Have you watched the documentary "warriors behind the lines"? About spike team Alabama yet? Sog squad that lands on the parade field of 10,000 Vietnamese by accident? They have an interesting story about these two gunships. Special forces had Huey gunships that were heavily armed with rockets and door Gunner's. Miniguns possibly. They operated in a team of two. The judge would go in first and just hover and draw fire and the Executioner (the other gunship) would come in and wipe out whatever was shooting at him. That takes balls.
Hey Jameson, Check out airsoft Helicopter Gunman videos you might find it interesting. They have videos of people sharp shooting from helicopter and actual door gun operators. lol Anyways I think you might find it interesting. lol
My grandfather was a door gunner for the Australian Air force. He was in in 3 separate helicopter crashes during his service, bravest man I've ever known and he's still alive and kicking, great vid mate, love the channel.
My father was a door gunner on a Huey, technically he was a firefighter on base but when he found out the door gunners were working long shifts with little rest he started volunteering to cover their shifts. Even though the door gunners were prioritized targets for the enemy and he didn’t have to put himself in danger like that. Second best shot in his entire unit. RIP dad, you were a hell of a guy.
i learned a lot from the vietnam guys. they had it bad. i was in a VA group where a 70 year old man had a full breakdown reliving how he was shot down and lost a man after the helo crashed. i'm always impressed by those guys.
Tim K! I hope all is well with you and your family! I’ve watched many of your videos here on RUclips and wish I could come but you a Red Horse one day. All the best to you, Chrissy and Dale!
My father was marine infantry in Nam, the heartbreak in his voice speaking how they were treated after seeing many friends fall was always angering. Enlisting this year but I know I'll never match up to those bad asses
My father enlisted in the US Army in 1966 and was a career soldier until 1987. He was in Vietnam in 1969 - 1970. He was a military police officer and when he arrived in Vietnam he was reassigned to the 138th Aviation Company of the 101st Airborne. They gave him a new job - Door Gunner. He survived 4 separate helicopter crashes/emergency landings during combat and protected the crash area with his machine gun. After his 4th miraculous survival of a crash in combat he was given some R&R in Hawaii. He spent that time there with my mother who he had married right before Vietnam. He told her that he was unsure if he would make it back alive due to his experiences. When he went back to Vietnam he was reassigned to the 509th Military Police Company as the commander of a armored convoy escort vehicle. He thought he was now in a safer position. However, he saw more up close and personal combat in that position due to frequent ambushes of the supply convoys. Despite seeing those faces from that combat for the rest of his life, he raised a family and was successful member of his community. He finished his career as a 1st Sgt, and became a police officer for 16 years more. My father was awarded the Bronze Star and the MSM Arcom for his combat acts. He eventually succumbed (way too young) to significant health complications from his exposure to agent orange. I alongside my son visited his stone today in the Veterans cemetery. He was an inner city tough kid from Chicago. He taught me how to be resilient, adaptable, and intense when necessary. In the same breath he taught me how to be kind and to serve your fellow man/community. I am posting this on Memorial Day in memory of him. Thank you for highlighting the service of the Door Gunners in Vietnam!
My Uncle Was A Door Gunner In Nam 67-68, He Told Me They Would Fly Over Villages After Being Shelled Or Bombed And Ordered To Shoot Anything That Moved. Two Days Before He Came Home A Sniper Blew His Helmet Off His Head, When He Did Get Home He layed On My Grandmother's Couch And Slept A Straight Twenty Four Hours!!!
@@johnspence8141 Thank You, He Did Live A Good Life Afterwards, He Got Married, Had Two Children And My Dad Got Him A Job On The Railroad, He Had An Amazing Sense Of Humor And Was Alot Of Fun To Be Around, You Would Have Never Guessed He Had Been Through All Of That. We Lost Him Several Years Ago To Cancer, He Is Greatly Missed!!!
I was a Door Gunner on a slick in 72 we flew Hunter Killer missions in the day .Our base was Marble Mtn south of DaNang D Troop 1/1 Air Cav. 196th inf.which later became D 17 cav 1st Aviation Brg . We usually worked south in the Que San mtn area.the Team was one Loach ,one Slick(Huey)with an air rifle team, two Cobras The scout loach would fly tree top level and would look for the enemy bunkers usually NVA .then the Cobras would unleash their hell.We always took fire and I had a Chicken Plate that I would put the flak vest in it to sit on.Our night Slick had a mini gun ,a fifty cal one sixty gunner a Zeon spot light ,one slick flare bird and two Cobras they always got shot at looking for enemy rocket squads firing at DaNang air base and Marble Mtn air base.Sorry for the long rant.
Hi I have a zippo with a tank reg o the front it’s got a tank engraved and number followed by mech bastards and on the back Knights slew for love Wesley for money, and 68-69 Da Nang , if you know any people interested let me know.
My friend and classmate, Mike "Bubbles" Burplinger was shot down flying a Scout Loach. He was still alive when he hit the ground, but the VC got to him before we could rescue him.
@@jamesburns2232 I'm sorry to hear that, we lost a few Loaches and crew to small arms fire.i think someone should do a show on these brave and daring guys who flew and crewed those birds.
My father in-law was a door gunner on a medical a vac. He flew 93 combat missions. He received so interesting awards. Unfortunately do to his exposure to agent orange He passed away this past January to cancer. I am proud to be able to call him dad.
That dioxin (agent orange)wiped out the entire town of Times Beach, Mo because they used it on their streets to keep the dust down. It leeched into the groundwater and the whole town had to be evacuated. Fuqdup
I was an Army vet of this era and it’s amazing to me how skinny we were and how little we wore to protect us compared to the young soldiers today. I have a photo of a group of Korea grunts and they were even thinner, looking almost malnourished. Things have come a long way in terms of body building, body protection, and medical care of wounded soldiers. God bless the men and women vets of yesterday, today and tomorrow. 🧨
These videos really make you appreciate what our servicemen go through. Makes you proud to be a part of this great country. My grandpa spent almost 40 years as an airman, dad and uncles marines, sister army and I couldn’t be prouder. My regret is not serving myself being a young father I felt I had to start working to provide for them here. Too old now but I wish I would have. I watch this videos and have so much appreciation for these men and women. Thank you for this look inside and thank you to all who have served.
USNC 1966-1969 Actually, Warlord, you could have and can serve. I know of many young fathers that served in Nam, Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan. As for now, how about volunteering, there's the air, navy, and coast guard auxiliaries, and fire departments take volunteers. So, many ways to serve, all one needs is to just do it.
@@danpress7745 yes should have. And those are some great ideas. I’m going to look into it. See what organization I can help with here in Houston. I’m 42 work a ton, single father, but I’d really love the experience and to just do my part. Thank you for the feedback. Greatly appreciated.
@@warlordrg I was a single father at one time also. I was in the Marines, and have volunteered as a firefighter at a rural department, did search and rescue, and tutored ESL. Not only was service positive for me but, more importantly, I found that it had a very positive influence on my kids.
@@danpress7745 wow very cool! I hope you take the time to pat yourself on the back! Hero in more ways that one. If I could only go back. I boxed for 8 years. My grandpa was a fighter in the Air Force and coached all of us grandsons. I learned discipline along with a lot things early thanks to that man. Just should have followed him and my dads footsteps and served. I watch these videos of what you all go through in awe. Sounds like your kids have a good daddy. My hat goes off to you sir . I greatly appreciate people like you. Been looking into what you were saying today. I was thinking Red Cross, USO even volunteer driving for disabled veterans I was reading about. Talking to my boys about it too. Thanks for the ideas sir and all you do/did 🙏
I also have a lot of appreciation for the Vietnamese for standing their ground and defending their homeland. US government was the biggest badguy in that conflict. I hope all living veterans on both sides can find peace.
Love this video man! My parents neighbor was a door gunner in Vietnam. Got shot down 3 different times. Has a purple heart. One of the 3 times his chopper got hit with a mortar on the top rotors. It caused the rotar to break off and cut off the ass end of the chopper. Crazy stuff these dudes went through
When I was 18 I remember a recruiter calling me, Army I think. I still don't know how they got my number, school maybe? Anyway, I politely declined and he was super nice said " May I ask why?" I was like because I'm a coward and when people are shooting I'm gonna run away and I'm not gonna have any control over that. Lol At least I was honest. I want to add that I know Vietnam vets weren't given their proper and earned respect when they returned but you have my love and full respect and you are not forgotten.
My mother and father ran a care home for disabled vets for 35yrs. The last to stay with us were both Vietnam Vets. M. Cobb Navy 68' L. Gibson 67-68 Marine Tank Gunner Both were Good Men 😎🇺🇸
Have a buddy that was a door Gunner in Vietnam! He was screwed up for 34 years, till he finally forgave himself for the killing he did ... He is doing so much better now! Living in peace!
Well it was the us governments fault anyway for sending people into a pointless war. Pretty sure most veterans are fault free except for the few psychos.
