I'll always picture Vietnam veterans as in their late 30's, early 40's like when I was a kid-now they're like WW2 veterans were to me.

In 1971, I serving overseas in the US Army and got krunched. I was Medivaced to the field hospital in Huey. I will Never Ever forget that chopper screaming in to land. I thought they were going to crash! As soon as they landed, I was loaded in and my stretcher strapped down. I will also never forget the full power lift off and the flight to the hospital! They were flying to save my life. I owe them a debt I can never repay. God bless the Medivac crews.

My dad served in Nam in 69-71.. the love the “ slicks” .. on one mission the door gunner was hit ..he took over “ the hog “ .. he’s in this late 70 s now but the memories remain

Helicopter Pilots in Vietnam were true heroes. They not only gave havoc to the enemy, but also countless lives were saved by those who flew medivac ships.

Look at the joy on his face, wonderful to see. Hats off to those guys for not forgetting their forefathers.

Respect to all who served in that thankless conflict. My dad was a door gunner for almost his entire tour, amazing that he made it back with the stories I heard of how short their expectations were.

Kids today of the 2020's have no idea how "bad-ass" there Grandfathers were in their day!

My dad (RIP) was a crew chief on a Huey medivac in Vietnam .. thank you guys so much for your service ..

Weird to see that glass in those old panels. I was at Bien Hoa 70-71. I know my fellow veterans don't like to be called heros, but I can say I really admired the helicopter pilots. They did a hell of a tough job and did it well.

And for that moment in time, he was back in 1966, in hell, but with a smile on his face. The smile of a soldier. 💙

73 nw 19....I spent 2 1/2 years in III Corp...1969-71. I had my share of the Whup,Whup under my ass and in my ears...even though I was Quads and Dusters.This brought back memories ...some I had forgotten.Snippets like this can be so bitter sweet. I watched this with a smile and a tear...It was a time I felt alive...lol even the background music. In that time of our lives we ran...now older, we plod along doused in memories that made the heart beat so fast...Time goes by fleetingly and now a pace maker assists. Thank you for a momentary trip to when things were simple... and I had hair ....

Okay, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Steppenwolf instead of CCR. Magic Carpet Ride was a nice touch.

Graduated in 1967 in Ft Rucker, Alabama. Helikoptercourse UH1. Two norwegians, Asbjørn Saethertbakken and I. Very good course. Regards Ltcol Rein Lae Solberg Norw. Air Force

I’m from Iran and I respect Vietnam vets. It’s so heartbreaking that there are Americans that didn’t thank them and disrespected them upon arrival after the war. God bless nam vets. By the way we still use hueys in our air force in Iran. Great choppers and very reliable . Built to last and fight .

My Dad is a Marine and I was BORN in 1967 after he met a cute nurse near Quantico Marine Base, VA!!!… Growing to be a pilot myself and understanding the love and passion for flight, it is so amazing and emotional to see these Vets back in their birds!!!… Thank You ALL for your service!!!

This is great. Smiling my head off.I flew Huey's and Souix's with allies in Vietnam. I love what you're doing for your vets. Perfect backing track too!!

God damn once the music kicked in I got chills

Brought a tear to my eye. Navy March 16 '77 to '81. Engine mechanic A-4. Great to see him in the air again. Thank you.

yes it was a magic carpet ride!...all of us vietnam era vets appreciate a nice heart token of kindness given to an ex vet from that war...thank you and godspeed guys!

Loved my time riding hueys in the 80’s while in the 101st Airborne. A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to take my then 10 year old daughter on a great ride aboard one of the actual UH-1’s from the battle portrayed in the movie “We Were Soldiers”.

These heroes never got the recognition they deserved . God bless

Graduated in 73, so I missed the war. Guess I should be thankful. Respect to ALL Veterans and thankyou for your service.

