Another Day Downrange: Two Tours Flying Chinooks in Vietnam

by Robert Patterson

This is not a diary like normal diaries, nor is it a history; it is a personal record of the helicopter war in Vietnam as I knew it, Depending upon the branch of service, type of unit, missions flown, and the area of Vietnam where missions were flown, one could surely find different accounts of what the helicopter war in Vietnam was like. Much of what I have read concerning the helicopter war coming of age in Vietnam says little about contribution of the CH-47 Chinook. Having seen it first hand during the war, I know that this aircraft’s contributions were tremendous. If you doubt it, look at what a workhorse the CH-47 was In Iraq and still is in Afghanistan as I write this. The Army learned that craft in Vietnam. At its peak deployment, there were (22) CH47 units and 750 Chinooks being used in Vietnam, both with the U.S. Army and the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). About 200 aircraft (27%) were lost in combat or due to operational accidents. I had then, and I still have now, the greatest respect for the aircrews, ground crews, and the support personnel who kept the CH-47 units in the fight.

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 20, 2012