Silver Spurs

A Troop, 3/17th Air Cav Troop History

The Firefly of the Silver Spurs
by William L. McCalister, Jr.
1970

 

"Flying for a living consists of hours and hours of sheer boredom... punctuated by seconds of stark terror." -an Army aviator, Vietnam

Nightfall in the Republic of Vietnam was accompanied by an inky darkness which blanketed the countryside. Even the twinkling of the stars and the faint luminescence of the moon failed to penetrate the blanket. The darkness was joined by an equally enveloping silence, which might be occasionally broken by an insect's melody or the dull thunder of intermittent artillery firing. The silent darkness was not a pleasant atmosphere. In fact, this prevalent condition promoted a sense of fear into the minds of the weary combat soldiers and became an inherent ally for the stealthy, faceless guerilla, the Viet Cong. In an attempt to deprive the elusive enemy of his nocturnal sanctuary, there was a continuous development of technological innovations and military strategies for night warfare.

During my tour of combat duty, January 1969 - January 1970, I served with Troop A, 3d Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry. Within the structural organization of Army Aviation, the air cavalry troop is an entity which is unique in composition and the type of missions performed. Troop A was widely known and acclaimed by their distinctive radio communications call sign, "Silver Spurs." The Silver Spurs were probably best known for the valorous actions of their Scout Platoon, whose motto boldly stated, "I have flown among the trees and seen the Face of the Enemy." My particular call sign was Silver Spur 24. I was assigned to the Lift Section of the Aero-Rifle Platoon, primarily piloting the ubiquitous UH-1H "Huey" helicopter.

Our base camp was located at Di An, situated amidst the brush-country about ten miles northwest of Saigon. By chance, this was the same base camp visited by President Richard Nixon during his historical trip to the combat zone in July 1969. Flying from the Sabre Heliport at Di An, Troop A performed reconnaissance and support missions for many units operating within the III Corps Tactical Zone. Operations ranged from Tay Ninh Province on the Cambodian border to the resort city of Vung Tau on the coast.

Of the myriad of innovations devised for night warfare, Army Aviation provided one of the most exciting and effective concepts. This was a bold operation, appropriately named a "Firefly" mission. The name alludes to the busy little beetle who interrupts the darkness with his mysterious signals of "cold" fire. The Silver Spurs performed this mission well. It was not conducted exclusively by them, as it was used extensively throughout Vietnam; however, on the other hand, each unit that did perform this mission became somewhat "unique" in that variations were employed in both the aircraft composition and flight tactics.

Our Firefly team normally comprised three aircraft. The first was a UH-1H, utilized as a Command and Control aircraft. This crew provided vital coordination between any ground forces within the area of operations, any artillery support, and also maintained radio communications with the troop operations center. Furthermore, they were responsible for the difficult task of restricting the flight within the ground boundaries of the area of operations.

High overhead, the second aircraft silently glided, poised to strike. This was an awesome AH 1G "Cobra" gunship which provided any close-in, immediate firepower. The deadly accuracy and devastating effects of the "Cobra's" rockets and mini-gun were well-known to the enemy.

The third aircraft, another UH-1H, was the firefly or light ship. The "firefly" on the helicopter was actually a mounted cluster of landing lights obtained from an Air Force C-130 cargo aircraft. The intensity from this cluster of lights could illuminate several acres of ground area depending upon the altitude of the helicopter.

Essentially, a Firefly mission entailed the methodical search of an area using the powerful light. Each pilot developed his own tactics, but the paramount objective was to surprise or interrupt the enemy. This was accomplished by flying "blacked-out" and sporadically turning on the light while darting about the suspected enemy area. It was something similar to the little beetle, "Now you see me; now you don't."

Performing the mission was hazardous. It was complicated by a combination of several factors, including airspeed, altitude, the concentration necessary to pilot the helicopter, and the pilot's ability to constantly adjust his vision to the lighted area and the adjacent darkness. The key elements were airspeed and altitude. To effectively conduct the search, it was necessary to fly "low and slow," thereby, exposing the helicopter as an "easy" target. This might attract the enemy into firing, thus revealing their concealed positions.

Techniques varied with mission requirements, terrain, and the positions of the ground forces in the area of operations; but when necessary, the mission was flown between 40-80 knots of airspeed, including some periodic hovering, and from altitudes ranging between a ten foot hover to 200 feet above ground level!