@@Jebu911 the US went in because South Vietnam requested. The UN requested. The French had been beaten very badly and were packing up and leaving. Yeah, the US was their too long fighting for those that that wouldn't fight for themselve, like a lot of the ARVN. It wasn't a war for resources. It was a war against the spread of marxism. And today, we have a bonafide marxist in the WH #46, being a bottom b*tch to those very same communist tyrants. (All the wrong people do about wars for oil. Well give up 90% of your luxuries and possessions if you really care about oil and conflict. The US, like our allies, help keep world commerce going. Keeping shipping lanes, refineries, etc protected from those that want to steal or destroy it. The world runs on oil. Get over it & lighten up Francis. Or go live in the woods buck nekked and hunt with sticks and rocks)
@btk pierce what side are you referring to? Because the two sides were the axis and allies powers and the US joined the allies. So please tell me, so I won't make an assumption.
@btk pierce well then you have to be referring to the Nazi's and the fact you're not being upfront shows the possible resentment. Instead of thinking that the US should've joined the other side, think how the US shouldn't get involved in other country's matters. This same thing happened with the Iran contra scandal that led to the making of a group responsible for 9/11. An honest patriot is more deserved than an ignorant nationalist.
Speaking of holes in aircraft. My dad served as a door gunner for 16 months from 65-6 with the 173rd AB. He survived 3 crashes and behind shot down behind enemy lines and having to be rescued once. Only 3 other guys from the Aviation Company he was assigned to made it out unscathed (though he probably ingested a few gallons of Agent Orange). Anyways, fast forward to 1981 at Rhein Main AB, West Germany. He had been promoted to Msgt (USAF) and became the 1st Sgt. of the 37th TAS. I remember the first time walking on to one of those E- Model C-130's and seeing dozens and dozens of jerry-rigged patches over obvious bullet holes. Some of their Herc's had actually dropped and LAPSE'd cargo into Khe Sanh. Good God, I fell in love with the C-130 over the next 3 years. These modern Herc's make those Vietnam era E- models look like the Wright Flyer as compared to an SR-71...
Michael, I hope you're being truthful.. This is this like the 4th story in this comment section and which someone says their dad was shot down "3 times"
@@jeffford665 im not a big abbreviations man myself and I hate sitting there scratching my head like VC what could he possibly be talking about and then it clicked lol
Re: Flak Jackets When the NVA got in the trenches at Khe Shan, Marines adopted the tactic of throwing a frag in front of NVA then turning around and taking the M26 blast in the legs and the Flak Jacket. Documented in the official history of the siege. Effective, but not recommended for the faint of heart.
@@DefunctYompelvertLet's say I am close to a enemy position in a semi-open area and I throw the grenade to the Vietcong position, I aim my back at where I threw my nade and the flak jacket will absorb the impact from the shrapnel of the grenade (if any hit), the Vietcong can't do much but to jump to the ground and lay or get killed by the shrapnel from the grenade. (I am russki I am not 100% fluent in English)
lol this honestly seems like complete bullshit. Why would you just turn and take the blast? Also, the nape of the neck, where the brain stem and spine protrudes, is vulnerable to shrapnel, so vulnerable infact, they develop a kevlar strip to sit over the back of the brain-stem/upper neck in Iraq/afghan GWOT
@@TankCatIntoMordor I only know that, as mentioned, it is recounted in the official history of the Siege of Khe Shan. I wasn't in the Corps in '68, much less at Khe Sahn, I got in country about a year later. Maybe it is complete bullshit, although your objections aren't so strong as to completely preclude it in my view. You're invited to check the sources if it's important to you.
A Marine I was in boot camp with was attached to the air wing in Da Nang as a clerk. He was used as perimeter security at Chu Lai and a door gunner when needed. He said, he was better out of the office. All Marines are rifleman. Semper Fi.
@@vicO1323 my grandpa was in Chu Lai he arrived there in 67 he was in air wing I’m not sure how long he was there and I really don’t know much about him so I figured it could possibly be him, his name is Harold Roy Adamson
@@willtoochill2844 The dates don't coincide. Your grandpa probably spent 13 months in country. The Marine I know was there in 70, his name was Morrison.
I had a cousin that served in Vietnam as a door gunner.. I always remembered visiting him as a young kid, he was basically catatonic and would occasionally scream. He was able to walk just fine, but he just sat in a chair one day and never moved again.. like, ever.. he got blood clots due to deep vein thrombosis and had both legs amputated, I never really knew him as he didn't talk. All I knew was the war REALLY messed him up and I always felt really bad for him. War IS hell, and these guys had it real bad.
Sir, thanks for the video on door-gunners. I served as a door-gunner on a CH--53 Sea Stallion flying out of DaNang with HMH-463, Marine Corps, 70-71. When you saw tracers coming your way, then you knew for sure it was the enemy. Keep up the good work on your videos. Semper Fi, Denis C. Berte' USMC 70-72.
I worked with a man who was a door gunner in Vietnam. He said you didn't always lead the target, but shot behind them as well depending on the speed of the chopper vs the target. I was a 60 gunner with the 82nd. I had mad respect for this man.
Hueys flew about two hundred feet a second at top speed so you shot behind and let the bullet catch up, then you have the arch to the ground, the crew chief side wasn’t to bad because the bullet spin kept it from falling like the door gunners side, he had a tremendous arch to deal with. But once you knew the arch it was just like shooting a m-79, very accurate.
Vietnam vets. Their government had no respect/regard for them (although that's true for modern vets too), and their fellow Americans had nothing but venom for them, whether they were volunteers, draftees, whatever. They went through hell. Many still are going through hell.
@@murderc27 my uncle had a happy life and was loved and respected by everyone who ever met him. Sorry to hear about those who struggle but that wasn't his story.
Thank you for your service. My father in law retired twice from USMC. He did helicopter avionics in Vietnam. Hope he kept all our boys safe. My grandfather hit the south pacific as a Lt. USMC with VMB 423 in the WW2. My maternal grand father ran a tank battalion in Korea. God bless our men and women!!
This is the mindset of me a 19 year old know nothing young man. AFTER my full tour in the 25th Infantry Division in the jungles of the Central Highlands of Vietnam(Pleiku) was over I decided to join up with the aviation group near our basecamp and volunteer before I rotated back to the world, to become a door gunner, (with reasons). I was envious as I noticed of just how clean those crewmen were ALL the time we were involved with the helicopters. Never seen a dirty boot, torn or worn out fatigues, how clean their faces were, sleeping in a cot each night, eating in a peaceful setting not out in the rain, mosquitoes and whatever else was out there in the dark I knew then I wanted to be a door gunner. The saying a crewmen's life expectancy is around 15 seconds is base on the fact they are only in harms way for 15 seconds and then they are out of there. I used to look up and see them just fly away, their combat was over until the next 15 seconds so that part did not bother me if I became a crewmen. My Sgt. heard I was going to volunteer and told me "I was very lucky to be going home in one piece and that I was pushing my luck and we only get so much of it and it's over, go home kid", I did.
True BUT, those "15 seconds" were actually much longer, going in several times, not just once, and under fire with no place to hide. No ground to lay down on or have your buddies have your back. No artillery or air support. And those "clean faces" hid the nightmares of body parts being washed out, with the blood and guts of your fellow soldier. The dead. Maybe not from your unit but we serviced MANY units in a day. That you NEVER eat in a mess hall, always Rations. I ate in a mess hall 5 times my whole tour. Never drank milk (it was sour) never drank tea (it had bugs in it), never slept on a cot, (always on the floor of the ship to take off ASAP during an attack) and always a sitting duck on the airfield (where the VC/NVA could walk rockets up and down the airfield). When getting hit with 100 rounds of mortar in a 5 minute period was common (usually between 2am and 4am) . If you flew, you get it.
Tim had the job, but behind the scenes Lee Ermey was campaigning for the job for several months. Kubrick knew of Ermey's performance in Boys of Company C as junior drill instructor Sergeant Loyce. Kubrick even told Ermey that he did not approve of the portrayal of Loyce because he was too nice as a drill instructor.
@@SuperGaleford Well yeah most especially if they've watched the DVD commentary or if they're trivia fanatics & obsessed with IMDB like I am; therefore please doi not take that as an insult to your intelligence.
@@ItsDionBrehhhh Full Metal Jacket made it seem that way, and granted there are a few "kill anything that moves" types. But this is rare. The reality is these aircrews flew through hell and back to save men on the ground and we're everyday folk that volunteered.
Flack jackets for use on Saturday fun runs. (Physical training and motivation). I had a Drill Sargent that served as a door Gunner. Very cool customer.
We had one team that was being inserted, but the chopper (CH-46) couldn't land due to the trees and vegetation, they had to jump out 12 - 15 feet to the ground, the patrol leader was concerned about someone getting injured where a chopper couldn't land was hesitant. The door gunner didn't like hovering for very long and decided to help him make up his mind and gave him a shove, the PL reached back and grabbed him and they both went out the back. the rest of the team quickly followed fortunately with no injuries. The door gunner went on a Recon patrol for 7 days ... he never pushed another Recon Marine out again.
