Cobra Pilot’s Intense Combat Missions in the Vietnam War | Veteran Interview

[@waltgodsoe9111]

On arrival to Vietnam, a group of our company was sent to AnLoc in the back of trucks. Everyman a newbie and from New York and Chicago. We were support troops, fueling helicopters, keeping the fuel bladders full. Anyway on the way to AnLoc we came under fire. Trapped in the back of a deuce and half, squeezed in shoulder to shoulder we were sitting ducks, with most of the men sitting on their rifles. A few of us returned fire. And out the clear blue a Cobra shows up, unleashes fire on the enemy position. Thank You Robert.

[@serpentines6356]

Oh, thank goodness! I wish every single one of our guys could have made it back home alive. But, we know war doesn't work like that. I wore one of those MIA bracelets in High School. I had forgotten about it until I started watching some of these videos several months back. I wish I had made a point of keeping it. I don't know if I recall the name correctly. Bless all of you! 🙏💜🌿🙏💜🌿

[@StoryBeam-YT]

The story sounds super intense. 😯😯😯

[@marcblank3036]

Lucky all survived? Did the cobra spread some Flechette love?

[@DeanUSAMale]

Thank you, and God bless Sir... from the son of a now deceased USAF Vietnam Veteran, Sgt. (E4) 1968-1972... tour of duty summer 71 - summer 72.

[@ilovemyplayfulcat320]

God bless you and your family and friends God bless your Dad

[@ilovemyplayfulcat320]

🎉

[@jerryhillman3993]

Thanks for your bravery & service to our country .🇺🇲

[@javacup912]

Thanks for your service. One of the lucky ones that put some thought on his future, and lived to tell the stories.

[@nathanrussell4010]

I loved seeing cobras working, especially at night. Looked like.a steady stream of fire from the aircraft to ground. My respect goes out to all of the chopper pilots that served in Vietnam. I was in an khe for 3 months then went to ba loc where I was on a mortor crew at camp Woodstock on ql 20.

[@fastsetinthewest]

Too bad the crew chiefs who maintained these helicopters are not heard or seen. I was one. I had 2 Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) when I arrived in the Republic of Vietnam in 1968. One MOS was for the Hughes OH-6A (67V20) and the the other MOS was for the UH-1 Bell (67N20) helicopter. I was given a merit promotion to E-5 within 6 months of being in the Army. I skipped E-2 and E-3 rank. Upon arriving in Vietnam, the goof balls put me working on a civilian aircraft carrier for a fortnight off the coast of Vietnam and putting rotor blades on new Cobra helicopters. I ended up with 1st Aviation as a OH-6A crew chief flying all over the place. We ran out of gas once -dumb pilot. Hahaha.

[@timf6916]

I was at Cobra Hall 1969, work at the range arming the Cobras. I was a range armor. Then went to RVN in late 69 till 1971. I was stationed at plaku in Vietnam. He was in the first aviation brigade, which I was in. I flew in a OH-6A Loch.

[@AbesNbacon]

Welcome home and Thank you Sir.

[@kerrytodd3753]

Thank you sir for your service, sacrifice and our freedoms we hold dear…..🙏🇺🇸

[@mr.joshuah1412]

My father, who is still kicking, Piloted the AH-1G with the 1st Cav 2/20th ARA Bluemax - A battery. I never tire of his stories. What he went through weighs on him as the time passes. I don't wish it on anyone.

[@YourDadsCawk]

Tell your father thank you and the young men love him and welcome him home

[@RedTail1-1]

Vietnam wasn't so long ago that veterans would be hard to find. Most are in their 70s

[@timsolms]

Who is your Dad? I commanded Blue Max at Fort Bragg in the90s and we had a reunion for the Vietnam Blue Max guys. It was such an honor to make the connection

[@mr.joshuah1412]

@@timsolms I wish I knew that! I'd love to find his old logbooks. His trunk was pilfered in Vietnam and his flight jacket was stolen, sadly. But his name is Steven J Hite.

[@dallastorvaldtronsdal7644]

Hope your father is still doing well. Take care.

