occasion, the pilots had to release their bombs from behind us and they tumbled end-over-end over our heads before exploding 50 m. in front of us. Red hot shrapnel rained down on us and a couple of guys had 1st degree burns from it. One piece even bounced off my helmet. Still, those fly boys have my respect--they were good--damned good.

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