probably all heard the definition of a
veteran is someone who has at some point
in their life written a check payable to
the United States of America and the
amount of up to including his or her
life let me take you on an actual
mission with me it may have been a
Tuesday or perhaps Sunday it’s hard to
remember since there are no weekends in
war what I do remember it was another
hot muggy day late 1970 in Vietnam my
callsign in Vietnam was dust off three
four and we are first up meaning we
would be launched for the next medical
evacuation mission in our area of
operation usually multiple times a day
and night the mission horn sounded we
were off the whole crew is now sprinting
to the helicopter within two minutes we
are airborne the mission came across the
radio one us critical hoist required
coordinates Yankee tango three two zero
one two zero contact tango two two on
for 7.30 those words on the radio meant
there was an injured American soldier
needing to be extracted out of the
jungle of Vietnam and taken to a medical
facility for treatment the callsign for
the unit in the jungle was tango two to
the pickup zone was about forty miles
east of our location we need to clear a
route through the artillery fire bases
making those radio calls the flight path
was good when we were in the general
vicinity at a safe altitude from
small-arms fire we radioed tango 2 to
asking about the situation the status of
the patient and enemy contact tango 2 –
this is Dustoff 3 for pop smoke this
many was to mark his position with a
smoke grenade –
two cherry I radio back to tango to to
as the red smoke fill traded up through
the jungle canopy we use kool-aid
flavors to identify the smokes color
crew briefing done approach path
selected the crew ready we made a rapid
descent from our current altitude down
to the top of the jungle canopy things
begin to progress rapidly from this
point on one radio we were talking to
gunships in the area on the second radio
we were talking to tango – – and as we
approached the treetops of the jungle
the crew went hot mic so we didn’t have
to press the little talk button to
communicate with each other since we
couldn’t land to pick up the injured
American we were abusing our hoist to
lower a cable and jungle penetrator down
to the ground to bring the wounded
soldier up to the helicopter hovering
around the top of the jungle looking for
the remaining smoke filtering through
the jungle canopy we were talking to
tango – tui is giving us directions to
his location and then the under suitable
sound of an ak-47 rang out to prove
shouted we’re taking fire we’re taking
hits and tango – – shouted get out of
the mission changed in an instant the
warning lights in our cockpit began to
come on and the pressure gauges began to
fall below acceptable limits we needed
to find a place the land before we
crashed into the jungle the arteries of
our Huey were severed leaking engine oil
transmission in hydraulic fluid and fuel
the mission now was to get my crew to
safety a couple thousand metres away was
a clearing and we headed for it the
engine could quit at any moment so each
minute counted we had no idea it was
occupied by the Vietcong or not it was
our only choice Mayday Mayday Mayday
dust off three four going down west of
Yankee tango three two zero one two zero
Mayday Mayday Mayday dust off three four
going down
was transmitted over the emergency
what seemed like an eternity after
making our emergency landing and that
clearing other helicopters were now
circling overhead another American
troops surrounded us until we could
safely be extracted out about an hour
later thousands of these missions were
conducted just like this one day after
day night after night and good weather
were bad by 21 and 22 year old young man
just like you and me it just didn’t stop
these crews from doing their mission the
great words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy
are so true today a nation reveals
itself not only by the men it produces
but also by the men at honors the medic
remembers these are the heroes of the
Vietnam War and their names are carved
there are over 50 8,300 heroes on that
wall whose check was cashed with their
life in honor of Veterans Day and every
other day I salute my fellow veterans for your service to our great country