In the spring of 1970, the Dong Nigh (sp) Regiment of the North Vietnamese Army had already moved into the Province where we operated near Xuan Loc. (Google Xuan Loc).

As a helicopter pilot, I fought them when I was with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. "Fire Support Base Gloria" was a movie that focused on their fighting skills. R. Lee Ermy starred in that movie and if you've seen it, you'll already know that they moved from that area southward and began fighting with us in the Central Highlands.

I had the extreme displeasure of watching them kill two Warrant Officer aviators on July 4th of that year. Their names are Jernigan and Stearns. Both were Warrants. A direct hit to their cobra took them down in the midst of one hell of a battle where they had ambushed one of our convoys.

Four months later, only two months after the 199th had gone home and I had been transferred to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, we were fighting them again.

On that day, the ARPS, Aero Rifle Platoon, had a mission to take on the Dong Nghai (sp) in a head to head battle right outside Xuan Loc.

After heavy contact was made and the discovery that we were outnumbered by the NVA, our guys were ordered out to make it safe for B 52's to do their work in the area. During the extraction of all troops, I was ordered to hold west of the Landing Zone because the FM (PRC 10) radio that we used to communicate with the ground commander was inoperative.

When all helicopters were flying out of the LZ and began the flight home, I maneuvered to take position in the formation as the last ship. We called that position "Tail End Charlie".

Before I closed with the other Hueys, I was called on a UHF radio and was told that there were 4 men left on the ground, that they were surrounded and that I would have to go back in and get them out.

Cobra gunships were making west to east gun runs pouring mini gun fire and 2.75" high explosive rockets into the tree lines that surrounded the Landing Zone and our 4 guys.

After a brief radio communication from our CO, we were directed to make a west to east approach to the LZ, locate a downed tree on the dirt road running through the LZ and to pick up our guys who were using the downed tree as cover in the middle of one hell of a battle.

We found the tree, saw our guys and made our final approach to the area next to the tree where our guys could literally jump on board and we could get the hell out of there.

With rockets and mini gun fire from the cobra's keeping the enemy's heads down, the guys jumped on and I took off. We were in a heavily loaded condition because it was a very hot day with a high density altitude situation making the Huey hard to handle.

As I took off and began my transition to forward flight, the Huey was sluggish and couldn't deliver the speed and climb rate I needed. My chin bubble hit a tree and, at the same time, the limbs nearly took the pants off of Sgt. Ed Usrey, one of the four men who was hanging on to the side of the Huey with his feet still placed on the skids. We were surrounded and as Ed says: "There were enough dinks there to eat the helicopter".

Every Thanksgiving I think about Ed. I sent him an email yesterday wishing his kids and grandkids a Happy Thanksgiving. I do that because Ed told me that each year that goes by whenever they have a family get together and a feast is planned, Ed says the blessing. He mentions me by name and gives thanks that I was there that day as without that day, he never would have had any kids or grand kids.

You can not imagine what this does to a man's soul and how wonderful it is to have the guys that were on the ground remember you and thank you for the things you did when it was your turn at the plate. Thanks to all you guys.

Tim Sr.