Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

A U.S. Army chopper V/S a Soviet Mig

During our period in Vietnam there was an incident where every evening just about sundown, a Soviet Mig would come screaming into this valley held by U.S. troops and strafe the area. He always entered at the same place and also exited the opposite side. Same procedure every day!
A gunship pilot began to calculate when and what was needed to shoot that Mig down. He only had a gunship but figured if he could accurately calculate the time of arrival and speed of the Mig, he might have a chance. So, he would get his bird in the air, and wait for the Mig’s appearance.
On this round, as the Mig arrived, he fired his when he thought the Mig would be when the rockets arrived. Sure enough, he made a clean kill on the harassing ship. They recovered the Mig wreckage and there was a dead Soviet pilot aboard. He was well known in Russia and highly decorated but had made one two many strafing runs there. Just Sayin…RJS

bobpie Loc: South New Jersey

Thanks for your service Robert!

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Yes, it is really a case of Catch 22! Here all I ever wanted to do was fly in the Air Force, they don't want me! Then later after I am left out in the pasture, they begin to again needing pilots! Just Sayin...RJS

Danger25 Loc: Philly/ Cape may New Jersey

Wow. God bless you guys for what you did over there and especially what you endured coming home.

MuskyJohn Loc: Benton Harbor, MI

Yes, Thank you for your service.
And another great story.

GlsJr40 Loc: Dallas, Tx.

Keeping you out of the air when they did, may have been God paying for your ticket home in good health!

ripogenu Loc: norfolk, MA

Nice story.the only enemy aircraft I am aware of being shot down by a helicopter was a north Vietnamese biplane shot down by aUH1 near the Cambodian border (documented). The Cobra gunships had a red panic button that,when pushed,would fire all armament on board simultaneously, effectively putting up a wall of firepower. Saw this in action once. We were following a squad of NVA with a cobra as cover.they were foolish enough to fire on it with rifles.. the pilot hit the panic button and homogenized them.all we could find were pieces of the weapons.

Sinker Rig Loc: Tampa area

Never heard that story, must have happened before I got there. When I was there a MIG would be committing suicide if they crossed over the borders with all the fighter aircraft we had. F4 pilots were praying they'd get a chance at a MIG. We had a MIG at Phu Cat, from a defector, but it was flown in by an AF pilot from somewhere else. Dang thing was stored in a spare revetment and had 24hr guards, was still there when I left

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

From others' comments it sounded like they thought I was there! NO, i as never anywhere but F.E. Warren AFB and before Viet Nam. If they had said "sickem" I would have been glad to jump into anything that flew. Just Sayin...RJS

Sinker Rig Loc: Tampa area

So, you never had a chance to fly in any AF aircraft?

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Yes, several times in a T-33 but never as pilot. I guess they didn't trust me with expensive equipment. Just Sayin...RJS

Sinker Rig Loc: Tampa area

How did you manage to get in a T-33 as a non-pilot?

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

There are T-33s with two seats. It was the primary training jet in the 50s and 60s. I suppose they have moved on to other models. I think I've seen trainers with side by side seating in the last few years.

The T-33 was a f-80 modified for training pilots. Just Sayin...RJS

Sinker Rig Loc: Tampa area

I know what they are, we had them at Myrtle Beach AFB in '69. My career field was weapons loading and we loaded those harmless 30lb inert flash bombs that were dropped during training bomb runs, a spotter plane overhead scored the hits....or misses....they also carried rocket launchers that fired 2.75 FFAR that had a flash cartridge in the nose. I was very disappointed when I got there and saw those T-33s.....I was hoping to load weapons on some real fighters

Kerry Hansen Loc: Bremerton, WA

I knew a Fishing Rod Maker/Weaver who started his military Career as a Sniper in Korea. He was friends with Rumsfeld later a SEC of Defense for the US. While there he decided he wanted to fly so he transferred to Army Air Corp. His name was Art Durham and became very good at it. He was sent by our country to places like Sweden to teach Helicopter Tactics. He was asked by Schwarzkopf to come out of retirement to give his expertise for the First Gulf War. Now about Viet Nam. There was a valley that the Australians were encamped in. Art was dating one of the Female officers that he later married and settled in Texas. He said there was a MIG that regularly strafed the Australians in the valley so he decide to try to take it out. He had his Helicopter at the mouth of the valley waiting. He knew about how long it took to exit the valley after strafing the Australians and at the right time he started shooting rockets across the mouth of the valley and as history tells us he did hit the MIG, shooting it down. He said a Russian pilot was flying the MiG because he had the shoulder boards, Russian. That MiG I am told now is in a museum in Australia. Because of Art's flying ability he was asked by Rumsfeld to do research on the OSPREY that were crashing with high frequency, also killing a lot of Marines too. He alerted me to a photo that showed Art flying the Osprey and said he was able to control it because he shut off the computer and flew it manually. He told Rumsfeld that it wasn't ready yet and that they were fudging maintenance records and other stuff! He said he was a Mustang and got his 3rd star. If any of you have a copy of McClain's encyclopedia of fishing, I have a copy, look up the section on Sharks and you will see a picture of ART as a young man holding over the side of a boat the front half of a fish and a Great White below with it's mouth open wanting the rest of the fish. The Great White then started biting knocking the OUT-DRIVE and his friends said J,,,, Cr,,,st give it the fish! Just sayin, THE REST OF THE STORY, KERRY