McCormick's Place / dConsultants 

Wisconsin, USA - The North Kettle Morraine - Fantastic Bow Hunting Country Updated Wednesday, March 02, 2005 12:07 PM  ZULU
Joe Kline's "Eye of the Tiger" by permission. Click all pictures to enlarge. This one is beautiful! This was my office in 1969 [A/123 Aviation Battalion, Chu Lai RVN.] (Not my aircraft however.)   WO1 McCormick Summer 1969 - vicinity Mai Lai, RVN A/123 Aviators - Babes at War      WORWAC 68-31 B4 Fort Wolters, TX (1968) March 2001     Stay at my Cottage at Mt. Morris, Wisconsin USA - 40 miles from the EAA.				About Me Pelican 223 at dconsultants dot com   Charles E. (Michael) McCormick II Major, AUS (Retired) The Cat: I graduated from the United Stated Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker,Alabama USA on 19 November 1968, with Wings awarded the next day. I immediately was transferred to Vietnam but due to some transportation problem, spent about a week in Oakland waiting for a flight. While in Oakland I went to Berkley University every day in my Tropical Weight Uniform and Flight Jacket just to irritate the folks at that fine institution of higher learning. New Warrant Officer Aviators made up almost the entire airplane manifest of officers on the trip to Saigon. The enlisted guys on the plane must have wondered what kind of idiots were going to be flying them in Vietnam. We drank everything we could find in Hawaii and were relatively quiet,(mostly passed out),from Hawaii to Guam. In his traditional cheerful manner, Charlie rocketed us on my first night in country at the reception station about 20 December 1968. I decided immediately that I was much happier in the air. On return to the States, I was again on the receiving end of a farewell rocket attack from Charlie (and his merry band of Little People),in Saigon, and again went through Oakland (Travis Air Base), but with my Cat, 'Meo', stuffed down my flight jacket sleeve. I tried to get the cat shipped back, but the Vet at Chu Lai said it would never happen, gave the cat all of the required shots, and me a bundle of sedative syringes to keep the cat quiet on the plane. If I had been caught with those needles, I would probably still be in Leavenworth. I kept the cat in my helmet bag on the plane, applying the needles in a very unprofessional manner directly into the muscle when the cat started screaming too loudly. I made it through customs by hanging the flight jacked on my shoulder in that "Jaunty" Aviator manner, and trying to look sooooo unconcerned. Following are comments I sent out trying to find old friends from a Navy EC-121 crew at Chu Lai: Navy EC-121 Super Constellation. As a young 21 year old "Wobbley 1" Army Aviator, I was stationed a Ky Ha AAF, Chu Lai RVN in 1968-1969. I flew UH-1s for a while and then transitioned to the OH-6A (LOH). We got grounded for hours if we flew more than 130 hours in a 30 day period, so I usually spent my down time flying co-pilot on a Navy EC-121 up around Haiphong Harbor on 12 hour missions. At least twice we came back to Chu Lai on less than all four engines, but the food was great - (often Steak and/or Lobster served on the flight deck). The AC and Co-pilot sometimes left me on the flight deck,'Driving' by myself during missions with the Flight Engineer immediatly behind me to keep me out of trouble. They were in the back, checking on the crew. The radar guys in back would tell me when to turn out bound from Haiphong or Hinain Island as we approached missile in-range (about 20 miles). Those were the days. I'm probably the only U.S. Army Aviator who saw both Hinian and Haiphong without being a POW in the '60s (Do any OV-1 Mohawk or U-8 Drivers challenge that ??). I often think of the guys that I flew with on the EC-121s and wonder how they made out. I got enough hours in that bird that I should be an honorary Willie Victor Member. If you get a chance to talk to any of the Navy folks who flew out of Chu Lai, would you ask them if they remember flying with a young Army WO-1 in the cockpit. One of the guys was from McAllister, OK (Navy Lt. Allen ??), but I can't remember the names of the others. I think they were based out of Guam or PI. I know I had a standing offer to go to PI with them when they got their engines washed, but I could never get away for that long. The Navy LDOs,(Limited Duty Officers), treated me great and sort of adopted me. They flew one time with me on a night flare mission in a UH-1, but I think the altitude was a little too low for them. I still have the Navy Nomex flight suit they gave me, but it must have shrunk over the years. My Chu Lai issued U.S. Army Nomex have also gotten pitifully small!! I never did really understand "Ship, Captain, Crew" or "Liars Dice" but always seemed to come out with a free drink at the Navy O Club. It was devastating to the crew when the EC-121 in Korea was shot down. There was no way out of that bird in an emergency so no one even bothered to wear a parachute. Landing on Carriers: When I flew UH-1s I sometimes took passengers to U.S. Navy (Helicopter or Maintanance??) Carriers in the Gulf. It was a real Hoot! Army radios don't talk to Navy Radios, so I always came in low level, popped up in a high overhead, and slammed onto the deck amidst Screaming, Mad, Squidleys. If there was a standard procedure for landing on carriers they never explained it to me. Someone from shore called ahead to let them know we were coming. The Air Drop: During