Robert F. Hartley - Gunship Pilot: An Attack Helicopter Warrior Remembers Vietnam

Copyright 2015 Robert Hartley.

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ISBN: 978-1-4897-0394-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-0393-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-0395-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015900427

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 2/24/2015

Contents

To my grandchildren Christian, Rachael, Ethan and Kai tlyn

O f the 11,827 helicopters shipped to Vietnam, more than 5,086 were destroyed in that beautiful but hostile countryside. Likely most of the more than seven million hours of flight time, was accrued by transportation type helicopters hauling food, water, ammunition, mail, soldiers and medical supplies. Not so for a Gunship pilot. Always on strip alert! Always in the fight when called, diverted to an even more dire fight as a blanket call for gunships meant soldiers (usually small unit Special Forces Teams) were outnumbered and fighting for their lives! They were just a voice on the radio, but a helicopter gunship pilot would give everything to save them. The successes were sweet, the failures are haunting!

Like Bob, I was a young Warrant Officer flying UH-1C Charlie Model Helicopter Gunships and then AH-1G Cobras. Unlike Bob, I was in the Air Cavalry. The mission was different but many of the memories are the same. Camp Evans, the A Shau Valley, the lush mountain valleys, clear blue South China Sea, the craters of the moon and the enemies safe haven beyond. Strip Alert; hours of boredom, feelings of dread when called to venture, vastly outnumbered, into a known enemy stronghold, the moments of terror as enemy gunfire shredded your aircraft and the uncertainty of nursing a wounded bird and crew to where the good guys lived.

Ive known Bob Hartley for close to forty years, in and out of the Army and all after his tours in Vietnam. Over the years we shared a few war stories, but mostly talked of family, hunting and fishing. As I read Bobs book, I was in Vietnam, in the cockpit with him. Youll be there too! Bobs memories and writing style will take you there.

So, climb aboard, strap in and prepare yourself for an exhilarating ride through the not so friendly skies of Vietnam with Bob Hartley as your guide!

Warning: A Helicopter Gunship Flight can be frightening, humorous, depressing and most certainly exciting, but on this trip neither lethal nor fatal.

Robert (Bob) MitchellOctober 2014

Colonel, US Army (Retired)

AH-1S Cobra Platoon Leader C 7/17 Cav - CPT

AH-1S Cobra Troop Commander B 7/17 Cav - MAJ

AH-64A Apache Squadron Commander 3/6 Cav - LTC

AH-64D Apache Longbow TRADOC Systems Manager - COL

T his book is about my life as an attack helicopter pilot during two tours of duty during the Vietnam war. While many combat veterans do not like to talk about what they did during wartime, I felt that I needed to pass along what I learned so that others following in my footsteps could avoid some of the dangers and mistakes that I encountered. As an instructor pilot in the Cobra, I would often use a War Story to illustrate a teaching point to my students. After the war, I had several of my former students tell me that my War Stories had helped them during their combat tours and may have even saved their lives. Endorsements like that only encouraged me to keep telling my stories.

All the stories contained herein are from my memory. I did not keep a journal of any kind but did refer to copies of my military records to confirm certain dates, flight hours and other assorted data. While many of you may be skeptical that I can remember details from 46 years ago, let me assure you that the facts of these stories are chiseled into my memory like the names on a tombstone. My wife, Nancy, finds it difficult to believe that I can remember these events from so long ago but that I can't remember to take out the trash. Many psychologists call life changing experiences Significant Emotional Events and say that these events in our lives help define who we are and that they are hard wired into our memory and will stay there until the day we die. While most people only have a few of these events in their lives, I have had many and am sharing them with you in this book. By the way, taking out the trash is usually not considered a Significant Emotional Event.

Now for the big caveat. While these are MY memories, others that were present for some of the events described herein, may remember things slightly differently. This is perfectly normal and, in fact, expected. During my time in the Army, I attended an aircraft accident investigation course. One of the first things they tell you is that eye witnesses are totally unreliable sources of information on what happened. This is not because they are purposely trying to mislead the investigators but simply because they are human and each has their own biases, prejudices, a need to logically order things when there is no order, and simply, a lack of knowledge to understand what they have just observed. In an experiment to prove this, investigators staged an accident and asked each of the 30 eyewitnesses individually, What happened? They got 30 different answers. And so, I ask my fellow warriors who may have been present during some of these stories to keep this in mind if you remember things differently from your point of view.

I think it is important for you, the reader, to know that my main motivation for the things I did was to save as many American lives as possible by effectively using the tools and training I was given. I have no regrets. I must also state that I have no remaining animosity toward and do, in fact, respect the enemy soldiers I faced during the war. Most of them were professionals trying to do their job and acted accordingly but those that perpetrated terrorism on the local civilian populous and captured soldiers should rot in Hell for eternity.

I think you will find my stories interesting, enlightening and sometimes amusing. I have tried to limit the graphic descriptions of blood and gore as much as possible but this is a book about war and some verbal pictures were necessary to tell the story.

Over the years, many people that I've told my stories to would often comment that, You should write a book! So, here it is.

F irst and foremost I wish to thank my wife, Nancy. Without her patience, understanding and encouragement, this project would never have happened. She has been my traveling companion down the road of life and has been by my side as we have survived the many bumps and potholes in that road. She has endured my repeated retelling of most of these stories with tolerance, serenity and a great sense of humor. Thank you, dear!

I would also like to thank my friend and former crew chief, Russ Warriner, for being a pathfinder and showing me the way. When he published his book, Empty Tubes and Backseat Memories he encouraged me to write this book by saying, If I can do it, you can do it. Thanks, Russ.