Candleguy's Adventure in Vietnam with SOG.wmv

Assigned to 170th assault helicopter company in Vietnam 1966-1967, I was attached to the Studies and Observation Group for approx. 3 months. While with the SOG I took these photo's of what we did and how we lived. No music, just on slide captions done in the present tense.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Vietnam
• helicopters
• army
• educational
• interesting

[Goonerton]

thanks for sharing this with us candleguy821. What you guys did, words can't cover it. The countless lives you and crew must of saved under the shadow of death and you made it out too! Quick question.... Were you guy's issued with chest protectors?

peace and thank you for putting your lives on the line for us.

[candleguy821]

@Goonerton Yes we wore chest protectors, they consisted of a plate approximately 1/2 inch thick that fit inside a vest. It was very heavy at the end of the day. Over the armor we wore a flack vest. The gear was heavy, and hot. I had an extra back plate under my seat. The armor could stop a 7.62 round, but not a 50cal. The pilots wore them also. In one of the photos Lt.(at the time) Willis is wearing a chest protector. The pilots's and co-pilot's seats were armor plated.

[1121recon1121]

@PaintballingTings the studies thing was told to the public to cover up wat they were realy doing and that was special operations

[PaintballingTings]

I believe SOG stands for studies and observation group, not special operations group

[candleguy821]

@wogbasha Some of the guys were Australian, great solders it was a privilege to serve with them. A couple of times an Australian crewed Caribou landed on the airstrip shown in the slides. A few burlap bags would get handed out the door. Beer and mail from home; thats where I had my first can of "real" Australian beer. A couple of times we did not have a team "in" and could chill.(just a little)

[huckfinch]

thanks for a window into a legendary time; I like that phrase "on the hoof" no one can coin phrases like the military

Todd (your neighbor)

[renatver]

Excellent! tks from Brazil.

[raisinlike]

Thank you for sharing this Donald. It made me see and feel how your days looked like.