Author: David Freeman

These are uncaptioned photos from the 2003 reunion.

David FreemanDustoff 74 1971-1972 While in the air on the night of February 5th, 1972, we got a call from Paddy Control telling us he had an emergency working near Rach Gia. He asked if we could help out. Temporarily between missions, we told him we would be glad to. An Army OV-1 Mohawk had… Continue reading Keeping a Mohawk Company

David Freeman Ron Ihler, the new Operations Officer, summoned me into his office. “Well, Freeman,” he said. “You’re a new aircraft commander. Guess what you get to do tonight.” I was Third-Up on the duty roster. Normally, Third-Up didn’t do anything but ash & trash, and they didn’t do those at night. “I don’t know.… Continue reading Flying With VNAF

David Freeman Note: The first time I posted this story, I was challenged on its authenticity. According to the official records there wasn’t a Cobra lost to enemy action on May 11, 1972 that could have been associated with our mission. I did a lot of research on my own and had to agree that… Continue reading SAMs Over An Loc

David Freeman One of our rare treats was the monthly Medcap to Phuc Hoa Island. Phuc Hoa was a beautiful place, actually closer to Thailand than to Vietnam. If belonged to the Vietnamese, however, and was the home of a large POW camp. Most of the POWs there were Viet Cong, but some were from… Continue reading A Day at Phuc Hoa Island

David Freeman Throughout May 1972, we worked in and out of the Lai Khe, Loc Ninh, Tay Ninh, and An Loc areas. The war was hot and we got a lot of action. In some ways, it seemed more like World War II than the typical of guerilla warfare experienced in Vietnam. The push toward… Continue reading More An Loc Action

David Freeman One afternoon, while staging out of Lai Khe, I was called to a briefing held at the command tent of General Hollinsworth, the two star general who was in charge of the Air Cavalry operations in the area. He put his arm around my shoulder and walked with me out to where our… Continue reading Facing Our Fears

David Freeman Three days before Christmas we made a night medevac near the village of Muc Hoa. Some civilians had been wounded in a firefight. Among them was a pregnant woman. She looked to be eight or nine months along and she had three gunshot wounds to her pelvic region. When we picked her up,… Continue reading Two Lives Saved

David Freeman One night during the monsoon season, I was flying back from a mission with Rick Slade. Just outside of Binh Thuy we ran into a wall of rain that we couldn’t see through. We called Binh Thuy tower and they told us the airfield was closed due to heavy rains and limited visibility.… Continue reading Wall of Rain