Sidetracking The Boxcars (To Chu Lai)
By Bill Dillonaire

The year is 1967 and the 178th ASHC had been in country since March 1966 and had established itself as a unit which could get the job done. The personnel assigned to the organization were familiar with the area of operations and with the peculiarities of both friendly and enemy units. In short, a comfort zone had been established. The well worn tents, open showers, tin latrines and dusty conditions at Phu Loi were home. Names like Cu Chi, Dian, Nui Ba Den, Bien Hoa, the Iron Triangle were very familiar and the stories stemming from battles in the vicinity did indeed lend itself to the folklore of the Vietnam War.

Operation Junction City was the first large scale offensive of 1967. It was the largest force to be assembled for a ground operation since World War II. Working together in an effort to seal off the Iron Triangle from both NVA and VC, were the 24th Infantry Division, the 173rd Airborne Brigade and a Brigade from the 4th Infantry Division. Major Clyde Klick, C.O. of the 178th Boxcars was given operation control of our sister Chinook Unit, the 213th Black Cats, for the opening phase of the operation. Twenty Chinooks hauling artillery and war supplies during a twelve hour period can move a lot of tonnage. It was a well coordinated mission, and one which the participants can be proud.

After Operation Junction City was complete a state of "Normalcy" returned with the daily routine being devoted to supporting fighting units in the 3rd corps area. It was still a hostile environment and stories of close calls from enemy fire, or marginal flying conditions, or unusual load configurations were told anytime two or more pilots gathered. Fred Sass was wounded in the vicinity of Lai Khe and flown to the M.A.S.H. by Buz Brabeck who then flew the helicopter home without his co-pilot. Shortly thereafter Bob Cuyle and Dave Rickson were inserting Combat Engineers into a densely forested area using a 100 ft. ladder from the ramp. The enemy chose to mortar the landing area, so the helicopter crew flew away trailing the ladder along with several engineers holding on for dear life. Within sight of Nui Ba Den, while supplying an artillery unit, Harold Huff and Bill Dillonaire came close to damaging equipment and themselves when landing in an area of extremely fine black dust. Just before touching the load to the ground the whole area was engulfed with the thick dust generated by the one hundred knot downwash winds from the rotor system.

By February 1967 the tent area and the flight operations shack was nearing the end of its life expectancy. SFC. Stanley Stokes, an enterprising and knowledgeable NCO, was unable to get support for rebuilding through normal channels so he took the matter into his own hands. He located building material, cement, wood and galvanized iron sheets at Bien Hoa. Two Chinooks can carry a lot, so dispatching helicopters and crews to Bien Hoa thus reducing the Air Force inventory. As plans for construction were being made, the rumor of relocation began to rear it ugly head.

Shortly after hearing the news that Gus Grissum and the crew of Apollo I had died in an unfortunate fire on the ground, the 178th rented a villa in Vung Tau for in country R&R's. It was a welcome relief from Phu Loi but it was not the French Riviera. The beer was warm, the sand coarse, it still was Vietnam and we were still on the alert for the V.C. Yet a swim in the South China Sea, a restaurant meal, to include French Onion soup meant a lot to those who were lucky enough to take advantage of the situation.

Back in the main area of operations (AO) the 178th continued to provide heavy life support primarily to the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Big Red One. During the course of relocating villages from the edge of the Iron Triangle, the story of the flying pig came to light. The crew for this mission has been forgotten but the account will be vividly remembered. It was common when moving villagers to relocation centers that their possessions go with them. This would include their meager household belongings and the livestock, chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs. The people were frighten out of their minds and the animals were equally scared of the big smelly helicopter drenched in hydraulic oil. Nevertheless, the job had to be accomplished so the crew pushed, prodded and crunched sometimes as many as two hundred Vietnamese people into one CH-47. Once with a full load, a porker broke loose, saw the open rear ramp and scurried to escape the racket and odd sensation of flying. The little pig evaded the out stretched hands of all concerned and fled, unfortunately, the helicopter was at five hundred feet above the rice paddies and without a parachute the pig became a casualty of the war.

During the same period, John Green and crew was flying a mission for Special Forces Detachment south of Phu Loi when cruising at three thousand feet and one hundred and twenty knots the pilots door blew off. The sudden whoosh was first thought to be a direct hit by heavy artillery but since John was sitting next to the gaping hole, he took the controls, slowed down and continued the mission. It was fortunate the door blew downward rather than up through the rotor system thus avoiding catastrophic damage and possible loss of a crew and an aircraft.

Rice cashes, which the V.C. had stashed in or near their Iron Triangle redoubts when located were hauled out by the 178th CH-47's. The rice normally was given to the South Vietnam Army but several loads were delivered to an orphanage compliments of the 178th.

As spring of 1967 approached so did rumors that one part of one of the CH-47 companies belonging to the 11th Battalion, might move north to support operations. Which unit would be chosen was a rather hot topic of conversation. Some felt the 213th should go since they were new in country, their equipment was new and their C.O. was a hard charger who wanted the challenge. On the other hand the 178th was well seasoned and capable and thought we were the favorite of the Battalion Commander, LTC Joe Starker.

