LAOTION VIP TOUR

This picture was taken after giving some Laotion VIPs a helicopter ride and tour of NKP in 1965. I'm standing in the center between General Vang Pao to my right & General Ma (Cmdr, Laotian Air Force). The three of us were 32 at the time! I don't remember the General at Vang Pao's right, but I believe he was Vang Pao's boss--Cmdr of Laotion Army. Dick Laine at my far left was my Co-Pilot that day. General Ma was later shot down at Vientenne during a coup attempt. I heard he was shot while in the cockpit after crash landing.

The HH-43B 62-4510 in the picture was later shot down in NVN and the crew was taken POW. (Joe Ballinger)

37th ARRS Takes Mt. Rushmore

{Picture courtesy of Tuck Kemper}

I was flying the photo bird along with Kirby Knight. Jim Bizzell and Tom Trewyn were flying the bird in the photo. This picture became part of the official Air Force Lithograph series. (Tuck Kemper)

First USAF H-43/CH-3C Combat Rescue Unit in SEA

When the two CH-3Cs, that were transferred from TAC, arrived at NKP in July 1965, Det 1 38th ARRS became what was probably a first. It was the only Combat Rescue Unit with both the H-43 and the CH-3.

With the original -1 engines, the CH-3C wasn’t able to pick up much and the H-43 could outrun it at 10,000 feet, as the H-3 would encounter blade stall at about 65kts.

George Martin, Phil Stambaough and Fred Liebert (now deceased) were the original "Jolly Greens" who flew missions along with the H-43s. During the period of May through October 65, 8 pilots were picked up out of NVN. The H-43s recovered five and the H-3s recovered three.

Most of the time the CH-3Cs worked alone (one bird) out of Lima Site 36 for the deep north missions. The CH-3s made their first pickup of Frank Tullo on the 27th of July.

When George made their first pickup, the hoist went down and only came part way back up. They had to carry Tullo on the end to a rice paddy and have Curtis Pert, HM, and George Thayer, PJ pull him in. Check this link for the story of this rescue mission-- http://user.icx.net/~arlisk/rescue2.html

The engines were not only small, they power deteriorated badly, and George had to over boost and over temp getting out of there. They had to change one engine when they got back to Site 36. They didn’t have any remote area stands to change it, so the guys threw a rope over the rotor blades, dropped out the bad one, and put on a good one that Air America flew in.

George, Orvil Keese, Pert and Thayer made the pickup of Tullo, 27 Jul 65 with 685. Phil Stambaugh, George M, Francis Hill, James Armenia and George Thayer picked up Dean Pogreba, 24 Aug 65 in 676, (I believe that one of our 43s flew as high bird on that one). The last pickup was made on 21 Sep 65 in 685 when George M, George Warren, Diggs, Tart and Scherzer picked up Greenwood. (The day after Tom (Curtis) & crew was shot down on HH-43B/62-4510.). The one in the AF Museum at Wright Pat, 776, is the one that George had. You can still find the bullet holes in it. (As I remember, Joe Ballinger)

Those Things We Done To Accomplish The Mission

There were a lot of things we did to cut through the crap in those days. We had a Sikorsky Tech Rep, Rubin Hardy who bought jeep fan belts in Bangkok for the transmission oil cooler.

A lot people never knew we put 250-ft hoists on our H-43s. All you had to do was order an F model drum and cable and put it in. When I was Det Co at Nha Trang in 67, I agreed to take an H-43B as a third bird. Davy Allen flew it in out of Thailand. Imagine, to my surprise it was one of my old birds from NKP, I think 280, but not sure now. When I bet Davy it had a 250-ft hoist on it, he lost when we ran it out. His argument was it wasn’t in the records. Well what can I say; I had good men that could get things done. (Note: See comment section below)

We didn’t hand pump fuel from fuel drums, we had three barrels connected by lines to the main and threw them out the back (clamshell doors off) just before pickup. Later we had F model self-sealing internals installed, but our mains were still just plain bladders! But even that was a helluva lot safer than the fiberglass internal fuel tank on the H-3. (As I remember, Joe Ballinger)

TDY to NKP May to October 1965

I brought the Kirtland Det over on a 120 day TDY and arrived at NKP on the 3rd of May. We formed up with other TDY pilots, mechs, and PJs and I became Det CO, by one day of rank over Tom Curtis.

As briefed, our job as Det Prov 2, PARC (mission) was to pickup pilots who bailed out in Thailand, and under special permission, highly classified Laos!

We had three H-43Bs, no armor, no self-sealing tanks, only the 38s and M-16s we brought from the States along with some stuff like the BAR, Thompsons, and Swiss Ks left over from the previous TDY guys.

As fate dealt the deck, J J Taliferro went down on the Black River on 17 May, in NVN and we were asked if we could make it. We did and that became our new job.

Tom and I worked out a dream sheet of what we needed for rescue work in NVN. We determined we needed two engines, guns, armor, IFR, and A-1 Es for suppression and sent our requirements to Saigon!

It was after picking up Rademacher and Wilson, that out of the blue one day around the first week in July, a CH-3C arrives from Ubon with George Martin to find out what their mission was. It sure wasn’t the machine we wanted. They had the 1250 shaft horsepower engines, and a mickey mouse internal, detachable hoist.

After briefing them and as George out-ranked me, I passed command of now, Det 1, 38th ARRS to him. Lt. Col. Krafka, CO, 38th ARRS told me that I was to retain command as the two H-3s were transferred to Rescue, but the Officers and crews were still under TAC. George being a helluva fine guy, with two wars already under his belt, said no sweat, and he ran the H-3s and I was in command overall

The H-3s worked the deep North missions usually with one aircraft and the H-43s handled the panhandle area.

The H-43 guys were extended to 180 days TDY, however I along with the rest of my guys left around 10-12 October just short of the 180 days. (As I remember, Joe Ballinger)