Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

sent e-mail with info we have- may be current (or not)

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

http://www.ppmoaa.org/contacts.html

Try this for Col. Nelson, has a email address as he is the webmaster, if it is the same one. Bet it is

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Would that be an RH Nelson that was CO of HMM-365 in 1969?
Send him a copy of Visions photo # 15702

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

I think you're looking for Bob Godwin "greatest 46 pilot I ever knew" ! Last I heard he was in Georgia, I don't have address. He was in Phu bai in 67 with 164.

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Dale A Riley;36558 wrote: Would that be an RH Nelson that was CO of HMM-365 in 1969?
Send him a copy of Visions photo # 15702

Yes, That is Robert Nelson. Thanks.

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Dale A Riley;36558 wrote: Would that be an RH Nelson that was CO of HMM-365 in 1969?
Send him a copy of Visions photo # 15702

I just spoke with Colonel Nelson, doing well for having had a stroke. I had a great conversation with him and he really seemed interested in pursuing more of the same.

His address and phone are

PO BOX 17041, FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ.
85269-7041
480-837-2969

He doesn't do computers but his wife does, She is supposed to send me her email some time later this evening so I can communicate with the Col online.

SF

_Chuck

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Dale A Riley;36558 wrote: Would that be an RH Nelson that was CO of HMM-365 in 1969?
Send him a copy of Visions photo # 15702

Dale is that you in the photo with Colonel Nelson? I should hear from his wife soon and she will provide me with her email as the Col does not do computers.

SF _Chuck

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Joe Burney;36559 wrote: I think you're looking for Bob Godwin "greatest 46 pilot I ever knew" ! Last I heard he was in Georgia, I don't have address. He was in Phu bai in 67 with 164.

I was looking for both Bob's, Godwin and Nelson. Found Neslon. Goodwin for a different reason. He was the command pilot of a recon insert Marshall Hall on Dec, 19, 1967. The team was dropped off in the midst of a regiment of pissed off little people. Air strikes were called in danger close and Goodwin was chalked to do the extract.

During the extraction there were two friendly fire casualties taken by the recon team caused by one of the supporting Huey gunships. Apparently someone placed the responsibility for the two KIA Marines L/Cpl Rodney Huddleston of Milford Ohio the team leader and Pfc Kenneth Oleznuk of Detroit on the gunner of one of the VMO gunships. The gunner of that ship asked if I could find the families of the KIA's for him. I did and also found the platoon leader of the recon team, now Colonel Jimmy Glenn USMC (Ret) Colonel Glenn remembered the incident clearly and advised that the fault was not that of the gunner but a mechanical malfunction of the mounting bolts on the machine gun that caused the gun to fire wildly and inaccurately. Colonel Glenn recalled that the team leader Huddleson was relatively new to recon but he felt that Huddleson was capable of handling the mission. Unfortunately, according to Colonel Glenn, no one knew or had any hint of the heavy concentration of NVA in area the Frag Order described and the mission was to take place.

To make a long story shorter, I contacted the families of both Marines plus found one of the graves in disrepair. I located a Marine friend of Rodney Leroy Huddleson named Kyle Smithson near Miamiville Ohio where the Evergreen cemetery is located and Kyle along with other Marines including Rodney's brother George Huddleson are not only raising Rodney's grave marker but refurbishing and polishing it to honor our brother fallen Marine.

Kennethg Olenznuk has an interesting side story too. He died on Christmas day from wounds suffered on the Marshall Hall extraction on December 19th.. His brother Paul Oleznuk immediately joined the US Army and also was killed in the same Thua Thien Provence as his older brother a few months later in 1968.

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

cnowotny;36564 wrote: Dale is that you in the photo with Colonel Nelson? I should hear from his wife soon and she will provide me with her email as the Col does not do computers.

SF _Chuck

Chuck, Yes that is me. I put a comment about that morning with #15702 on Visions.

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Dale A Riley;36566 wrote: Chuck, Yes that is me. I put a comment about that morning with #15702 on Visions.

K.O,~! I'll let you know when I know how to contact him via email.

_Chuck

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

cnowotny;36567 wrote: K.O,~! I'll let you know when I know how to contact him via email.

_Chuck

I've located Mr. Godwin in Georgia, his email is robertgodwin@windstream.net. Now I am trying to ascertain the tail number of 151917 and who the Crew Chief might have been in December of 1967. What ever happened to the BuNo page that linked the individual birds to squadron tail numbers?

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

cnowotny;36604 wrote: I've located Mr. Godwin in Georgia, his email is robertgodwin@windstream.net. Now I am trying to ascertain the tail number of 151917 and who the Crew Chief might have been in December of 1967. What ever happened to the BuNo page that linked the individual birds to squadron tail numbers?

Chuck,
This is from the list and does not show 151917. I'll look further.

