Tribute to Joe and Mr. Pete by Jim Plona aka “Frog” 12 Sept 2013 Subject: 15 Sept 70; Dustoff 86 On Saturday, August 20, Mike Mitchell, crew chief of Dustoff 86 came by my home in Vermilion, Ohio to visit and meet for the first time. Eyes welled, we laughed, we hugged! The memory of VC Lake is still crystal …

by Bill Rutledge Several Seawolves have provided input to prior articles, published and unpublished, about this difficult day in the history of the Seawolves. Those articles do an excellent job outlining the mission and discussing many critical issues the Seawolves faced on that and the following day. I and others would like to add to the previous recorded history of …

By Jim Plona 50 Gunner, Seawolf 312 15 September 1970 I read with great interest the article “Incident at VC Lake”. I was there, but don’t remember much from that day. I was the .50 gunner on 312. I remember a hail of tracers, taking hit after hit, starting to auto rotate, then looking at Joe Ramos, all in about …

Journal American Aviation Historical Society, Winter, 1988 In 1962 when the gunship helicopter first went to Vietnam, it’s appearance initially caused a mild panic among the Viet Cong. But by 1970, that situation had long since changed and although the VC, along with their NVA comrades, still had a healthy respect for the armed helicopter, they were by no means …

Reprinted from Proceedings with permission Copyright © (1999) U.S. Naval Institute A pioneer helicopter squadron, Helicopter Combat Support Squadron One (HC-1), the Fleet Angels, pushed the threshold of naval helicopter operations during it’s long history. It’s 21 detachments performed search and rescue and a wide range of utility services throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Pacific Fleet’s first helicopter …

It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention. Nowhere in the annals of American aviation has this been more true than during the United States’ direct participation in the defense of the Republic of Vietnam. Pitted against an adversary who went to great lengths to conceal his movements and identity and who, at the same time, roamed …

From Naval Air Station Imperial Beach Welcome Aboard Book, 1968 Helicopter Combat Support Squadron One, formerly known as Helicopter Utility Squadron One, was commissioned at NAS Lakehurst in 1948 as the Navy’s first operational helicopter squadron. Shortly thereafter, the squadron was moved to NAS Miramar, where it achieved operational status, and in 1951 moved to it’s present location at Naval …