Fort Wolters, Tx
U.S. Army Helicopter Pilot Training Base 07/04/2022
As our journey is coming to a close, I had one more stop to make. Fort Wolters, Tx. I thought July 4 was a good time to travel down memory lane.
I became an Alabama State Trooper cadet on October 10, 1966, two weeks after I turned 18. I wanted to be an Alabama State Trooper. At that time I had to wait until I turned 22 to be promoted. In 1968 I went on military leave from the Troopers and entered the Army. I was accepted into the U.S. Army Flight School. I became a product of the Army’s program to provide helicopter pilots for the war in Vietnam. We called it “High school, to flight school, to Vietnam”. I was 19 years old. Less than a year later I was WO 1, flying Huey’s, assigned to the 121st Assault Helicopter Company in Soc Trang, RVN. We were the Soc Trang Tigers. Our area of operations was in the 4th Corp and we spent a good portion of that time supporting combat operations in the U Minh Forest. While I was in Vietnam, Major John Cloud, Chief of the Highway Patrol would check on me and send pictures of helicopters to me and let me know that when I got back, they would get me a helicopter.
Needless to say, the direction of my life and future was greatly influenced by the U.S. Army. I returned to the State Troopers, as a cadet and was promoted to Trooper. We got a helicopter, and I flew in the State Trooper Aviation Unit until I retired. I kept flying and retired at age 60. My flying career spanned over 40 years. I married Linda Hicks, we have 2 daughters, Courtney and Beth and 3 grandchildren, Riley, Ethan, and Samuel. Linda and I will celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary next March.
Life is an adventure, our adventure continues.
In their words…Samuel
We drove to the place where Granddaddy learned how to fly a helicopter. We went to the Vietnam Memorial Wall and then we went to the hotel.
Riley…Today we didn’t have to wake really early because breakfast didn’t stop until 10. We didn’t stop anywhere today except where Granddaddy learned to fly. We saw a Vietnam memorial for everyone that died during the war. We looked up a few people that Granddaddy knew and then we left. We drove for about 1 hour until we got to a barbecue restaurant. I got pulled pork with a side of mac and cheese, green beans, and fries. Granddaddy bought Samuel and me a banana pudding to split as well. When we left there we didn’t stop anywhere else besides our hotel. This would be our last hotel we stopped at for our trip. Tomorrow we head back home.
Ethan…Today we went to see the base that Granddaddy first learned to fly helicopters. The reason he had learned there was because they wanted the recruits to learn on a small helicopter in case of crashing. From there we went to see a Vietnam museum, but it was closed. So we walked around it to look at these two helicopter blades. They were crossed in a X and the reason they were there was because when somebody went on their first solo, the other recruits would pick them up right when they got back, carry them under the two blades, and throw them in a pool. After that we went to look for Granddaddy’s uncle’s name. Eventually, we found Billy Hatfield. We used a machine to find his name and some the names of Granddaddy’s old friends. After that we drove all the way home until the trip was officially over.
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