Reunion

While at Fort Rucker for the memorial dedication the men of the 195^th and their families held a reunion. We socializing at a hospitality room provided by the Fairfield Inn in Enterprise Alabama, Shared several meals together including one at the Fort Rucker Dining Facility aka the mess hall. 

One of the highlights of the weekend was helicopter rides in a military helicopter of the type flown in Vietnam. The UH-1D “slick” has recently been restored to flying condition by the Friends of Army Aviation-Ozark.

This was Millie's first ever ride in a helicopter. I think it's pretty cool that it was in one that I could tell a lot of stories about, and doors open too, that was neat. We sat in what would have been the crewchief's position in combat flying. Right off the tip of our toes was a panoramic view of the sky and the earth below. Millie did great, I never doubted her, she has lots of flying time in large and small fixed wing airplanes.

It’s always nostalgic to me when I get to fly in one of these old helicopters, especially when we get to fly with the doors open like we did so many years ago. The smell of jet fuel, the vibration of thousands of parts flying in formation and the impossible to forget wop-wop-wop of the blade brings back a flood of sensations; excitement, fortitude, camaraderie, duty, adrenaline……..It was a different time, I’m honored to have been part of it.