Maj Don A. Butler and Maj Clemontene Williams, first Commanding Officer and Executive Officer of the 147th Avn Co, point out their route of flight to Col. J Elmore Swenson, Commanding Officer of the 10th Avn Grp, following the 147th's successful 2,200-mile flight with 18 CH-47 "Chinook" helicopters from Ft. Benning, GA to California enroute to South Vietnam - 21 Oct 65 . Submitted by Don Butler. | |
Col. J Elmore Swenson, Commanding Officer, 10th Avn Grp, congratulates Maj Don A. Butler after completion of the 147th Avn Company's 2,200-mile flight with 18 CH-47 "Chinook" helicopters. Submitted by Don Butler | |
Major Butler in the cockpit of a CH-47 "A" model Chinook. Submitted by Bill Butler. | |
Major Butler appears to be in Operations in Vung Tau, South Vietnam. Submitted by Bill Butler. | |
Here's a good shot of the Hillclimber Sign, submitted by Mr. Jim Fraser. | |
This picture was made of Vung Tau in 1999. Does this bring back memories? | |
#027 "Nancy" lifts off from revetment. | |
Crewmembers relax beside #072 at a dusty LZ, within 24 hours, this aircraft and her crew would be no more. | |
Sy Berdux was at the contols of #074 this day as they're demonstrating the lifting of a 155mm Howitzer. | |
"Hillclimber" at Ben Tre Socker Field, 5/27/68. Photo compliments of Rick Guidi, "B" Battery, 1/84th Artillery. | |
The final resting place of aircraft #090. | |
096 and Jim Boschma.bmp: This crash took place in Can Tho on 12 December 1968. None of the crew was injured, but five Vietnamese passengers died. The story behind this incident will be posted shortly in the "Stories" section of the web site. Pictured here is one of the pilots, Jim Boschma, from that fateful day | |
A rare item indeed! One of the original, locally made unit patches, featuring the misspelled "Climben" | |
"No Hill for a Climber" by Frank White depicts #032 as she makes her way down the streets of Vung Tau enroute to the 36th EVAC hospital, after a Grenade was accidently discharged on board just a few minutes earlier and they just couldn't wait for the Medics. See the grenade blast damage to the aircraft, HERE and HERE. Pictures from Richard Davis. | |
Hooking up a load the way my uncle, "Max" Grose, use to do it. Photo courtesy of the ADAA (Air Dispatch Association of Australia) |
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Photo by Newt Coryell - 132 Pylon: 132 a little furthur along in the shipment preparation work. | |
Photo submitted by Jack Keaton. | |
. | Photo by Frank (Max) Grose - During the 1967/68 time period ID shots were taken of all Hillclimber pilots. Here are nine of those Hillclimber "Mug" shots. |
Photo from Mal Hunt - Captain Jim Fraser relaxing in Major Hunt's room at the Hillclimber BOQ (Tiger Towers) in Vunt Tau, Vietnam 1968. | |
147th 1stSGT and NCO's in front of the USO. | |
Photo by Newt Coryell - 5 Canals: This picture is of the 5 Canals area in the Mekong Delta taken somewhere around 1967 or 1968. | |
Photo by Bob Nagel. Bob was the PIC of the A/C that flew in to pick up Ken Sherfey and Bud Fraser after they left Hillclimber A/C 989 in a rice paddy. Bob took photos of the A/C from the air and on the ground. | |
Mr. Rodney Brown, Flight Engineer #996. | |
CW2 AJ Bottom and CW2 Bob Strange - KIA January 15, 1967. | |
This is the 147th Vung Tau flight line and the 171st Maintainance hanger in the backgroup. Photo is same time frame as above. | |
BG Burdett in front of the 147th motorpool. | |
147th ASHC MotorPool - Photo by Jim Fraser. | |
I believe this picture came from "Max" Grose. 040 out somewhere waiting for a mission. Picture is from late '67 or early '68. | |
The 171st had a CH-47 that they used to ferry parts and other related missions. One day a blade damper broke in flight. Centrifical force kept everything in place until shutdown... Luckily! Inspecting the damage is Victor LaBelle. | |
This picture is from the time the 147th was experimenting with the then "new" fire drop bucket. We had no need for this in Vietnam. We were experimenting with this thing for some American company. The picture is from the copy of a publication called the "Skymaster." There was some bleedthrough. | |
Mr. Charles Gillman, 147th CO, toast his departure from Vietnam. | |
Another view of a stricken "Innkeepers" ship at Can Tho. | |