On this Memorial Day, I remember a fellow Deputy Sheriff I worked with who was a door gunner in Vietnam. He was terribly wounded by gun fire directed at his Huey and has some severe scars on one forearm to prove it. After he retired from LE, he was killed in a car accident. After all of his exploits in Vietnam, he led a great life until his death. May he rest in peace.
The father of my Lt at the fire department was a door gunner in Vietnam, he comes in every morning we work shift to eat breakfast with us and tell war stories coolest dude I ever met.
At @9:20 that troop grabs the barrel bare handed. When I was in and shot an M-60, I was given as Asbestos glove to change or remove hot barrels. That would fry your hand if just used in duration.
I think the real muscle in war is the factory workers making weapons, munitions, grenades, bombs, rockets etc. Soldiers are the delivery men and risk their lives doing it and I appreciate them. There's a lot of people behind your equipment.
The chinook actually had the highest top speed of any rotary aircraft available to the US Army back in 2000. They’re definitely not as maneuverable as an Apache or a Kiowa but to say they are slow moving tubes is inaccurate. Plus they have three designated areas for gunners and a belly full of grunts. It’s definitely not helpless.
I was looking for this comment. The shithook is a beast. There’s nothing like that ride at night. I would argue the maneuverability too. That pic of the pilot in Afghanistan with only the rear to wheels touching the roof of a house is the end all be all.
@@fathead8933 Interesting! The CH-53D back in the 80's had the same issue with the slower Cobras. I've flown over 200 Knots before in a 53D slick low on fuel.
Good stuff. My theory is this concept led to the development of the highly successful A-10 program which is an amazing gun with an airplane built around it. I was an A-10 tech and loved it. Always remember Memorial Day weekend
Actually this concept lead to the development of a dedicated gun ship the Cobra The Armed C-47 aircraft lead to the development of the AC130 The A-10 was originally developed as a tank killer to stop Russian armor in Europe
My grandfather was a foot gunner in Vietnam, then went on to join the army and then move to the green berets, one of the best men I’ve ever had the pleasure to share the earth with.
If I recall correctly my professor in high school was a door gunner during Vietnam. He was a psychologist & psychology teacher with a doctorate & many other degrees. He had his awards like Valor, Combat Action Badge & Purple Heart documentation by his desk for those to read what he have done during his time in Vietnam. One thing tho I remember him having episodes in class or talking to hisself. He told us it was rough... Real rough.
My wood shop teacher in Jr High was a Marine grunt machine gunner. I remember him telling me about his first kill. Said he was on a search and destroy mission in weeds higher than himself. A VC popped up and he said he shot him in the face with his M-60. Then he smiled and said "after that, it was easy as killing a snake!" He was one of those 'no regrets' kind. The conversation started because I was the class clown and he asked me what I wanted to do after high school. I told him I wanted to be an infantry Marine (which I later did). He told me all kinds of things to see if he could shake me, but I just kept asking more questions. He finally told me, "you'll do just fine!" It was strange talking to him about it because it seemed to not bother him at all but when I talked to others that were there, they didn't like to say much. My grandpa grew up next door to him and told me he was one tough bastard and definitely was there.
Thanks for the vid that was my dads job in Vietnam it’s cool to see the stuff he would have done there cause he never talked about it. I’ve read a bunch of mission reports that I got from the army after he passed but seeing it puts it into perspective.
I met a guy that was a Ranger in Nam and had a prosthetic leg. He asked me once if I thought he lost his leg in Nam. He lost it in a car accident just weeks after returning home.
My grandfather served in the 155th Assault Helicopter Company from 65-early 67, he armed gunships and flew some missions as a door gunner from my understanding, also flew missions and dropped troops into Cambodia, they were right on the border in Ban Me Thout, he showed me pictures of helicopters just peppered with rounds, what a wild job.
@@xUSMC1775x Evidently you havent seen these bad boys perform , much more manuverble than all othere in the inventory. Its because of their 2 rotors, they can pull some tricks
I remember seeing a documentary about Chinook medevacs in Afghanistan. The film crew flew on an evac mission, they took fire as they landed, pilot took a ricochet to the head, protection crew were firing off the ramp covering the guys carrying the stretcher. Seriously scary stuff.
My auto shop mechanic teacher in high school was a door gunner. He was telling us that the average lifespan was 7 minutes at the height of the conflict. The guys pictured here only have flak jackets on but from what he told us his unit had armored plates on that were rated to .50 cals. He actually was awarded some medals by the South Korean military for saving some of their troops during one engagement that left them wounded and pinned on the edge of some cliff. Some of his stories were nuts
The "flak jackets" they gave us at Chu Lai went in a big circle. We got one, somebody showed us where to leave the damn thing, and sometime after dark "somebody" picked them all up and returned them to supply. No way were we gonna walk through triple canopy jungle in the monsoon season with that thing on. Umm, didn't wear the damn "brain bucket" either !
My father told me he really had it bad driving those assault river boats in Nam. He was a gunners mate and he took fire from both sides quite frequently.
When I met my Nephews father in law I found out he was a two tour Vietnam door gunner. I said to my Nephews wife "it's a miracle you're here" he understood and My Nephew and his wife took a moment to understand. It's a miracle he made it through one tour let alone TWO!
Back in the 60’s most kids wanted to be a astronaut or a fireman or something like that. I wanted to be a door gunner. So my parents wouldn’t let me watch the news with them anymore and sent me to counseling. I joined the USAF in 77 when I was 17.☮️🇺🇸
@@MikeDiMej Wrong!! Evidently you havent seen these bad boys perform , much more manuverble than all othere in the inventory. Its because of their 2 rotors, they can pull some tricks.
We had to do a crash landing in Korea in a CH47. Knocked the roof of a Korean's home in the process simply from the air coming from the aircraft. Those pilots were amazing. We would tap the pilot on the shoulder in flight and do the squirel nuts sign with out fingers. They would then proceed to give us 1 hell of a nap of the earth ride that was unforgettable. Good times
The Chinook was also relatively fast for a helicopter .....twin engines + twin rotors remember ! The poster is a Marine, probably not the best person to comment on helicopters 🤔
Also fun to ride in at tree top level...assuming you are into sitting in a really big roller coaster with only a minimal view as to what's coming next.
@@rooh5825 Absolutely, Roo. I rode in a 47 one time just to see what it was like. (We had the 60,47, 72, and the first year I was in had the 58 in my Battalion.) Couldn't see anything out of a pax seat in the 47. I spent most of the flight on the loading ramp. Thanks, Sean...btw. It's fast and maneuverable (not as much as the 60 in tight spaces) but does ok. And in all fairness, let's give him the bennefit of the doubt accompanied with respect as he isn't aviation, so he may not know.
@@brianlarson5006 As crazy as this will sound, I've been in the Army for 32 years now. And I've been in ONE helicopter, for a joy ride basically, an old kiowa about 12 years ago LOL. But everyone who rides in the chinook, but doesn't realize how fast they are, comes back with the same disbelief "Wow they are QUICK".
@@rooh5825 I believe it, man! We used to give what we called "retention rides" all the time to people that didn't have the opportunity to fly regularly. For the most part, they were pretty fun. I had a couple of people that got sick and missed the bag...the cleanup wasn't fun. But overall, seeing people experience something new is pretty cool.
As a Navy Corpsman (HM3) I was wounded during an RPG attack loading wounded into a chopper in 1966. Didn’t even know I was hit until the door gunner pulled me in. Fortunately it was minor shrapnel & I was not wearing my flack vest. You were right about those damn vests, hot & almost useless.
I have an Uncle who served in Vietnam. When I came back home from Desert Storm, we shared our combat experiences. It was like comparing apples to oranges in my opinion because those in Vietnam had to deal with LOTS of cover and concealment because of the dense jungle vegetation where there wasn't any to be had in the Desert. Infantry was heavily relied upon in Vietnam where Mechanized was heavily relied upon in Desert Storm. Two very different wars to be sure.
My father never talked about the flak jacket but he used to say how some guys used to sit on their helmet’s from ground fire. He crash landed 3 times from transmission issues and said the scariest time was when he ran out of ammo. He doesn’t talk much about it so don’t quote me but a 19 year old hanging out the side of uh-1h with a 60 I’m proud to to call him my father. Respect to all veterans!
Actually the CH 47 is still one of the fastest helicopters in the military. They were the navigation element leading attack helicopters into Iraq. They had to ask the CH 47s to slow down.
Hey Brother I served on a CH47C model (Super C) in 71. Fasted helicopter in the air at that time. After after refueling at Camp Eagle or Evans heading back to PhuBai Cobras would come up next to us and want to race. We beat every one of them. Maneuverability the Chinook did pretty good and we had an exciting ride when they pulled one of the first time ever in a helicopter moments. The difference is then were ANALOG now we are DIGITAL. Most things were visual from the air and happening in real time which brought a great deal of excitement to a 18 year old. Thank you for what you do. I enjoy your channel very much.
