First in Vietnam: An Exercise In Excess of 30 Days the U.S. Army 57th Transportation Helicopter Company (Light Helicopter) (CH-21) 1961 - 1962 - Softcover

Knight, Colonel Emmett F.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1491845058 ISBN 13: 9781491845059

Verlag: AuthorHouse, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

This book is about the continuation of someone else's war and the very early days in the assumption of that war by the United States of America. It is set against the beginning of a major expansion of our advisory effort supporting the South Vietnamese Government which was fighting against an expanding guerrilla war supported by the communist North. North Vietnam was in turn supported by both China and Russia, thus setting the stage for an essentially no win situation. The geopolitical problem was, of course, of limited concern to most of those soldiers who fought there, including the men of the 57th Transportation Helicopter Company. As conditions worsened they just went out and flew the missions including the first heliborne assault of the war and for a year afterward. In words written at the time, this was a period when they were not going by the book, they were writing the book on helicopter combat operations. This is their story as told by the operations officer that led the flying activity in the unit. It is a description of the training, deployment and first missions in Vietnam. It recounts the serious aspects encountered in the early days, but it also tells of the accidents, incidents and the humorous side of things that are often left out of wartime accounts. There are chapters about dealing with the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps as they entered the fray. Not the least of the story has to do with the interaction between the author and some of the more senior officers involved in the war at that time. In those cases, the author often contradicts the official view and draws uncomplimentary conclusions about their conduct and eventual impact on the Vietnam War.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Colonel Emmett Knight received an Infantry commission in 1953. He commanded an Infantry platoon before pinning on his Army Aviator wings in 1954. He then joined a 280 mm atomic cannon outfit, in Germany. After three years flying there, he was transferred to the Transportation Corps and preceded through helicopter transition to join the 57th Helicopter Company at Fort Lewis WA. Upon promotion to Captain he assumed duties as the Operations Officer and deployed with the unit to Vietnam; arriving on 11 December 1961. As the operations officer he planned, and on 23 December, led thirty helicopters in the first heliborne combat assault of the war. His pioneering work in the development of helicopter tactics during the next year led to his being recognized as the Army Aviator of the Year in 1963. During the next thirteen years, he completed two more trips to the combat zone, and was often involved in other jobs supporting the war effort. This included Army management of the development and initial Vietnam deployment of the new OH-58 helicopter and then service as a Department of the Army staff officer. His thirty year career included commands from platoon, to battalion level and assignments from Korea to Iran. He is a graduate of the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College. A Master Aviator, his decorations include, among others, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses (one for that first mission), two Bronze Stars, twenty-one Air Medals and the Vietnam Service Medal with three battle stars. Colonel Knight's last assignment was as the Director of the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, a laboratory assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Research and Development Command. He retired from that position in January 1984 and now lives with his wife Margie in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: AuthorHouse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1491845058
• ISBN 13: 9781491845059
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 364
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
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