For a new person coming into D Troop, retribution was swift and pointed if they referred to the unit's helicopters as "Choppers", "Eggbeaters", or, the very worst, "Whirlybirds".  Very early on, D Troopers of all stripes were made aware that helicopters were to be generically referred to as "aircraft" or "ships".   Some Army aviators even preferred that they be referred to as "airplanes", though this was not widely accepted. Technically, they are "rotary wing aircraft" to differentiate from the more ubiquitous "fixed wing" variety. 

The Original D Troop was equipped with two primary aircraft, the Bell UH-1 Iroquois, known more readily by its fabled moniker "Huey", and the Hiller OH-23G .  There were multiple variants of the UH-1 in service at any given time, including the UH-1B, UH-lC,  and UH-1D.  Later in the tour of The Original D Troop, some surviving D's were retrofitted with new rotors and powerplant modifications and redesignated UH-1H's. )

The first helictoper in the D Troop inventory was the Hiller OH-23G, simply referred to as the "23" by D Troop personnel (Scouts Out:  23 in flight - Photo by Phil Passmore).  Originally adopted to perform "light scout" duties, the role of  23 crews was to observe and direct fire from air and ground forces.  Two-seater 23's were designed to carry a pilot and an 'observer'.  Since TO&E did not provide for observers, crew chiefs flew in that capacity.  Though designated as the "Leprechauns" of D Troop's Shamrock organization, the Scout platoon was more readily known by their crews as "Tree Top Airlines".  In addition to skid mounted 7.62mm machine guns, Scout crews quickly adapted additional equipment to the standard layout, with an array of grenades for both marking and explosive use.  23's flew low and slow attempting to draw fire from the ground.  Once fire was drawn, the gunships would move in on the attack.  A command and control aircraft coordinated operations.  Though slow and vulnerable, the 23's inspired fierce loyalty among their crews, and inspired good natured rivalry with crews of other aircraft.  (23 Photos at Left:  "Scouts Out", "Leprechaun Nose Art", "Crowded Cockpit Confines" - c. Phil Passmore)

Perhaps no aircraft is more identifiable with a conflict than the UH-1 "Huey" is identified with the Vietnam War.  There is a proverb amongst Vietnam Veterans that none of us can hear the familiar "Whop, Whop" sound of a Huey and not look up.  That "whop whop" sound resulted from the leading edges of the large main rotor repeatedly breaking the sound barrier during flight.  Built at Bell Helicopter's Saginaw plant in Texas, the Hueys earned their reputation for durability and performance under fire.  D Troop's Hueys were divided into the "guns" and the "slicks".  (Photos at right:  The first D Troop Huey leaves the 'Core' flight deck at Cam Rahn Bay - p. D. Dowling, Armed and Ready, UH-lB in full D Troop Livery - p. M. Maldonado; UH-lD on Flight Line, Dragon Mountain in Background - p. M. Maldonado.)

Short fuselage UH-1B/C models were "gunships".  They were first equipped with rocket launchers and M-60 machine guns at the crew chief and door gunner's positions.  Armament was considerably enhanced with the addition of grenade launchers and mini-guns, extremely high fire rate electronically controlled 7.62 cal machine guns in multi-barrel "Gatling gun" configuration.  Though fuel loads and heavy armaments sometimes made for adventurous takeoffs in the thinner air of the Central Highlands, Huey gunships were formidable and durable weapons that served their missions and crews well.  (Right:  Gunner/Armorer Bob Burns does some maintenance on late model gunship armament, with rocket tubes, mini-guns, M-60 7.62mm machine gun at crew chief's position - M. Maldonado)

UH-1D "Slicks" had a longer, larger cabin than their B/C brethren.  The basic cabin dimensions of the Huey were defined by the Army specification of being able to carry a casualty bearing stretcher completely within the aircraft, as D Troop's UH-1D's often did on medevac missions.  "Slicks" carried only M-60 machine guns for armament at the Crew Chief and the Door Gunner positions.  The primary purpose of these weapons was to provide defense for the aircraft while approaching, leaving, and on the landing zone (LZ) in hostile territory.  Slicks could officially carry up to 12 combat ready troops, and D Troop's aircraft did so often as they transported the unit's Aero-Rifle platoon.  Slicks also provided immeasureable, if unofficial, support for scrounging missions, carrying water for use in showers, building materials, and a multitude of other "non-combat" roles.  One bright day in 1967, the airfield at Dragon Mountain thundered with the sound of over 60 Huey's winding up for an airmobile assualt.  It is difficult for an individual today, who sees a single helicopter occasionally, to imagine such a display of noise and power.  (Photo at Left:  UH-1B in full D Troop livery-M Maldonado).