Fun Fact: the actor that played the door gunner in Full Metal Jacket was originally supposed to be the drill instructor & R. Lee Ermey was brought in to be the technical advisor. When they did some screen tests with Ermey demonstrating they realized he was the better choice.
I worked as a civilian contractor in Iraq as a convoy driver and convoyed with a door Gunner during Vietnam he was in his 60s and went back as a fellow contractor. His truck took a direct hit leaving Baghdad.I can still see him jumping out of his burning truck and being picked up by a gun truck.He told me stories being a door Gunner..Galen Martin you are one tough individual
The older Hueys had stab bars on the rotor head. Later this was replaced by SCAS (Stability Control Augmentation System). I do remember us having a couple of birds with the stab bars still on them. Also, I love it when Hollywood shows a movie where the hero and his/her team is casually talking to each other while in flight, without ICS (Internal Communication System), headphones and mic. The engine and transmission would make you go deaf. You can't hear jack.
I did Main supply route patrol in Iraq back in 04 for 15 months. It was hot and we had to wear our helmets and IBA body armor sometimes even around base. One thing we learned from movies and previous wars was to always have ammo. Me and my squad had a .50 cal ammo box full of 30rnd magazines about 50 mags or so in it. Plus combat load 220 rounds or 7 mags, i also had a mag pouch on my M16A2 buttstock carried one mag. We also carried 2 boxes of either 50 ammo or Mark 19 depending on what we took out with us on the HUMVEES. One time we used half of the M16 magazines in a fire fight, gunner also ran out of 249 ammo. So we welded a ammo box on the gypsy wrap of the turret and made a 1000 rnd belt for his saw. Saw him put 300 into a car once and sadly it did not blow up.
At about 3:10, take note of the C-ration can, cut down one side and attached to the feed tray hanger, to reduce the chances of a feed malfunction while operating the gun without an assistant gunner. All of our gunners did that.
My neighbor is a retired Master Sargent in the Air Force who was a door gunner in Vietnam. My dad is good friends with him because my dad helps him out a lot taking him to HEB and other stores because he’s medically handicapped because of his age. I’m always too nervous to ask him about his time in the service , but maybe one day I’ll be able to sit down and talk with him.
Read the reports of the Flak Vest in Korea and Vietnam the Primary and largest amount of wounds in Korea and Vietnam were upper Abdominal mostly from Shapnel Wounds . the Flak Vest did reduce Abdominal shrapnel wounds by a great deal . RED LEG .ARTILLERY. KING OF BATTLE.
That's a really good point now that I think about it every person I've ever known to go to Vietnam all have shrapnel in their body I don't think those flat jackets worked at all
There not dead so I’d say it worked. Like how in World War Two they armored the areas of returning air craft with heavy battle damage not where their battle damage was but where it wasn’t. The aircraft that were shot down got hit in the spots that the other returning aircrafts didn’t. Sorry I’m bad at explaining over text 😆
Those areas where trops are landing and being picked up from are declared “Free Fire Zones”. That means that the locals had been warned and that the only people in there should have been enemy. I was there in ’69.
My dad was there in the Navy. Told me stories of bringing in supplies by fast boats and watching tracers flying all over the place at the boats. I had the honor of serving under a few NCO's who had served in Vietnam. I particularly remember the 2 Master Sergeants at Fort Hood, Texas in 1986. Those two guys fascinated me as a young man.
Agreed, I think the main point of them was to keep your organs in place until you got medvac and back to the aid station or similar. As depending on the injury sometimes it is better to leave the body armor (in this case the flak jacket) on to avoid further complications to the wound/injury.
No they were one of the first evolutions of body armor The Flak Jacket stated with the B-17 crews in WWII to you guessed it stop the shrapnel from the exploding anti aircraft shells from seriously injuring the crew but they would in no way stop the rounds from a fighter
Scariest Deadly Enemy deadly traps in Vietnams - ruclips.net/video/I1nAorXX1C4/видео.html. Dirty Secrets of enemy traps in Vietnam - ruclips.net/video/Fgl1-dgz3MY/видео.html.
Have you watched the documentary "warriors behind the lines"? About spike team Alabama yet? Sog squad that lands on the parade field of 10,000 Vietnamese by accident? They have an interesting story about these two gunships. Special forces had Huey gunships that were heavily armed with rockets and door Gunner's. Miniguns possibly. They operated in a team of two. The judge would go in first and just hover and draw fire and the Executioner (the other gunship) would come in and wipe out whatever was shooting at him. That takes balls.
JT needs to do one on Hamburger hill. “It’s linguilli” “Mr Nathaniel Victor” The Filipino VC. 😂
The crew are lucky that round did not cook off those flares in the air they would have been burned before the wreckage hit the ground.
Hey Jameson, Check out airsoft Helicopter Gunman videos you might find it interesting. They have videos of people sharp shooting from helicopter and actual door gun operators. lol
Anyways I think you might find it interesting. lol
CH47s are faster than Apaches.
My grandfather was a door gunner for the Australian Air force. He was in in 3 separate helicopter crashes during his service, bravest man I've ever known and he's still alive and kicking, great vid mate, love the channel.
Solid.
God bless your Grandfather. Get Some!!!
You should talk him into buying lottery tickets.
I guess he's vowed never to fly again after that crazy life
Aussie's never die
My father was a door gunner on a Huey, technically he was a firefighter on base but when he found out the door gunners were working long shifts with little rest he started volunteering to cover their shifts. Even though the door gunners were prioritized targets for the enemy and he didn’t have to put himself in danger like that. Second best shot in his entire unit. RIP dad, you were a hell of a guy.
I send my respect
i learned a lot from the vietnam guys. they had it bad. i was in a VA group where a 70 year old man had a full breakdown reliving how he was shot down and lost a man after the helo crashed. i'm always impressed by those guys.
@WKD Salty what fukin disney music-
@@parzavaal5335 He is referring to the music playing in the background of the old school training video
Tim K! I hope all is well with you and your family! I’ve watched many of your videos here on RUclips and wish I could come but you a Red Horse one day. All the best to you, Chrissy and Dale!
My father was marine infantry in Nam, the heartbreak in his voice speaking how they were treated after seeing many friends fall was always angering. Enlisting this year but I know I'll never match up to those bad asses
genocide aint easy
My father enlisted in the US Army in 1966 and was a career soldier until 1987. He was in Vietnam in 1969 - 1970. He was a military police officer and when he arrived in Vietnam he was reassigned to the 138th Aviation Company of the 101st Airborne. They gave him a new job - Door Gunner. He survived 4 separate helicopter crashes/emergency landings during combat and protected the crash area with his machine gun. After his 4th miraculous survival of a crash in combat he was given some R&R in Hawaii. He spent that time there with my mother who he had married right before Vietnam. He told her that he was unsure if he would make it back alive due to his experiences. When he went back to Vietnam he was reassigned to the 509th Military Police Company as the commander of a armored convoy escort vehicle. He thought he was now in a safer position. However, he saw more up close and personal combat in that position due to frequent ambushes of the supply convoys. Despite seeing those faces from that combat for the rest of his life, he raised a family and was successful member of his community. He finished his career as a 1st Sgt, and became a police officer for 16 years more. My father was awarded the Bronze Star and the MSM Arcom for his combat acts. He eventually succumbed (way too young) to significant health complications from his exposure to agent orange. I alongside my son visited his stone today in the Veterans cemetery. He was an inner city tough kid from Chicago. He taught me how to be resilient, adaptable, and intense when necessary. In the same breath he taught me how to be kind and to serve your fellow man/community. I am posting this on Memorial Day in memory of him. Thank you for highlighting the service of the Door Gunners in Vietnam!
Your father was one hell of a man my hats off to him may he rest in peace.
I miss flying in the back of hueys. There's something comforting about 8 beats per second, having the doors open and wind / smells in the cabin.
those small memories leave a long lasting impression. Keep them and never forget that young warrior.
Yep, I’ll never forget, low level listening to adf. Hovering down into a hell hole being shot at is something I can’t forget either.
I get on those Italian Swings at amusement parks and it reminds me of sitting in a Huey door.
The only armor, was the igloo beer cooler they were sitting on.
And the sound of the rotors disappearing after off loading. The silence is deafening.
My Uncle Was A Door Gunner In Nam 67-68, He Told Me They Would Fly Over Villages After Being Shelled Or Bombed And Ordered To Shoot Anything That Moved. Two Days Before He Came Home A Sniper Blew His Helmet Off His Head, When He Did Get Home He layed On My Grandmother's Couch And Slept A Straight Twenty Four Hours!!!
I hope he was able to enjoy some sort of life after that, thanks for sharing this.
@@johnspence8141 Thank You, He Did Live A Good Life Afterwards, He Got Married, Had Two Children And My Dad Got Him A Job On The Railroad, He Had An Amazing Sense Of Humor And Was Alot Of Fun To Be Around, You Would Have Never Guessed He Had Been Through All Of That. We Lost Him Several Years Ago To Cancer, He Is Greatly Missed!!!