I served in the Air Force at McChord back in the mid-80’s with this staff sergeant named Gino who served in the army in Vietnam as a door gunner on a Huey in the early 70’s, he never really spoke about his experience but one day in the shower I saw that on his back he had what looked like 5 mushroom shaped marks on his back and shoulder and another on the back of his arm; he had some other wounds on his legs as well. Later while deployed, I got the nerve to ask him and he proceeded to tell me that he got wounded 4 times and had 7 helicopters shot out from under him. He was in Vietnam until the very end. A few months later during a dress mess event we were all wearing our class A uniforms and was shocked to see 6 rows of ribbons with bronze star with multiple awards, Purple Heart, and many other awards. He had some issues with authority and substance related issues which kept him at an e-6 rank. God bless people like him and all of those who served.

1st Cav 1969~1970 Flew many many hours in Hueys, and Chinooks. Always a thrill when I hear a Huey 50+ years later.

My dad would be 70 today if he were still alive , he served in the navy from 69-73 he was a river rat .

Just hearing those igniters going and the starter/generator brings make many great memories of my time as a mechanic/crew chief.

My God! This brought tears to my eyes. I've done that startup several thousand times. Wow, what a flashback!

you can tell by the smile on the vietnam vets face how much he enjoyed this... thanks for letting his dream come true

My dad was a pioneer foreman for LA County FIre Dept Air Attack starting in 1970. I was 6 years old then and when I was 8, I got my first ride in a Huey and hearing the sounds in this video brought me right back to those times. Over the years, I got to meet many top notch pilots some of which flew in Vietnam. One pilot in particular stands out. My dad introduced him and he said with a huge smile, "Call me Pard!" Well one day, Pard asks if I want I ride. I said of course and I started to get in the passenger section of the helicopter. He goes, "No, no! You come up here in the co -pilot seat! " Being a 12 year old at this time, this was an amazing thing! So I get in co-pilot seat, buckle in and before Pard started the engine, he looked at me with that big ol grin he had and said "Boy....I'm gonna make you shit your pants!" I had nothing to say at that point. He starts the engine, lifts off about 10 feet off the ground and slowly moves to the edge of the helipad which happens to end at cliff on top of the mountain the station is at. Once he is clear of the helipad, he noses the helicopter down and we go full throttle down about 100 feet above the ground straight down the mountain side. We descended about 2000 feet and then he noses up and goes straight up and then swings the tail around. We buzzed the station where my parents were standing there watching me get the ride of my life! Well, the ride ended....I didn't shit my pants, and Pard just looked at me with his grin and I thanked him for the amazing ride. Pard passed away in October, and I went to his flag ceremony with my dad who is now 86. To all those amazing pilots, I salute you and will never forget you. RIP Pard.

Served 80-86 the Huey was the most fun you will have with your clothes on! Welcome Home Vietnam Vets 🇺🇸

What an honor for our veterans. 🇺🇸❤️ My husband was a door gunner on a Huey gunship in Nam, shot down twice.

Good to see the Aussie flag in there, I was suprised. We fought with you guys, much respect.

I couldn't imagine taking off in one of these puppies heading into the belly of the beast. God bless!!!

I lived near Ft Lewis and remember six & eight ship formations of Hueys flying around the base. They made an unforgettable sound.

It was good to see that Vietnam Vet smile. I can't even imagine the flood of memories that he experienced on this ride.

Thank you Barry and Sam. I was in I Corps in 1968/69, with 196 Infantry. I saw guys like you come take us in and out of the jungle, saved a lot of lives. Of course most of our rides were on a good old Huey, but one trip from LZ Center to Chu Lai we watched two .51 cal slugs come right thru the floor of the chinook we were on. That old bird never quivered or stuttered, just kept on flying and got us there. Much respect for all you guys who kept those old war birds flying.

I was at Ben Hoa in 1068 ; MACV TOC. Flew many, many days with the Huey Slick Pilots. God Bless every one of them.

