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Then and Now...


WARRIORS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT

As the world watches the war Iraq and Afghanistan unfold on their television sets there is a group of very special people who also watch with great interest, but from a different viewpoint. These are the warriors of the 281st Assault Helicopter Company. This now graying group of very special men watches as the tactics and techniques that they developed thirty years ago in another war, in another place, are employed in what could well be America’s greatest war. It would be wrong if we did not explain that these were truly young men. But then, wars are fought by young men.

THEN


First Delta Operation,  (Photo by Jack Green)
L-R, 1st LT Junichi E. Yahiro, UNK, SP/4 George Crossen & CPT Jack Green


6th Aviation Platoon pilots, photo taken at Tan Son Nhut in October or November 1965.
Front Row: Lee Smith, Unknown (Dobbs?), Chuck Baird, Jon Osgood, John Parziale, Bill Hale, Dale LeClerc, John Meadows.
Back Row: Clayton Wright, ?, Thompson, Larry Joe Hicks, Dave Gehling, Vic Holmes, Phil Haan, John Hyatt.

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281st Group Photo taken at Fort Benning prior to shipping out for Vietnam. March 1966


CPT Morud
CO 483rd


1SGT McClendon
483rd


MAJ Hackett
CMDR


MAJ Wilson
XO


1SGT Cooley

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WOLF PACK

PROJECT DELTA - 1966/67
1st Row L-R: Bill Harris, Richard McMillan, Joe Shipes , Francis Boisseau, Bob Klarner, Don 'Corky' Corkran
2nd Row: Jessie Hunt, Phil English, Gary Omdahl, Ray Ronchette, Wes Komulainen, John Hood
3rd Row: Bob Moberg, Al Larson, Eldon Smith, Barkley Boyd, Bill Brennan, Dennis Petrevich


Note from Rick Galer, WP Pilot

I'm in the upper left hand corner with the Carbine. This picture was used on our Christmas Card that year. I still have one. It reads, "Wolf pack Death on Call wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year." Bain Black is just to my right standing behind the the guy holding the M-60. Now the guy in the center of the cargo door, I believe he had a camera mount made for his helmet and shot film of somemissions. I can't remember his name. Steve Matthews, you'll be interested in knowing the guy with the M-16, third from the right was my co-pilot on the mission tape I sent you. Can't remember his name but his nick name was "Half a Howlie" being one half Hawiian and one half main lander or "Howlie". Somewhere in the picture are Kirchmeyer and Deischer(SP?) also on the mission that day. Bain was flying lead, then someone, then me and the above named in a hog frog.  -Rick

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THEN

The Nha Trang airfield and 281st AHC complex at sunrise. Picture by Ken Smith in 1968.

NOW

Now, for the most part, the 281st AHC area is deserted. Picture by Marshall Hawkins in 2000

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INTRUDER THEN & NOW PHOTOS

1965-1970

Click on an Intruder's name to go to his pictures.
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Use your browser back button to return to this page. NOTE: many below have joined the Died After Tour (DAT) pages.

Raymond C. (Ray) Atwell Jared Bahre Jim Baker & Jim Torbert
Joe Bilitzke Ken Bolling Barc Boyd
ADM John Boyington Elmer E. "Gene" Brannan Earl Broussard
Duane Brudvig William (Will) Clark Jimmie H. Cofield
Lynn Coleman Phillip Copenhaver Corky Corkran
Ronald DeLeon Harry Downs Donald Duncan
Doyle Creed Roger Cox Gary Fields
Mike Fellenz (line removed by request) Jack Green
Jay Hayes Lance Ham Ken Hamilton
MG Ben Harrison Allan Hawkins Bill Henderson
Robin Hicks James "Pappy" Holt Jack Interstein
Al Junko & Others Don "Zorro" Jutz Norman Kaufman
Larry Kitts Ron Lee Lou Lerda
Steve Matthews [new window] Jack Mayhew Jack Mayhew-Bob Moberg & Se
Fred Mentzer Bob Mitchell Bob (MO) Moberg
Ron Mondrinos Jerry Montoya Jeffery Murray
Mike Olson Brian Paine Bill Perren
Gary Pollak Bill Purdy Don Raines
Gary Rozell Tony Ruiz Rich Schleher
Ken Smith Buck Sorem Gary Stagman
Jerry Stanfield Roger Stump Craig Szwed
Alexander H. Trotter John Wehr Little & Broussard & Renfrow

ONCE AN INTRUDER ... ALWAYS AN INTRUDER

Updated: November, 2021

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