| RE: Blue Ghosts | |
| From: | mikel fiske (majmikel@hotmail.com) |
| Sent: | Fri 9/19/08 2:40 AM |
| To: | Bill Hatch (blueghostred@msn.com) |
.ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass body.EC_hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} I flew with WO Opeim and Shanahan and LT Reed on numerous occasions. Towards the end when Maj Marrett lost his gunner I was selected and Johnny Rhone was the crew chief. I also flew with Huggins from TX when I first arrived in Pleiku. I had already been in country and joined the unit in Pleiku before we left with Maj Burden to go to Chu Lai. We were attached with the 1st of the 9th Air Cav before they departed to Da Nang and we took over their hq on the beach by the Medivac. I was there when the Marine air base ammo dump blew to kingdom come... We flew to Tam Ky which was overrun and we shot them trying to get throug the barbed wire fence when we tried to refuel. I remember doing daisy chains over the ocean until first light. I have read about Johnson. He and I were listed in his home town paper on some event where we got some kills. I kept the clipping. I lost all my piasta and MPC. What a shame. After a break in service I joined a medical unit and became the logistics officer then went to desert storm for a year 90/91. I was with a combat support hospital--the hundred hr. war. I retired as a high school English teacher and USAR Maj Logistics Officer. I am currently working at Customs and Border Protection at Thousand Islands in upstate NY Alexandria Bay NY on Wellisley Island.
It is so good to see many of the soldiers that I served with. They probably don't remember me because of my joining later.
Brady who was shot when Shanahan went down wrote to me. I always wondered if he made it. Secrist was my best friend. He and I had guard duty together and he was shot down and killed that day. I have always felt bad that he died so tragically.
I always wondered what happened to Huggins and Johnny Rhone.
Write back...
mike fiske
It is so good to see many of the soldiers that I served with. They probably don't remember me because of my joining later.
Brady who was shot when Shanahan went down wrote to me. I always wondered if he made it. Secrist was my best friend. He and I had guard duty together and he was shot down and killed that day. I have always felt bad that he died so tragically.
I always wondered what happened to Huggins and Johnny Rhone.
Write back...
mike fiske
RE: Blue Ghosts From: mikel fiske (majmikel@hotmail.com) Sent: Sat 9/20/08 4:05 AM To: Bill Hatch (blueghostred@msn.com) .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass body.EC_hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;}
ReplyDeleteFrom: blueghostred@msn.com
To: majmikel@hotmail.com
Subject: Blue Ghosts
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:20:05 -0500
.ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass body.EC_hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} Mike,
Your response contains so much good historical information that I put in on the message board so others can see. There may be responses to it. I remember the name Johnny Rhone, perhaps we can find him.
Bill
Heard from Bob Duffy and Brady. I remember vivdly when He was shot. His recovery must have been tough. He gave me his phone number. I will give him a call. He remembered the names of the people I listed in Blue Ghost. He gave me Marv Gettle. I remember a guy I think from Boston who came to the unit like I did, but I can't remember his name. It will come to me. I do have the original Yearbook for us as C-Troop 7/17 Cav. I wasn't in the picture, so many weren't. Another soldier was shot in the foot and never returned. He was a crew chief, but I can't remember his name. I told Bob Duff that is communication like this that pulls us all back together and solidifies what we once had that was taken away afterwards. Keep me posted and I shall remember those names. I always like John Huggins. I was his first doorgunner from Plei Ku. Do you remember Camp Holliway? The landing area was metal revetment pieced together. They were bombarded after we left for Chu Lai. I went by air advanced party with Maj Burton--He was Capt. then.
Good to hear from you so soon. I have some pictures that I will have to learn how to submit. Remember the Python that came through the tent area in Plei Ku that had eaten a pig??
mike fiske
Fiske
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you after all these years. I've spent a lot of time myself wondering about Rhone and what happened to him after the war. If you ever connect with him please let me know. Glad to hear you did well in life.
