 This is an experimental helicopter, especially fitted out with armor plate and heavily armed. It is on its way to neutralize a landing zone in the central highlands of South Vietnam, where shortly, troops of the first air cab will be going in. Approaching the target, a shower of 2.75 rockets fired from two rocket pods scours the area. Now on top of the target, the helicopter's gunnery crew opens up with caliber 50 machine gun fire, raking the area from one end to the other. Returning to its base at Ankay, the big CH-47A Chinook lands on one of the maintenance area pads. The program to evaluate these four and a half million dollar choppers is being conducted from here. At the pad, an evaluation board officer discusses the craft's performance with the flight engineer. Guns-a-Go-Go is the name given to this special aviation detachment and its experimental program, which includes daily maintenance. In addition to mechanical maintenance, there is electronic upkeep on items like the servo amplifier, which controls the chopper's grenade launcher system. 2,562 pounds of armor plate protect the Chinook's vital component areas. An armor specialist checks the installation before every flight. A total of 38 2.75 rockets are fired from two pods. A 40 millimeter grenade launcher mounted in a ball turret on the helicopter's nose fires 700 rounds in one loading. There are five caliber 50 machine guns on this ship, two on each side and one aft. With these weapons systems plus 220 millimeter cannon, the experimental machines offer the firepower of eight fully equipped HU-1B gunships. A scramble has been called and the members of the Chinook seven-man crew rush to their stations. The mission calls for an air strike against an enemy automatic weapons position 16 kilometers northeast of Kinyon. Fire team missions are only part of the support work done by these special aircraft. Only moments from the target, one chopper flies security while the other makes its first pass below. Now in action, the number two ship unleashes a rocket attack. Repeated hits mark the enemy positions. Dropping down and passing directly over the target, the big chopper serves as a shooting platform for the five machine gunners. Enemy ground fire pelts the ship. Like two infuriated bumblebees, the CH-47As come back again. Protected by their armor which can turn away caliber 50 fire, the big ships pound the enemy with massive firepower. Next time around, there is no resistance from the ground. A gaping hole in the cabin ceiling attests to the enemy ground fire encounter during this mission. The evaluation of the effectiveness of these armored and armed helicopters continues. Despite hits from enemy ground fire, the fortified choppers are establishing a remarkable record in Vietnam. In mid-September, troops of the U.S. First Infantry Division discover a large cache of rice in the Viet Cong stronghold of Binh Dhuong Province. Situated near Ly K, some 48 kilometers north of Saigon, the captured rice weighs nearly 12 tons. A Huey is used to remove the rice from the small clearing to an open field where a cargo chopper can take on the load. The captured rice will be airlifted to Ben Khot, eight kilometers to the south and they're distributed to the relocated Vietnamese refugees. The Huey begins the short haulout to an open field. At this dried up rice paddy, a Chinook cargo helicopter can land to pick up the entire rice find and fly it to Ben Khot. The Huey makes several trips bringing the rice out. Troops handling the transfer camp here overnight. Next day, the Chinook arrives with such gusto that the troopers of the big red one are sent running outer skelter. Wind from the huge rotors flattens shelters and rubs some people the wrong way. The incident is soon forgotten, however, and the arduous task of loading begins. To speed things up, a bag brigade is formed and the 100-pound sacks are soon loaded aboard the cargo copter. Security patrols are called in as soon as the loading is completed and the Chinook prepares to take off. In spite of the ponderous load of grain, the chopper lifts off easily and heads for Ben Khot. Minutes later, the village comes into view and the Chinook touches down. The people are waiting eagerly. Word has spread that the Americans are going to distribute free rice and there is no shortage of Vietnamese men to help unload the aircraft. From the stockpile outside the helicopter, the bags are transferred one more time to a waiting truck. Since the rice is now being turned over to the Vietnamese refugees, the handling and dividing is being supervised by a Vietnamese Army officer. As the moment of distribution draws near, the Arvin officer expresses thanks on the part of the villagers for the gift. And so the handing out of the captured enemy rice begins. Each person is given a five-pound bag of the precious grain. To the Vietnamese, rice is the most important staple in their diet. The rice here being distributed in the continuing civic action program in Vietnam could have sustained the enemy soldiers in the field for a long time. Now, the communist foe is not only denied, but the food is helping to bring about a stronger tie of friendship between the American soldier and the people of South Vietnam. In the Bung Son area, approximately 80 kilometers north of Quy Nhan, members of the First Air Cavalry Division are engaged in Operation Thayer, their mission to search and sweep the rice fields and surrounding areas where villagers are forced to donate a portion of their crop to the Viet Cong. The rice is hidden in secluded jungle areas. Then, under cover of darkness, the Viet Cong move in and carry off the grain. Rice found by the