The Creation Of Medical Aircraft During The Vietnam War

With this new and improved anti-aircraft tank it became one of the perfect air defense weapon systems for potential low-altitude threats, with the M55 Quad 50 as its only rival in versatility. Known as the ‘Whispering Death’, the M55 Quad 50 consisted of four Browning M2 .50-caliber machine guns mounted in a power turret on a deuce and a half (2 ½) or 5 ton truck (“ADA Units in Vietnam”, n.d.). “Generally speaking…Quads could not go cross-country in support for maneuver units. But in operations away from established road nets where heavy machine-gun support was needed, it was possible to slingload the Quad with the CH-47 helicopter” (Charles E. Kirkpatrick, in “Arsenal”, Vietnam magazine,

The United States of America, one of the most powerful nations in the world at the time, was completely unprepared for the war that it had joined in Vietnam. The terrain was unlike any we had ever fought in. From mountains to jungles to rice paddies, it was wet, hot, cold, and completely unforgiving. To say that the political situation was tenuous would be a drastic understatement. Not only could officials not make up their minds, neither could the general populace. The media had an influence in this war that was heretofore unseen. All of these factors were a great obstacle in and of themselves and then we put into play the greatest obstacle of all: the enemy. This was an enemy like we had never seen. The North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Vietcong (VC) were fast, agile, adaptable, and extremely unpredictable. The VC hid among the common populace and fought like demons. The NVA were well supplied, well organized, and did not restrict themselves the way many large armies do. This forced us to have to rapidly adapt and develop new tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) in order to counter all of these obstacles. Due to these needs and the rapidly advancing technology and versatility of helicopters, the Air Cavalry was born. The Air Cav was composed of several types of airframes including transport aircraft, attack aircraft, and reconnaissance aircraft. The reconnaissance aircraft were also known as Aeroscouts and were known for their boldness, audacity,

Centuries before the Korean War, wars were long and painful events that any man could ever go through. Troops would match from countries to countries, crossing mountains, trial through the forest, and wander the desert to meet with their enemy in battle. The only problem with the troops traveling so far for so long is that before the war ever starts, the men were fatigued and casualty rates were higher than they should be. By the Korean War, an amazing machine was introduced to the military ranks, turning the tide in warfighting and troop survivability. UH-1 Huey Helicopter, or Utility Helicopter, was the one machine that was created by Bell that change the concept in warfighting and giving the United States the upper hand in war. On several

Michael Durant is a notable former 160th Black Hawk pilot. He is most recognized for his role in Operation Gothic Serpent, in Mogadishu, Somalia. During this operation his helicopter was one of two that were shot down with RPG’s, and he was the only survivor, who, consequently was taken captive by the Somali warlord. Mr. Durant’s career has spanned decades with the Regiment, even after retirement as the owner of a consultant firm specializing in special operations aviation. Steven Hartov is both an American and Israeli Army veteran, who has co-authored two books on the 160th with Mr. Durant. Mr. Hartov was the former editor in chief of “Special Operations Report,” and his writings are on the recommended reading list of the Army War College.

In Saigon as the situation unfolded, the general of the ARVN asked the US for help. First the US and Vietnamese Air Force were able to airlift in supplies, fresh bodies, and remove the wounded. The AH-1 Cobra were able to stop most of the tank advancement and infantry men allowing the ARVN troops on the ground to continue to defend their positions10. The VNAF, along with the US Air force and US Navy brought in planes to engage and thwart the ability of the VNA/VC advancement. Though this was successful it was found that there was not any form of battle space de-confliction. In this the pilots found themselves not only dodging the Anti-Aircraft Artillery from the VNA/VC, but as well as other aircraft in the fight. Aircraft were seen flying into direct fire from other aircraft and no one was talking to each other. Ground troops were not on the same frequency so they would stumble into the engagement area as well.

They carry three lightweight, Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (“drash”) tents that can be attached to one another to form a 900-ft2 facility. Supplies to immediately resuscitate and operate on the wounded arrive in five backpacks: an ICU pack, a surgical-technician pack, an anesthesia pack, a general-surgery pack, and an orthopedic pack.” They have come up with new ways to check for certain problems without big, expensive, and heavy equipment. Instead of using radiography or angiography equipment, surgeons feel for fractures and if necessary use braces in an attempt to fixate the bones.

