That story about the NVA skinning a UH-1 crew was making the rounds when I got there in 66. I did not hear of such a thing during the battle of DAK To in 67 but I left in late Nov. I suspect it was just an update of the same story.
As for them helping our wounded, I never heard of that either or rread of it in any report until today.
During the Ia Drang fight in 65 at X Ray and the hike out, they killed our wounded. I suspect the same was true at Hill 875. In mid 67 there was a 4th Division OH-23 that went down late in the evening in the Ia Drang area. There was a pilot, observer and First Sgt from one of the 4th ID units on board. I was told that after the crash, the top Sgt left the wreck with no attempt to get the crew outand was rescued next day (A couple of days after that I was part of the crew that hauled him to a montanyard village to thank the folks who sheltered him.) The air crew was found with thier feet pinned in the wreck by the bubble brace that runs around the center of the canopy. They had their faces knocked in by rifle butts and a bullet in their head. That brace is made of a thin aluminium. They could have been released with little effort by either the US sgt or the NVA. I will not judge, but the enemy chose to kil them and that was the typical treatment our wounded got from the NVA. I doubt they helped a single soldier in combat. Their MO was to kill our wounded.
^5 and salute.
Bob T