450 OMG that's my bird 049!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[James M. Lewis]

Was on you tube and saw my helicopter from Nam at a Fort Fest , Fort Jennings Ohio. You just know it's your bird because of the connection we shared. Many such craft were given to veteran organizations who gave them TLC. My heart race a 100 miles per hour seeing her on the screen.

 

[D.O.G.]

That great beside raising your heart rate I'll bet it brought back some memories too .

 

[James M. Lewis]

It sure did, we flew on many missions together. Carrying infantry troops into a hot Landing Zone (LZ). Taking them supplies or answering a mayday call for help. Our call sign was Chicken Man and it was there I was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. On a funnier note we had a spider monkey as a our mascot. He loved to hang out with the flight crews, often inspecting our work on the birds. He would climb on to the swash plate watching us pull maintenance. He was our honorary tech inspector. Always wanted to play with the tools. Ever seen a monkey drag a wrench across the ground? Had to do a equipment check to make sure all were accounted for. He also enjoyed seating behind the pilots and got a few hours in the air.