"If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing." Quote from Brigadier General Charles Yeager

Amazing how he remember the exact date Sept. 22 1966. Before I was even born (1967). Thanks for your service guys.

It's amazing the lifespan of some aircraft when properly maintained. Thank you to all our veterans, and thank you Combat Helicopters for taking them for a ride to enjoy the better aspects of their service without the bad.

his smile is priceless

I flew in CH46s in the Marines but this video bought back many memories some bad most good.

Maybe about just Year and a half ago I sat on my back porch alone and began to shed tears for the guys who never came back. I didnt know them but I feel like I did.

I tried to go to Vietnam. I told the man I was interested in flying helicopters. Someone handed him a piece of paper a. He glance then told me you're not going anywhere. My hearing was too bad. I was nuclear war bait. You're not going unless there a nuclear war. I'm 69" I love the sound of a Huey wiring up on start up. The thump of them still gives me chills. I love them still.

I feel extremely lucky to have been in the National Guard at a time when Vietnam vets were still serving. Most of my NCO's were vets. A great experience was doing a helo insert, in training, with Vietnam vets flying the helos. I try to be on time in real life, If one is too early you risk giving away the LZ, helos get shot down, long walk home. And if one is a few moments late, you will hear the helos flying away, long walk home. Probably best to just be on time.

God bless our veterans. My life’s dream was to ride in a Huey and experience the sound and feeling of these beauties. I got to fulfill my dream and it was nothing short of amazing. Combat pilots have the biggest balls and skills!!

I was born in 71 in the UK and have always had a interest in aviation. I was shocked to learn how the young men who were sent to Vietnam were treated when they came back home to the USA. It's great to see the Vietnam vets treated better now.

There is no greater sound than a Huey flying hearing that wop wop wop is joy to the ears. I trust the Huey more than a Crashhawk . My brother flew Dust Off in Nam as a medic. He was with 5 SF Group Bein Hoa 68-69. Half of his made it back to the World.

This vietnam vet pilot is a very humble and cool guy. Thank-you sir for putting your life on the line for us Americans to enjoy the liberties and freesoms that we live and breath daily

I was a 67V in a GS Unit from 77’ to ‘79 but only worked on Cobras and Hueys. Stationed at Schofield but our hangar was at Wheeler. The steel I-Beams and Masonry walls inside the hangar still had large caliber bullet holes in it from the Pearl Harbor attack. Everything we worked on was Vietnam era. Our pilots were all Vietnam vets and the best of those were the Warrant Officers.

The sound of a Huey coming in is awesome as the cows found out at 6:30.

And for a brief wonderful moment he was 23 again.....

I know someone in Nevada that would probably love this. I was a deputy sheriff with him in Nevada until we retired in 2022. He was a crew chief on a gunship in Vietnam, always had some stories, loved hearing them. My Fav was probably hearing about an R&R story in Sydney Australia. I also joked with him that he probably has a kid or two somewhere in Australia. I was born in 83 and my father was born in 42 and was in the Army during Vietnam. Never saw deployment, even though he volunteered to be deployed. But it was during a time where flat feet DQs were a thing. He was even trained as a Medic, wanted to go, and still didn't get to go. We also worked with another deputy that was a door gunner on a gunship in Vietnam.

God bless our aussie vets and American vets as well🇦🇺🇺🇲

In 1974-75, in Sumatra, I worked on helirigs and flew in and out in Hueys like this one. Most of the pilots we ex-Vietnam. Two big memories: (1) as the rigs were in jungle clearings getting height when fully loaded could be hard. One day, when I was in the co-pilot’s seat, the pilot lifted-off to 50ft, then leaned the aircraft forward until I was looking straight at the mud, then powered on and went forward all the time at an angle, then as the tree line approached he thrust the stick forward, nose suddenly up, and we zoomed over the trees. Phew... (2) we were cruising along at 1000ft, doors open with tools slung across and a couple of operators in the back. I was in the co-pilot’s seat again. I asked the pilot what he would do if this were Vietnam and he came under fire. He said there were two options, both involving getting down to tree height. He showed me option one: powered-down on the collective and fluttered down to the tree line pretty quickly. This flustered the guys in the back. He then powered-up and took us back to 1000ft to show me option two...... While going forward pretty fast, he yanked back on the stick and we went nose-down straight for the trees. The guys in the back freaked out: they had no idea what we were doing. Stick forward and we skimmed the treetops at speed. Wow.....

