[dansangel]

Good morning, ladtx

Today I am struck by how young all of these fine heroes are.

May God have mercy on their souls and protect them for all of eternity.

{{{{{{{{{{{ladtx}}}}}}}}}}}

[ladtx]

Many of the helicopter pilots in VN were quite young. I arrived at my unit having just turned 23 and felt like one of the old men in the company. Many Warrant Officers entered flight school directly from high school, so it was not unusual to see a 19-20 year old in command of a UH-1 with a crew of 4. To see a flight of five "slicks" carrying troops with an escort of 3 gunships flying into a hot LZ knowing that the oldest man among them may be 23 years old is a testament to the training we got before we went over and what we got in the unit in-country.