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From FT Pierce Florida Tribune, 4 June 1997 St Lucie County Sheriff’s Department Chief Pilot Lt Mark Schimpf flew 1,000 combat hours and was shot down eight times during his one year tour of duty in Vietnam. That was before his days as a law enforcement pilot. With Schimpf’s record, some might think he would never want to be close to another Seawolf helicopter again. Tuesday, he was on top of one, helping assemble the war bird at the UDT-SEAL Museum on North Hutchinson Island. The UH-1B helicopter, made by Bell Helicopter, was called the workhorse of HA(L)-3, Helicopter Attack …

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 intimidated by it. Heavy caliber weapons now were concentrated around their vital positions and they were quite willing to use them when directly threatened. Their helicopter tactics had been refined over the years and they were not the least bit …

Combat Aircrew Insignia Pinning Ceremony Patriots’ Grove NAS Jacksonville, Florida 18 June 1998   ADMIRAL ELMO R. ZUMWALT, JR., U.S. NAVY, RETIRED Admiral Zumwalt was born in San Francisco in 1920 and grew up in Tulare, Calif. He was valedictorian of his Tulare High School class of 1938, and a cum laude graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1942. He is married to the former Mouza Coutelais-du-Roche of Harbin, Manchuria, and has two sons and two daughters. (His eldest son, Elmo Russell Zumwalt, III, Esq., a naval officer in Vietnam, died of Agent Orange-related cancer in August 1988.) At …

The War Without Heroes? AO3 James Wall – Hero & Patriot

From “The Jackstaff News” July 15, 1970 Story by JO3 Donald Gaylien How would you respond if a helicopter landed on your roof and the pilot asked for six “nails”, six “proxies”, and a couple of “Wilson Picketts?” Sailors aboard the tank landing ship USS Hunterdon County (LST-838) supplied these specialties daily along with a formidable array of other weapons and materials to their customers on the Mekong Delta in the Republic of Vietnam. Some of their customers flew while others floated. “Nail,” “Proxie,” and “Wilson Pickett” are nicknames for the Fleshette, Proximity and White Phosphorus air to ground rockets …