The _______lights were dim, the ramp was down we could hear over the net “keep the gunners” on their machine guns we have”gooks in the wire”. The sounds and lights of battle were everywhere. Over the noise of our rotors we could see incoming and outgoing tracers, RPG explosions and grenades going off in what appeared to be a number of firefights going on throughout the Hill 55 compound.
Our ship, a CH-47 Sea Knight, was on station for night medevacs when we were summoned to Hill 55 to pick up a marine who had been killed in action (KIA). We were advised that the hill was still engaged with the enemy and receiving incoming small arms fire as well as some RPGs. Our captain was considering whether to land the ship and jeopardize 5 crew members to pick up 1 permanent routine when over the net we heard the “ground” now had 3 wounded (one critically) and 2 permanent routine.
Once we heard there was a critically wounded Marine our decision was made and the captain began a rapid descent towards the Hill with our landing lights turned off until just several feet before touching the helo-pad.
The situation on the ground was chaotic, what had been an inky black night from 2500 feet in the air became of 4th of July fireworks show with lights, explosions and people running everywhere in the pitch dark.
Several corpsman quickly loaded stretcher case on board and also help 2 wounded hobble on. This took a matter of several minutes and just prior to lift off 2 dead marines were loaded on our ramp, The ramp was lifted up and we quickly lifted off headed ……for additional medical help.
The inside of the aircraft had muted dome lights on which cast eerry shadows throughout the helicopter.
Once we were in the air I helped the corpsman who was working on the critically injured marine trying to perform a tracheotomy. I held the marine’s head while the field “trach” was performed, It appeared as though he had been hit in the head and most of skull was missing. When the trach had been completed I wiped my bloody hands on my flight suit and then went to check on the other wounded.
One marine had a minor flesh wound in the shoulder and the other one had been hit in the ankle and his left foot was hanging on by just sinew although the wounded man kept walking on his exposed bone shouting deliriously. I thought he had probably received a shot of morphine and didn’t realize what he was doing. After a short period he settled down and staid in his sling seat.
Shortly afterwards I went back the ramp area to see the 2 dead marines who had been partially covered with ponchos when they were loaded aboard. The poncho on one marine had been blown partially off and I noted he was Hispanic, looked very serene and had a hole in the center of his forehead. The other marine remained covered from the waist up with a poncho but the area around his neck and head was flat and it was obvious that his neck and head were missing. I left them as they were and returned to help with the wounded.
We quickly gained altitude and headed to NSA in DaNang where there were more sophisticated medical services to care for the marine with a head injury. What appeared to be a doctor and several corpsmen were waiting for us when we landed and I quickly helped move the stretcher off the helicopter onto a waiting gurney.
Next we escorted the two wounded marines to more waiting hands and then over the sound of the helicopter I could see the corpsman wanted help off loading the two dead marines. I grabbed the the legs of the marine with the fatal head wound and with a corpsman lifted and placed him on another gurney. At this point I was near the “head” area of the other dead marine and the corpsman was asking me, over the din of the rotors, to lift him by his arms. I couldn’t or didn’t want to afraid of seeing how badly he had been maimed. I signaled with my hand that I didn’t want to off load him and someone else quickly step in front of me grabbed him by the arms and placed him on the gurney. I noticed that his arms/shoulders came together when he was lifted and that most of his chest/neck and head were gone. I also remember that my flight boots seemed to be sticking to the floor and at some point realized it was blood from the wounded marines that was sticking to my boots.
We returned to our night medevav station and awaited further calls.
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