The 240th AHC, From A 9th Infantry Perspective




Here's a GRUNT'S little helper, a Mad Dog Gunship. The 9th Infantry Troopers were glad the Mad Dogs were overhead and the Mad Dogs were sure glad to be working with the "Old Reliables" because we knew we could count on them, especially if we went down in a HOT LZ! This picture is from Ron Reinauer, 240th AHC, circa 1971.

The men of the 9th Infantry Division, "The Old Reliables" and the aircrews of the 240th Assault Helicopter Company, "Greyhounds, Mad Dogs and Kennel Keepers" were a formidable fighting "team" in the Republic of South Vietnam. The Greyhounds would put the GRUNTS into LZ's, often times HOT, and the GRUNTS of the 9th knew that the Greyhounds would never hesitate to pick them up when the "Old Reliables" called for an extraction! The Mad Dogs would provide rockets and machine gun fire from the air, circling right on the deck, when the GRUNTS encountered enemy resistance. The men of the 240th AHC knew the GRUNTS of the 9th Infantry Division would always do whatever it took to get the aircrews out, if the helicopters malfunctioned or were shot down by the NVA/VC. The 240th AHC's maintenance platoon, our fabulous Kennel Keepers, kept the Greyhounds and Mad Dogs in the air in order to support the 9th Infantry Division and to carry out the mission at hand. The pictures on the following pages, of 240th AHC choppers, were taken by the men of the 9th Infantry Division and show the 240th from their perspective. The men of the 240th AHC salute the "Old Reliables" for their bravery and the appreciation and respect they extended to the men that flew them around and provided air cover during missions, the 240th AHC.

Photos, Page One
Photos, Page Two
Photos, Page Three
Donated by Gerhard Grieb,
1st Platoon, Company A, 3/39th,
9th Infantry Division.

Photos, Page Four
Donated by Ernie Saldivar,
2nd Platoon, Delta Company, 5/60th,
9th Infantry Division