Stan Corvin Jr. - Vietnam Saga: Exploits of a Combat Helicopter Pilot

The Vow

Descending to five hundred feet in a Huey, with eight Green Berets on board, I slowly flew over the Montagnard village where we saw everything had been burned down. In the central open area, there was a large circle of dead Ruff Puff soldiers and village men. Inside the circle was a pile of bloody, naked, obviously dead women who had been raped, disemboweled, and grotesquely mutilated. Several of the women were pregnant, and their babies had been cut out of their bellies. A group of twenty to thirty small children was tied together and had been burned alive with gasoline.

Apparently, the village men were forced to watch as their wives, children and families were abused, butchered, and set aflame by the Viet Cong and NVA soldiers. I was horrified and sickened by what I saw and can only describe the scene as Satans playground: straight out of hell!

Unleashing the raging anger I felt, every part of my being screamed this solemn vow. I will seek revenge for these atrocities! Over the next sixteen months, with grim determination and merciless efficiency, I fulfilled my vow again and again and again!

SECOND EDITION COPYRIGHT 2017 by Stan Corvin, Jr.

Vietnam Saga

The information contained in this book is the intellectual property of Stan Corvin, Jr. and is governed by copyright laws of the United States and International convention. All rights are reserved. No part of this publication, neither text nor image, may be used for any purpose other than personal use. Reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system, or retransmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, for reasons other than personal use, except for brief quotations for reviews or articles and promotions, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission by the author.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Design Services: Melinda Martin - Martin Publishing Services.

PUBLISHING INFORMATION:

ICB - Scripture taken from the International Childrens Bible. Copyright 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson All rights reserved.

NLT - New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

NKJV - Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

NIV - Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-9989222-3-2 (paperback), 978-0-9989222-4-9 (epub), 978-0-9989222-5-6 (hardback)

PUBLISHED BY: Southwestern Legacy Press

8901 Tehama Ridge Parkway

Suite 127-115

Fort Worth, TX 76177

www.swlegacypress.com

LIBRARY CATALOGING:

Names: Corvin, Stanley E. (Stanley E. Corvin, Jr.)

Vietnam Saga/Stan Corvin, Jr.

325 pages 23cm 15cm (9in. 6 in.)

Description: Vietnam Saga is the very personal story of Stan Corvins often-perilous times in the U.S. Army as a two-tour helicopter pilot in Vietnam. It is a true-life story of a pilot who fought for freedom and often his very life. Vietnams Saga is also a story about the meaning of life. Standing back from his war experience, Stan reflects on his ever-present faith and how it carried him through this challenging period of his life. Originally written as a legacy to Stan Corvins family-something that will be passed down for many generations-Vietnam Saga is now an opportunity for you to share in the legacy and the personal recollections, memories, thoughts, fears and shed tears of a decorated and dedicated American military pilot. The book also contains numerous photos.

Key Words: Aviation, Helicopters, Combat, Flying, Vietnam War

We have shared the incommunicable experience of war. In our youth, our hearts were touched with fire.1
Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1884

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my loving wife, Peggy, whose gentle encouragement and sweet spiritual nature helped me through the dark times when I wrote about certain traumatic wartime events.

Introduction

Not all those that wander are Lost.

Ive written this book to share my military flying experiences only with my family and a few select friends and individuals! I have written in essay style with each chapter more or less standing on its own. The story all revolves around the central theme of the perilous times I spent in the U.S. Army as a combat helicopter pilot. The time period covers my first deployment to Vietnam in 1968, my subsequent transfer to Schweinfurt, Germany, in 1970, my voluntary second deployment back to Vietnam in 1971, and finally, my separation from the U.S. Army in 1973.

This has been an intensely personal endeavor for me and one that I never intend to repeat. I have chosen to tell you most of the truth about my military experiences, but not everything. Some events were too horrifying; others were too highly classified. In war, people kill people, and I was a ruthless and merciless killer of North Vietnamese soldiers and combatants. Given the opportunity, they would have instantly done the same to me. Many tried, but all failed.

Regarding what Ive not told you, You cant handle the truth! as Jack Nicholson said in the movie A Few Good Men. Sorry about that, everyone!

In order to write this book, I had to go back in time forty-nine years and deliberately descend into a hell of death, destruction, and depravity. I knowingly unearthed feelings of rage and revulsion that I had purposefully suppressed and buried long ago. Writing about certain events frequently caused my heart to race (up to 120 bpm), my blood pressure to spike (up to 180/115), and my adrenaline to surge. Thankfully, all were of short term duration. Obviously, my feelings about the Vietnam War, and my role while flying there, are still buried deep within my psyche and probably will never entirely disappear.

While I have always been asymptomatic for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), I do occasionally exhibit some of its signs; i.e., I jump at loud, unexpected noises. The wop, wop, wop of a helicopter flying overhead causes my heart to beat faster. In a public place, I try to never to sit with my back to an open door, and always stay aware of my immediate surroundings.

The U.S. Army 5th Special Forces in Vietnam had a saying. Youve never lived until youve almost died; for those that have fought for it, life has a meaning the sheltered will never know. I whole heartedly agree with them.

I needed many years and numerous life experiences, both good and bad, to see the meaning in my life. The meaning is very clear to me now that Im seventy two years of age. I am to love the Lord with all my heart and to love my wife and family unconditionallyI absolutely do! And usually I dont sweat the small stuff, because its all very small stuff.