The sheer "JOY" in that Ol' vets face is priceless! What an awesome experience!

Helicopters have been a big love in my life only because my Grandmother worked for Bell Helicopter for 30 years. She retired in 87, two years before I enlisted in the Army. So I've pretty much always been fond of the sound and purposes of rotorcraft

MAN WAS MEANT TO FLY BUT IT IS A MIRACLE TO HOVER, "DAREDEVIL DAN" GOD I MISS IT AND I'M OLD NOW.

My dad was there and 3 of my cousins, all Marines and one of them was a F4 phantom pilot.. thank you Sirs for your service

I flew the OV-10 Bronco, and later the Huey UH-1N Gunship. Was the best life.

What a iconic bird.. I got into the military when the Blackhawk was the primary bird .. but I got lucky and caught a morale flight on one of these with the Air National Guard.. nothing like it ..true history in the air

Six years in the infantry, I rode in a Huey only once. Those guys were big shots to me.

Above all else, I remember the thunder of Hueys overhead in Fort Jackson , SC , as a child in 1964,while we were visiting with my grandfather in the VA hospital that spring.

My cousin flew slicks for the 71st AHC 68-69..Shot down 4 times... When I started flying helicopters for my Police dept I took him up... Pretty dam cool when I said said "you got the controls". He was almost 70 in 2008 and man he could still fly... What an honor

Some of the scariest times of his life make for some of the best memories. The look on his face was priceless.

Let me know when there is a COMBAT TANKS version of this lol. I was a Bradley mechanic and M88a1 operator for 15 yrs in the Army. I did 3 tours in Iraq and a Kosovo rotation. God I miss working on tracks and doing recovery work. The M88 was my bread and butter in the Army for most of my career.

There's no better helicopter pilot than a Vietnam veteran pilot I dont care what anyone says°!!!!!!!

I flew slicks in Bien Hoa about the same time. Fall of 68 to fall of 69. Personally, I don’t care for another ride.

USAF 20th SOS "Green Hornets", 27th Spl Ops Wing, UH-1F and H, AH-1F late 1972, Capt. (pilot) 1970-72, 2 full tours, retired USAF Reserves 1988. It's too bad that everyone, especially the various media, thinks only the Army flew Helo's in Vietnam and seem to ignore all of us USAF, Marines and Navy flyers. I also flew A1 and AT-28 Ground Attack /Support fixed wing during my tours, let's see Army helo pilots be that versatile. PS - if gauges ain't round with a mechanical pointy thing, they ain't gauges and don't belong in a UH-1

Nice video. Greetings from the Philippines. Our air force still fly these Hueys.

Above the best 1st Cav, 101st, thank you to all that served.

My grandpa drove a wrecker and transport truck in Vietnam. He passed in this past September

It must have terrifying as hell to be taking ground fire in one of these....it is amazing anyone survived at all ....and to all of you who served in Vietnam.....this might be 60 years too late but welcome home. You guys were my heros when I was a kid....and to this day you still are...

So cool, loved the music. Brought it back. In country 67.

I was in 227th AHB 1st Cav May '67 to Aug '68 Crew Chief!

Talk about it with pride, talk about it with pain. No matter how you talk about ...the whole ,crazy war was indeed insane!