[@rodneygillmeister8003]

Spent 1969-1971 with the 1st Cav. (BLUE MAX) BRAVO An all Cobra unit. I was the head armor & electric repair person. Also, I got to fly front seat at times do to being the head armor and had Rec. Flight license. Love that bird and the BLUE MAX unit. Finished my last 3 months with the 1st Aviation Bde. Worked both core III region & core I region.

[@ilovemyplayfulcat320]

God bless you and your family and friends and welcome home 🏡 🙏

[@yacawntmiss]

Thank you for sharing this time of your life. When you mentioned the Parrot's Beak I was thinking, well this is going to get interesting. Glad you made it back and welcome home.

[@HoldTheLine1990]

The Cobra is America’s first true helicopter gun ship. The Cobra served proudly for a few decades from Vietnam to Panama, the Middle East and even the Horn of Africa. 🍻 to those first generation Cobra drivers.

[@TomMaterene]

Not true at all, the first was the Huey A model and second was the B then came the C. The Cobras were intended to take over the duties of close support but the first year in country was a disaster with heavy losses for the Cobras. They are not designed to fly low level and fight simply because the gunner and the pilot have a very limited view of his battle space. They were then ordered by 1st Aviation to not fly lower than 1000 feet and it officially became aerial artillery support. A new aircraft the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse was designated the eyes of the cobras and most of the time they had an OH-6 scout flying down in the bush and marking targets. The little OH-6 was well armed to defend itself, most had one mini or rocket pods but not both due to weight restrictions. It was declared the safest helicopter to survive a shoot down or roll over, the tail boom would usually separate and the cockpit area was able to roll like an egg. Not in the air of course but on ground impact ;0) Contrary to the OH-6 the Cobra was not a very safe helicopter on ground impact and usually if it was upside down the two pilots were in deep trouble if you know what I mean. There was one Cobra stationed at Can Tho shot down that ended upside down after dark and the two pilots were unable to get out but did survive all night until they were found the next morning and rescued. It was a wild ride for sure but one most of us would not regret to relive. I should mention that the first official gunship in the Vietnam War was the flickr.com/photos/194222254@N05/52778158204/in/dateposted-public/ Due to the Air Force being very unhappy with the loss of the money in budgeting they were able to get the mission assignment changed to in the future have the now famous A-10. The Mohawk continued to have a very great presence in Vietnam, it was used for radio tracking the enemy and could fly long distance and linger all night before having to return back their base. It was also the number one camera aircraft used for reconnaissance. They had a special flash attachment that could be seen for miles and miles when they were up and taking photos of the enemy locations. The aircraft was the fastest aircraft in the entire Army inventory. It was manufactured with offensive operation missions and having weapon hard points already installed. It was a very beautiful aircraft but was known as a widow maker should an engine be lost on take off due to the extreme high torque of the engines. flickr.com/photos/194222254@N05/

[@miatalife94]

still in service with the Marines currently

[@USNveteran]

I worked at USNTPS in the mid 1980's. We had a Army warrant officer there who was an instructor and had quite a bit of combat time in Nam in Huey's & Cobra's. He was a absolutely amazing rotary wing stick and his experience clearly showed. FLY NAVY!!!

[@Redfour5]

I was in 73-75 missed Vietnam by the skin of my teeth but was always intriqued by the Cobras. Then in like 2013 or 2014, was in a classroom at the Helena Montana airport and looked out the window and at the side of the building were a bunch of OLD SCHOOL Cobra fuselages just laying there piled on top of each other. I wondered if there was still some value in them for restorers. I also remember how small they looked compared to my memory. They sure were mean looking things as a Marine in the 70's.

[@grateful7839]

Feb/Mar 1971 Attached to an assault helicopter battalion that was assigned to Operation Lam Son which was intended to disrupt flow ow supplies coming down the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. It was the largest helicopter operation ever conducted and placed Vietnamese Marines in Laos and brought them back. I volunteered for an assignment as a radio operator located at a secret location at a place called LZ Leatherneck on an ARVN artillery LZ. It was the command center for our Vietnamese forces. Only Americans were 2 AF, 1 Navy and 2 Army mixed with high ranking Vietnamese Officers. It was located just southwest of Khe Sahn. Exciting and dangerous times.

[@karencarothers2043]

Thank you well home

[@Historyguy277]

Welcome home, Robert!