Photo by Newt Coryell - "CH-47 Cockpit" - CH-47A Cockpit shot. Looks rather primitive compared to today but the pilots were, and I'm sure today still are, excellent. | |
Another shot of the 62 model evacuation. Photo supplied by Charles Gilman. | |
Crane recovering Crane - (Would anyone happen to have a picture of a Chinook lifting a Crane? UPDATE: Check out the links on the picture of #66-18409 (former 222nd CAB "Skymasters" Crane) below, which shows her being slung under a D-Model Chinook in 2002! | |
"Hillclimber" flies past "Back Beach" at Vung Tau. | |
The Flight Engineer, Rodney Brown, and Gunner, Holgar Stapleton, from 996 enjoy the local bar scene. | |
This is the a photo of the evacuation of the 62 model Chinooks. This started sometime around March of 1967. Photo supplied by Charles Gilman. | |
CO Maj Hunt | |
Photo donated by George Miller - CPT Smith and CW2 Cal Moore. | |
One of the "Skymaster" Cranes. Photo compliments of Rick Guidi, "B" Battery, 1/84th Artillery. | |
CW2 Jiles Scates. Photo donated by George Miller | |
CW2 Miller with "Tommy Gun." | |
A civilian "driver" named Hahn. Photo donated by George Miller | |
Acadia, next door to TigerTowers - Photo by Jim Fraser. | |
Pilot Fred Farmer posing with a 147th CH-47 shortly after the company arrived in Vietnam. This is one of the 1962 model Chinooks. Notice that the aft pylon has not yet been marked with the 11th Air Assault marking. This is probably late 1965. | |
Photo by Frank Grose - A Hillclimber working the Mekong Delta proudly showing her colors. | |
Picture of 073 working somewhere in Vietnam pre September of 1967 (No engine FOD screens). Photo from George Miller | |
Photo courtesy of the ADAA (Air Dispatch Association of Australia). | |
Photo by Newt Coryell - "Hoover-Burger" - Ken Hoover and Doug Burger-Friends in the 147th during 1967/68 they are today related. Hoover married Burger's sister a long time ago. | |
Photo by Jim Fraser... The "Innkeepers" loose a ship at Can Tho. | |
Jim Allen's crew chief waxing the aircraft. Originally identified mistakenly as Jim Allen. | |
A very young Jim Allen in late 1968. He was originally the CE of 090 until the crash on 27 February 1969. | |
This is the company clerk (Jim Hams) for the 171st Maintainance Detachment in the 171st hanger sometime in '67 or '68. | |
Flight Engineer John McCloy inside 034. Notice that in 1967 the 147th was still using M-14's. | |
Operation Junction City, Ops at Phu Loi. | |
Photo by Newt Coryell - Kids: Although some people regarded this as a great bother I came to appreciate this as a sign of relative peace in the area. Generally, but not always, when a crowd of locals gathered around you nothing was going to happen. In my experience, the few times that the locals stood off several hundred yards, trouble always started. R. Brown FE | |
This is a picture of LT William Kimbrough signing the paperwork for a direct commission. This photo was taken by CPT Bud Fraser sometime in 1969. Bill Kimbrough was a CW3 and IP in the Hillclimbers and on his second tour. The first was in the CH-21 "Flying Banana." | |
The "Boeing Award" is presented to FE Newton Coryell and his crew. Coryell and crew received this award twice: Once for actions doing an aircraft rescue and the second time for actions aboard 032 when an explosion occured on board. Coryell is second from right and Major Charles Gillman is on the far left. The Boeing tech. rep. (unnamed) is on the far right. | |
Bob Lamar waving from 3,000 feet. | |
MAJ Hunt takes command. | |
Hillclimber FE Mike Mears and Australian Warrant Officer Dan Garlin in Vung Tau sometime in the late sixties. Mike was a two time Vietnam Hillclimber FE - 1967-68 and 1970-71. He was also with the unit for a time in Hawaii. | |
Photo by Newt Coryell - My Tho: The destruction of the Delta town of My Tho after TET 1968 shows the level of fighting was intense. | |
Photo by Newt Coryell - "Nancy1" - Another shot of 66-19027 with the unit patch visible on the nose. FE at this time was Newton Coryell. | |
Photo by Newt Coryell - "Nancy" - This is a shot of 66-19027. The blue crown on the combing box doors represent the colors of the second flight platoon. This picture was taken sometime between September of 1967 and the summer of 1968. 027 became a VNAF CH-47 and was destroyed by either NVA or VC action on 23 March 1975 somewhere around Da Nang and Phu Cat. | |