The mission proved to be most successful against infiltration movements on the waterways. Moreover, once enemy contact had been established, the Firefly was excellent for pinpointing the enemy location for our ground troops or artillery.

The inherent risk of flying a helicopter, at night, in a combat zone, with a powerful searchlight shattering the darkness, might create a degree of uneasiness to many pilots. However, these detrimental factors were eclipsed by the challenge and excitement of this mission. Firefly nights were full of exciting moments, uncertain drama, tense situations, and some humorously amazing feats!

As standard operating procedure, the troop operations center assigned the most experienced pilots to fly with the new ones for familiarization with the various combat operations. This was how I learned and developed the techniques for conducting the Firefly.

My premier Firefly mission was an interesting adventure. This was my initial night flight in Vietnam, and it involved an area in the vicinity of the "Horseshoe" near the village of Duc Hoa. My instructor was a daring, squeaky-voiced Warrant Officer, CW2 Al Burk. Enroute to the area, Al gave me a quick briefing on what might occur and some basic procedures to follow.

Entering the area at 1,500 feet, Al then began a rapid, spiraling descent, which I believe was to impress me more than it had any tactical significance. We then began skimming along, about treetop level, intently searching a canal for enemy sampan traffic.

As might be expected, I was mystified for most of the mission, but I clearly recall the highlight of the night. Al spotted a sunken sampan and began circling around it to investigate. After about ten minutes, we had turned up nothing, so we decided to continue along the canal. While departing, Al unintentionally hovered our helicopter smack through a tree which happened to be a night roost for a flock of small white birds! I am not sure who was startled the most, the birds or us. Fortunately, there was no damage to the helicopter; and as the confusion cleared, we did manage to continue our mission.

Surviving the indoctrination by CW2 Burk, I then graduated to the tactical audacity of 1LT Charles Stutzman. Charlie was also a Texan, from League City, Texas. Two Texicans in the same helicopter was dynamite! Charlie had eyes like a hawk and was a great teacher. He later became one of the troop's most distinguished Scout pilots.

We were given a mission to search a segment of the BoBo Canal in the vicinity of Cu Chi. During this mission, Charlie noticed a sampan partially concealed beneath some Nippa palm trees. Hovering over the sampan, we detected some nearby bunkers. I was scanning them with the landing light when suddenly a North Vietnamese soldier began scrambling from one firing his AK-47 rifle. We instinctively blacked-out all lights and climbed desperately for safety.

Within seconds, our "Cobra" escort began pounding the target with rockets. The rockets burst like crackling sparklers upon impact, but defiantly the enemy soldier survived and the dull clatter of his AK-47 echoed the "Cobra" attack.

Determined not to allow this soldier to escape, Charlie advised our "Cobra" that we were going back for a second look. Hovering blacked-out above the bunker complex, the crew saturated it with machine gun fire and lobbed several incendiary grenades inside the opening. They found the mark and ignited the clothing of the soldier. Abandoning all caution, Charlie landed the helicopter and our crew chief, PFC Mike Scott, leaped from his position and brazenly snatched the AK-47 rifle from the grasp of the dying soldier! In a moment, we were airborne and safely returning to Di An. It had been quite an evening. By now, I was thoroughly indoctrinated for the Firefly mission, and soon even my helicopter could literally be called a firefly.

One night, our team landed for refueling at the small Navy installation at Nha Be. This was a small port facility and the site of a large oil storage tank farm. There was a large artillery battery there for defense. My helicopter, christened by my crew chief as the "Foxy Lady," had been used during the daylight mission as a "smoke-ship" for an infantry operation. This entailed the addition of a small oil tank in the cargo compartment. The oil from this tank was sprayed out at the turbine exhaust producing a billowy smokescreen which was sometimes employed to camouflage infantry troops who might be under enemy surveillance.

After the refueling, the control tower advised me that the artillery battery was firing in all directions. Thus, to clear the sector safely after take-off, it would be necessary to fly low-level up the river for some distance. My crew chief then suggested that this would be an opportune time to burn off some of the oil in the tank, as the extra weight hindered the helicopter's performance when hovering or flying slow. Accordingly, as we flew up the river, he discharged the oil. Strictly coincidental, the artillery battery fired some rounds simultaneously with the oil burn-off.

Now, by accident the oil spray ignited, causing the tail section to catch fire. Naturally, the artillery battery thought they had hit the helicopter! The doorgunner, who was a slow-speaking lad from Tennessee, drawled over the intercom.. ."Sir, we're on fire," which caused my adrenaline to flow like an oil gusher!