troops is taken out by helicopter to division, where it is distributed to the most needy. Villagers are assembled for questioning. VC suspects are separated from the others and are held for more intensive interrogation. The company medic helps to make friends by treating villagers for colds, insect bites, or other minor ailments. No contact is made with the enemy during daylight hours. However, continuous sniper fire is encountered during the night and early morning. A call for aid for the men who have been hit by sniper fire brings the medics. The wounded are evacuated by helicopter to the 15th Medical Evacuation Battalion, approximately 40 kilometers to the south. Here, the wounded are given additional treatment by doctors. The more serious casualties are then taken to the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Kinyon. On 3 September, this caribou aircraft crashed on takeoff, falling into a small village at the end of the Special Forces runway at Dong Tray. Damage to the village itself was considerable. Men of the 17th Aviation Battalion prepared the craft for recovery. They righted the fuselage, unloaded its cargo, and took off the wings. These were all removed to the salvage yard at Kinyon by Chinook helicopter. All but the fuselage. This needed something bigger to move it. On the 15th, one of the first calves flying cranes was called in. Hovering from an altitude of 75 feet so as to eliminate further damage to the village from prop wash, a cable was lowered, the fuselage attached, and removed. Only a few straw roofs were messed up during the operation, but the crane was fired upon by snipers as it departed. Lengres, Germany, 15 September. A team from Psychological Operations, 10th Special Forces Group prepares for an airdrop infiltration exercise. The equipment being rigged for the drop is part of a complete set, consisting of a tape recorder, amplifier, and speaker system. In an air mobile van, propaganda leaflets are prepared for distribution behind the enemy lines. Plates are photographed and then engraved on an aluminum master which will be used to print the leaflets. The jump team is led by the company commander, first Lieutenant John W. Pershing, grandson of former General John J. Pershing. A helicopter swiftly carries the team to its destination for the operation, which would normally be conducted under cover of darkness. Lieutenant Pershing is the first man out, and he is quickly followed by other team members and equipment. The descent is effective and on target. The lowering lines are set out for the equipment. On the ground, the team quickly regroups and sets up the equipment for immediate operation. With the amplifier and speaker systems operational and the tape recorder spinning, Lieutenant Pershing tests the complete set up. The team moves out on the next leg of its mission, a hit and run operation to disseminate information calculated to disorient the enemy. As Brigadier General Robert R. Linville's one star flag is taken down for the last time, moving crews dismantle the BHF antennas, which served as such an important link in the island-wide Inter-American Peace Force communication system in the Dominican Republic. These Brazilian Marine and U.S. Army units represent the last of the Five Nations Peace Force to disband following the inauguration of President Joaquin Balaguer on June 1st. On hand was the honorable Nascimento da Silva, Brazilian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. The IAPF's commander, Brazilian General Alves Alvaro da Silva Braja, adds his own farewell. A number of Brazilian and American officers are decorated by Rear Admiral Sampaio Fernandez, shown here awarding the Brazilian Navy Medal for Distinguished Service to General Braja, and Colonel Frederick Field, and the Tamandari Medal of Merit to U.S. Army Colonel Herbert Herb. Brazil, among the first to respond with men for the IAPF, sending a full battalion to this Caribbean nation is among the last to leave. Generals Braja and Linville wish them well. At the harbor of Santo Domingo, another contingent embarks by ship for Rio. Unable to attend the award ceremony earlier, General Linville is decorated on board. Later, General Braja arrives at San Isidro Airfield, where U.S. Air Force Colonel Robert L. Demick presents him with a plaque on behalf of the Tactical Air Command. U.S. Ambassador, the Honorable John Crimmins, extends his own best wishes and the General boards a C-123 for the trip to Puerto Rico, from where he'll begin the long flight back to Brazil. The following day, General Linville joins the last members of the 82nd Airborne Division for the trip to Pope Air Force Base. By 1045, his plane was airborne. By noon, the last of the C-130s had departed. The IAPF had ceased to exist. At a base six kilometers from Santo Domingo, several teams of U.S. advisors working under the Military Aid and Assistance Program are training members of the Dominican First Brigade. The object is to build the brigade into an elite, highly trained infantry force. Several officers are assigned to instruct the men of the first in basic unit tactics from the squad level on up. Weaponry training includes crew drills on a wide assortment of light weapons, such as the 30-caliber machine gun. Riot control and the use of gas for dispersal is an important part of the counter guerrilla tactical training. Here, Lieutenant Elio Camacho coaches a mob dispersal formation. U.S. training of Dominican forces was begun by the 82nd Airborne while on duty in the Dominican Republic. Its success led to the present expanded program. Elsewhere on the base, a team from the 8th Special Forces is training a nucleus mortar platoon