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My Tour of duty
in the Cold War
by Freddie T. DeVore
Written and donated to the Helicopter History Site by the author
I served in the U.S. Army, after basic training I was assigned to Ft.
Rucker, Alabama. After completing the basic aviation mechanics training
course and the UH-1 training school. I was assigned Ft. Wainwright, Alaska
where I would become an UH-1 Crew Chief. Although, I served from 1967-1970
during the height of the Viet Nam War. I was extremely lucky and did not go
to war. Completeing my entire overseas assignment in Alaska, stationed at
Ft. Wainwright near Fairbanks. My tour in Alaska was initially for eighteen
months, however because I was married and made Sp/5 I was allowed to extend
my tour for a total of thirty months; I did not hesitate for one moment.
For the most part I enjoyed my Army service, It gave me direction and
confidence in myself. I totally enjoyed every minute of my tour in Alaska
and had wonderful experiences in "Iroquois, 64-13585" (my Huey’s call sign)
as I trusted her all over the harsh and majestic skies of Alaska’s interior.
When I arrived at my unit in March of 1968, (TMHC - N) Trans Medium
Helicopter Company (North)) I was surprised to find the unit had 12,
CH-21
Piasecki's and only two UH-1Ds. Other than seeing the CH-21 in the
Helicopter Museum at Ft. Rucker I didn’t have a clew what it was. As I was
getting my introduction to the Piasecki one of the company’s old salts
shared his view of the Ch-21; he expressed that the CH-21 was not all bad.
He continued by saying, "as a matter of fact the old bird had at least two
positive traits, 1.) if it caught fire it burned from the ass-end first
which usually allowed the crew time to get out, and 2.) it made a damn good
dog house."
All of the old timer CH-21 Crew Chiefs were very aware of an emergency
maneuver during start-up that could save their life should their ship have a
rotor blade quick engagement during start-up. New crew chiefs were told
about this maneuver early in their familiarization check out; If the damn
thing gets a quick engagement run, not away but toward the big ugly thing,
wrap yourself around the nose wheel strut and hang on for dear life. After
first witnessing the infamous "quick engagement" I learned why. You can't
out-run the giant wooded darts being flung outward ominously from the
shaking mass of aluminum, steel and wood as the frail wooden rotors reduce
themselves to splinters while the main rotor blades disintegrated.
After a short stint as a CH-21 mechanic I was assigned Crew Chief status of
64-13585 which I crewed for the rest of my Alaskan tour. I learned to love
that old overhauled HUEY. She spent a tour in Viet Nam and from my
information was wounded in action then returned to the States, Corpus
Christy for rebuild. Though I cut my teeth on the CH-21 I grew up in the
Huey. Earning my crewmember wings during just under a thousand hours riding
shotgun around the Alaska skies. Shortly after my arrival the unit TMHC (N)
received ten newly remanufactured UH-1D's . So the old tired bananas (CH-21’
s) were retired. Maybe they are all serving as doghouses now.
During my last summer prior to ETS in October of 1970 my units mission
changed from a utility support to heavy lift, consequently, an equipment
change was in order. While the rest of the Huey folks retrained for the
Hooks several of us short-timers were sent to the lower-48 to bring bact the
Hooks. The unit was assigned or cursed to receive ten remanufactured CH -
47B model Chinooks fresh from Harrisburg Pennsylvania (Ha, Ha). My last
month in the Army I spent as a Hook Crew Chief, I think you guys, Hook
drivers called us "Flight Engineers." After spending three weeks coaxing
this big green hunk of wobbling, hydraulic leaking mass of nuts and bolts
across the land I understood why we were called engineers. You earned the
dubious honor to be titled an "Engineer" if you were able to accomplish this
impossible mission.
My hat is off to all of you guys that flew and worked on the Original A and
B "Hooks".
In the cold dry air of Alaska my old T53–11 equipped UH-1D would haul its
fair share and was a joy; she even saved our butts many times in spite of a
few ill-experienced Arctic and mountainous pilots. Our drivers all fresh and
happy from at least one tour of duty in Viet Nam were accustom to hot
weather operations not sub-arctic –50 and –60 mountain flying.
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