While airborne the Soldiers in the basket could give guidance on walking in artillery to a target or have the ability to spot the enemy. On the defensive side, they could often spot enemy camps and artillery batteries not visible from the ground and hidden in the trees. Advances in weapons technology, specifically the rifled bore, significantly raised the numbers of casualties on the other side where old style tactics were

In theory, utilizing helicopters could relocate their forces fast enough to keep the enemy from conversing on any one unit. On the contrary, an American Force discovering an NVA unit would fix its position while the reinforcing battalion flew in to cut off the enemy's retreat and annihilate them (E-History, 2012).

Absolute majority of the men were extremely young and very inexperienced when it came down to the fighting in the war. These men often discovered it as hard to justify the senseless kill or the death of their fellow soldier who fought in the Vietnam War are now suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress disorder. O’Brien does an excellent job of illustrating the types of situations that would cause men to suffer from different ailments.

Ambulances were further developed from the base model which already existed. The ambulance’s main purpose was to speedily take injured soldiers from the battlefield to the medicine and doctors in order to receive appropriate care. Jonathan Lettermen created the ambulance that was used for the Civil War; this ambulance could carry three injured people at a time along with all the supplies necessary. This ambulance was not the ideal ambulance, but worked for the occasion. The ride was extremely bumpy and unstable, but they accomplished their job of taking people from the battlefield to the hospital area. Incredibly, during the Civil War there was multiple “trains” of ambulances, each train consisted of forty ambulances, and there was always forty ambulances on call at a time (Frederick). They were stocked with supplies and stretchers for those unable to get in unaccompanied. The Ambulances were exceptionally helpful during the Civil War, the battle of Antietam was considered the bloodiest day of the Civil War. There were over twenty three thousand casualties during the Antietam War, and in twenty four hours the ambulance corps had all the dead men off the field. At the end of the war, the ambulance was widely recognized as a large lifesaver (Oshinsky

Ironically this helicopter saved Woodstock or the show might not have gone on. So the U.S. army saved the day for a crowd of people who were mostly anti-war.

This analysis covers the multiple problems the team faced in planning, coordinating and executing. I will point out some of the issues such as power struggles that had no place in a mission that should have been focused on the rescue of a US Service member. One primary source was referenced, Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Association (VHPA) A secondary source was also used, Maj. John L. Plaster USA (ret) SOG, The Secret War of America’s Commandos in

Two PT-76s were destroyed by M48s. A third PT-76 exploded when it struck a mine”(https://www.tanks.net/vietnam-war-tanks/index.html).They also used trucks like”M-151 MUTT,M422A1 MIGHTY-MITE 1/4 TON TRUCK,M718 AMBULANCE,M-38A1 JEEP,UAZ-469,M-561 GAMA GOAT,M-35A1C DROPSIDE,M818 5 TON TROOP/CARGO TRUCK”(http://www.militaryvehicles.com/site_pages/vietnam_war.html).In the vietnam war trucks and tanks where a very key roll in taking over land.In the war they had to find a way to take down planes so they made anti aircraft guns”Anti-aircraft guns and ammunition constituted the bulk of the early Chinese and Soviet air defense assistance, a mixture of heavy (85-130mm), medium (57mm) and light (23mm) artillery with associated search and fire-control radars. The heavy artillery would harass the incoming flights, and the medium and light artillery would concentrate on the lead aircraft as the American planes approached their target. Hundreds of men and women, even high school students, entered air defense training in what the Vietnamese and their allies feared was a race against time”(http://www.historynet.com/13703647.htm)”Throughout the Army’s history, artillery, the “King of Battle,” has played an important, often decisive, role on the

On 10 November 1965 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (AirMobile) were conducting search and destroy missions with light enemy contact from a forward airstrip south of Pleiku, Vietnam. The battalion

Primary retrieval involves moving a patient from a site of injury or illness to specialist medical services, whereas secondary, or interfacility transfer relates to transporting patients from one hospital facility to another(1), without compromising the quality of care or stability of the patient(2). This involves a specialized aeromedical retrieval team. Establishing an aeromedical retrieval base is a complex matter; retrieval is inherently dangerous for both staff and patients(3). Staff work in unfamiliar environments in moving vehicles such as helicopters or fixed wing aircraft, with restrictions on space and available resources(3). Patient’s themselves are frequently moved from one mode of transportation to another, which can destabilize