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Thomas Gipson

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On Thanksgiving day in 1968, Huey pilot Thomas Gipson spent all day delivering meals to various camps and bases. When he saw what his own holiday meal consisted of, he felt a little neglected. It was dangerous operating in a dense jungle and he recalls an incident in which another aircraft was shot down. (6:41)

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Thomas Gipson was lucky enough to be able to go to Hawaii on R&R to meet his wife, getting away from Vietnam for a break. That was great, but there was a downside. (1:28)

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The fog rolled in while he was out an a mission. Huey pilot Thomas Gipson had to divert from his base to a nearby base in Pleiku which had IFR capability, instrument flight rules. They would have to talk him down. (2:53)

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Once he made aircraft commander, Huey pilot Thomas Gipson had to mentor other pilots fresh from flight training. He remembers one cocky pilot who couldn't be bothered to follow common sense rules. (5:09)

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Every helicopter pilot in Vietnam had to take a check ride every 90 days to make sure his skills were holding steady. When Thomas Gipson was on his check ride, sudden engine failure nearly caused a disaster. (5:51)

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The load limit on a Huey is not something to be ignored. Thomas Gipson was piloting the last aircraft on a mission to extract a ground unit. He had never carried more than eight passengers but somebody screwed up. There were thirteen men left. (4:09)

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The takeoff was a tense moment for Thomas Gipson. The Huey pilot was leaving Vietnam on a commercial airliner and he was not in control, hence his nervousness. He had this feeling again when he ventured into rush hour traffic back home. The Army offered to promote him straight to captain if he would go back for another tour, but that was a tough sell. (6:48)

Thomas Owens

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His brothers made fun of him but Thomas Owens felt called to volunteer for duty in Vietnam. He was sent right up to the dangerous area at the DMZ at the same time the ill-fated incursion into Laos was occurring. (4:43)

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The bus full of men deploying to Vietnam broke down in Haight-Ashbury, of all places, and some were tempted. Not Thomas Owens. He stayed on the bus. When he got to the fire base near the DMZ, they put him in front of a typewriter, but soon handed him a rifle and assigned him to a ground surveillance unit. The war was winding down and he was alarmed at the lack of readiness. (4:37)

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Thomas Owens reminisces about life at the forward base in Vietnam, where he operated ground surveillance radar. The memories are pretty grim; rats which begged like dogs, filth, and cold food. Some of the locals who worked there were pacing off distance for attacks, but others were helpful and generous. (5:03)