John Shepardson
blueghost 6x
Hey Mike, You didn't mention my name, but that's alright cause I couldn't remember you until I read your whole message. Blair Noel, I crewed C-Model 041, when Fred Secrist was shot down he had Warren Newton my door gunner with him. They had just found out they were from the same hometown. I got shot in the left hand on July 23th 68', Rippy was AC, he was shot in the left ankle and upper leg. Good to hear from you, Bill Brady and I have been incontact with each other, even been to a reuion with him and most of our Pilots. Stay in touch and maybe we can all make the Blue Ghost reuion in 09' Blair N. Noel 2235 Belladonna Street Redding, CA 96002-1634 Home Ph. 530-221-1019 Cell 530-524-0532 P.S. I'll attache a photo that was taken by "Fig" Newton on the day they went down. also here's a web site to see what old crewchief's do when they retire....... www.veteranshistoricalassociation.org
ReplyDeleteAttachment: File0001_edited.jpg
RE: Blue Ghosts From: mikel fiske (majmikel@hotmail.com) Sent: Wed 9/24/08 12:55 AM To: Bill Hatch (blueghostred@msn.com) .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass body.EC_hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} Another person you could help with is Bass. He was shot in the leg with a 50 cal. He and Brady were flying together that day. I have a picture of Bass and myself in a photo. Another is Doughtery. Can't remember his first name, then again, who ever called anyone ab their first name....Bass and I were pretty good friends. I used to call him the magnet because every time we went up he got shot at. One day I was lucky and sat on some armor and saved my ass and the crown jewels. I remember Marv Gettle. He was an arrogant prick. I never liked him. He was from WV. A guy from Boston came later and he was a crew chief. Can't remember his name. I will never forget the python at Enari with the pig in its belly.
ReplyDeletewrite back
mike fiske Where can we get the Ruthless Rider Patches?
Mike, The only place I know of that you can order a Ruthless Rider Patch in on the 7/17th Cavalry Web Site. I just checked and it says they are out of stock They should have more later. I believe Doughtery’s first name was Michael. Seems to me that he signed in on one of the web sites a couple of years ago and live in Indiana. I don’t recall Bass, Gettle or the fellow from Boston. My recollection is there were a lot of crew chiefs on those C Model’s who were shot in the foot. I don’t remember any names, but one stands out very vividly. He was at the aid station on Hawk Hill and the medics were having to work on another door gunner who was flat on his back and in bad shape. The man with the foot wound had had the sole of his boot completely shot off and what looked like a .50 Cal round had cut an inch groove in the bottom of his foot. He was leaning against a jeep or some other vehicle and he was white as a sheep and shaking. I asked him how he was and he said it was hurting like hell. (a stupid question on my part). He asked for a cigarette and I gave him one. Do you remember who this might have been? I don’t remember the snake at Camp Enari, but do remember the elephants, pigs and the great amount of red dust. When we left there and flew to Chu Lai, it looked like a sea side resort to us.
ReplyDeleteOne of those C model CE's shot in the foot was Bob Eid who was the first CE for me and Marrett. I think the EM hooch which was set up as a bar had several boots nailed to the wall taken off those injured CE's.
ReplyDeleteAll we had on the wall at the WO club was the remains of a hat that Rick (Rockets) Guttery was wearing when he and Mike Chambers were shot down and Sgt Bradley was killed.
John Shepardson
6X
c-troop From: mikel fiske (majmikel@hotmail.com) Sent: Fri 9/26/08 10:57 PM To: blueghostred@msn.com .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass body.EC_hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} I found out it was Blair Noel. Blair called me and we talked for about two hrs. I also got Daughtery's phone number as well. We are planning on attending the next reunion. I am so glad to locate these fellow soldiers that I have not been in contact for over 30 years. I am still looking for Bass. I hope by the communication that is ongoing that he will be next to come forward. Blair has some great pictures. He sent me the picture of Newton who was killed with Secrist. It brought tears to my eyes. They were dedicated soldiers and great friends who will always be remembered...
ReplyDeleteThanx again!! Brothers Forever!
mike fiske
RE: Blue Ghosts From: mikel fiske (majmikel@hotmail.com) Sent: Sun 10/05/08 3:58 PM To: Bill Hatch (blueghostred@msn.com) .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass body.EC_hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} The crew chief was Bass. I contacted Brady and he told me his name. I heard from Blain Noel. He is the one who put the pictures of Newton and himself on the photo page. I have some pictures of myself and Bass before he was shot. Brady hasn't heard from him either. Shep said he sort of kind of remember at an aid station at Da Nang when he thought it might have been Bass. The foot was shot with a .50 cal. Fucked up or what!!!Noel lost a finger--Brady is having trouble with his lung. The VA said that his entry wound was a birth mark--Go figure--another Vietnam Veteran gets Fucked again!! He had to bring his medical records. Assholes!!! I told him to contact his Congressperson and tell his story. The big lie-"We'll take care of you!!" They took away his disability from 70% to 10% then had to be re-evaluated and then back to 70%. But that was 10 years that he had only 10%. Will the VA make up for the loss---I don't think so. I am sure there are other stories just as bad. I guess no one saw " Born on the Fourth of July" before they saw the headlines about comfort and care from Walter Reed for the soldiers coming home from Iraq. I hope that we can all get together for the next reunion.
ReplyDeletemike fiske
Mike I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Ron Oglesby, I was a scout CE. Daughtery's first name is Howard. He was a weapons CE on 736. Howard and I both live in Ohio, I live in Hamilton, and he lives in Bethel.
ReplyDeleteStill haven't heard from Johnny Rhone or Huggins. Would like to find Dressler. Don't know his first name. We were always on a last name basis. Good to hear from you Shep. mike fiske
ReplyDeleteMike, According to the Fort Knox roster that Carter Davis sent, Huggins first name is John and he had a US service number and rank of SP4. Carter said that he did not post the roster because of the service numbers. I have forwarded his email with his roster to you. Whenever I locate the rosters that I have, I will post them in the documents section. I don’t foresee any problem with service numbers after forty years.
ReplyDeleteVictor Cook writes today that- "I was under the impression that John Huggins was from Texas. I thought we called him Johnny. He always bragged about being a plumber." "After reading these emails… the memory started to reveal the hidden past years."
ReplyDelete/s/ Vic
Name Carter Davis EMail Address carterdav@comcast.net Location Port Wentworth, GA Homepage URL Date 2008-11-26 20:12:21 Post Your Comments Reference to message 6 in discussions with Mikel Fiske. I possiblity could be that chrewchief on 5 May 1968 at the aid station on Hawk Hill. My gunner SP Black was really messed up in the left shoulder nearly all gone by same .51 cal that hit my left. I told the medics when they came up to the chopper to go around and get Black first. I hopped on one foot to the jeep. I had gash in foot about one inch by three inches. I did smoke back in those days. Carter, I have looked at your photo #2, C-Model 737 with Bob Duffy and indeed it was you that I saw at the aid station with the foot wound. I will never forget that scene as it has been in my mind all of these years. Thanks for letting us know. Bill Hatch
ReplyDeleteAttachment: Hill 29.jpg
Re #5 I have a couple of very clear memories of flying from Pleiku to Chu Lai. At one point we flew thru a valley under a low ceiling that was like being in a tunnel. Later, when we hit the coast, we dropped down onto the deck and were skimming over the surf so low I thought the waves would hit the skids. It was a most excellent ride!!
ReplyDeleteJohn Shepardson wrote in message #7- “One of those C model CE's shot in the foot was Bob Eid who was the first CE for me and Marrett. I think the EM hooch which was set up as a bar had several boots nailed to the wall taken off those injured CE's.
ReplyDeleteAll we had on the wall at the WO club was the remains of a hat that Rick (Rockets) Guttery was wearing when he and Mike Chambers were shot down and Sgt Bradley was killed.”
