I was with the 11th Air Assualt Division when it was combined with the 2nd Infantry Division and sent Viet Nam as the 1st Air Cav. My outfit was loaded onto the USS Boxer aircraft carrier, with all the division support aircraft on board, headed to Nam via the Suez Canal. My section landed on the beach at Qui Nhon. We were finishing the assembly of Chinooks on the airfield when an A-1 Skyraider came skidding onto the runway with collapsed landing gear. The aircraft was full of bullet holes and had a small fire in the tail section. The pilot quickly hopped out of the badly damaged aircraft and ran across the field yelling "I'll get those SOBs yet". He jumped into another A-1 and roared off in pursuit of Charlie. I'm certain those guys trapped in a fire fight were glad to have such a dedicated marine flyer, like that, on their side.
