Low and slow, sometimes our pilots would drop
the landing gear to slow down, and they would
come in so low that they would come back with
leaves and limbs in the wheel wells.
The scooter was a tough little bird as well,
saw one come back with a hole in the wing
big enough to stand in.
Once the new concrete runways were built at Chu Lai
some times the grunts would cross it in order to
come to the EM club, but it’s hard to judge something
going 150 miles and hour and once two were struck by
a bird on take off, one of their m-14s was lodged
in the landing gear.
After a charlie mortar round set off the bomb dump, one of the new hangers was so badly damaged
that it needed to be scrapped, so the EOD folks blew it
up. They cleared everyone out but still a jarhead was killed
by a flying bolt.
Doesn’t seem like fifty years ago.
Thanks for your service.
A short poem written by my friend Jim McClain
I know, she said.
I know, he said.
Together they said, WE KNOW!
And I said, Don’t tell me, I’m not here,
I’m in VIET NAM, Baby!
Had a scooter driver bring his napalm drop so low in front of us that he flew through his own fireball and when he came out the other side, he was trailing flame in those ares behind his wings and tail where there was a vacuum.
He did a sharp snap roll for us and climbed up and away to our cheers. Can’t beat close air support with an airshow at the same time!
What squadron were you with?