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LEST WE FORGET: The Kingsmen, 101st Aviation Battalion, 1968
It takes a special kind of man--and a special kind of courage--to routinely risk one's life for others. . . .
Lt. "Wild Bill" Meacham was a former enlisted man turned UH-1 pilot assigned to Bravo Company, 101st Aviation Battalion, an assault helicopter company whose liftships were called the Kingsmen. Meacham quickly learned that the fighting in Vietnam wasn't confined to hot He killed nine enemies on the ground during the Tet 1968 defeat of the VC.
Bravo Company carried troops and supplies for many units, but Meacham preferred flying insertions and extractions for the LRRPs of the 101st and for the men of SOG, whose operations frequently took them into Laos. From combat assaults in Cu Chi to night operations in the enemy-infested A Shau Valley to hot extractions from Laos, Meacham engaged in some of the most dangerous flying imaginable. As he hovered a few feet off the ground in LZs exploding with mortar shells and crackling with AK-47 fire, it was often only Meacham's relentless daring and calm hands at the chopper's controls that kept the men on the ground from the enemy--and certain death.
The Kingsmen were held in the highest esteem by LRRPs and other special-operations forces throughout Vietnam. This heroic, harrowing, and utterly absorbing account is a powerful tribute to those men and their fearless reputation.
Lt. "Wild Bill" Meacham was a former enlisted man turned UH-1 pilot assigned to Bravo Company, 101st Aviation Battalion, an assault helicopter company whose liftships were called the Kingsmen. Meacham quickly learned that the fighting in Vietnam wasn't confined to hot He killed nine enemies on the ground during the Tet 1968 defeat of the VC.
Bravo Company carried troops and supplies for many units, but Meacham preferred flying insertions and extractions for the LRRPs of the 101st and for the men of SOG, whose operations frequently took them into Laos. From combat assaults in Cu Chi to night operations in the enemy-infested A Shau Valley to hot extractions from Laos, Meacham engaged in some of the most dangerous flying imaginable. As he hovered a few feet off the ground in LZs exploding with mortar shells and crackling with AK-47 fire, it was often only Meacham's relentless daring and calm hands at the chopper's controls that kept the men on the ground from the enemy--and certain death.
The Kingsmen were held in the highest esteem by LRRPs and other special-operations forces throughout Vietnam. This heroic, harrowing, and utterly absorbing account is a powerful tribute to those men and their fearless reputation.
354 pages, Paperback
Published December 7, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 18, 2015
Let me start by saying that this was written by my Dad. That said, reading Lest We Forget is just like listening to him speak, much like any good story teller. But this isn't just a story, it is history. He simply tells the tale as it happened. If you are interested in what really happened during the Vietnam war, this narrative will place you completely in the moment.
November 3, 2021
"Wild Bill" Meacham was a "Slick" Pilot in country at the crescendo of the American Vietnam War, 1968. Having risen through the ranks from Paratrooper to Helo pilot, he came to the war with a will to be the best- but to get home to America too. In this book, his memoir of that hectic tour, he tells us about the day to day activity of a helo pilot in the ultimate helo war. The 101st was attached to the 101st Airborne Division- the guys that lifted the Airborne infantry battalions into their operations- so he was in on a lot of skirmishes that figure into other narratives. As his tour developed, he became accomplished at the demands to the trade- and of BSing with other soldiers in all sorts of Officers Clubs in constructive ways. Getting involved with some Special Forces types led to more than occasional special trips for LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) units- guys trying to insert far out and find VC/NVA bases, trails and formations. There's a lot of tick tock- there's a lot of taut screaming on radio nets, there's said partying in American Bars all over the country- and there's a lot of tactical information about both famous and obscure actions that will engage readers of Military History, although general reader might just enjoy the atmosphere.