for the brigade. The men are learning to use the 4.2-inch mortar. Later, they themselves will serve as instructors for the rest of the Army. Practical application begins with the installation of a pneumatic firing device. This enables practice firing and the aiming of small, dummy shells. The men are drilled over and over again until they can set up their weapon in a matter of seconds. The training program culminates at the Sierra Prieta Range, where the crews get a chance to aim and fire live shells at a variety of targets. Hits are plotted on the training board at the simulated fire control center, and the results relayed to the crew. Another phase of assistance is the improvement of supply. At 1st Brigade Quartermaster headquarters, U.S. Sergeant Manuel Lorenco is conducting an OJT program. Dominican NCOs worked with the sergeant for three months, gaining experience in modern supply methods before returning to their brigade assignments. In a related project, Special Forces Captain Richard Thompson is working with the Dominican 2nd Engineer Battalion. The object of this operation is to establish a better maintenance and supply system. At one time, more than 85 percent of the unit's vehicles were deadlined, but since the new procedures began, the figure has shrunk to 15 percent. Despite its problems, the battalion has been initiating civic action projects all over the Republic. One such project is the construction of a road near Cristobal, 250 kilometers from Santo Domingo. Torrential rains often wash out the existing roads, and it is hoped that an all-weather road will encourage the reopening of salt and gypsum mines in the area. Thus providing employment for the people. The nearest source of drinking water for the 3000 residents of Cristobal is more than five kilometers away, and each day during construction, the engineers truck in thousands of gallons of purified water for the local families. In both military and civic projects, the U.S. aid and assistance program in the Dominican Republic is continuing successfully. The XM561 articulated one and a quarter ton truck, known affectionately as the Gamma Goat, begins the water phase of its testing off the coast of Virginia. It was soon recommended that a bilge pump be installed. It drives up the slippery ramp of an LST and back again into the water. The freeboard operation of this experimental vehicle, when swimming with or without a rated load, had a marked tendency towards pitching. Therefore, it was further recommended that these operations be confined to calmer waters. At Camp Wallace, the testing continues over a series of off-road traversals through highly irregular terrain. Behind the XM561 is the three-quarter ton M37 cargo truck being used as the standard of comparison. After completing each run, these shifting and conditions of cargoes hauled were carefully inspected. The UL-42 sandpiper, here being tested for its maneuverability, was developed to provide effective support for today's highly mobile army. This ultra-light, high-flotation forklift has a 4,000-pound-plus load capacity. Here it goes through the highway adaptability test course at Fort Lee. At high speeds, it noticeably oversteered, a hazardous operating condition. Afterwards, it is hoisted aboard a landing barge to test blocking and tie-down methods. To appraise its cargo handling characteristics, the UL-42 moves and stores supplies under conditions simulating logistical operations. On a mock-up course, it drives up the steep incline of a C-124 and out the fuselage overhang of a Chinook helicopter. However, the driver has to do a bit of fancy ducking. The sandpiper, still in the developmental stage. On August 21st, 39 teams representing 12 member nations met in Munich to hold the 19th annual military competition of the Inter-Allied Confederation of Reserve Officers. This year's U.S. teams, coached by Lieutenant Richard M. Hubbard, attend the opening services at the tomb of Germany's unknown soldiers. The flags are raised at the Therisenharn exhibition grounds and will fly throughout the five days of the competition. Arriving at Nubeberg German Air Force Base, General Limanel Lemnitzer, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, joins other NATO dignitaries at the competition. This U.S. team awaits its turn on the rifle and pistol range. They get the feel of the Uzi 9mm submachine gun, the P-38 Walther, and the Zetmi 7.62 rifle. At the Weber Reich's command of military sports ground, Lieutenant Hubbard and Major Alexander Jerry use three telescopic lenses to sight in on an azimuth before setting out on their cross-country event. This is a 12 kilometer run by map, compass, and photo. The U.S. which has won this competition for the past four years has a trio of three man teams entered. The scoring in all events is based upon accuracy and speed, much the same as is used in the Olympics for the Decathlon and Pentathlon. Two events down, two to go, a welcomed pause, but for some teams the going gets wet. The finals of the pool and obstacle trials are held at the Prince Eugène Cassin. In the ground course there are 20 such obstacles to overcome, ladders to scamper up and over, barriers to hurdle, and more barriers, and still more barriers, and finally dirt and ropes to grope through. On the following day, with their generals in attendance, our teams participate in the utility swim, wearing German military fatigues, which when wet weigh an additional 25 pounds. According to Lieutenant Hubbard, this cuts a good 10 to 15 seconds off the men's time. Prizes are to be awarded at a banquet and ball held that night at the fashionable Regina Paulist Hotel, and top prize goes to the U.S.