I'm a Veteran of Vietnam (70-71) and Gulf War 1991 Iraq ... Iraq ( 04-05) Wars . I was a door gunner UH-1 helicopter in Vietnam with the 118th AHC .... And in Iraq worked on AH-64A Apache attack helicopter for the 1/151Aviation Regiment ... Retired 2011

"Tree top flyer's"...a thrill ever time...incredible machine and same for the pilot's and crew...I knew a couple 1-1st airborne vietnam vet's who was flying medical flight's here a few years ago but if the need was urgent these guys would come no matter but sadly lost them on another emergency call..I served in a battery flying Cobra gunship's never a dull moment..

It's looking very clean with a pristine paint job and polished to with in an inch of its life. It's nice to see one without lots of scrapes, dents, scratches and paint missing. The only time it will look like that is on delivery or in a museum. It's nice to hear the engine spool up, I don't know why but it's always an awesome sound.

Served in the N.Y.Army National Guard in a infantry division from 1981 till 1987. Loved riding in them. We didn't have the Blackhawks yet.

I flew Hueys during flight school in 1988, absolute blast to fly and very forgiving helicopters (relatively speaking; helicopters always want to kill you). My Platoon leader in Germany was a crusty old CW4 named Gary Martin aka Sensei. He taught us how to actually fly Cobras and not get in trouble. He was a dustoff pilot in Vietnam and during one evac an AK round ricocheted off the center windshield beam and hit him in the throat. He finished the mission while holding his throat closed and after landing, coughed up the bullet out of his mouth. He got the DFC for that one.

What a beatiful moment for some very deserving men. who put it all on the line.

I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB 72-76 on the missile fields and spent a lot of time left seat. Great video. I only recognize the round instruments. Thanks guys

Seeing this brings tears to my eyes, watching these pilots reunite with history. Thanks guys for serving.🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️

what a happy face. God bless these hero soldiers they had a job to do and did it well.

Thanks for letting these vets relive the aircraft of their youth in a peaceful environment

I served in the military from 1983 to 2017 in the Army, USCG and USAF active/reserves with some breaks....in the beginning of my service all E-7 s and O-5 s and above were Vietnam Vets.....I feel bad when I was a teenager I was not as appreciative of them as I should have been....if I could have gone back I would have loved to hear their stories about Vietnam......also I had quite the mouth on me back then and could have been more respectful.....oh well.....

Love that 2 blade wop wop wop sound. Really intense in the turns.

I visited Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells Texas last week where many of these men earned their wings. Said a prayer on the old flight line….

Welcome Home Men and thank you very much! God Bless! 🙏🏼❤️🖖🏼🇺🇸

First thank you to all veterans a the ones that never came home may you rest in peace, could look at these men's eyes in the smile on their face they were just transported back to their younger days and their Wilder days

A helicopter ride in Vietnam many took and many lost brave men every one of them

Takes me back 40 years...as soon as he pulled pitch. 6600/324

Scott, the best part was the smile at 3:35 .

I am 74 years old and a Vietnam veteran I was on ch47s I have 900 crew member flight hours there mostly as a FLT.ENGNEER. I think it is so cool for the veteran to be able to go on that flight, I would love to get on a Chinook and go for a flight.

I miss flying with my uncle Jack. Around the early 80's ever so often I had the pleasure to go flying in his UH 1 He would land and pick me up and we would fly somewhere then he would eventually land near a restaurant or parking lot for lunch. Then take off and go sightseeing before returning home. I really miss that and even took to the controls ever so often. I pray I can do it again it would really make my day.

I can't even begin to imagine the state of mind these cats were in '66...a lot for a human being to coordinate and reconcile with.

Man, it's so weird to see Vietnam vets so old, I'm 36 and I remember as a kid in the 90s seeing WW1 vets as these super old guys and WW2 vets as old but not that old with Vietnam vets being middle-aged. Now all the WW1 vets are gone, the youngest living WW2 vet is probably around 92 and the average age of a Vietnam vet is over 70 with the youngest gulf war vet around 50.

Freaking awesome. Look at the smile on that Vets face.

That brought me back,got tears in my eyes.