Camp Holloway Discussion Forum - Research Archive - 11/11/00 to 01/21/10

Amphibians Question...

Just havin' a little fun here...

Was corresponding with a good pal of mine from my loop in Germany after Vietnam, talking about the 119th, and he sent me the following:

Q: Another question for you, Bob, if you can stand it. What is/was the difference between a Gator and a Croc? Was there a difference? I just can't seem to stifle my curiosity can I?

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So, having been served a fastball right down the pipe, I responded:
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A: Ah, a cogent question, Gramps. Croc and Gator were, respectively, callsigns for the gunship and slick platoons in the 119th Assault Helicopter Company. Gunships were built on the shorter Charlie-Model Huey, while slicks were the stretched H-Model (a D-Model with a bigger engine).

Crocs, or, formally, Crocodile gunship crews, were barely-literate, drooling, snot-dripping, vermin and VD-infected knuckle-draggers whose job it was to protect, at all costs, the world-famous Gators, or, formally, Alligator slick crews, who were suave, debonair, superbly-educated, handsome, and renowned saviors of life and limb. A Croc backseater's main qualification was to be big enough to hump tons of ammo and rockets to rearm the ship several times a day in 100-plus degree heat, and to be able to hold an M-60 in one hand, firing until it was time to go back and rearm again. Oh, and be willing to constantly position himself directly between the Gator slicks and the bad guys who were shooting everything they had at the slicks. A Gator slick backseater, on the other hand, simply needed to either A) be stupid, or B) have balls of steel.

Each Assault Company, depending upon losses, had 6 to 10 gunships, maybe 15 to 20 slicks.

I, of course, being stupid, was a Gator slick crew chief.

We loved them gnarly muthas. Still do.

Bob

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