Scenes around the Company Area. | |
Photo from Mal Hunt - The Vung Tau Orderly Room with the bulletin board area overhang clearly visible to the right of the building. | |
Frank Grose photo - Pilots; Frank Grose & Jerry Bishop, pause to enjoy some banana's between missions, circa 1968. | |
RVN revetment. | |
Slingloading a bulldozer. | |
Sy Burdux, doing what "Hookers" do best! | |
147th ASHC company area around December of 1965. Photo provided by L. Thomas Elliston. | |
USO Show goes on the road! | |
Frank Grose photo - "This was a bunch of VC prisoners I hauled one day." | |
Photo by Newt Coryell - Work, Work: Aircraft availability was of paramount importance. Some times we would go weeks without a day off. If it was possible the Flight Platoon Sergeants would try to give us one day ever seven or ten days but that was not always possible. This Hillclimber is flying without its' right front door painted after being replaced. We'll get to it when we have a chance. | |
Hillclimber XO CPT Jim Fraser. Photo by Jim Fraser | |
Sylvester C Berdux photo - Another shot of the 155 lifting demonstration. | |
Frank Grose photo - Santa & his 'Hillclimber' reindeer arrive with a sleigh load of toys for the little Vietnamese children. | |
Frank Grose photo - Flight Engineer David Gale. | |
George Miller photo - This picture of Latimer and Miller was taken in the Vung Tau operations room. The time frame should be early 1967. | |
A very young WO Bill Milo arrives in 1968.. | |
Photo submitted by Jack Keaton | |
Photo's donated by CW3 Fernitz's son, Kirk -- TOP: - CW-3 Manfred Fernitz proudly points out his "short-timer's" status -- BOTTOM: - My father's CH-47 in Gia Ray, 11 September 1968. | |
Photo's donated by CW3 Fernitz's son, Kirk -- CW-3 Manfred Fernitz in front of his CH-47, in Phu Loi, 4 July 1968. | |
Photo from Mal Hunt - The Hillclimber Mess Hall in Vung Tau, Vietnam at the end of 1968. | |
Tyree Anderson in 1968. Tyree was one of a long line of clerks who made the flight hour entries on our records. | |
Here's a good shot of CH-54 #66-18409, a former "Hillclimber", during her active years. - Photo via Butch Rogers, The 295th Avn. Co. (HH) *See pictures of #409 being lifted to Ft. Hood in 2002 for display by clicking HERE and HERE* |
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It was thought that the 147th 1st Sgt operated one of the bars in downtown Vung Tau... ? - photo by Richard Davis. | |
171st Transportation Det Maint Officer - by Richard Davis. | |
"I spent the first part of 1967 with the 147th (171st Trans Det). Took a lot of pics and have lots of memories." - Richard Davis | |
The following 17 photographs were donated by Mr. Bob Patterson, Hillclimber 3 (OPS) and 5 (XO), 1968-1969 - "One of the Hillclimbers taxies out of the Vung Tau revetments to start a day's work." | |
The Vung Tau AFB Fire Dept fights a fire from a crashed VNAF C-47 that had a gear collapse on take off. The plane actually hit the fire station and was a total loss. The VN ambassador to New Zealand was on board. No fatalities. | |
The wreck of the Idannis K on Windy Beach (Right next to Back Beach) in Vung Tau. | |
Vung Tau AFB tower. The parked Otter is from the 54th Airplane Co. "Big Daddy." | |
Three ARVN gunboats (LCVPs) make their way through the canals of the Mekong Delta well south of Dong Tam. | |
Upper left of picture is ARVN-RF/PF (Ruff Puff) triangle shaped compound. South of Can Tho in IV Corps. | |
Small artillery firebase south of Tay Ninh. | |
Photo of Buddhist temple and grounds near Tay Ninh City in III Corps. | |
Back beach at Vung Tau. This was Vietnamese swimming and family beach not used much by US and Australian troops. Upper left point of picture has French bunkers for large guns. | |
Jim Frazer (as I remember) put his helmet on Poppa San (he cleaned up and worked around 147th HQ). (In retrospect he probably really was a VC!). | |
147th ASHC HQ 1968-1969. | |
A "Big Daddy" from the 54th gets a lift from a 147th Hillclimber. Bob Patterson was flying this one. It was one of quite a few "Big Daddy's" that the 147th brought back to VT due to the bad Spartan rebuilt radial engines the 54th suffered with in 68-69. A lot of us got a shot at slinging one of these tough loads. (The Otter was built to fly and didn't take well to just *hanging* there! About 51 knots as I recall was tops. Faster and it began to fly ¦ slower and it began to lose lift and pull you down. Interesting load!) | |