[@HoldTheLine1990]

Also, I’d like to add many of the young warrants from Vietnam stuck around in the army and became CW4s at the platoon level and many new young warrants learned from them. These guys flew Hueys, Cobras and OH-6s. And the stories they told of flying in Vietnam were wild. All were either in aircraft that were shot up or shot down. One CW4 Huey driver in my unit at Fort Ord had received the Distinguished Service Cross while in Vietnam. He was old school army; which I appreciate to this day still.

[@pawpawstew]

We had a senior TAC at A Co, Rucker named Alfred Lehmburg or something like that. He was a Vietnam vet and his uniform looked like a Christmas tree. He was an awesome guy and even wrote me a letter of recommendation that I get returned to flight school I got a medical down slip and couldn't fly....just in case I got better (long story). I never got back there, but I still have his letter.

[@DragonPilot]

Yep…I was assigned to the 334th at Bien Hoa Aug 68-69, 3rd PLT (Dragons). I was a warrant officer at the time. Later in my career I took a direct commission and retired as a lieutenant colonel. High times!

[@ritaschultz6859]

Welcome home warrior of the day, and thank you for your service and sacrifice to our country 🇺🇲 Hurrah to all you angels in the sky 🌹

[@pdxbohica]

I was a crew chef across the way in 1st platoon (Playboys), 68-69 also.

[@ritaschultz6859]

When duty calls character Counts .and that deserves Respect Did you know your fellow brothers in arms referred to you helicopter pilots as angles in the skies , I didn't make that up .Take care Warrior of your day, and job well done 👏 to all who served 🇺🇸

[@The1greenscott]

My dad was a grunt and new lieutenant for two tours. Tunnel rat for a year. He sang praises for chopper pilots. You saved his ass numerous times. Can’t thank you enough. He served in 1sr ID and Tropic Lightning. Two uncles also served. One was a gunner on choppers. Bless you all.

[@chucksheppard5927]

WoW, never once heard of an officer being a tunnel rat. Special guy.

[@lyntwo]

One night in April 1970 I was in a guard tower on the Greenline (defensive perimeter) of Camp Radcliff, Ankhe when NVA sappers attacked the Golf Course (at one time the largest helicopter base in the world). One memory of that night was of myself looking out some 50 yards or so at tower height directly into the side of the cockpit of a Cobra nose down at a angle of about 30° as that gunship worked the concertina razor wire in front of my position in the tower, the pilots looking like aliens in their helmets almost at eye level to me. Pure Adrenaline. It was if he was literally standing on the brakes hovering. Thank you guys. Later that night my Battery sent out two Quad Fifty gun trucks and the Battalion two Dusters which raked the terrain beyond the wire.

[@toddwheeler1526]

AMERICA is blessed to have men like you. May your years pass in peace. Thank you for your service. Well done sir.

[@fred1barb]

My time was a little after Robert's and the path different. Like Robert I went to Hunter, but the demand for pilots was already forecast to drop, and most of us were sent to Ft Hood, 37 pilots and 3 choppers, one of which was a very old H-23. We would go up to Bell to get ferry hours. I was motivated to apply for OH-6 training and after Rucker it was straight to VN, to an Air Cav Troop at Quan Loi as a scout. I really like the OH-6 and I was thinking about asking for a move to Cobras. Instead, I was medically grounded- for good, my flying days were over. I thought maybe I will get discharged. But the Army being the Army I still had a pilot's MOS but no slot anywhere. I completed my tour in glorious command of the clerks and motor mechanics of an HQ platoon--in Vung Tau. Actually, the clerks and mechanics and drivers were all doing their part even though most of them wanted to be elsewhere. Vung Tau had a beach and no one was trying to shoot me down, so it had its compensations. When I got back to Oakland, they looked at my MOS and saw a pilot. I was called into a room with actual pilots. We were offered the choice of an immediate out or orders to Ft Hood, where we would could extend or face a RIF. The room was silent with shock when I stood and said where do I sign. At about 6 AM my Army career was over. I have great admiration for the men with whom I flew and the troopers we supported and the medics and maintainers that supported us. Nothing good can be said about the war or the men who kept us in the fight, but respected or not America should be proud to of the way her sons did what they were asked to do.

[@richardcunningham5540]

All these guys stories need to be told. Extraordinary recollections. Thanks to all involved is recording history.