I slept on the plane, after I looked down and saw corn fields and not rice paddies.
@@cletusspucklerstablejeaniu1059 What A Good Feeling That Must Have Been!!!🙂👍🇺🇸
He must be very proud of murdering women and children.
I was a Door Gunner on a slick in 72 we flew Hunter Killer missions in the day .Our base was Marble Mtn south of DaNang D Troop 1/1 Air Cav. 196th inf.which later became D 17 cav 1st Aviation Brg . We usually worked south in the Que San mtn area.the Team was one Loach ,one Slick(Huey)with an air rifle team, two Cobras
The scout loach would fly tree top level and would look for the enemy bunkers usually NVA .then the Cobras would unleash their hell.We always took fire and I had a Chicken Plate that I would put the flak vest in it to sit on.Our night Slick had a mini gun ,a fifty cal one sixty gunner a Zeon spot light ,one slick flare bird and two Cobras they always got shot at looking for enemy rocket squads firing at DaNang air base and Marble Mtn air base.Sorry for the long rant.
@Ryan Incera I'm sorry to hear your Dad passed I was in an area where they sprayed heavily so far nothing.
Hi I have a zippo with a tank reg o the front it’s got a tank engraved and number followed by mech bastards and on the back Knights slew for love Wesley for money, and 68-69 Da Nang , if you know any people interested let me know.
My friend and classmate, Mike "Bubbles" Burplinger was shot down flying a Scout Loach. He was still alive when he hit the ground, but the VC got to him before we could rescue him.
@@jamesburns2232 I'm sorry to hear that, we lost a few Loaches and crew to small arms fire.i think someone should do a show on these brave and daring guys who flew and crewed those birds.
Welcome home.
These guys had it tough but not as bad as my bud , he's the rear door gunner on a Chicago school bus
Bruh 😂
😳😂😂😂😂😳😳😁
Lol
They don't call it chiraq for nothing lol
You mean Chicongo don't you ?
A flak jacket was always useful in Call of Duty.
So true.
😂😂😂😂💀
Yeah, what does this guy know?
Lmao in a fictional game you can get shot multiple times and still run around and jump like nothing happened lol
@@badsporttrolln5658 except for tarkov it’s almost realistic
My father in-law was a door gunner on a medical a vac. He flew 93 combat missions. He received so interesting awards. Unfortunately do to his exposure to agent orange He passed away this past January to cancer. I am proud to be able to call him dad.
So sorry bro 💙
That's an amazing story RIP, I thank him for his service. What constitution and courage he surely had!
I respect your grandfather but your govt killed him and thousands of Vietnamese with that chemical
@@hiteshadhikari you're not wrong...
That dioxin (agent orange)wiped out the entire town of Times Beach, Mo because they used it on their streets to keep the dust down. It leeched into the groundwater and the whole town had to be evacuated. Fuqdup
My grandfather flew hueys in Vietnam and boy does he have some crazy stories.
Thank you for your service grandpa 🇺🇸
I was an Army vet of this era and it’s amazing to me how skinny we were and how little we wore to protect us compared to the young soldiers today. I have a photo of a group of Korea grunts and they were even thinner, looking almost malnourished. Things have come a long way in terms of body building, body protection, and medical care of wounded soldiers. God bless the men and women vets of yesterday, today and tomorrow. 🧨
Isn't it funny how there's like Disney music playing over this? What a contrast
Disney made some of the best propaganda videos. Probably still do.
@@GotrekGurninsson yessir
@@GotrekGurninsson
Probably...
@@GotrekGurninsson wasn't Donald Duck a retired nazi solider back in the day🤣
Yes. Unbelievable.
These videos really make you appreciate what our servicemen go through. Makes you proud to be a part of this great country. My grandpa spent almost 40 years as an airman, dad and uncles marines, sister army and I couldn’t be prouder. My regret is not serving myself being a young father I felt I had to start working to provide for them here. Too old now but I wish I would have. I watch this videos and have so much appreciation for these men and women. Thank you for this look inside and thank you to all who have served.
USNC 1966-1969 Actually, Warlord, you could have and can serve. I know of many young fathers that served in Nam, Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan. As for now, how about volunteering, there's the air, navy, and coast guard auxiliaries, and fire departments take volunteers. So, many ways to serve, all one needs is to just do it.
@@danpress7745 yes should have. And those are some great ideas. I’m going to look into it. See what organization I can help with here in Houston. I’m 42 work a ton, single father, but I’d really love the experience and to just do my part. Thank you for the feedback. Greatly appreciated.
@@warlordrg I was a single father at one time also. I was in the Marines, and have volunteered as a firefighter at a rural department, did search and rescue, and tutored ESL. Not only was service positive for me but, more importantly, I found that it had a very positive influence on my kids.
@@danpress7745 wow very cool! I hope you take the time to pat yourself on the back! Hero in more ways that one. If I could only go back. I boxed for 8 years. My grandpa was a fighter in the Air Force and coached all of us grandsons. I learned discipline along with a lot things early thanks to that man. Just should have followed him and my dads footsteps and served. I watch these videos of what you all go through in awe. Sounds like your kids have a good daddy. My hat goes off to you sir . I greatly appreciate people like you. Been looking into what you were saying today. I was thinking Red Cross, USO even volunteer driving for disabled veterans I was reading about. Talking to my boys about it too. Thanks for the ideas sir and all you do/did 🙏
I also have a lot of appreciation for the Vietnamese for standing their ground and defending their homeland. US government was the biggest badguy in that conflict. I hope all living veterans on both sides can find peace.
Love this video man! My parents neighbor was a door gunner in Vietnam. Got shot down 3 different times. Has a purple heart. One of the 3 times his chopper got hit with a mortar on the top rotors. It caused the rotar to break off and cut off the ass end of the chopper. Crazy stuff these dudes went through
When I was 18 I remember a recruiter calling me, Army I think. I still don't know how they got my number, school maybe? Anyway, I politely declined and he was super nice said " May I ask why?" I was like because I'm a coward and when people are shooting I'm gonna run away and I'm not gonna have any control over that. Lol At least I was honest. I want to add that I know Vietnam vets weren't given their proper and earned respect when they returned but you have my love and full respect and you are not forgotten.
My mother and father ran a care home for disabled vets for 35yrs.
The last to stay with us were both Vietnam Vets. M. Cobb Navy 68'
L. Gibson 67-68 Marine Tank Gunner
Both were Good Men 😎🇺🇸
Have a buddy that was a door Gunner in Vietnam!
He was screwed up for 34 years, till he finally forgave himself for the killing he did ...
He is doing so much better now!
Living in peace!
Well it was the us governments fault anyway for sending people into a pointless war. Pretty sure most veterans are fault free except for the few psychos.
@@Jebu911 indeed. The My Lai Massacre was an example of that.
@@Jebu911 the US went in because South Vietnam requested. The UN requested.
The French had been beaten very badly and were packing up and leaving. Yeah, the US was their too long fighting for those that that wouldn't fight for themselve, like a lot of the ARVN.
It wasn't a war for resources. It was a war against the spread of marxism. And today, we have a bonafide marxist in the WH #46, being a bottom b*tch to those very same communist tyrants.
(All the wrong people do about wars for oil. Well give up 90% of your luxuries and possessions if you really care about oil and conflict. The US, like our allies, help keep world commerce going. Keeping shipping lanes, refineries, etc protected from those that want to steal or destroy it. The world runs on oil. Get over it & lighten up Francis. Or go live in the woods buck nekked and hunt with sticks and rocks)
@btk pierce what side are you referring to? Because the two sides were the axis and allies powers and the US joined the allies. So please tell me, so I won't make an assumption.
@btk pierce well then you have to be referring to the Nazi's and the fact you're not being upfront shows the possible resentment. Instead of thinking that the US should've joined the other side, think how the US shouldn't get involved in other country's matters. This same thing happened with the Iran contra scandal that led to the making of a group responsible for 9/11. An honest patriot is more deserved than an ignorant nationalist.
Speaking of holes in aircraft. My dad served as a door gunner for 16 months from 65-6 with the 173rd AB. He survived 3 crashes and behind shot down behind enemy lines and having to be rescued once. Only 3 other guys from the Aviation Company he was assigned to made it out unscathed (though he probably ingested a few gallons of Agent Orange).
Anyways, fast forward to 1981 at Rhein Main AB, West Germany. He had been promoted to Msgt (USAF) and became the 1st Sgt. of the 37th TAS. I remember the first time walking on to one of those E- Model C-130's and seeing dozens and dozens of jerry-rigged patches over obvious bullet holes. Some of their Herc's had actually dropped and LAPSE'd cargo into Khe Sanh. Good God, I fell in love with the C-130 over the next 3 years. These modern Herc's make those Vietnam era E- models look like the Wright Flyer as compared to an SR-71...
