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.

Helicopter Pilots Reunion

The 5th Warrant Officer Candidate Class of 70-05 had a character among it's ranks named Howard Modjeski. Howard survived the war, returned home as a hero and is still flying. He suggested a reunion and I think it's a great idea.

Our fearless, former leader of the pack, lives in Kansas City with other graduates who are spread out from Florida to Hawaii. There are two that are in the Chicago area (Scott Reed and Steve Eide). I've lost contact with Mike Morris but I think some of the California boys might know where he is as well as Art McGee.

I think we ought to pick a point somewhere that would be easy and cheap for all to meet. When I think about Chuck Olsen and Bruce Marshall, two guys who would have to come from Calfornia and Hawaii, I think Dallas because that's a non stop from a lot of places.

Hot Springs, Arkansas is a neat place and it's sorta centrally located in the country and certainly not far for me and Bernard T Diable, our old HMFIC. Howard has a Beechcraft and might find two passengers willing to pay some fuel expense from his area of the world. That would be Doug Womack from the Balitimore area and Bouncin' Billy Reinhardt from Pennsylvania.

Anybody out there have any ideas?


.

The 41st Anniversary of my 21st Birthday

Made 62 today, despite all the odds.

My sister called me to acknowledge the miracle of making to 62 years old especially having gone through emergency brain surgery, chemo, radiation and a "you have 3 to 12 months to live".

She added that I need not forget that the family is still surprised I made it past 22.

Meds properly adjusted and I'm feeling good.

Sr.

Meltdown Solved

Jr took me to the hospital last week to pursue a solution to the problems I was having with my meds. Long story short is this, I wasn't thrilled with the meds I'm prescribed to prevent stroke or siezure. Let's just say I didn't stay on the schedule of two 500 mg pills per 24 hour day. Meltdown resulted and was really bad in an emotional way.

In any event, seems you can NOT stop taking the pills without some kind of an emotional monster coming to visit.Will be really intersted to find out what the procedure is when if ever, I'm able to stop taking them. Can't spell em but most call it Keppra.

Feelin' good and on track.

TB

Dealing with death

I should have died hundreds of times in 1970 and 71. I was prepared to die but was one of the lucky ones. Now, with malignant brain cancer, brain surgery, chemo therapy, radiation and all the predictions of my death between October of last year and June of this year, I figure I should have died already........again.

You know what, having a positive mental attitude is key to all that. I may die tomorrow but no one will say that I didn't have a positive mental attitude about all that and that I gave it one hell of a good show along the way. To me, that was the most important aspect of having a good time and being as comfortable as possible along the way.

Now, as it relates to that kind of thing, know that "not" publishing your day to day steps to take care of your final arrangements, can cause some trouble. So, with regard to that, everybody who has not done your last will and testiment, do it now.

I'm tired of thinking about death and I prefer to think about life, comfort, fun, camping, another motorsport project like an old motorscooter, an old car or possible retirement. I understand why so many veterans with malignant brain cancer blow their brains out. Only the strong survive and even among the strong, sometimes you can't defeat the negative shit that can run over you every day. The VA makes you go to suicide prevention, something that I didn't understand in the beginning. Now, I get it. This shit is enough to make you want to put a round through your head and say screw it all.

I've decided to continue with the positive mental attitude thing even if I have to move my motorhome to the bush and become a hermit. I just want some peace, comfort and fun. That's what I'm going to work on from this second forward.

Thank God for big brothers. Leland has agreed to handle all the final arrangements and effectively take a position of executor of my will or estate. Thanks big brother for the relief.

Tim Sr.

Smaller Demands Equal More Energy

Owners have sent help here and I no longer have the same physical and mental demands that I had when I was first released from the VA and returned to Leesville/Ft. Polk.

I had a few months where I was able to be first on the job and last to leave. Sometimes, during train unloads and high tonnage shipping days, that took 16 hours. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of it but things changed when my stroke preventative script was added to daily meds.

I was losing my balance and fell down on the job several times. One time, I was in the office when I fell and it was witnessed by guys that worked in another Division. I'm sure they told the owners and thus the additional employee sent to relieve the pressure. (The owners are superb business managers and some mighty fine fellas. They've stuck with me even when I was only given 3 to 12 months to live. They never gave up on me).

This new script I have to take only added to the problems. I thought I was simply suffering from "Aye-Troe-Fee" or whatever it is that you call the condition that exists in your leg muscles when you've been in bed for most of 9 months. Basically, I wasn't using any of my leg muscles because for the most part, I was off my feet from June of 09 to March of this year.

I didn't know it at the time but the radiation damage to my skull included my inner ear. That apparently effected my equillibrium and in part, was the cause for the imbalances that found me on the floor or the ground after I lost my balance and didn't have the strength in my legs to stop the fall. When they added the anti-siezure meds, that's all it took to put me down on a regular basis. I don't know how many times I've fallen but it's alot.

I have to take 1,000 mg per day of a med that Kristin calls "Kepra". It's two 500 mg tablets and I try to take one right after work so I can sleep while it's working. Regardless of the method you use to take it, (how you time it), half of the 24 hour day, you're drowsy and dizzy.

Having failed at the physical side of the job, I'm trying a new approach. I don't take my pill until the afternoon after I've finished most of my work for the day. That way, I'm clear headed early in the day and don't have the instability I had earlier on in the mornings.

I can get up in the morning, drive to bid lettings, pick up the drawings and specifications for the job, drive to the job sites, estimate/confirm the amount of construction aggregates that are needed, determine the number of miles that exist between the stone yard and the job, log all of that information and do all of that with a little help from a new Garmin gps unit and one of the new guys who does some of the driving and almost all of the walking. Not a bad deal, huh!

In any event, the new set up allows me to take advantage of a much easier situation here. In addition to that, I'll be able to prove my worth in a relatively short period of time. The jobs that I'm bidding now are pretty big jobs and only require a few weeks to a month after bid submittal to begin.

Hopefully I'll be able to set some sales records and stand up to the rigors of the job that now have so many physical demands removed. Tim Jr tells me that the Kepra is "from now on" and if that's the case, I'm gonna be in trouble. Despite that, the owners will give me all the time I need to work it out and see if I can stand up to the demands while taking the meds.

As I've been saying, I've come to a Crossroad in my life and I'm pressing ahead with as much of a positive attitude as I can. If I can't make it, I'll have to get a note from the boss that I tried but just can't make it.

I've been told by the VA that they will accept that and change my Pension/Compensation to 100% disabled and I'll take an early retirement and focus on the rest of my life regardless of how long or short that may be.

I'm hangin' tough. More as all this unfolds.

Tim Sr.

Last Quarter of 2010

I'm no longer trying to live the lie that I could return to work in a "totally uneffected manner after brain surgery".

I'm not saying it was a mistake or the wrong thing to do. I'm certain it was the most beneficial thing I could have possibly done after the ten month long battle I had from day one of the wreck till I walked out of the hospital on my last day of chemo therapy.

I will say that I should have done it in a different manner. Too many hours trying to catch up and too many obstacles along the way for a guy with the kind of wounds I suffered from the whole episode.

Most recently, it has been determined that I'm a high risk candidate for stroke or siezure. It's a brain swelling thing that causes some very small openings in the brain to close and cause stroke.

With no real way to explain it in medical terms, I will simply say that we have a number of canals in our brain that transfer information from the audio and visual receptors to our processing center and then on to the top of the brain. At the crown, there is an information center that allows the input to go down the spinal column and produce movements. That's why some people who have strokes lose the use of a limb.

In any event, I have given it the best shot I could but I just can't do the full time thing anymore. Despite that, I'm in fine shape financially and don't have to worry about any killer medical bills or anything like that (pardon the pun).

Will keep everybody posted on all this and prolly start doing a better job with the blog.

Tim