In late 1968, the OH-23's were replaced with the turbine powered Hughes/MD OH-6A "Cayuse", which was faster and able to carry heavier armament.  Scout crews loved the highly maneuverable and agile aircraft that became known as the "Loach", a derivation of its LOH (Light Observation Helicopter) acronym.  But the role of the aircraft as a D Troop Scout was the same as it's predecessor:  Fly low and slow and draw fire.  With a top speed of well over 100mph, it just did it a lot faster.  (Photo next to bottom left, D Troop Operations OH-6;   L. to R., front, Dick Mitchell, Roger Smith; Standing:  Glenn dalton, unknown, Robert Roggenkamp, Bill Powell, Alan McPherson - p. Brad Melvin.)

Also in 1968, the UH-1B/C gunships began to be replaced by the The AH-1 "Cobra" variation of the Huey, readily identifiable by it's narrow fuselage and rakish fighter like appearance.  The Cobras carried a pilot and a gunnery officer, who was also the co-pilot, in a tandem cockpit arrangement, with the pilot sitting behind the gunner.  Equipped with swivel grenade launcher, rocket pods, and mini-guns, the Cobra was a formidable weapon in the hands of an experienced crew.  Unlike the UH-1, the Cobra carried no enlisted crew members.  (Top of page:  "Shamrock Guns Roll In", by Joe Kline, http://www.joekline.com/, courtesy of the owner, John Gayle.)

The final addition to D Troop's arsenal was the OH-58A "Kiowa" (lower left, p. Brad Melvin), replacing the OH-6A's as Scouts.  Based on a Bell civilian design, the OH-58A had a top speed of well over 100mph and could be adapted to perform troop carrying, light lifting, and cargo hauling duties, as well.  First placed in service in Vietnam in 1969, OH-58A's were in D Troop's inventory through the remainder of the units deployment in Vietnam.

Though no longer a part of the US Army arsenal, The Huey still flies for many foreign military forces, and continues in extensive civilian use for everything from offshore oil well platform servicing, to firefighting, to search and rescue missions.  Some twin engine models of the Huey, originally designed to Navy specification, have been upgraded and refitted for modern use by the Marines.  Vintage Cobras are still in use by some National Guard units.  A documentary feature on the Huey called "In The Shadow of the Blade" (Arrowhead Films, Austin, Texas) gets its title from a saying that, if you served in Vietnam, at one time or another you were "In The Shadow" of a Huey main rotor.  Vintage Army air crews are proud to let everyone know that "when the last Blackhawk (the Army's current utility helicopter) goes to the junkyard, a Huey will carry it there."  Such is the unique loyalty to a legend paid by its former crews.

OH-6 variants continue in civilian service and in some National Guard units.  An attempt to load mini-guns on the OH-58 proved unsuccessful because of excessive vibration, but later models had strengthened airframes to accomodate this weaponry.  The OH-58, equiped with state of the art radar and avionics, remains the primary LOH of the US Army. Some Cobras are still in service with National Guard units.

Epilogue

Service records show that 7,013 Hueys served in the Vietnam War.  Almost all were Army.  3,305 were destroyed with the loss of 1.074 pilots and 1,103 enlisted crewmembers.  Army UH-1's totaled 7,532,955 flight hours in the Vietnam War between October 1966 (when D Troop 1/10th Cav went into combat) and the end of 1975.  The Huey Cobra (AH-1G) had 1,038,969 flight hours in Vietnam.  Combined, Hueys have more combat flight time than any other aircraft in the history of warfare.  93 OH-23G's were destroyed in Vietnam.  (Statistics compiled by Gary Roush, http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.htm.

MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions in Vietnam. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result, less than one percent of all Americans wounded who survived the first 24 hours died.

The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks (sic) to the mobility of the helicopter. (op cit).