Posting on behalf of the Association:
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March 11, 2004

ATTENTION:
One of the goals of the USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Association is to preserve the history of our members and our involvement in Vietnam. With this in mind, one of our members has volunteered to undertake the project of accepting from each of our members, your personal story(s) of your experience while serving in Vietnam and the Marine Corps.

We intend to compile these stories into book form to be made available to each of you upon completion for the cost of the printing. This will differ from the excellent Book done by Mike Leahy and Roger Herman in 1996 in that the present one will more resemble a Readers Digest format with a series of short stories by us about us.

We ask you to send stories in these different categories (send as many as you like): 1. Combat recollections; 2. Humorous war stories/memories; 3. Memorable recollections from your time in the Marines/service (i.e. boot camp, etc.).

We’d also like a picture of you, then and now, if possible. And, we’d like to have the date(s) or an approximation of the date, unit, location, type A/C involved (if any). Pictures of the incident or maps would be helpful. Any other matters pertinent to the story would be helpful.

You may call John “Nasty” App with your story on the telephone and he will record it and transcribe it, or fax, email, snail mail, or hand it to him at the convention in Reno. Or he will make an effort to record it with you personally at the reunion. Just be sure to include your contact information and best time for him to contact you.

His phone is 949-448-0159 in California, address is P.O. Box 7057, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, fax is 650-475-8444 (efax), or email is baronjoa@sbcglobal.net.

Let’s make this a great book!

John D. “JD” Barber, President

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PS. Here are a couple sample stories to prime the pump:.

Roger Herman our founder and former President relates that in the Spring of 1967, HMM 361, Roger was flying as a brand new in-country-copilot with HAC Ron Goodwin, aka Goodie the Louse, into a hotzone. A spent round whizzed into and bounced around the cockpit, but “The Louse” was as cool as a cucumber much to Roger’s astonishment. The crewchief called up and told them they were taking rounds in the cabin. “The Louse” called back and told him to “tell those Indians to stop firing at us Cowboys up here!”

Or “Nasty” relates this: In September 1962 in OCS, Quantico, VA, Candidate Barney May, a Texan and family friend of Lyndon Johnson’s was being inspected by GySgt Parton who grabbed May’s belt buckle, turned it over to see the back side and found it to be grossly unshined and scuzzy. Gunny Parton exclaimed, “Cand-did-date, you didn’t shine the back of your buckle, it looks like ****!” “No Sir” responded May. Gunny: “Why not, Cand-did-date?” May: “I didn’t think anyone would see it, Sir.” Gunny: “Cand-did-date May, Do you wipe your Ass?”