Do I think the author might have embellished a passage or two? Perhaps. Do I think he's careful to remind readers of the physical and mental strain of the pace of operations and how this was now tea party? Yes, yes he does. Flying the UH-1 was a Challenge all by itself- the third generation insertion Helicopter- and the first one deemed really robust enough for "Hot" landing zones. The non-American reader may marvel at the casual massive use of Helicopters in this war- the US often in this period using more Helos in a day's work in Vietnam than all their NATO partners might have possessed at the time. Even when Wild Bill is flying into some dodgy circumstance, the LRRPs popping their Yellow smoke in some clearing while Bill can see the NVA in their khaki uniforms closing in all around them- I can't help but think that a similar SAS team in Malaya, Borneo, or Oman would be required to evade beyond site and range of the enemy and do their exfil in a manner safe for the Westland Wessex that could rescue them. Meacham's barroom diplomacy with Navy Airmen, Air force fast mover jockeys, and even, (gulp) the USMC Air wing get's him air support service that would beggar the rest of the ASEAN alliance- all because we just slathered that place in ordnance. A story that starts as a celebration of power comes to an end with an emotionally charged few chapters that really bring home the human cost of this war and the scars and angers that some vets carry to this day. Entertaining but thought provoking at the same time-a good thing for a book.
There are adult themes and adultish scenes that make this better for the Junior reader over 12/13 years with a taste for real Vietnam History. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast this is a really intriguing resource. The Gamer gets a lot of Scenario development information- both for large formation insertion and retrieval- the battalion and company size operations that were bread and butter for the 101st Division- and for the SpecOps infil/exfil episodes. The modeler gets a few curates pics from the Author's collection- and tonne of cool ideas for diorama development particularly about the LRRP ops- with some rope ladder and various other rigs employed for tree top hovers... Once again it is the Military Enthusiast who gets the most- from all aspects of the book, becoming an officer from the enlisted ranks, learning how to fly helicopters, managing one's emotions in a war zone in the face of enraging indifference, and finally surviving it all with your wits still about you and more of a career ahead - the kind of kernels of understanding you want from a book. A good book on the Vietnam Helicopter War from the inside.
Do I think the author might have embellished a passage or two? Perhaps. Do I think he's careful to remind readers of the physical and mental strain of the pace of operations and how this was now tea party? Yes, yes he does. Flying the UH-1 was a Challenge all by itself- the third generation insertion Helicopter- and the first one deemed really robust enough for "Hot" landing zones. The non-American reader may marvel at the casual massive use of Helicopters in this war- the US often in this period using more Helos in a day's work in Vietnam than all their NATO partners might have possessed at the time. Even when Wild Bill is flying into some dodgy circumstance, the LRRPs popping their Yellow smoke in some clearing while Bill can see the NVA in their khaki uniforms closing in all around them- I can't help but think that a similar SAS team in Malaya, Borneo, or Oman would be required to evade beyond site and range of the enemy and do their exfil in a manner safe for the Westland Wessex that could rescue them. Meacham's barroom diplomacy with Navy Airmen, Air force fast mover jockeys, and even, (gulp) the USMC Air wing get's him air support service that would beggar the rest of the ASEAN alliance- all because we just slathered that place in ordnance. A story that starts as a celebration of power comes to an end with an emotionally charged few chapters that really bring home the human cost of this war and the scars and angers that some vets carry to this day. Entertaining but thought provoking at the same time-a good thing for a book.
There are adult themes and adultish scenes that make this better for the Junior reader over 12/13 years with a taste for real Vietnam History. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast this is a really intriguing resource. The Gamer gets a lot of Scenario development information- both for large formation insertion and retrieval- the battalion and company size operations that were bread and butter for the 101st Division- and for the SpecOps infil/exfil episodes. The modeler gets a few curates pics from the Author's collection- and tonne of cool ideas for diorama development particularly about the LRRP ops- with some rope ladder and various other rigs employed for tree top hovers... Once again it is the Military Enthusiast who gets the most- from all aspects of the book, becoming an officer from the enlisted ranks, learning how to fly helicopters, managing one's emotions in a war zone in the face of enraging indifference, and finally surviving it all with your wits still about you and more of a career ahead - the kind of kernels of understanding you want from a book. A good book on the Vietnam Helicopter War from the inside.
May 29, 2023
Slowed a bit towards the middle, but then the action picked up and WOW!
Deserves a place on the shelf of anyone interested in helicopter pilot's accounts of Vietnam.
Deserves a place on the shelf of anyone interested in helicopter pilot's accounts of Vietnam.
May 20, 2021
Great book on the view of a Huey pilot who was the Long Recon Patrol missions & other operations. It’s definitely a book for someone who enjoys the smaller scale Special Operations missions in Vietnam. The pilots getting troops to & from the area played a large in the war as well.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews