For those of you who wern't there, it was real exciting. We watched toward Mang Yang Pass and the tracers started from the fire bases between there and holloway and worked their way toward us. There were two of them manned by the 3rd BDE of the 25th Infantry Division who's colors were later transferred to the 4th Infantry. It was commanded by Col. Shannahon. A hell of a soldier.
Anyway, we had guys running about firing AKs, M-16s, M14s and one nut case was stopped on the line with an M-79 getting ready to fire it in the air. As an old soldier and former NCO I knew better than to fire. (they'd checked my weapon once in Korea at the beginning of 1957 and I caught hell.). There was an Airforce aircraft taking off from Pleiku airbase and he saw the fire and called the Holloway tower and asked "Why am I receiving fire from Holloway?" and the response was " We're celebrating the transfer of the Caribou." The "Caribou" was the twin engined fixed wing transport that the army transferred to the Airforce under a "Memorandum of Understanding" that gave the Army the right to developed armed attack helicopters. We sure won on that one. Prior to that time the army was not permittied to arm Aircraft with anything more than "Infantry Weapons" It was an agreement signed in 1948. Anyway when I heard that story I cracked up and I am sure it's true. It was a hell of a night.
^5 , salute and all.
Happy New year!
BT