It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom
of the press.  It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us
freedom of speech.  It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to demonstrate. It is is the soldier,
not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the
soldier who salutes the flag, serves under the flag and whose
coffin is draped by the flag, who gives the protester the right to
burn the flag.

Author Unknown

 

 

EVERYTHING I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW IN LIFE
I LEARNED AS A HELICOPTER CREWMAN
IN VIETNAM.

Once you are in the fight it is way to late to wonder if this is a good idea.

Helicopters are cool!

It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward
trees, stumps, rocks, etc.  While it may be possible to ward off this
natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of
the crew, always be prevented.  It's just what they do.

NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition that the other guy.

The engine RPM and the rotor RPM must BOTH be kept in the GREEN.  Failure
to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.

A billfold in your hip pocket can numb your leg and be a real pain in the ass.

Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover for you.

Letters from home are not always great.

The madness of war can extract a heavy toll.  Please have exact change.

Share everything.  Yes, even the Pound Cake.

Decisions made by someone over your head will seldom be in your best interest.

The terms "Protective Armor" and "Helicopter" are mutually exclusive.

The further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is that
they can help you when you really need them the most.

Sometimes, being good and lucky still was not enough.

There is always payback.

"Chicken Plates" are not something you order in a restaurant.

If everything is as clear as a bell and everything is going exactly as
planned, you're about to be surprised.

The BSR (Bang Stare Red) Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in
the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the gauges.  The
longer you stare at the gauges the less time it takes them to move from
green to red.

It does, too, get cold in Vietnam.

No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you.  So,
too, can the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern".

Gravity:  It may not fair, but it is the law.

If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops
probably do not have what they need.

If you are wearing body armor they will probably miss that part.

It hurts less to die with a uniform on, than to die in a hospital bed.

Happiness is a belt fed weapon.

If something is not broken on your helicopter, it's about to.

Eat when you can.  Sleep when you can.  Shit when you can.  The next
opportunity may not come around for a long time.  If ever.

Combat pay is a flawed concept.

Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day
beats the alternative..

Air superiority is NOT a luxury.

If you are allergic to lead it is best to avoid a war zone.

It is a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude and ideas all at the
same time.

While the rest of the crew may be in the same predicament, it's usually
the pilot's job to arrive at the crash site first.

When you shoot your gun, clean it the first chance you get.

Loud, sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention.

Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations which, in turn, are better
than cold C-rations, which are better than no food at all.  All of these,
however, are preferable to cold rice balls even if they do have the
little pieces of fish in them.

WHAT is often more important than WHY.
Boxes of cookies from home must be shared.

Girlfriends are fair game.  Wives are not.

Everybody's a hero ... on the ground ... in the club ... after the fourth drink.

There is no such thing as a small firefight.

A free fire zone has nothing to do with economics.

The further you fly into the mountains, the louder the strange engine
noises become.

Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece at
the end of the day is better.

Being shot hurts.

'Pucker Factor' is the formal name of the equation that states the more
hairy the situation is, the more of the seat cushion will be sucked up
your asshole. It can be expressed in its mathematical formula of 
S(suction) + H(height above ground) + I(interest in staying alive) + T(#
of tracers coming your way).  Thus the term 'SHIT!' can also be used to
denote a situation where a high Pucker Factor is being encountered.

Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day.  A few
were even awarded.

Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad
ideas.  Any combination of these can be deadly.

Nomex is NOT fire proof.

There is only one rule in war:  When you win, you get to make up the rules.

Living and dying can both hurt a lot.

Do not wear underwear.  It can cause crotch rot or be used as evidence
against you.

While a Super Bomb could be considered one of the four essential building
blocks of life,  powdered eggs cannot.

C-4  can make a dull day fun.

Of course you can drink out of a human skull!  Duct tape over the eye
sockets will keep it from leaking.

Cocoa Powder is neither.

There is no such thing as a fair fight -- only ones where you win or lose.

If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils.  If you lose you
don't care.

Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow.
What is important is what you are doing -- NOW -- to solve our problem.

If you have extra -- share quickly.

 

It's OK to take stuff off the body of a buddy, 'cause you know he would
have wanted you to have it anyway.

Always make sure someone has a P-38.

A sucking chest wound may be God's way of telling you it's time to go
home.

Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt.

Flying is better than walking.  Walking is better than running.  Running
is better than crawling.  All of these, however, are better than
extraction by a Med-Evac even if it is, technically, a form of flying.

If everyone does not come home none of the rest of us can ever fully come
home either.

Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life.  It is far
better that you fear the media, for they will steal you HONOR.

A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter.  Every
helicopter flying in Vietnam had one real purpose:  To help the grunt. 
It is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity to
fulfill their one true mission in life, simply because someone forgot
this fact.

"You have the right to remain silent." is always EXCELLENT advice..

If you have not been there and done that . . . you probably will not
understand most of these.

NEVER FORGET!