My dad was a door gunner in Vietnam 68-69’
He was shot down three times. Three different choppers
Michael, I hope you're being truthful.. This is this like the 4th story in this comment section and which someone says their dad was shot down "3 times"
Anyone who runs is VC, anyone who stands still is a well disciplined VC.
VC? We can't say vietcong now? This is making language harder
@@caviestcaveman8691
They were always referred to as VC. But I understand your meaning of them stripping all our rights of speech
@@jeffford665 im not a big abbreviations man myself and I hate sitting there scratching my head like VC what could he possibly be talking about and then it clicked lol
Great movie
Yeah, that character was a dickhead.
Re: Flak Jackets When the NVA got in the trenches at Khe Shan, Marines adopted the tactic of throwing a frag in front of NVA then turning around and taking the M26 blast in the legs and the Flak Jacket. Documented in the official history of the siege. Effective, but not recommended for the faint of heart.
Can you explain this better? Not making sense to me
@@DefunctYompelvertLet's say I am close to a enemy position in a semi-open area and I throw the grenade to the Vietcong position, I aim my back at where I threw my nade and the flak jacket will absorb the impact from the shrapnel of the grenade (if any hit), the Vietcong can't do much but to jump to the ground and lay or get killed by the shrapnel from the grenade.
(I am russki I am not 100% fluent in English)
Desperate times.....
lol this honestly seems like complete bullshit. Why would you just turn and take the blast? Also, the nape of the neck, where the brain stem and spine protrudes, is vulnerable to shrapnel, so vulnerable infact, they develop a kevlar strip to sit over the back of the brain-stem/upper neck in Iraq/afghan GWOT
@@TankCatIntoMordor I only know that, as mentioned, it is recounted in the official history of the Siege of Khe Shan. I wasn't in the Corps in '68, much less at Khe Sahn, I got in country about a year later. Maybe it is complete bullshit, although your objections aren't so strong as to completely preclude it in my view. You're invited to check the sources if it's important to you.
A Marine I was in boot camp with was attached to the air wing in Da Nang as a clerk. He was used as perimeter security at Chu Lai and a door gunner when needed. He said, he was better out of the office. All Marines are rifleman. Semper Fi.
What was his name if you don’t mind me asking
@@willtoochill2844 This was Jan 1970 to Jun 1971. extended tour. Is this the time frame?
@@vicO1323 my grandpa was in Chu Lai he arrived there in 67 he was in air wing I’m not sure how long he was there and I really don’t know much about him so I figured it could possibly be him, his name is Harold Roy Adamson
@@willtoochill2844 The dates don't coincide. Your grandpa probably spent 13 months in country. The Marine I know was there in 70, his name was Morrison.
@@vicO1323 thank you, I hope I can find more information on his service all I know is he did 3 tours in Vietnam and he was in air wing
Anybody who runs is a VC!! Anybody who doesn’t is a well disciplined VC!! God I love the Corps.
🤣
In Vietnam you don't cut trees, but trees cut you
OK psychopath
@@RayGunnerGaming Guess you never watched, 'Full Metal Jacket.' He was quoting the movie...
@@RayGunnerGaming Never watched FMJ, or ever served huh?
I had a cousin that served in Vietnam as a door gunner.. I always remembered visiting him as a young kid, he was basically catatonic and would occasionally scream. He was able to walk just fine, but he just sat in a chair one day and never moved again.. like, ever.. he got blood clots due to deep vein thrombosis and had both legs amputated, I never really knew him as he didn't talk. All I knew was the war REALLY messed him up and I always felt really bad for him.
War IS hell, and these guys had it real bad.
Sir, thanks for the video on door-gunners. I served as a door-gunner on a CH--53 Sea Stallion flying out of DaNang with HMH-463, Marine Corps, 70-71.
When you saw tracers coming your way, then you knew for sure it was the enemy. Keep up the good work on your videos. Semper Fi,
Denis C. Berte' USMC 70-72.
My grandfather was a a forward op and a spotlight operator and did door gunner when we was needed from 66-70
Good for him happy Memorial Day I'm guessing he got some
I worked with a man who was a door gunner in Vietnam. He said you didn't always lead the target, but shot behind them as well depending on the speed of the chopper vs the target.
I was a 60 gunner with the 82nd. I had mad respect for this man.
Hueys flew about two hundred feet a second at top speed so you shot behind and let the bullet catch up, then you have the arch to the ground, the crew chief side wasn’t to bad because the bullet spin kept it from falling like the door gunners side, he had a tremendous arch to deal with. But once you knew the arch it was just like shooting a m-79, very accurate.
@@grider421 That's what my friend said. They became pretty accurate with lagging their aim.
My uncle Burl J DuBose did this. Two or three tours multiple crashes. He was a really cool guy. Cancer got him because of agent Orange.
he was worthy then SKÅL 👍
I had a customer from work that suffered from probably Parkinson’s and cancer from agent orange
@@bobcoont7585 I have known a lot of old guys get cancer and have other issues because of it. It's a damn shame.
Vietnam vets. Their government had no respect/regard for them (although that's true for modern vets too), and their fellow Americans had nothing but venom for them, whether they were volunteers, draftees, whatever. They went through hell. Many still are going through hell.
@@murderc27 my uncle had a happy life and was loved and respected by everyone who ever met him. Sorry to hear about those who struggle but that wasn't his story.
A Vietnam door gunner I knew said he would sit on an extra flak jacket because the enemy fire was coming up from the bottom.
Very true, I was trained by some Vietnam vets in the 80's that also used sand bags and sat on the flack jackets.
Sit on plates nowadays
Thank you for your service. My father in law retired twice from USMC. He did helicopter avionics in Vietnam. Hope he kept all our boys safe. My grandfather hit the south pacific as a Lt. USMC with VMB 423 in the WW2. My maternal grand father ran a tank battalion in Korea. God bless our men and women!!
This is the mindset of me a 19 year old know nothing young man. AFTER my full tour in the 25th Infantry Division in the jungles of the Central Highlands of Vietnam(Pleiku) was over I decided to join up with the aviation group near our basecamp and volunteer before I rotated back to the world, to become a door gunner, (with reasons). I was envious as I noticed of just how clean those crewmen were ALL the time we were involved with the helicopters. Never seen a dirty boot, torn or worn out fatigues, how clean their faces were, sleeping in a cot each night, eating in a peaceful setting not out in the rain, mosquitoes and whatever else was out there in the dark I knew then I wanted to be a door gunner. The saying a crewmen's life expectancy is around 15 seconds is base on the fact they are only in harms way for 15 seconds and then they are out of there. I used to look up and see them just fly away, their combat was over until the next 15 seconds so that part did not bother me if I became a crewmen. My Sgt. heard I was going to volunteer and told me "I was very lucky to be going home in one piece and that I was pushing my luck and we only get so much of it and it's over, go home kid", I did.
True BUT, those "15 seconds" were actually much longer, going in several times, not just once, and under fire with no place to hide. No ground to lay down on or have your buddies have your back. No artillery or air support. And those "clean faces" hid the nightmares of body parts being washed out, with the blood and guts of your fellow soldier. The dead. Maybe not from your unit but we serviced MANY units in a day. That you NEVER eat in a mess hall, always Rations. I ate in a mess hall 5 times my whole tour. Never drank milk (it was sour) never drank tea (it had bugs in it), never slept on a cot, (always on the floor of the ship to take off ASAP during an attack) and always a sitting duck on the airfield (where the VC/NVA could walk rockets up and down the airfield). When getting hit with 100 rounds of mortar in a 5 minute period was common (usually between 2am and 4am) . If you flew, you get it.
The actor Tim Colceri, believe it or not he was actually auditioning to play the drill instructor in that same movie "Full Metal Jacket" ...
Tim had the job, but behind the scenes Lee Ermey was campaigning for the job for several months. Kubrick knew of Ermey's performance in Boys of Company C as junior drill instructor Sergeant Loyce. Kubrick even told Ermey that he did not approve of the portrayal of Loyce because he was too nice as a drill instructor.
Everyone knows this
@@SuperGaleford Well yeah most especially if they've watched the DVD commentary or if they're trivia fanatics & obsessed with IMDB like I am; therefore please doi not take that as an insult to your intelligence.
@@SuperGaleford Did you know he was a Vietnam Marine and I was a door gunner when the movie came out. Semper Fi!
@@hirumbiffidum9145 I guess the younger audience people under 20 might not know it so guess its a fun fact for them.
Former crew chief/door gunner on CH-53s when it comes to accuracy, the door guns are meant to be suppression fire but we can be pretty damn accurate
What unit? I was with 463 out of K-Bay. Semper Fi!
@@pjcolceri1619 465 and 361. I was a west coast E guy.
I heard they loved to listen fortunate son while shooting m60s xD
HAHAHA FAMILY GUYS ALWAYS RIGHT ON
The song is titled Fortunate Son not "unfortunate son" unless I'm missing some joke in which case carry on
@@bowlofrice8 ty sir i wasnt sure xD
This is a great vid. The door gunners were some of the bravest.