150968 UH46AD 01/29/65 47.6
151903 UH46AD 03/12/65 47.4
151904 UH46AD 03/10/65 47.5
151905 UH46AD 04/06/65 47.4
151908 HH46AD 02/26/65 47.5
151910 HH46AD 03/23/65 47.4

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Here's a more complete list found in google from the Joe Baugher site, that shows the bird in question:

http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html

151907 (c/n 2054) with HMM-265 hit by RPG at Ngok Tavak (Old Frenc Fort), Quang Tin Province, RVN May 10, 1968.
All crew survived. Helicopter destroyed by US forces to prevent capture.
151908 (c/n 2055) redesignated HH-46A. Converted to HH-46D.
To AMARC as 1J0033 Jun 22, 2004
151909 (c/n 2056) with HMM-165 shot down by automatic weapons fire west of Ashau Valley near Phu Thuong,
Thua Thien Province, RVN Mar 6, 1968. 2 killed, 3 rescued.
151910 (c/n 2058) converted to HH-46D. To AMARC as 1J0032 May 24, 2004.
Still on AMARC inventory Jul 1, 2008
151911 (c/n 2059) redesignated HH-46A Oct 15, 1973, converted to HH-46D. SOC Feb 3, 2003
151912 (c/n 2060) to MASDC as 1J0064 Apr 14, 1972, returned to service.
Redesignated HH-46A Nov 25, 1974. Converted to HH-46D. SOC Aug 17, 2007
151913 (c/n 2061) w/o Mar 23, 1987
151914 (c/n 2063) converted to HH-46A, then to HH-46D. To AMARC as 1J0022 Aug 4, 2003.
SOC Dec 5, 2003. Still on AMARC inventory Jul 1, 2008
151915 (c/n 2064) converted to HH-46D. To AMARC as 1J0025 Nov 3, 2003.
Still on AMARC inventory Jul 1, 2008
151916 (c/n 2065) with HMM-164 washed out Aug 28, 1969 aboard USS Valley Forge in South China Sea due to excessive
battle damage or excessive wear.
151917 (c/n 2066) with HMM-265 collided with UH-34D 148802 at Hill 52 North of Song Vu Gia River, Quang
Nam Province, South Vietnam Oct 11, 1968. All four crew killed.
151918 (c/n 2068) to MASDC as 1J0040 Feb 14, 1972, returned to service.
Redesignated HH-46A Aug 27, 1973. converted to CH-46D. To AMARC as 1J0018

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Thanks. Actually I just need to find out how to access the old Bu No's with tail codes of individual aircraft during a specific time frame.

I lost track of my initial bird last seen on the Valley Forge during the Crash and Burn on the flight deck. Then I found her again in Japan all spiffed up, repainted and decked out like a "D" model.

I am also looking for the Bu No of YT-1 that I flew after losing my YT-6 to infirmity and all tuckered out. I took her to PAR and have some photos taken in Danang somewhere of the disassembled bird broken down into 3 main parts but can't locate them right now. After getting her ready for PAR, Lonnie Clark arrived with his bird in mid February and asked me if I could take it apart for him so he could go back and rejoin the squadron as they were getting ready to go on the Valley Forge. I said that I would. Within a few days he was KIA and never made it to the Happy Valley. I got back and found the squadron had deployed and realized that I'd lost all my Junk. {My fan, refrigerator and all of the hooch that I kept in my hooch went by way of the Buffalo.] At least the Valley was air-conditioned. I loved that old fan.Doug Lanford told me that all our stuff was in storage. Yeah! in some REMF's quarters probably in HMM 165 who replaced us at Phu Bai in those goofy wooden barracks' they built behind the line.

Oh well, spoils of war.
SF

Chuck

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

We didn't get the 'Fridge, Chuck....WE still had to go to the Division PX to get, 'em, but we weren't allowed to take 'em on the Valley Forge or the Ttripoli....SOme folks got a DEAL, since after the Tripoli we didn't return to Phu Bat, we went to Marble Mtn.

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Joe Reed;36631 wrote: We didn't get the 'Fridge, Chuck....WE still had to go to the Division PX to get, 'em, but we weren't allowed to take 'em on the Valley Forge or the Ttripoli....SOme folks got a DEAL, since after the Tripoli we didn't return to Phu Bat, we went to Marble Mtn.

Tell me about it. It wasn't the fridge so much as the small ten inch elecro-mechanical, rotating, oscillating ventilating device that I missed when we went to Marble and lived in that open air, solid concrete floored whatchamacallit with three foot cement walls surrounding it near the beach. Every one else lived in hard back 'hooches', we were stuck in a big grass roofed shack with solid concrete floors; floors that were really great in a rocket attack or mortar attack. To me, it was almost as nutz as living in new three story wooden barracks with the X ring built for HMM 165 at Phu Bai just prior to us leaving there in Feb / March '68.

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

LOL!! Actually they were two story and we moved into ours in HMM-165 in November '67....During monsoon season the "vented" sides had to be covered up with ponchos or similar, to keep stuff dry and keep the wind at bay.....Still, they were better than the tents with pallets for floors (for the rats to move around under). We returned to Phu Bai from the Valley Forge in March '68.....We had already spent a couple of months in the new barracks prior to leaving for the Happy Valley.