John Shepardson
Shep, I did not remember that Rick Guttery was flying with Mike Chambers the day when Sgt Bradley was killed, May 16, 1968. Do you remember who picked up Guttery and Sgt. Bradley? I recall that you and Jack Earwood were on the scene and I was a few miles away and heard the call that they had been shot down and on fire. When I flew in from the east I heard you or Jack say they were on the ground crawling away from the burning aircraft. About that time, Joe Johnson, my door gunner, told me he could see them on the ground so we swung around to the south and came in low over the rice field and flew right to them. Mike Chamber and another crewmember got up and got into the LOH and we took off to the north. The other man that was crawling with Mike and got into the LOH was not Guttery but I don’t recall who he was or who picked up the other two crewmembers. ?? Bill Hatch
Bill
ReplyDeleteI may not remember much more than you do. Parts of that day are indelible, other parts gone or fading fast. I remember making the radio call that they were crawling, I remember vividly seeing Bradley pinned under the edge of the cabin roof and how instantly I knew there was nothing that could be done, I remember the .50 cal and 90MM "suppressive" fire from the 1/1 M113s and the tank and I remember the 2-LOH extraction. I did remember that you were in the first LOH. I have this vague memory that the other LOH was either Nicely or Pewitt but I am not at all sure. I'll bet Guttery knows. He is rickbg25@bellsouth.net. Give him a "shout" - and let me know what he says.
John
Bill,
ReplyDeleteI (BlueGhost-17) was flying the second OH-6 that day. I had just gotten
on station and was full of fuel and ammo. As I recall, you saw the
guys on the ground crawling away from the burning C model, took charge
and directed me to follow you in. We went in in trail and landed
parallel to the treeline and opposite the wreckage. My recollection is
that there was an awful lot of fire coming from the right and there was
suppressive fire from 1/1 Cav and our gunships. The vision that is
burned into my memory is that the three crewmen were clustered around
the left side of your a/c seemingly arguing about which two would go and
who would stay. They hadn't yet seen me 20 or so yards behind you.
Finally, one of them(I have always thought it was Chambers-willing to
save his men first) saw me and made a dash to my a/c. I absolutely
recall AK rounds tracking behind him as he ran to the left side of my
a/c and I cringed down behind the armor waiting for the rounds to hit
me. They quit just feet in front of us. I can still hear my CE yelling
through the sound of his M-60 firing "He's in! Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go!" I followed you out of there and actually over torqued and
over temped that OH-6 to the point of pulling down the rpm. That is my
recollection of that day. I talked with Rick Guttery about that day at
the SFO reunion in 2005. Perhaps between all of us we can sort out 40
years of aging memories.
Glad to hear that you are still alive.
Regards,
Bill Rand
Bill , (Bill Rand, Blue Ghost 17) I am sorry that I did not remember that it was you that was behind me in that rice field. I should have remembered that. Seems that the older I get, the more holes that are in my memory. I think that you are right in that Mike Chambers put his two crewmembers on the first LOH and then ran back under fire and got on with you. The noise level was so high that I could not hear what anyone was saying. As you relate, the firing was very intense and I remember thinking that we were staying on the ground way too long and that the guys just needed to climb on so we could get the hell out of there. For some reason I was thinking that I flew up to just two crewmembers crawling on the ground, one of which was Mike. Obviously there were three and Rick Guttery was one of them. The look on Mike’s face when he got up from his frantic low crawl is one that I will never forget. I had known Mike for quite a while as we were flight school classmates and Rick Guttery and I flew together in Lift for the first few months we were there. We were fortunate to get those three men out of there and it is sad that we could not help Sgt Bradley I might add that you remember correctly that the fire was from the right and in the tree line. Joe Johnson was firing his M60 continuously all the way in and while we were on the ground. Later he told me that two of them firing at us with AKs were only about 30 yards away. We had to use some redline torque to get out but I believe we had a puff of wind from somewhere that helped. When the two guys loaded on I could feel the LOH sink down and when I pulled in collective the torque went to red and we were still on the ground. I tried again and rotated the cyclic a little and that puff of wind must have came along because we lifted up enough to tilt forward and fly. The little bird came through for us. Bill
ReplyDelete