Plantation pad at Long Binh and Group HQ. The Cobras parked to the right are from the "Blue Max" or "Crusaders". (I think they were Blue Max, does anyone remember? | |
Looking south as you approached eastward into Plantation. Time to call "Factory inbound for Plantation." Saigon is off to the top right of the picture. | |
This was a CH-47 (I think it was tail # 090) that crashed at Can Tho when an engine failed on take off. The PIC and crew (CWO Larry Walker-PIC, CWO Van Peterson, FE Delmer Glaser, CE James Allen, and GN{gunner} Frank Chiefa) punched the load off and tried do a 180 to return to the air field, but they lost the second engine. CWO Walker tried to autorotate, but he had little power, little airspeed and very little attitude. As I recall, they hit a dike at an angle and the aircraft separated laterally and broke up. The two pilots (both WO's but I cannot remember who they were) wound up in the nose as shown here, still strapped in, upside down, but alive. One had a cracked back and one had a broken arm. Both rotated back to the states. The FE, CE and gunner all lived through this too! I flew over the wreckage at 500' the next day and couldn't even pick out the junk as a Chinook! I slung part of the aft pylon, floorboard and sides back to VT to the "Boneyard". Pieces fell off all the way home. The slow speed required a refuel stop from Can Tho just to get to Vung Tau! Another Hillclimber brought another chunk of it home. What a mess! |
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Looking to the north and at "Black Beauty", Nui Bha Dinh mountain near An Loc and NE of Tay Ninh (to the left). I flew many load to the top of this mountain as a Hillclimber and than again on my second tour as a Blackcat. I recall we owned the top and the bottom, Charlie owned in between. It got over run by the VC at least twice in the two years I was in country. | |
This photo was taken in the Delta and just shows the arty or air strike craters that scoured the landscape of Vietnam. It looked like the moon in some places. Remember? I understand now very little of this shows. | |
A lone sentry with an M-14, stands by one of the "Hillclimbers" - (anyone with info on this picture, please notify me) | |
Unidentified crew member stands by the "Hillclimber: "Pray for Piece" - (anyone with info on this picture, please notify me) | |
Hillclimber #68-15842, on the Fantail of Resupply Ship "USS Jennings County" LST 846 - Ships Motto was "We Can Handle It".. - Photo by Len Swiatly. | |
Ed Zaber's windshield. Ed was copilot for Carl Vertrees answering a call to go to Soc Trang for troops to help defend Can Tho during the first wave of ground attacks of the 1968 Tet Offensive. Ed was leaning slightly to the left to monitor engine starting, when a bullet came through the center of the windshield. In his normal position, it would have got him between the eyebrows - by "Max" Grose. | |
Ed Zaber, 31 Jan 68. Here is a man who is happy to be alive, and a little lucky too! Note the bullet hole in his helmet and the blood just right of his mouth. A piece of plexiglass from the windshield made a small cut. Photo taken in the Hillclimber Can Tho Ops - by "Max" Grose. | |
With CW2 Lind Swensen at Can Tho, late 67. Lind could play a mean guitar. | |
Look what Charlie did to my helicopter! One of the two hits I got at Tan Hiep on 4 Feb 68. This one shot out my utility hydraulic system. | |
This little piece of lead entered at the little hole, and shot out my brakes. Go Quao, 11 Feb 68. | |
The next several pictures donated by Dennis Carter, formerly SP/5, 147th ASHC. "Press on with the Hillclimbers" - One of the 147th Birds during Test Flight. | |
Taken somewhere between Can Tho and Chu Lang, at the bomb craters. - by Dennis Carter | |
"Who can forget changing their first aft transmission oil filter?" - by Dennis Carter | |
One of the Hillclimbers delivering a sling load of supplies. - by Dennis Carter | |
Presidential Certificate of Appreciation upon combat tour completion. - by Dennis Carter | |
Dennis' "Membership" card to the Vung Tau Enlisted Man's Club." - by Dennis Carter | |
This is a picture of the Can Tho Airfield Hillclimbers Orderly Room. This photo comes out of the 1972 Hillclimber year book. |