Vietnam Helicopter Survived Being Shot Down 4 Times, Vandalized in Kansas City

Helicopter shot down 4 times in Vietnam vandalized in Kansas City
BY FOX 4 NEWSROOM
SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 50-year-old helicopter that flew 3,500 hours of combat in Vietnam and was shot down four times, will need to be repaired before it can be used again at special events.

According to Arnold Swift, a Vietnam veteran who helps take the helicopter to various events, they were preparing to take the helicopter to the atrium in Overland Park for an event.

“The tow truck got here and realized that they had busted out the chin bubble, the side window and the back window and vandalized stuff inside the helicopter,” said Swift.

“It didn’t make any sense because all they got away with was a flight uniform, a Vietnam era flight uniform and a pair of combat boots and one other boot,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense because we’ve got mock-up weapons and everything in there that weren’t even touched.”
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Marine Vietnam Veteran did not give up on MIA "brother"

Vietnam veteran keeps solemn vow to his lost brother in arms
By Meg Jones
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Published: May 1, 2013

When the rocket arced up from the Vietnamese jungle and hit the U.S. helicopter, Merlin Raye Allen took the brunt of the blast. He was killed, but in the process saved his best friend and fellow Marine, Jeff Savelkoul.

Savelkoul suffered severe burns and broken bones in the inferno that engulfed the helicopter, melting weapons and killing most on board. The remains of Allen, a 20-year-old Bayfield man, were not recovered, but Savelkoul vowed one day he would bring his buddy home.

Last year a joint U.S. and Vietnamese recovery team excavated the helicopter crash site in Thua Thien-Hue province. Team members found remains that in February were positively identified as Allen's.

Now Savelkoul gets the chance to do right by his friend, who will forever be 20 years old.
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Two Army pilots killed in Afghanistan

Two Army helicopter pilots killed in Afghanistan identified
The Associated Press
Published: April 26, 2013

FAIRFAX, Va. -- An Army helicopter pilot from northern Virginia is one of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan by enemy fire.

The Pentagon said Friday that 26-year-old 1st Lt. Robert J. Hess of Fairfax died Tuesday in the Pul-E-Alam district of Logar province in eastern Afghanistan, from wounds suffered as a result of indirect fire.

Also killed was 32-year-old Capt. Aaron R. Blanchard of Selah, Wash.
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Helo shot down in Afghanistan, 4 killed

Helo shot down in Afghanistan, 4 killed

By Rahim Faiez and Rohan Sullivan - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jun 9, 2010 9:55:22 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — Insurgents shot down a NATO helicopter and killed four American troops in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the military said, in the latest bloodshed ahead of a major operation in the militants’ heartland.

NATO said the four died “after their helicopter was brought down by hostile fire” in Helmand province, part of a volatile region where Taliban still hold sway despite a buildup of U.S. troops.

Lt. Col. Joseph T. Breasseale, U.S. military spokesman in Kabul, confirmed the four troops killed were Americans, but the military and NATO gave no other details.
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Helo shot down in Afghanistan, 4 killed

U.S. copter shot down in Afghanistan

U.S. copter shot down in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — Insurgents shot down a U.S. helicopter after exchanging fire with its crew in central Afghanistan on Monday.
By Fisnik Abrashi - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Oct 27, 2008 10:34:25 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — Insurgents shot down a U.S. helicopter after exchanging fire with its crew in central Afghanistan on Monday.

The helicopter was forced down in Wardak, one province west of Kabul, after insurgents hit it with gunfire Monday, said Lt. Cmdr. Walter Matthew, a U.S. military spokesman. The crew survived and has been extracted from the area, he said.

“The helicopter crew exchanged fire with the enemy before the damage brought the helicopter down,” Matthews said. Coalition troops secured the area and “are in the process of recovering” the helicopter, he said.
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