My Co-Pilot and I momentarily stared anxiously at each other, then turned on our landing light and frantically searched the rice paddies below for a landing site. It is an emergency procedure to land the helicopter immediately if a fire occurs. However, before we could land, the doorgunner calmly grabbed the small hand fire extinguisher in the cockpit and stepped precariously out onto the skid. In this delicately balanced position, he began spraying the flaming tail section until it was extinguished! We then proceeded to Di An, changed helicopters, and continued our scheduled mission. For a brief moment, the "Foxy Lady" had truly become a firefly.

Usually, a cemetery is not known for much excitement. But then most cemeteries are not known for their Helicopter Rodeos either. A "rodeo" did occur in an old cemetery near the perimeter of the airfield at Phu Loi one night. This area was suspected of being an infiltration route for the Viet Cong. Earlier in the night, our Firefly team had been working in an area called the "Pineapple" near Duc Hoa. Our mission completed there, we returned to Phu Loi. Out of curiosity we decided to make a quick pass around the perimeter before landing to refuel.

Approaching the area blacked-out, we switched on the light and discovered five very startled Viet Cong standing in the cemetery. They froze momentarily in the grasp of the bright beam of light. Stunned by the light and the whirring noise of the helicopter, they huddled together, clutching each other, and attempted to shield their eyes. I could not fire due to the proximity of the infantry troops guarding the airfield perimeter. Consequently, I hovered with frustration directly above them and radioed the infantry troops for assistance. It looked like a standoff.

The frightened Viet Cong suddenly began to flail their arms and to fire their AK-47 rifles erratically. By this time, I was completely frustrated and also critically low on fuel. Something had to be done. Under the circumstances, I immediately descended the helicopter directly above the Viet Cong. The close proximity of the helicopter, enhanced by the effect of the rotor wash, in effect "pinned" one of the Viet Cong to a large gravestone next to him! This action caused the others to flee into a small tunnel entrance adjacent to that gravestone. Alertly, my doorgunner tossed a white phosphorous grenade into the opening, causing them to quickly vacate the premises! The drama climaxed at that moment as the perimeter infantry troops arrived and captured the bewildered Viet Cong. With their arrival, I departed for the critical refueling.

Only a few nights after the "rodeo," the "Foxy Lady" encountered another bodacious challenge which would amplify the versatility of the Firefly and prove to be the highlight of all my Firefly missions.

I had just departed from refueling at Nha Be, when I received a radio call requesting assistance for an infantry patrol being ambushed by an enemy force near Cu Chi. Approaching the area, I could clearly see the muzzle flashes and tracers from the rifle and machine gun firing. This helped to pinpoint the positions of both forces. I circled overhead at 200 feet and determined that the enemy was concealed in an "L" shaped position within a clump of brush. Calling for a cease fire from the patrol, I began making lower passes above the enemy position while the crew dropped incendiary grenades in a circular pattern to shed some light on the subject.

When the ring of fire was established, the crew then dropped a few incendiary grenades directly upon the enemy position. However, despite the brightly burning fires and the irritating smoke, the enemy continued to engage the infantry patrol.

Direct action seemed appropriate. I descended the "Foxy Lady" to a twenty foot hover above the brushy position, thus illuminating it while the crew attacked with machine gun fire and more grenades. The hosts were quite rude. We were greeted with a crisp burst of AK-47 fire and the "Foxy Lady" received 24 hits, rendering the instruments useless and destroying most of the light of the "firefly." Fortunately, none of the crew were injured, so we limped away to a safer position.

The sting of the Firefly had not been sufficient, but the lethal "Cobra" strike was only an impulse away. Swooping viciously from above, the "Cobra" escort pierced the darkness with crackling mini-gun bursts forming a crimson tongue outlined by the red tracers that danced wildly about the enemy position. The "Cobra" then savagely stabbed the position with repeated rocket thrusts. The enemy soon became neutralized, and the team had once again "earned their spurs." Our mission accomplished and the patrol secure, we began our return to Di An as an infant dawn struggled to paint away the fading inky darkness.

The preceding mini-dramas were but isolated events. By themselves, they had little consequence upon the annals of the Vietnam War. However, linked together with many other similar segments, they would bear influence. Because of an idea patterned from a seemingly insignificant, twinkling insect, the faceless guerilla had been rudely disturbed and defeated within the heart of his nocturnal sanctuary.

 

© William L. McCalister, Jr. - 1970