44 Years Ago Today.

Today marks my first day in Vietnam, 44 years ago.

As we were making our final approach from Wake Island into Long Binh Air Force Base, I noticed all the bomb craters along our route of flight. When we landed and approached the terminal building, an A 37 with the cockpit glass raised, gave us a rare view of a strange sight. The pilot had stopped his plane, stood up and gave us a hand salute. I never forgot that gesture and made damn sure that I welcomed every new guy in the same fashion.

I remembered getting off the plane and smelling an odd odor which I eventually learned to live with. It came from the smoke that always seemed to be around that part of Vietnam and the rice fields. We were immediately ushered toward green buses that had windows in it surrounded by wire mesh. That was to keep the hand grenades from being thrown in the bus. Not exactly your best equipped Greyhound Special.

As we departed from the base, we traveled through the most God awful looking village one could imagine. Not the kind of place you would want to take an afternoon stroll. There were guys walking around with M 16s with their heads constantly on the move to detect any VC who might try to kill us all.

The 90th Replacement Battalion was only a short drive away and when we arrived and departed the bus, I was surprised to see several of the guys I had gone to flight school with. That was a great comfort as misery certainly loves company.

In no time at all, we were directed to an auditorium of sorts where sheets of paper containing every unit in Vietnam were listed. I didn't know the difference between I Corps and IV Corp but I did recognize some very historic units and after a moment to review those units we were asked to pick one. I don't remember if I chose the 199th or they chose me but I remember telling someone that Long Binh and the area between there and the South China Sea reminded me of the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Before I knew it, the process was over and I was sent to a jeep and driven a short distance to the Fireball Aviation Hanger at a place called "Red Catcher".

The jeep driver dropped me off at the maintenance hanger and promptly left. There wasn't a soul around so I just sat there a moment wondering what in the hell would happen next. That's when I met Specialist 4th Class Ron West, the jeep driver for the 199th. He drove up, saluted, asked me if I was the "new pilot" and I said yes.  He told me that was great as "they need that Huey at Xuan Loc right now.

He pointed to a D model UH 1 Huey, a model that I had never flown before. We had been flying A and B models in flight school so I wandered on over to it to see what the cockpit looked like. My first thoughts were : "Oh my God, I wonder how you start THIS thing". While I was inspecting the aircraft, West said: "Mr Butler, we have to go. They need this Huey at the front right now".

I knew enough to know that I had to report for duty first and before I had the opportunity to refuse to get in the cockpit someone came up to me, welcomed me to the unit and told West to take me to Head and Head which was Headquarters.

A few blocks away I was welcomed to the unit by two old Warrant Officers who told me that someone would be flying in to meet me. I was taken back to the unit on the flight line and in a short period of time, Craig Wolman or Terry Femmer showed up and we took off for Xuan Loc. Google it and you'll see that it wasn't a vacation spot.

We flew to Xuan Loc which was roughly 20 minutes away from Red Catcher. After landing I was escorted to the Commanding Officer, Major Lewis. I snapped to attention and said: "Sir, Warrant Officer Butler, reporting for duty". When he returned my salute I noticed the KA ring on his right hand and immediately felt at home. I was a KA at Northwestern and we immediately made the connection of fraternity brothers far from home.

Not long after that, I was given a bunk in a bunker that had slits or openings in the walls that would allow us to shoot our M 16s out of in case of a ground attack. That wasn't the best of feelings because I didn't have an M 16 or anything else to shoot with.

In any event, the day was getting long in the tooth and later on, I was introduced to the Commanding Colonel and his staff as well as a couple of other pilots and crew members. I spent my first night in Country in that bunker and was awakened by the loudest noise I'd ever heard in my life. Whether the first one was an incoming rocket or an outgoing 125 Howitzer still remains a mystery to me. That's another story and I have to call it a day for now but I wanted to give you guys an idea of what day 1 was like in Vietnam.