“I went to Oklahoma State University to major in civil engineering, met a girl, and we got married. There were no real jobs in southeastern Oklahoma without the right connections–neither one of us had the right connections.

I was into cars and motorcycles, and leased a Texaco service station. I also rebuilt a small aircraft with a friend. I was starting to make money when some folks from Urban Renewal showed up. Their idea of fixing up was tearing down historic buildings, and my location was the perfect spot to build a parking lot. They gave me 30 days to clear out. 

Then I went into the Army in 1966 to make a living. My friend entered the Navy and trained to be a jet pilot. I couldn’t join him because I didn’t have an associate’s degree. I qualified for the Army’s helicopter pilot training and joined. My question was ‘How much does it pay?’ Not ‘Where am I going?’ Getting flight pay and becoming an officer seemed good enough. I later learned that they were looking for risk-takers.

1966 America was different than now. It was before cynicism and distrust of the government became the norm. The notion that being American was serving your country was the norm. 

I didn’t go to the trouble of reading up about Vietnam. I just went, then wondered ‘What in the heck have I got myself into?’ There was basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, in July 1966. Then the three of us who qualified for helicopter training were sent to Fort Wolters, TX, for basic flight and Warrant officer training. It was like a bunch of bees flying. We had wrecks all the time with people getting hurt or killed. About 50 percent of the guys who started dropped out. The remainder went to Ft. Rucker, AL, and were assigned to Vietnam. Another 20 percent dropped out.

President Truman sent advisors to Vietnam. President Eisenhower sent more advisors. President Kennedy sent around 21,000 Special Forces in 1963, the year he was killed. President Johnson then escalated the war. 

The movie ‘We Were Soldiers Once and Young’ was about the first real battle involving helicopters in Vietnam. The battle was in the Ia Drang Valley in 1965. This was my future unit. We would have the Tet Offensive of 1968–considered the worst year in Vietnam. 

My call sign was ‘JW’ for ‘James Wilbur.’ It sounded like a country boy name, but I’m not from the country and have never been a farmer. 

I arrived in Vietnam on July 13th, 1967, a freshly minted warrant officer and Army aviator. I had fallen in love with a beautiful girl named Huey, a UH1 helicopter. The heat, noise, and smells were overwhelming. Was this the tropical paradise I was promised? Had I boarded the wrong plane?”

Phillip (Part One)