[Bigiron] Vietnam Helicopter Research

[James Scurria]

Happy to see this finally being addressed Morrie.  Better late than never I guess.  Your input with be invaluable!  I always felt the Navy was far too quick to ditch the Navy armed helicopter concept, post Vietnam.  We gave lip service to the reserve HA(L) squadrons.  So little so that in 1988, with the standup of the United States Special Operations Command, and the force allocations that followed, they didn't even want HA(L)-4/5 for Navy Seal support.  It took decades, but Navy armed helicopters are back in business.

I had orders to HA(L)-3 that were cancelled in late '71.  Reported to HC-6 in July '74.  Jim Magee was CO.  One of my most enjoyable assignments was as OIC of an 8 month, two plane Det to the Med.  I would be interested in hearing about your experiences with the 46's in your HC-6 det.  What a fun airplane to fly!

Hope you are well!

Jim Scurria



________________________________
From: Bigiron <bigiron-bounces at helobubbas.com> on behalf of Morris Steen <morrissteen at me.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 8, 2025 3:26 PM
To: bigiron at helobubbas.com <bigiron at helobubbas.com>; ryanw0401 at gmail.com <ryanw0401 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Bigiron] Vietnam Helicopter Research

Ryan, I had two tours in VN. The first tour, 1967-68 with HA(L)-3 as a gunship pilot, and the second, 1872-73 with HC-6 as OIC of a two acft detachment flying combat support missions. Between the two tours I flew 721 missions and would be available to speak with you regarding my perspective. I have written about my experiences and will refer to those documents in any discussion we may have. Thanks.

Morrie Steen
850-843-0636
morrissteen at me.com<mailto:morrissteen at me.com>

On Jun 4, 2025, at 11:52 AM, retiredaffairs at nhahistoricalsociety.org wrote:

Anyone who might be interested in helping Ryan with information he might need in his research efforts, please contact him directly………mgb

From: Ryan Gilchrist <ryanw0401 at gmail.com<mailto:ryanw0401 at gmail.com>>
Subject: Vietnam Helicopter Research
Good morning,
 I hope you are doing well.  My name is Ryan W. Gilchrist and I am researching for the National Naval Aviation Museum's new Vietnam War exhibit they are currently developing.  Under the direction of Deputy Director Mr. Hill Goodspeed, I have been tasked with researching a number of topics for inclusion in a touch-screen display format, including aircraft, weapons, missions, enemy threats, and ROE.  Obviously Navy helicopters played a big role in Vietnam, from the Seawolves' UH-1s to the other ship-based helicopters such as the SH-2 and SH-3 performing rescues, feet wet and feet dry.  Helicopters are not my area of expertise, and consequently I have no contacts for any of these communities.
 I wanted to reach out and see if there was a possibility of being connected with a Vietnam Navy helicopter veteran or veterans so I can email them a few questions for the museum.  Each part of the display will be somewhat small, but I am pursuing first-hand knowledge for each and would appreciate any help you can provide.  Thank you and I look forward to hearing back.
 Very Respectfully,
Ryan W. Gilchrist




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