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The Huey (UH-1 helicopter) skirted the tree lines of the Cambodian forest in early May 1970.Contour flying, the 1st Air Cav. pilot called it. Flying so close you felt you could put
your hand out and pluck leaves from the trees.
"It's safer this way," said the Colonel.
Before boarding the Colonel's chopper at 0700 hours, I had wolfed down a giant
breakfast. Young and hungry at 22.The First Air Cavalry, even at "Firebases" (strategically located, makeshift
artillery encampments), never fought on empty stomachs. Well-equipped field kitchens were flown
in. Breakfasts featured an array of bacon and scrambled eggs, plus pancakes and syrup, all the
trimmings.
Advice: never board a helicopter on your first adventure with a full stomach.
A half hour out, skimming the tree tops, the foliage erupted in machine gun fire.
I was seated on the floor, feet dangling out toward the open door.
The side gunners opened up with return fire. The pilot put his craft into auto
rotation. Up, up
we went suddenly into the sky spiraling away from the gunfire.
As we lurched upwards, my stomach lurched downwards. The chopper was not hit by VC bullets.
Instead I watched mortified as a steady stream of partly digested scrambled eggs made for the
colonel's brightly polished boots.
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