Camp Holloway Discussion Forum Archive 04 - 01/01/04 to 02/10/06

Re: Helicopter 376
In Response To: Re: Helicopter 376 ()

THE MIGHTY QUINN COMES THROUGH !!

Joe- good to hear from you..

I should have remembered more of this, in that I read the profiles often, and had the distinct honbor of re-intro'ing you guys here..
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User Profile

Richard "Harry" Harrison

Messages Posted (Camp Holloway Discussion Forum): 0

The crew on Gator 376 changed over time as they all did, but I had the ship as crewchief from the day it arrived brand new into the 119th. My A/C was Don Scalf for most of my time in-country. Scalf was also the company check pilot. My gunner for most of that tour was a guy from Philly named Calvin Brown. Our pilot, until 2 Sept 1967, was Jim Daniel. We called him "Dan". We had all drawn guard at Holloway the night of the 2nd, including Scalf. But Dan hadn't. He got assigned to a flight with Busbey on Gator 373: RON Jackson's Hole. They flew into the mountain. The next day we flew down and collected the body bags. That was Dan's last flight on 376. Our assigned pilot thereafter was a WO named Sheppard I think, but I am not certain. He ultimately made A/C when Scalf rotated out to Germany. He had 376 when I left in April 1968. I remember flying back from Kontum one afternoon with another ship and I tossed a grenade out the side. "Sheppard" thought we were taking AA and called in the fast movers for support. We never said a thing. The day I left for the States I got a ride over to PAB from the A/C of the wingman we had had on that day. I let him know what had happened. I thought he'd die laughing.

I was in country for about three months before I got assigned to a ship. So I started with the flight platoon (first I think) in May sometime. I am not what you'd call a gregarious type. And I lived on the ship. Frankly did not get to know very many people and remember even fewer. I do remember a crew member we called "Spook." Picked up a Purple Heart for a minor frag in a LZ And Jim Johnson, a crewchief I had gone through basic with at Rucker who took a .30 caliber in his chest plate and lived to tell about it. And Jernigan, a gunner who I think stayed on and became a LRRP. Roughly a third of my tour was in support of FOB 2 SF in Kontum working the Tri-Border area.

I do have a large photo collection and I suppose I should scan the stuff up and share it but I would be embarrassed about not knowing guys names in the pics I am really bad about this. I got a message from Joe Quinn who knows Cal Brown and Joe swears he was my gunner on 376 also. For the life of me I cannot place the name to a face in my mind's eye.

I live in Reston, Virginia about 10 miles west of WDC and work in Tyson's Corner, VA and spend a goodly amount of time (especially of late) trying to improve data communications devices for Apache Battlations and for some of the foreign SF/SAS types. No more of that "pop yellow smoke" stuff these days. I visit strange places under unusual circumstances. Have a wife (3rd), two teenagers (a junior and a senior) and 4 dogs. Am sane on most days.

And what else do I remember? I remember flying into Holloway a few minutes ahead of the walking rain and soaping the ship down real quick waiting for the natural rinse to arrive I remember getting to really like C-Rats. I remember the smell of that mud which I still equate with death. I remember hovering into assault landings in fog so thick you couldn't see the other ships. I remember being stranded overnight at Dak To with a bum fuel cell and a .25 cal Beretta. I remember it was the best job I ever had and I think I am lucky that I lived to tell about it. I remember not wanting to leave.

Welcome Home!

Richard "Harry" Harrison
Crew Chief, Gator 376
119th AHC, 67-68 RVN

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Git 'er Done.....

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Helicopter 376
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