True I know one
@@ItsDionBrehhhh they were flying low altitude and the flip flop people had RPG.
@@ItsDionBrehhhh M60's...7.62 round
@@ItsDionBrehhhh just how pathetic are you to troll this, for attention? That's low, what a looser.
@@ItsDionBrehhhh Full Metal Jacket made it seem that way, and granted there are a few "kill anything that moves" types. But this is rare. The reality is these aircrews flew through hell and back to save men on the ground and we're everyday folk that volunteered.
Flack jackets for use on Saturday fun runs. (Physical training and motivation).
I had a Drill Sargent that served as a door Gunner. Very cool customer.
We had one team that was being inserted, but the chopper (CH-46) couldn't land due to the trees and vegetation, they had to jump out 12 - 15 feet to the ground, the patrol leader was concerned about someone getting injured where a chopper couldn't land was hesitant. The door gunner didn't like hovering for very long and decided to help him make up his mind and gave him a shove, the PL reached back and grabbed him and they both went out the back. the rest of the team quickly followed fortunately with no injuries. The door gunner went on a Recon patrol for 7 days ... he never pushed another Recon Marine out again.
That first guy getting his helmet and flack jacket had a look on his face like; “ damn I’m screwed!” 😂
On this Memorial Day, I remember a fellow Deputy Sheriff I worked with who was a door gunner in Vietnam. He was terribly wounded by gun fire directed at his Huey and has some severe scars on one forearm to prove it. After he retired from LE, he was killed in a car accident. After all of his exploits in Vietnam, he led a great life until his death. May he rest in peace.
The father of my Lt at the fire department was a door gunner in Vietnam, he comes in every morning we work shift to eat breakfast with us and tell war stories coolest dude I ever met.
At @9:20 that troop grabs the barrel bare handed.
When I was in and shot an M-60, I was given as Asbestos glove to change or remove hot barrels.
That would fry your hand if just used in duration.
Seriously doubt it had been fired....
Historically inaccurate, I didn’t hear fortunate son by CCR even once.
Quagmire lied about that too?
Hahahahaha
Or All Along the Watchtower
PC now, so we are going Disney!
"O the Red White and Blue.."
Or Bird is the Word!
Thanks to all the soldiers out there happy memorial day! Thanks for the bravery! Love ya
"CHARLIE DON'T SURF!" - LtCol Kilgore
must b on fort lee ehhhh?
I think the real muscle in war is the factory workers making weapons, munitions, grenades, bombs, rockets etc. Soldiers are the delivery men and risk their lives doing it and I appreciate them. There's a lot of people behind your equipment.
I love the Marines.
Drop & give me 500.
@@Bat21bravo Does 3 work?
I do to but all the footage is of the army
The chinook actually had the highest top speed of any rotary aircraft available to the US Army back in 2000. They’re definitely not as maneuverable as an Apache or a Kiowa but to say they are slow moving tubes is inaccurate. Plus they have three designated areas for gunners and a belly full of grunts. It’s definitely not helpless.
I was looking for this comment.
The shithook is a beast. There’s nothing like that ride at night.
I would argue the maneuverability too. That pic of the pilot in Afghanistan with only the rear to wheels touching the roof of a house is the end all be all.
I don't know about Nam, but now the top speed is a Chinook is 196 mph
@@RoadGlideST23 I never knew the top speed. I just know that the chinooks have to slow down for escorts because they’ll outrun the escort birds.
@@fathead8933 Interesting! The CH-53D back in the 80's had the same issue with the slower Cobras. I've flown over 200 Knots before in a 53D slick low on fuel.
Good stuff. My theory is this concept led to the development of the highly successful A-10 program which is an amazing gun with an airplane built around it. I was an A-10 tech and loved it. Always remember Memorial Day weekend
Actually this concept lead to the development of a dedicated gun ship the Cobra
The Armed C-47 aircraft lead to the development of the AC130
The A-10 was originally developed as a tank killer to stop Russian armor in Europe
My grandfather was a foot gunner in Vietnam, then went on to join the army and then move to the green berets, one of the best men I’ve ever had the pleasure to share the earth with.
If I recall correctly my professor in high school was a door gunner during Vietnam. He was a psychologist & psychology teacher with a doctorate & many other degrees. He had his awards like Valor, Combat Action Badge & Purple Heart documentation by his desk for those to read what he have done during his time in Vietnam. One thing tho I remember him having episodes in class or talking to hisself. He told us it was rough... Real rough.
My wood shop teacher in Jr High was a Marine grunt machine gunner. I remember him telling me about his first kill. Said he was on a search and destroy mission in weeds higher than himself. A VC popped up and he said he shot him in the face with his M-60. Then he smiled and said "after that, it was easy as killing a snake!" He was one of those 'no regrets' kind. The conversation started because I was the class clown and he asked me what I wanted to do after high school. I told him I wanted to be an infantry Marine (which I later did). He told me all kinds of things to see if he could shake me, but I just kept asking more questions. He finally told me, "you'll do just fine!" It was strange talking to him about it because it seemed to not bother him at all but when I talked to others that were there, they didn't like to say much. My grandpa grew up next door to him and told me he was one tough bastard and definitely was there.
Thanks for the vid that was my dads job in Vietnam it’s cool to see the stuff he would have done there cause he never talked about it. I’ve read a bunch of mission reports that I got from the army after he passed but seeing it puts it into perspective.
I met a guy that was a Ranger in Nam and had a prosthetic leg. He asked me once if I thought he lost his leg in Nam. He lost it in a car accident just weeks after returning home.
4:51 YES friendly fire was shown in the movie "Hamburger Hill". Terrifying as that may be that went on too.
"You're shooting our boys..." good damn movie.
Putting the "getting some" in
"Getting some of our allies with the m60s and napalm" lmao
My grandfather served in the 155th Assault Helicopter Company from 65-early 67, he armed gunships and flew some missions as a door gunner from my understanding, also flew missions and dropped troops into Cambodia, they were right on the border in Ban Me Thout, he showed me pictures of helicopters just peppered with rounds, what a wild job.
LUL, the CH47 "isn't very fast or maneuverable"
Hey, Marine, it's the fastest helicopter in the Army Inventory... just FYI
Yup.. twin ge jet engines
Lmao, I know.
Apache pilots often have to tell CH47s to slow down so they can keep up.
Fair enough, still not incredibly maneuverable tho
@@xUSMC1775x Evidently you havent seen these bad boys perform , much more manuverble than all othere in the inventory. Its because of their 2 rotors, they can pull some tricks
No I have, they are very mobile but their maneuvers are on the slower side in th he world of choppers
I remember seeing a documentary about Chinook medevacs in Afghanistan. The film crew flew on an evac mission, they took fire as they landed, pilot took a ricochet to the head, protection crew were firing off the ramp covering the guys carrying the stretcher. Seriously scary stuff.
Nobody played Fortunate Son when the Huey lifted off. Lol
“Can’t we get our own music?”
My auto shop mechanic teacher in high school was a door gunner. He was telling us that the average lifespan was 7 minutes at the height of the conflict. The guys pictured here only have flak jackets on but from what he told us his unit had armored plates on that were rated to .50 cals. He actually was awarded some medals by the South Korean military for saving some of their troops during one engagement that left them wounded and pinned on the edge of some cliff. Some of his stories were nuts
The "flak jackets" they gave us at Chu Lai went in a big circle. We got one, somebody showed us where to leave the damn thing, and sometime after dark "somebody" picked them all up and returned them to supply. No way were we gonna walk through triple canopy jungle in the monsoon season with that thing on. Umm, didn't wear the damn "brain bucket" either !
My father told me he really had it bad driving those assault river boats in Nam. He was a gunners mate and he took fire from both sides quite frequently.
When I met my Nephews father in law I found out he was a two tour Vietnam door gunner. I said to my Nephews wife "it's a miracle you're here" he understood and My Nephew and his wife took a moment to understand. It's a miracle he made it through one tour let alone TWO!
Back in the 60’s most kids wanted to be a astronaut or a fireman or something like that. I wanted to be a door gunner. So my parents wouldn’t let me watch the news with them anymore and sent me to counseling. I joined the USAF in 77 when I was 17.☮️🇺🇸
Standby to get some !
I was thinking the same thing.
My stepgrandfather was a door gunner in Vietnam he had some stories to tell and he tells them every thanksgiving and thats what im thankful for.
The ch-47 is the fastest copper in the army's inventory. FYI
Although it has the top speed record, it is still less agile than others
@@MikeDiMej Wrong!! Evidently you havent seen these bad boys perform , much more manuverble than all othere in the inventory. Its because of their 2 rotors, they can pull some tricks.
We had to do a crash landing in Korea in a CH47. Knocked the roof of a Korean's home in the process simply from the air coming from the aircraft. Those pilots were amazing. We would tap the pilot on the shoulder in flight and do the squirel nuts sign with out fingers. They would then proceed to give us 1 hell of a nap of the earth ride that was unforgettable. Good times
"Run.......and quit being bad guys"....... awesome! 👍 For that one!
