T O T H E L I M I T Related Titles by Potomac Books Chained Eagle: The Heroic Story of the First American Shot Down Over North Vietnam by Everett Alvarez Jr. and Anthony S. Pitch Dien Bien Phu: The Epic Battle America Forgot by Howard R. Simpson Medal of Honor: One Man’s Journey from Poverty to Prejudice by Roy Benividez and John Craig Open Doors: Vietnam POWs Thirty Years Later by Jamie Howren and Taylor Baldwin Kiland Snake Pilot: Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam by Randy R. Zahn Special Agent, Vietnam: A Naval Intelligence Memoir by Douglass H. Hubbard Jr. Tempered Steel: The Three Wars of Triple Air Force Cross Winner Jim Kasler by Perry D. Luckett and Charles L. Byler An AUSA Book T O T H E L I M I T An Air Cav Huey Pilot in Vietnam TOM A. JOHNSON Potomac Books, Inc. Washington, D.C. Copyright © 2006 Potomac Books, Inc. Published in the United States by Potomac Books, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Johnson, Tom A. To the limit : an Air Cav Huey pilot in Vietnam / Tom A. Johnson.—1st ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 1-59797-001-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961–1975—Aerial operations, American. 2. Military helicopters—Vietnam. 3. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961–1975—Personal narratives, American. 4. Johnson, Tom A. I. Title. DS558.8.J65 2006 959.704’348092—dc22 2006004962 ISBN-10 1-59797-001-8 ISBN-13 978-1-59797-001-3 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39-48 Standard. Potomac Books, Inc. 22841 Quicksilver Drive Dulles, Virginia 20166 First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is dedicated to my wife Pat McGaha Johnson. She is one of only a few OVW (Original Vietnam Wives) that survived the Vietnam experience. In memory of James Arthur Johansen. This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Illustrations ix Author’s Note xi Introduction 1 1 The An Lao Valley Incident 3 2 1st Air Cavalry Division: My New Home 39 3 LZ English 65 4 My First Engine Failure 75 5 The Bong Son River Crash 89 6 The Battle of Song Re Valley 99 7 Bill Lee Crashes Hard 111 8 Changing Seats 131 9 The LZ Geronimo Incident 145 10 Battle of Tam Quan 153 11 The LZ Tom Incident 163 12 Christmas at LZ English, Republic of Vietnam 179 13 The Death of James Arthur Johansen 191 14 Can Chickens Really Fly? 217 15 The 1st Cavalry Moves North 219 16 The Tet Offensive of 1968 231 17 The LZ Striker Incident 243 18 Khe Sanh 263 19 Near Disaster, Night Insertion at Thor 285 20 The Circus Act Extraction 299 21 A Shau Valley, Lair of Lucifer 331 22 No Rest for the Weary 373 Appendix 1: What Makes Helicopters Fly? 379 Appendix 2: Confirmed Killed Class of 67-5 First Tour 383 Glossary 385 Index 391 About the Author 395 Illustrations Photos Maj. Eugene Beyer 7 Sgt. Eugene McCrary 69 James Arthur Johansen 193 Donald Wielkopolan 196 Wreckage of the Huey Johansen and Wielkopolan were flying 214 April 1968 at LZ Sharon 337 Warrant Officer Tom Johnson 349 Distinguished Flying Cross award ceremony 375 Maps LZ English operational area 12 1st Air Cavalry operational area, 1967 43 My first engine failure, LZ Sandra 79 The gorge 83 Bong Son River crash 91 Song Re valley 100 South China Beach pickup area 119 LZ Geronimo 148 Geronimo’s three landing pads 149 Village of Tam Quan 157 Dam Tra-O Lake crash 202 1st Air Cavalry move north 221 ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LZ Evans operational area 222 LZ Striker incident 252 Khe Sanh 266 A Shau valley 336 Ambush site 362 x