It was a surprise when word finally filtered down that the 178th was going north to Chu Lai. Around the end of March Bob Cuyle and Bill Dillonaire were sent to Chu Lai to be briefed by the 14th Bn. staff and get an idea of the problems with which we would be confronted. Transportation for the liaison trip to Chu Lai was via UI-A Otter. The flight was super slow by todays standards, but it allowed one to see the whole country from south to north and it's beauty without the distraction of small arms fire. The flight over the area around Chu Lai was absolutely magnificent. The emerald green of the fields contrasted beautifully with the white sand and the blue water of the South China Sea.

Since the 14th Aviation Bn. was gaining a Chinook Company, one would have thought that arrangements for living and working areas would have been laid out.

This was not the case however, since the main part of the 14th Bn was still located at Qui Nhon and it had not had time to find it's own living space. Therefore it was every unit for itself in trying to get situated. A Huey unit, the Rattlers, was being assigned to the 14th Bn along with the 178th. The Rattlers Commander chose to live along side the runway which was in constant use by the Marine A-4's.

Bob Cuyle and Bill Dillonaire went to the 3rd Marine Amphibious Force HQ. and begged for some choice real estate along the beach. The G-3 of the 3rd MAF hinted that the area occupied by an amphibious tractor unit could handle some Army folks while they made preparations to head north toward Da Nang. We shook hands on the deal and went to meet the Marine Company Commander in order to cement the billeting and mess arrangements. Should the Rattler Commander change his mind about sleeping on the runway, he wouldn't have access to the Ampbious Tractor Company facilities. After concluding business in Chu Lai it was back to Phu Loi and preparations for the big move back to the 1st. Corps area.

Lead ship for the move was piloted by Bob Cuyle and Bill Dillonaire, other crew members are unknown. On board we had the mechanical mule, procured by Al Stratton, flight operations radios and personal gear. It reminded me of a scene from "The Grapes of Wrath" where the Oakies packed their meager belongings on the old truck and set out to seek their livelihood elsewhere. The three hundred and ninety mile flight was without incident with fuel stops at Phan Thiet, Nha Trang and Qui Nhon. At Qui Nhon we met with the 14th Bn. CO., LTC Bill Ponder, to let him know the 178th was on the way. LTC Ponder, at the time, was in the process of moving his HQ. to Chu Lai. Everyone was quite busy.

Our arrival in Chu Lai was quite unspectacular, no bands playing, no people gathered and no help to get the 178th operational. Flight Operations were set up in an old warehouse on the south end of the A-4 runway. Little did we know that A-4's were prone to dropping their bombs on take off. Little did we know about A-4 engines burning up on take off which required the pilot to punch out at very low altitude and land in the sand between our helicopters and the runway, dazed but able to walk away.

The living quarters which were donated by the Marines were actually better than those at Phu Loi. We now had tin roofs, screened walls and a raised wooden floor. The site, situated on sand dunes over-looking the ocean was a real estate developers dream it was gorgeous. The mess hall which we shared with the Marines was adequate. We were allocated rations from the Navy which issued 1 1/2 rations pre meal compared to a regular army ration.

Our only means of transportation in the Chu Lai area was the mechanical mule. Fortunately the mechanics kept it running through ingenuity and chewing gum.

A few days later the main party of the 178th began to arrive. Buz Brabeck was the lead ship on a tight formation of three. The Boxcars had arrived and were mission ready.

On June 8, 1967 Major Joe Rutkowski took command of the 178th in a ceremony on the helipad. Major Rutkowski took over from Major Clyde Klick who was returning to Phu Loi for duty on the 11th Avn. Bn. staff.

Shortly after Major Rutkowski's arrival, he and Bob Cuyle were flying a mission south of Quang Nhai when their aft pylon bearing began to seize. They executed an emergency landing using maximum torque available just to make the helicopter go down. Once on the ground the rotors made about two revolutions and the ship was on fire. Unfortunately they were carrying an internal load of mortar ammunition which also caught fire. For a short period it looked like a 4th of July celebration that had run amuck. The A/C was completely destroyed, burned to a crisp with the exception of the steel parts. There were no casualties or injuries sustained in this incident.

Later in the year, on 8-18-67, we did have an accident in which both the flight engineer and the crew chief were badly burned. Once again the load was internal rather than on a sling. The mission was to pick up a load of steel stakes from a remote location and deliver them to Duc Pho. The Infantry representative for whom the stakes were to be hauled said each stakes weighed 8 1/2 pounds. A rapid calculation by the pilot in command considering the fuel already consumed loaded one thousand stakes. On take off however the helicopter just wouldn't get airborne and hit a railroad bed which was perpendicular to the take off flight path. Upon investigation it was determined that each stake actually weighed 13 1/2 lbs.

While supporting the 101st Airborne Div. near Duc Pho, Al Stratton called the mission coordinator to say he was experiencing a sever vertical vibration and was going to set down to investigate. As the rotor RPM approached zero one blade on the aft rotor sank wearily to the ground without touching the fuselage. This was an oddity which amazed the Boeing Representative and everyone else who witnessed the anomaly.

Other stories from Chu Lai, lie within minds of the people who lived them. I am sure a sizable book could be complied if all concerned would jot down their favorite episode from their tour in Vietnam.

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