[@Jerry-zk1pk]

Saw these cobras work out hundreds of times in 1 corps. What an awesome weapon. Happy they were ours

[@meshak8107]

What a great story and presentation. I could listen to him talk all evening.

[@williamhoenstine5057]

Hi Robert, looks like you and I were flying in VietNam (3 corps) during the same time. I was a Chinook AC based at PhuLoi - in country from October 1969 to October 1970. My unit was the 205th ASHC with the call sign Geronimos. I flew mainly A & B model Chinooks logging a little lover 1,010 hours combat. I was married at the time so extending wasn't an option for me. I too flew into Cambodia during that period. Stateside I was assigned to Mother Rucker as a CH-47 IP. With the WO early out program in full swing in mid 1971, I got out of the US Army December 1, of that same year. Hard to believe that being 'indefinite' to get Chinooks, they left me out with serving 3 years, 3 months, and 25 days. Looking back on it now at 78 years old, it was an honor to have served and would do it again in a heartbeat! Thanks for your service and your story. Very familiar.

[@joeybobbie1]

I would haves loved to have been a Cobra Pilot. I always liked the way the Cobras looked. Thank You for your Service.

[@Hi-lb8cq]

Thank u for your service...im happy you made it back...we are lucky to have u

[@jeffmcquade1919]

My brother and his gunner in an OH-6 were shot down on a rescue mission in 72. They share a grave at Arlington. 8th Cav Blue Ghost F troop

[@ajbaumgart4774]

If this man is still alive i have to say not only thank you for your service to our country but also give you a big salute i just feel so bad and awful in how you Vietnam veterans we're treated when you came back i lost my uncle gary in Vietnam so i have a family connection with Vietnam even my dad who's a Vietnam error veteran who was in Thailand and other places during the Vietnam war hes job was communications and also guarding planes and supplies that were going to Vietnam

[@TomMaterene]

The sniffers were actually sensing for latrine emissions that were usually accurate for picking up large groups of VC using one area for their latrine. It was like a huge vacuum cleaner that had input hose tied to the step up on each side of a huey. It just pulled in air and fed into sensors to get a needle reading on the big box they were attached to. We have no idea what was inside but I did fly two missions my first month in the slicks before I moved over to the gunships and I saw several big special units that were loaded and tied down for special missions. Usually a few bullet holes was pretty accurate as far as we crewman were concerned. I feel pretty sure they were trying to setup B-52 strike sites. This was 1968.

[@troycet1]

My oldest brother flew as gunner in a Cobra. Silver Star recipient.

[@GEAE_Denny_L]

I was stationed at Marble Mountain Army Air Base in Da Nang 1971-1972. 11th Combat Aviation Group…part of the Wings Of Freedom.

[@fighterbomberMiG27]

Amazing experience, dangerous business. Really love your interview. Full respect from retired Fighter Pilot and my sub.!!!

[@danilaurin3633]

Nothing in 4th of July fireworks compares to the fire works I saw in Vietnam.

[@ronniedudley2697]

❤damn right ✅️

[@markskains4497]

Sir, I Thank you for your service

[@RobinLauer]

I was a door gunner with the Diamondheads, 25th Aviation, 25th Infantry Division out of Cu Chi. I was on many “sniff” missions, low leveling (tree top high) out near the Parrots Beak in 68/69 many times.

[@waltgodsoe9111]

I did the extend thing too. I went to home, NYC and my sweetheart.

[@ilovemyplayfulcat320]

And im gonna keep on thanking them and praying that God blesses them and their family and friends 🎉🎉🎉

[@kennethprice5628]

Welcome home brother, you served with honor, sir...72 yo Navy Veteran

[@danzahner4857]

Was there as a Controller (ATC) at the same time (also with the 125th) only at Dau Tieng . I'll bet you have some memories of the Michelin rubber plantation!

[@debbiemarler8722]

Thank you for your service and my freedom

[@prichardgs]

Thank you for your service sir.

[@brianplunkett4002]

It’s great hearing these stories.

[@LivingWaterEternal]

Great story. Thank you for sharing.

[@Perry-James-uk]

Great stories thanks for sharing

[@stephenernsberger9678]

I I have led a suckass life & I blame no one but me, myself, & I... But THIS GUY....!!! Wish I would have gone that way.. WHAT AN AWESOME LIFE...FTW...!

[@fastsetinthewest]

So it seems like we hear very little from the crew chiefs who maintained these helicopters in the Republic of Vietnam.

[@Johnny-ip4mk]

Thank you for your service! ❤

[@PaulBrennan-b6m]

Respect 🙏🤝the Cobra and Heuy helicopters legendary thanks for for serving your country with pride 🙏🤝

[@uratrick]

Fantastic narrative

[@barrykarow906]

FYI, the C-123 was present as a wreck in July 1969. I don’t know when it actually occurred. Sobering to see such a relatively large aircraft in a pile.

[@sonnyeriksson4480]

I really like listening to NOT AI . And this stuff of course

[@davidoakley5257]

Proud to have served under LTC Bruce Crandall MOH. We Were Soldiers.

[@johnfontinha2174]

Thank u for your service

[@dannunya959]

an amazing memory

[@chadlimestall9201]

This guy had a mission to "cut off arms". Woah dude

[@opforwarrior]

Lead tank of the Army Training center Europe.(91-92) Rolling in a column down a beautiful German Valley, looking to my right, flying parallel over the stream, was one of our RED-FOR Cobra, nose down, 3 foot off the deck. Truly cinematic experiences that will never be shown in film. Too much money to have 5,000 soldiers; 50 tanks; 120 armored carriers; dozens of 'copters; hundreds of hummers; dozens of mobile artillery... millions a day in assets.

[@tomjoseph1444]

I knew several pilots who were victims of the RIF. A couple ended up E6 supply sergeants just to finish up there time to retire. At that time you retired at the highest rank held. That was soon changed though.

[@paulholcombe7324]

Wow, what an exciting life you have lived.

[@fload46d]

Was with the 101st at Phu Bai and spend two weeks in the field until they found out I could type. So they made me a clerk. That meant I was in "the rear" which was surrounded by barbed wire and trip flares. One night we got called out because something was "in the wire". We were all on the line and a Cobra came in and started shooting rockets. The next morning they found a dead water buffalo in the wire.

[@forwardobserver2048]

93 Sniffers January-August 1970 1 Air Cav.

[@Hi-lb8cq]

When he said that his friend was a "foward observer" i instantly thought that his friend could of been special forces...

[@MartinEspinoza-g5i]

Thank you for your service sir God bless did you were you in the Easter offensive

[@dfrozendog3849]

Welcome Home!

[@crazyralph6386]

Interesting. Always thought that UH-1 pilots who already did a tour, were given AH-1 first dibs on training?

[@jethrox827]

Very interesting 👍

[@erichaskell]

In the late sixties having pre qualified for OCS I was then offered Warrant Officer school and perhaps an opportunity to fly helicopters. I declined becoming an enlisted man. I have often wondered if I made the correct decision.

[@jaywest9786]

I was in An Loc several times. 10Th Armored Cav. Not a friendly place.

[@greensombrero3641]

Bravo bravo bravo thank you for sharing your story. Love live the united states, soldier.

[@tragiclife9760]

My cousin flew 2 tours in a Cobra,

[@lopaka173]

Welcome Home Brother.

[@jayman9168]

He made good choices

[@williamturner1517]

Hiller H-23

[@deborahleone4351]

Thank you for protecting me and my family’s life! You’re a great hero.i was supposed to go straight out of nursing school, but the war ended. A great thing for the world, but I really wanted to go (silly girl, huh?). God bless you in Jesus’s Precious Name, Amen.

[@roberts2099]

I would have gotten my draft notice in about 2 wks according to what was in the local newspaper. I was just out of high school. They stopped the draft just before I was up.

[@michaelmcclure8673]

That you for your service Sir 🇺🇲 😁

[@sonofz650]

Heavy Cav, Sir

[@MartinEspinoza-g5i]

Were you a chief warrant officer you went from high school to flight School used to be the call motto back then

[@terralljohnson4799]

And intense it was. South Vietnam and North Vietnam was a real war, the South was attacked by one of the kings of the east who was backed by a real dragon

[@johnflesner8086]

Any of you guys remember Paris control or Roadrunner control? 67-69.

[@cmcd1008]

Hooah, sir!

[@jaatmaster]

Did anyone check his 214? WORWAC Class 76-35

[@pawpawstew]

U.S. Army '89-'95. Welcome home brothers.

[@Mingus8]

I wonder.. what was the real purpose of the Cobras, instead of using Hueys? Were they protected with armor in any way or just as vernable as the Hueys?

[@DragonPilot]

@@Mingus8 The Cobra was designed as a dedicated weapons platform from the skids up. It was highly maneuverable and carried significant fire power. Given its streamlined design it could cruise at higher speeds arriving on fire support scenes quicker. The Huey was a multipurpose utility helicopter. Although in the early days it could be configured to carry guns and rockets, its primary design purpose was to carry troops and supplies. Cobra pilots were specifically trained to engage targets with the miniguns, 40mm grenade launcher and 2.75” aerial rockets. The advent of the Cobra gunship provided superior firepower and maneuverability that did a better job of protecting troop-carrying Hueys as well as providing close air support for ground troops.

[@DragonPilot]

@@Mingus8 The Cobra and Huey both had armor protection, but the Cobra’s armor also protected vital areas in the engine compartment. Having flown both I found the armor protection for the two pilots in the Cobra to be somewhat better, but not by a huge margin.

[@Mingus8]

@@DragonPilot Ok, thanks.. could the Cobras withstand machine gun fire, like 7,62mm on these protected areas?

[@DragonPilot]

@ 7.62 was about the upper limit. Anything bigger would do serious damage. And it also depends on the angle of impact and distance. I once took several hits in unprotected areas and kept flying. Another time I took a single 51mm round through an unprotected vital component and had to land immediately.

[@Mingus8]

@@DragonPilot Thank you for the informartion! Very interesting.

[@gunsaway1]

Welcome home, brother snake man from a troop 3/17 cav

[@NrthrnKnght]

223rd avn batt 48th avn co...blue stars...skill not luck

[@57silverwings]

Why would you auto rotate if the engine is still running?

[@mattharper588]

He said he was contemplating auto rotate because he thought he might have lost his hydraulics but he did not have to because he still had his hydraulics

[@keokih]

@@mattharper588you don’t autorotate with hydraulic failure. Running landing your best option

[@mattharper588]

I’m just repeating what he said

[@DragonPilot]

@@mattharper588 I didn’t pick up on that, but that’s correct. Autorotation is performed when there’s an engine out condition. Autorotation is the helicopter equivalent to loss of engine power in an airplane where one would, if successful, glide to a safe landing, although a helicopter’s glide angle will be much steeper. A hydraulics failure necessitates performing a running landing like an airplane. The Cobra has a dual hydraulics system that would provide hydraulic power to the flight controls if one system failed, but the emergency procedure dictates landing as soon as possible under full power to a suitable landing area. Continued flight was not recommended as the backup hydraulic system could fail as well, making landing significantly more difficult. The Huey has a single hydraulics system so pilots had their work cut out for them when their aircraft lost hydraulics. At any rate, autorotating with a loss of hydraulics in a Huey or a Cobra was not a given emergency procedure as the controls would be extremely stiff. Performing a successful autorotation with extremely stiff controls would be very difficult if not impossible since reaction times would be seriously degraded in the final moments of an autorotation.

[@georgezink8256]

I would not be here if wasnt for gunship.

[@ilovemyplayfulcat320]

Just because I can 🤔

[@cram1nblaze]

guy's like 50 saying he was a Nam vet, dafuq?

[@para1324]

🫡🇺🇸

[@colincrisp1592]

what was america doing in nam

[@terry_willis]

Enriching the warlords.

[@packrat76]

Why was North Vietnam invading South Vietnam?

[@colincrisp1592]

@@packrat76 This was a bankers war DO SO HOME WORK

[@badwizard1312]

I got home in ‘73 after the Christmas bombings that released the POWs. After the war was ostensibly over. Of course we still weren’t too popular with the hippie crowd and the protesters. A girl told me she was against the war. I said YOU.

[@stanwolenski9541]

@@badwizard1312I think most military personnel don’t want to go to war but train in the event they have to.

[@LUC66631]

😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎

[@jimjohnson9237]

Thank you for your service sir