Seen Royal Marine Commando's training one day,Chinook's can land,take off again quick,i was surprised,more agile than i thought.
The Chinook was also relatively fast for a helicopter .....twin engines + twin rotors remember ! The poster is a Marine, probably not the best person to comment on helicopters 🤔
door gunners had really hard job, being part of a chopper crew in VN was high risk and these men were so young when they did it
The Chinook (CH-47) is actually quite fast for a helicopter. From a 5 year Crew Chief on the UH-60
Also fun to ride in at tree top level...assuming you are into sitting in a really big roller coaster with only a minimal view as to what's coming next.
Exactly, I just posted up the same thing. He's not correct about it being slow.
@@rooh5825 Absolutely, Roo. I rode in a 47 one time just to see what it was like. (We had the 60,47, 72, and the first year I was in had the 58 in my Battalion.) Couldn't see anything out of a pax seat in the 47. I spent most of the flight on the loading ramp. Thanks, Sean...btw. It's fast and maneuverable (not as much as the 60 in tight spaces) but does ok. And in all fairness, let's give him the bennefit of the doubt accompanied with respect as he isn't aviation, so he may not know.
@@brianlarson5006 As crazy as this will sound, I've been in the Army for 32 years now. And I've been in ONE helicopter, for a joy ride basically, an old kiowa about 12 years ago LOL. But everyone who rides in the chinook, but doesn't realize how fast they are, comes back with the same disbelief "Wow they are QUICK".
@@rooh5825 I believe it, man! We used to give what we called "retention rides" all the time to people that didn't have the opportunity to fly regularly. For the most part, they were pretty fun. I had a couple of people that got sick and missed the bag...the cleanup wasn't fun. But overall, seeing people experience something new is pretty cool.
As a Navy Corpsman (HM3) I was wounded during an RPG attack loading wounded into a chopper in 1966. Didn’t even know I was hit until the door gunner pulled me in. Fortunately it was minor shrapnel & I was not wearing my flack vest. You were right about those damn vests, hot & almost useless.
I have an Uncle who served in Vietnam. When I came back home from Desert Storm, we shared our combat experiences. It was like comparing apples to oranges in my opinion because those in Vietnam had to deal with LOTS of cover and concealment because of the dense jungle vegetation where there wasn't any to be had in the Desert. Infantry was heavily relied upon in Vietnam where Mechanized was heavily relied upon in Desert Storm. Two very different wars to be sure.
Not so much, end result,a lot of soldiers died both wars.
6:00 this happened quite often too as most traps in Vietnam wasn't meant to kill us soldiers because it required more to take care of the injured
In the jungle or heavy woods the sound bounces all over making it hard to determine which direction the chopper is coming from.
My Daughter is an Aerial Gunner / Search & Rescue in the USAF...
I couldn't be more proud of her, or more terrified for her!! ❤
I'd have been all about that job! They'd just have to make sure that, 'Fortunate Son' and, 'Magic Carpet Ride' kept playing on repeat for me. LOL!
That and they received flight pay
My father never talked about the flak jacket but he used to say how some guys used to sit on their helmet’s from ground fire. He crash landed 3 times from transmission issues and said the scariest time was when he ran out of ammo. He doesn’t talk much about it so don’t quote me but a 19 year old hanging out the side of uh-1h with a 60 I’m proud to to call him my father. Respect to all veterans!
Actually the CH 47 is still one of the fastest helicopters in the military. They were the navigation element leading attack helicopters into Iraq. They had to ask the CH 47s to slow down.
Hey Brother I served on a CH47C model (Super C) in 71. Fasted helicopter in the air at that time. After after refueling at Camp Eagle or Evans heading back to PhuBai Cobras would come up next to us and want to race. We beat every one of them.
Maneuverability the Chinook did pretty good and we had an exciting ride when they pulled one of the first time ever in a helicopter moments. The difference is then were ANALOG now we are DIGITAL. Most things were visual from the air and happening in real time which brought a great deal of excitement to a 18 year old. Thank you for what you do. I enjoy your channel very much.
My dad served 2 tours in Vietnam as a crew chief and door gunner on hueys extraction of troops from hot LZs
that job would scare the shit out of me. tin can loud in a jungle. those men were brave and the amount of helos that went down were substantial
Fun Fact: the actor that played the door gunner in Full Metal Jacket was originally supposed to be the drill instructor & R. Lee Ermey was brought in to be the technical advisor. When they did some screen tests with Ermey demonstrating they realized he was the better choice.
Awesome video as always
Can you maybe check out the SADF in the 1980s in the Angolan Bush/border war.
Briljante idee!
Another idea might be to look at the Rhodesian Fireforce videos available in RUclips
That's what my old man did... He was a Door Gunner and Crew Chief with HMM-163. Didn't talk much about it.. But I know he was a badass.
Vietnam really was something else
A disgusting bloody horrid war really
I worked as a civilian contractor in Iraq as a convoy driver and convoyed with a door Gunner during Vietnam he was in his 60s and went back as a fellow contractor. His truck took a direct hit leaving Baghdad.I can still see him jumping out of his burning truck and being picked up by a gun truck.He told me stories being a door Gunner..Galen Martin you are one tough individual
Jameson should do an evolution of dust off crews from Vietnam to now
The older Hueys had stab bars on the rotor head. Later this was replaced by SCAS (Stability Control Augmentation System). I do remember us having a couple of birds with the stab bars still on them. Also, I love it when Hollywood shows a movie where the hero and his/her team is casually talking to each other while in flight, without ICS (Internal Communication System), headphones and mic. The engine and transmission would make you go deaf. You can't hear jack.
Let's go, get some!!!
I did Main supply route patrol in Iraq back in 04 for 15 months. It was hot and we had to wear our helmets and IBA body armor sometimes even around base. One thing we learned from movies and previous wars was to always have ammo. Me and my squad had a .50 cal ammo box full of 30rnd magazines about 50 mags or so in it. Plus combat load 220 rounds or 7 mags, i also had a mag pouch on my M16A2 buttstock carried one mag. We also carried 2 boxes of either 50 ammo or Mark 19 depending on what we took out with us on the HUMVEES. One time we used half of the M16 magazines in a fire fight, gunner also ran out of 249 ammo. So we welded a ammo box on the gypsy wrap of the turret and made a 1000 rnd belt for his saw. Saw him put 300 into a car once and sadly it did not blow up.
You know the door Gunner was originally cast to be Sgt Hartman but Lee Ermey pretty much stole it from him.
At about 3:10, take note of the C-ration can, cut down one side and attached to the feed tray hanger, to reduce the chances of a feed malfunction while operating the gun without an assistant gunner. All of our gunners did that.
WW2 bomber door gunners VS Vietnam Door gunners ..?
My neighbor is a retired Master Sargent in the Air Force who was a door gunner in Vietnam. My dad is good friends with him because my dad helps him out a lot taking him to HEB and other stores because he’s medically handicapped because of his age. I’m always too nervous to ask him about his time in the service , but maybe one day I’ll be able to sit down and talk with him.
The door gunners were always the most badass guys my dad told me. He didn’t tell a lot of stories but he had some crazy ones
Read the reports of the Flak Vest in Korea and Vietnam the Primary and largest amount of wounds in Korea and Vietnam were upper Abdominal mostly from Shapnel Wounds . the Flak Vest did reduce Abdominal shrapnel wounds by a great deal .
RED LEG .ARTILLERY. KING OF BATTLE.
That's a really good point now that I think about it every person I've ever known to go to Vietnam all have shrapnel in their body I don't think those flat jackets worked at all
There not dead so I’d say it worked. Like how in World War Two they armored the areas of returning air craft with heavy battle damage not where their battle damage was but where it wasn’t. The aircraft that were shot down got hit in the spots that the other returning aircrafts didn’t. Sorry I’m bad at explaining over text 😆
Those areas where trops are landing and being picked up from are declared “Free Fire Zones”. That means that the locals had been warned and that the only people in there should have been enemy. I was there in ’69.
Everybody's bad azz untill they hear the sound of a door gunner buzzing rounds at you😂
My dad was there in the Navy. Told me stories of bringing in supplies by fast boats and watching tracers flying all over the place at the boats.
I had the honor of serving under a few NCO's who had served in Vietnam. I particularly remember the 2 Master Sergeants at Fort Hood, Texas in 1986. Those two guys fascinated me as a young man.
I thought that the old flak jackets were more for keeping your torso somewhat intact, than stopping shrap?!
Agreed, I think the main point of them was to keep your organs in place until you got medvac and back to the aid station or similar. As depending on the injury sometimes it is better to leave the body armor (in this case the flak jacket) on to avoid further complications to the wound/injury.
Really? I didn't know that. I've learned my interesting fact for the day.
No they were one of the first evolutions of body armor
The Flak Jacket stated with the B-17 crews in WWII to you guessed it stop the shrapnel from the exploding anti aircraft shells from seriously injuring the crew but they would in no way stop the rounds from a fighter