"BLUE MAX"
(Aerial Rocket Artillery)
"MEAN MR MUSTARD"
Copyright © 1998
John (E.O.D.) Hubbs
B/229th AHB, 1st Air Cav Div
Bien Hoa, Vietnam 1971-1972
While I was attached as a door-gunner to B Co 229th AvBn.
1st Air Cav Div in Bien Hoa, RSVN '71-'72, my assignment for the day was flying on a
routine Sniffer Mission. This consisted of a three foot long hose being
attached to the skids of a UH-1 HUEY helicopter that picked up aerial dust
particles and pin-pointed any movement below. The technicians assigned to
read the gauges of this sniffer were very good at what they did and knew
immediately of any movement below whether visible or not. During these type
missions we would fly low level, about 75 to 100 feet above the trees,
sometimes skimming tree thetops. The techs were doing their jobs of reading
the dials on the sniffer and the rest of us were visibly looking out the
doors for any type of enemy movement.
The flight had gone without anything unusual happening and we were basically
sitting back enjoying the cool air and scenery below us. Suddenly, I
spotted smoke coming from a clearing which I approximated at 2,000 yards at
our 2:00 o'clock position. Since all friendlies had earlier been cleared of
this area, I went on the intercom to the Aircraft Commander (AC) and reported
a suspected enemy position at 2:00 o'clock. The AC, when spotting the smoke
himself, immediately went into a banking turn and we raced to the clearing,
priming and preparing our M-60's. It was only seconds when we began our
approach on the clearing and from my view from the right side door of the
Huey, I could clearly see the enemy running for their weapons that they had
neatly stacked in the clearing. As we made our first run on the clearing, I
could tell immediately that the runners weren't VC---but hard core NVA---and
I popped red smoke on them. We began taking fire from the ground---my AC said
open up gunners, and we did using up about 300 rounds from each M-60.
Although, this happened within seconds I can remember clearly as we
approached the seven NVA I could see one of them lock and load his weapon and
see the flashes of his AK-47 as we approached. For some reason, they weren't
using their usual green tracers, but from the amount of muzzle flashes that I
saw, we were lucky that none of their rounds found their mark. As we passed
directly over him, I could clearly see the face and eyes of that one enemy
soldier and wonder to this day, if he made it out and remembers the look on my face.
Since we had a Snake (Cobra Gunship) in the vicinity flying support for us,
we made another run on the clearing and let loose with our 60's through the
red smoke before the gunship came in. We had expended almost a thousand
rounds from our M-60's already on the enemy but that was nothing in comparison to
what that Cobra, "Mean Mr. Mustard", unloosed on them! With its rockets and
gattling guns, the Cobra turned what was a peaceful clearing into an inferno.
To this day, I have the greatest respect for those Cobra pilots. Back at base
camp, I thought to myself that this had been one hell of a ride. I remembered
the eyes of that NVA soldier, which still burned into my mind. I thanked God
for getting the crew through that day...
That day was only one day of many I had left in-country, and I had to live
each one, day by day. A door-gunner's job is close down and personal---unlike
a zoomie that streaks in and out at a couple hundred miles per hour.
Door gunners can count the knats on a water buffalo's ass, and can see how
black the beatlenut teeth are mammasan has as she grins (innocently, she hopes),
praying I won't blow her away this time. By the time I left Vietnam, the burning
eyes of that one NVA weren't the only ones seared into my mind and continue to
haunt me to this day---especially at night in my semi-sleep when my guard is down.
To this day,I have the greatest respect for those Cobra pilots.
About the crew I knew in Vietnam as "Mean Mr. Mustard". May they rest
in peace, these guys were the best. I'll never forget the times we had in
An Loc April of 72. Those young men would cover us from one end of hell to
the next. Those cobra gun-ships were the biggest and badest boys on the block.
They took pride in what they did and they wanted to be here. No one ever put
you in a helicopter un-less you wanted to be in it. Thanks to Mean Mr.Mustard
and it's crew for more of us making it back home.
If you get a chance, Don, please put a flag on their names for me.
They covered our asses in Vietnam and this may be my only thanks to them now.
I did the story as I remembered it, but I was thinking how nice,
it would be to have the Pilots that flew this Aircraft to write me and say,
"Hi, I flew Mean Mr. Mustard." I guess that will never happen now. Give me one
week and I will have a picture of this bird that I took, while they were getting some fuel.
Thanks,
SP4 John "E.O.D" Hubbs
C & B/229th AHB "Killer Spades"
Bien Hoa, RSVN 1971-1972
An Loc for Lunch Bunch
Huey Door Gunner & Proud of it
NOTE: From
Mike E. Sloniker, Pilot with A/229 AvBn
Johnny:
on 20 June 72 at An Loc with Lt. Shields, AC and Cpt Northrup, Copilot Gunner.
Aircraft was hit shortly after another snake from F/9 with Breuer and Townsend
were shot out of the air flying lowlevel when an SA-7 missile was fired almost
parallel to the ground, left the crew no where to go, and just augered in.
hit by .51 and Northrup was pulling him from the aircraft when the NVA came out
of the bunkers they crashed on and killed them both. Bodies were recovered the
next day. Those sniffer missions would drive me crazy up front, because you had
to look forward as we flew 90 knots over the trees on a heading designated by the
Cobra that was up high. I would get disoriented during my crosscheck if I spent
too much time looking at the turn and slip because all the stuff whizzing by the
chin bubble. When the Peter Pilot had the controls, I would become totally
convinced all scout pilots that spent everyday in those trees, were INSANE.
Mike E. Sloniker
A/229th Avn Bn
Lt. Shields, AC and Cpt Northrup, Copilot Gunner
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