my "White Phosphorus" Period (often in the Tra Bong, Hau Duc, New Hau Duc, Hep Duc, Tien Phouc etc. AOs) I learned to make air bursts close to the ground by popping up and dropping the grenades from about 750 feet. One day early on I was flying a VIP mission in a UH-1. After we dropped the VIP off I flew out about 20 miles to the old Japanese Air Base at Cu Lao Re Island so I could practice Air Bursts. While I was dropping grenades and doing low airspeed pedal turns to see them on the way down, the VIPs flight Helmet blew out of the back. I went down to recover the helmet and had the CE and gunner try to fish them out. You know what it's like to hover low over the ocean? There was water everywhere and the helmets kept blowing up into the air. The left rear skid was in the water at one point. Eventually we got the helmet, but it was kinda broke, so I told the CE to throw it back in. BTW, TO ALL OF THOSE THAT I INADVERTANTLY LIED TO RECENTLY, the VIP was Powell, but not Colin Powell. Tra Bong: I kept a copy of the USAF C7-A Association picture of the church at Son Tra Bong SF Camp. I often flew in there in UH-1s, and later in OH-6s, and vividly remember the "BOOs"(C-7s) making "almost" touch and goes(LOLEX)on the active while dropping pallets. I took a walk in the jungle behind the church one time, and a Vietnamese came out of nowhere and gave me a bunch of bananas. It scared the hell out of me. I was only carrying a survival knife as a weapon. OOPS! Another time I rolled the throttle off at 5000 feet in a LOH to start a auto-rotational descent into Tra Bong, and the engine died. I got it re-lit at about 1500 feet. The reason for flying so high was that I had been in and out of the site several times that day, and wanted to do somthing different to confuse the "Little People". That was the highest I ever flew in a helicopter, in Vietnam. Usually I liked 25 feet just fine, Thank You. It made me harder to acquire. ************************************************** Other Ramblings: Maj. Mathias was the A Company 123rd AVN CO (I think), and there was also Major Chavis who was CO of A Company. There was one pilot in B Company that I hung around with some. He was a little, muscular 1Lt. We used to jog together down around the Navy Docks. He ran with a Flack Jacket on and held back for me. I could never keep up with him when he ran at his normal pace. He was one of the people that helped me decide to apply for a Commission while in A Company. Others in A Company, in my Hooch, were WO Walt Seger (from Duc Pho [Dolphins],on his 2nd Tour). He bootlegged time with B Company sometimes. When I was the Battalion PIO, I did a Stars and Stripes write up about Walt hovering in the middle of some VC/NVA, while doing peddle turns and shooting them up in a B Co (C Model ??). I think he got an award for that action. Walt died a few years back. WO Don Bullard (A Companies Historian), and WO Richard Stuhmer. Some how I still have Richard's Helmet Bag, He was a good pilot. Dick is still at Mother Rucker (Ft Rucker, AL), teaching fledgling helicopter pilots to fly. WO (later LT) Jay Larner from my class was the Supply officer. Jay was killed in a car wreck in south Texas on return to CONUS. I think Jay got his hours flying in the Battalion or Group Beaver. He was a great friend in Primary Flight School. Also, somehow I have one of Jays cotton Flight Suits from Flight School. Jay got us "Blood Chits", I lost mine some years back. WO John Fleig lived next door. We used to have long "Risk" board games (where you take over the world), eating fried Chef BoyRDee pizzas sent from John's Dad (who worked for the Pizza Company),and shooting rats in John's hooch sometimes. Once his fan was KIA,I think by me?? WO Mike McDonald (and his Sweetie, Wendy),from my class. Mike flew Snakes over at F/8 and currently lives in Hawaii. WO William T.(Billy) Martin, also from my class was KIA in 1969,south of Hoi An flying a OH-6A for F/8 Cav. WO Elwell(DAT) from my class. He was in an accident on take off north out of Ky Ha AHP. Several were injured/killed when the skid(s) caught a rice paddy dike. Still others were WO Shinholster, WO Hager, WO Butz, WO Boyle, WO Bottomly, WO Cobb, WO Raymond (a great guy) and WO Frank St. Cyr (the most professional pilot in our unit). We were all close friends. My hooch was the 3rd from the end going south on the bluff, over the beach. If you came into my hooch, my area was conspicuous by the quantity of weapons, ammo, grenades etc. around and under my bed. I was always scared when on the ground. I liked to fly with a .45 Cal "Grease Gun", and obtained two from the SF Camp at Tien Phouc. It was easy to shoot out of the LOH, but a little heavy with all of the extra clips sticking out of my lower Nomex Flight Suit leg pocket in flight. I remembered our IPs in flight school drilling it in to us that pilots probably/usually/normally /generally only left downed aircraft with what they had strapped on to them. As a result I looked like something out of one of those Mercenary Magazines. Towards the end I just carried my survival knife for some reason. One of the enlisted guys went nuts one day while I was there. He got into the rocket bunker between us and F/8 and started shooting up the area with a M-16. Also, during one rocket attack, the F/8 crapper between our unit areas, got a near, or direct hit. I think I have a picture of that somewhere. Quang Nghai: On a low level supply