My Little Deuce Coupe Huey
Photos from
Mel Snyder
One of my biggest regrets while serving in the 240th AHC, was that I
didn't spend more time with my Greyhound brothers of White and Blue Flight.
Many of us had our own little cliques in the Greyhounds and Mad Dogs and from
what I remember, we generally stayed within that group. That's not to say
from time to time we didn't get together but the crew chiefs and doorgunners
of the Greyhounds and Mad Dogs were very busy, often after flying all day,
having to perform 25, 50, or 75 hour PE's down at the flightline. Everyone's
schedule was different which made getting together at night all that more
difficult. The personal pride that we all had for our particular platoon,
Greyhound Blue Flight, Greyhound White Flight or the Mad Dog Gun Platoon was
self-evident, and we all strived to make our platoon the best, which resulted
in making the 240th AHC the best helicopter outfit in Vietnam. Having said
that, even though we all had immense pride in our perspective platoons, not
one of us would have hesitated to risk our lives for a 240th brother in
another flight platoon. So this Mad Dog would like to say to all the
Greyhounds of Blue and White Flight, I have the utmost respect for all of
you, the Greyhounds performed their duties with bravery, dedication and
determination to ensure the success of the mission. Many times you would risk
your lives in hot LZ's and if need be, you wouldn't hesitate to come in and
pick up some downed Mad Dogs! God bless you, Greyhound Flight Crews, you were
the best to fly the skies of South Vietnam!
Joe 'Ragman' Tarnovsky
240th AHC
Doorgunner/CE
UH-1C Mad Dog Gunships
July 69 to October 70
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All the pictures on this page were sent to us by
Greyhound Mel Snyder. We don't have all the names of the men that Mel sent
pictures of, if you recognize someone and know their name, please let us
know. Here a Greyhound flight crew is taking a well deserved break. From left
to right, we think this is Leforce, Henderson and we don't know the name of
the third gentleman. Help us out if we are wrong and you recognize someone.
Thanks.
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For those of our generation that chose not to serve in Vietnam, many were
back on the block cruising around in 57 Chevys, GTO's, Corvettes and other
future classics and muscle cars. Our ride was the UH-1C and UH-1H Huey
helicopter and what a ride she was! We washed and waxed our Huey's, kept them
clean and in good running order. I, nor any other Greyhound or Mad Dog
ce/doorgunner I know, wouldn't trade places with those that stayed behind for
nothing! Does anybody recognize the pilot in this photo?
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Left to right front row: No name for the tall gentleman with glasses
and his hands on his hips; Ken "Newbe" Sollenberger; Mike "Fat Chance"
DeAngelis; Mark Dowdy. Back row: No name for the gentleman looking down;
Rodney Clark; and we don't know the name of the gentleman on the end. Ken
Sollenberger and Mark Dowdy were the armorers for the weapons on the Slicks
and Guns and they did a magnificent job of getting everything in working
order!
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Mel took this picture and by using a magnifying glass to view the
name tag, it looks like a pilot named Mr. Butler. If anyone recognizes this
Greyhound pilot, or the gentleman sitting in the AC seat, please let us know.
There's Mel Snyder on the left, loading up his M60 ammo for the next
mission, and we don't have a name for the pilot on the right. Mel got in
country in mid/late April of 1969 and after an in-country orientation at Bien
Hoa, was sent to the 240th AHC at Bearcat. Mel flew with the Greyhounds for 6
or 7 months and one day during a mission, was wounded by shrapnel from a Mad
Dog rocket that was fired too close to the Greyhound Slicks as they entered
an LZ, and he spent a couple of days in the hospital. After he got off of his
crutches, Mel came back to flight duty, was assigned to the Gun Platoon and
bringing Dave Miller with him as his doorgunner, Mel flew until May of 1970
with the Mad Dogs. Mel says that in the HBO Documentary, Dear America,
Letters Home from Vietnam, he appears in the movie for about 20 seconds when
they show Pleiku where he was in the hospital.
Please help us out if you can, we need a name for this 240th Brother.
I can't make out the person on the far left of the photograph but to
me, it looks like Adrian Pearson, one of the armorers. Standing to the left
of our future barbecue is Captain Bailey, Mad Dog 34. Standing to the right
is Mad Dog ce/doorgunner, Steve Watts.
Looks like Dave Kennedy on the left, SFC Treisch, Mad Dog Platoon
Sergeant in the middle and we don't have a name for the gentleman on the
right. This picture looks like it was taken on the second floor of the NCO
barracks behind the orderly room.
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