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Joe,

Do you remember Jim Tyler and Scott Brank? Scott is gone now but Jim was my partner for years. They both were in HMM 165 when they relieved HMM 164 at Phu Bai in March of 68. Jim talks of Tommy Thompson often.

The new barracks were made of wood, being in a two story made of wood made about as much sense to me as having a concrete floor.

In raised hard back tents, it was a hop skip and a dive and roll into the nearest bunker, sometimes right through the side of the tent then drop and roll into the bunker. All from a rubber lady on a cot covered with a sheet and a horse blanket. I never had problems with rain unless it was in a soggy bunker on perimeter on the reaction platoon. The sand bags were saturated and it was like being in a Mr. Coffee with water dripping everywhere all night long. But the best was the Valley Forge, air conditioned, good food as long as disgruntled sailors were pizzing in the French Fries and clean sheets. No hot racking allowed. Hot showers and lots of gedunk. Just thank the stars we didn't chip paint.

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

cnowotny;36641 wrote: Joe,

Do you remember Jim Tyler and Scott Brank? Scott is gone now but Jim was my partner for years. They both were in HMM 165 when they relieved HMM 164 at Phu Bai in March of 68. Jim talks of Tommy Thompson often.

The new barracks were made of wood, being in a two story made of wood made about as much sense to me as having a concrete floor.

In raised hard back tents, it was a hop skip and a dive and roll into the nearest bunker, sometimes right through the side of the tent then drop and roll into the bunker. All from a rubber lady on a cot covered with a sheet and a horse blanket. I never had problems with rain unless it was in a soggy bunker on perimeter on the reaction platoon. The sand bags were saturated and it was like being in a Mr. Coffee with water dripping everywhere all night long. But the best was the Valley Forge, air conditioned, good food as long as disgruntled sailors were pizzing in the French Fries and clean sheets. No hot racking allowed. Hot showers and lots of gedunk. Just thank the stars we didn't chip paint.

I was with '265 at Phu Bai until 30 June '67. At the time we were billeted in tents next to Motor T & came under mortar attack on a regular basis. VC over-ran the area on one occasion. Saw pictures of the new wooden "hi-rise" barracks. Whose "brain dropping" was that ??? My immediate thoughts were that I would have either pitched my shelter half next to the nearest bunker or set my cot up inside it. Give those rats the ".45 cure".
I out-posted to Vietnam,Republic of,with '165 aboard the "Happy Valley" Aug. '66. Sqdrn. enlisted quarters were located on the fantail just below the hangar deck. I don't recall any A/C in that area. Of course,we crew-members only visited the place to S/S/S. Reason being,that the Valley had a screw out of balance.,which caused a hell of a vibration. We had some pretty capped up water on the crossing which made the many 5 gal. buckets of fire retardant (racked up against the bulkhead) rattle to the point of having to shout to be heard above the racket. Most of us opted to sleep in our birds on deck.
Just as comfortable & a lot more quiet & cool.
We picked up a company of Recon before leaving CONUS. Since their daily routine seemed to be a succession of 2 hr. P.T.sessions.,followed by a shower.,we ran out of fresh water before we reached Pearl. Between Pearl & Okinawa,the gedunk ran out of Snickers Bars,the chow hall's supply of fresh milk expired along with the supply of fresh eggs. (re-combined milk & powdered eggs,do not a palatable meal make) The chow hall reefer developed problems shortly after leaving Pearl. (Fresh salad or veggies were no longer an option)
We went on a salt water hygiene schedule after pulling out of Pearl Harbor. Ever try to brush your teeth with purified salt water.,much less shower & shave..,with ..,time restrictions in place ???
Hit the tail end of a typhoon between Iwo & Okinawa. Seas high enough to lift the entire bow & fantail of the carrier out of the water on the pitch. Danang Harbor was a welcome relief.
This was not the cruise that we'd read about in the travel brochures. LOL
Craze

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Side note:
No offense intended boys,but I think we're getting off the thread objective yoost a wee bit.
Craze

Re: Capt Robert Godwin HMM 164, 1967

Do you remember Jim Tyler and Scott Brank? Scott is gone now but Jim was my partner for years. They both were in HMM 165 when they relieved HMM 164 at Phu Bai in March of 68. Jim talks of Tommy Thompson often.

Chuck,
I knew you from Memphis and I Scott better than Jim Tyler, but I knew "titty" too. When he made Crew Chief his most of the time gunner was George Greene, a good friend of mine to this day. By the way if Jim would like to speak with George (Nash) I'll get them together. People have asked me dozens of times about Tommy Thompson, but I can't remember him at all.....wish I could! When at the Reno reunion in '04, Rick Roth and Joe Morin, guys before and after me in HMM-165, asked me about Thompson...Sad they're both gone now....
Flew a couple hairy missions as gunner with Scott. One near the Ashua Valley with an emergency recon extraction and one was project Delta we got shot up a bit on....Since I'm from Georgia, we'd lament about southern cookin' at times...