run to the Mai Lai area I had a hydraulic failure. I did a "By the Book" run on landing into Quang Nghai air strip, called ops, and shut down on the active. The Zoomie,(USAF),Sergeant at the field tried to drag my bird off the active with a tug, until I turned my grease gun on him. I don't think I would have shot him, but he apparently did. He left the UH-1 sitting where it was and had a flight of VNAF O-1s land below me. The reason we were transitioned into OH-6s was to support the Marines in Da Nang against rocket attacks (as my feeble mind remembers). Two pilots got the transition and the other guy (WO Butz??) went TDY? to Da Nang. He liked it so much, I guess that he never came back while I was there, and I spent most of my flying time taking Vietnamese Officers on recons. Once, on a Vietnamese Firebase behind (west of) Tam Key or Hill 29. I was delivering something or waiting for something, (can't remember, but the blades were turning, as the hill was under attack), when several ARVINs jumped in the front, and in the back of my OH-6A. All were armed to the teeth. I was only carrying that stupid little .38 pistol with the 6 rounds that supply issued me (three rounds were only birdshot). They made me fly them to Tam Key. I thought I was going to buy the farm that day. I seem to remember over torqueing the Little Bird as I dove off of the hill and over the bad guys. The Snake: Since this is the "Year of the Snake", here is a Snake Story. My memory isn't what it was, but I think I got most of it right. OK Here's a 1969 Snake Story. CWO Walt Seger and I flew the 26th Engineer's morning and evening sweeps very often when I was a Peter Pilot. Most were daylight sweeps low level from Chu Lai to Hoy An and/or Chu Lai to Duc Pho, then usually LZ Baldy out west to LZ Ross. All low and slow, checking out the road. We got invited to the Engineer Battalion often in the evenings for parties,and somewhere along the way Walt introduced the Mustard Fight to the Engineers. It usually started with Walt throwing a bowl of yellow mustard at the Battalion Commander,LTC Hoey. By the time we got back to the company we were usually pretty yellow. One night,Walt and I got back to the hooch,threw our clothes out the back door, and began walking to the "shower" area about 150 yards away in just underpants and shower shoes. We had to cut through the back patio of the O Club to get there. The club was dark and the stars were bright, so I knew it was way late. Walt said "Something bit me". I moved up by him and there was this little puny green snake on the concrete by his foot. He had stepped on a Bamboo Viper. Some how I got the flight surgeon, who luckily had the anti-venom and got Walt loaded up in the Alert Flare Bird (UH-1), and one of the pilots flew him to the 23rd Evac Hospital. I don't know what those people thought when they saw a pilot and patient covered with yellow stuff in only underpants landing. One of the nurses gave me some nice blue hospital PJs. Walt almost died. I wore the PJs for quite a few years. Ed Hager sent an email the other day reminding me that he was in on that one also, but had the good sense to wear combat boots to the shower. Ed also reminded me that in addition to mustard, we were throwing mugs full of beer, and that he was hit in the face by one which chipped his tooth. ************************************************** My Pop: My Daddy (T/Sgt Charles Edward McCormick, USAF [Retired])is my hero and was a USAAF (Second Troop Carrier Squadron), C-47 Crew Chief from before the time the USAAF took possession of the civilian DC-3s in the US (1941),to February of 1945 in Burma and over the Hump to China, retiring in 1964. His missions were very much like ours, flying OSS Spooks into desolate airstrips, dropping supplies, and unlike us towing gliders. He loved it as much as I did. Trev Morson ( www.douglasdc3.com ) of DC-3/C-47 Software for Microsoft Flight Simulator Fame, found my Dads C-47 in Manaus, Brazil [towards the Western end ot the Amazon River] on the weekend of 2 December, 2000, at around 1 AM. Way to Go, Trev!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4 Sept 2002 - Verig has reporterd C-47A 41-38734 at the Verig Facility at Rio in Brazil. Thaaaaaaatttt's AAAlllllllll Folks!: I retired from the Army in 1987. The first two years were an absolute adventure. The Rest of the Story    Please view my  Resume  PERSONAL INTERESTS  My Wife, Information Systems, Aviation & Bow Hunting – In that order   LATEST NEWS   Does anyone know the address of Mark Cobb? Please send me a post.     FAVORITE QUOTE "Mortality is doing the patrol. Humility is letting someone else take over on point."  Mark G. Carter - 2002   Favorite URLS          MSDN - MSDN Online                                                                                   Maps - Circa 1972    C7-A Association        Sneakin' Through the Trees                                                         Incoming                    LZ East                       LZ Professional 11th ACR                  196th LIB                    1/52nd Infantry                               175th Engineers           Kham Duc                                                 The Willie Victors       VW-1                    First MIAs in Vietnam?                                                                                                                      123rd Aviation Battalion     21st RAC - Black Ace