thedrifter
06-29-07, 05:08 PM
Vietnam hero gets to try out new Army helicopter
JJ Hensley
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 29, 2007 06:53 AM
It sure beats a Huey.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bruce Crandall called that the best copter ever built. He won the Medal of Honor in February for piloting it through enemy fire to rescue a group of soldiers in Vietnam in 1966.
All that changed Wednesday when Crandall climbed into an AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter at Boeing in Mesa.
Crandall flew one of the first new-build Apaches as part of a ceremony at the Boeing plant, before accepting the first delivery of the new helicopters to the U.S. Army.
U.S. soldiers on the ground around the world couldn't be more pleased to have more Apaches on the horizon, said Maj. Gen. David Rataczak, because when the enemy sees the notorious birds in the sky, things can change quickly on the ground.
Rataczak, adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard, who recently returned from visiting troops in Afghanistan, told a story of two Apaches recently flying "slow and low" for seven hours in battle to draw fire away from Marines on the ground.
The helicopters did all that without firing a shot, Rataczak said.
"They're confident flying this aircraft because of its survivability," he said.
Crandall, a soldier who specialized in survivability, said he'd like to pilot one of the new helicopters instead of the Huey's he flew through Vietnam without the aid of GPS systems or night vision.
"When we had to go out at night, it was a hell of a lot more dangerous," Crandall said. "It's the difference between driving a Volkswagen and driving a Maserati."
After sending remanufactured versions of the AH-64A into battle for the last nine years - Boeing rebuilt 501 of the helicopters between 1997 and 2006 employees at the Mesa plant are under contract to deliver 45 new-build Apaches to the U.S. Army.
But riding in one of the first was a thrill for Crandall, who's experienced his fair share in the last few years.
Crandall's story, and that of the 1st Cavalry Division were also told in the book, We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young, and in the 2002 movie We Were Soldiers, in which Greg Kinnear played Crandall.
President Bush awarded Crandall the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony in February for Crandall's heroism in Vietnam.
Hearing the president recount Crandall's courageous deeds was something of a thrill for his friend and former co-worker in the City of Mesa, Mike Hutchinson, who retired as City Manager in late 2005.
"When the president read the commendation, I got goose bumps," Hutchinson said. "What he did in that battle was just tremendous. I'll never forget reading that book and that feeling of chills running down my spine."
Crandall felt some of the same sensations as he guided the new Apache over the desert Wednesday, tacking an extra 30 minutes or so onto the planned hour test drive.
As the ceremony drew to a close, and Crandall took the keys and flight book from Al Winn, vice president of Boeing's Apache programs, the Medal of Honor recipient told Winn, "The Army's getting one of the finest helicopters ever built."
Crandall should know.
Ellie
JJ Hensley
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 29, 2007 06:53 AM
It sure beats a Huey.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bruce Crandall called that the best copter ever built. He won the Medal of Honor in February for piloting it through enemy fire to rescue a group of soldiers in Vietnam in 1966.
All that changed Wednesday when Crandall climbed into an AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter at Boeing in Mesa.
Crandall flew one of the first new-build Apaches as part of a ceremony at the Boeing plant, before accepting the first delivery of the new helicopters to the U.S. Army.
U.S. soldiers on the ground around the world couldn't be more pleased to have more Apaches on the horizon, said Maj. Gen. David Rataczak, because when the enemy sees the notorious birds in the sky, things can change quickly on the ground.
Rataczak, adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard, who recently returned from visiting troops in Afghanistan, told a story of two Apaches recently flying "slow and low" for seven hours in battle to draw fire away from Marines on the ground.
The helicopters did all that without firing a shot, Rataczak said.
"They're confident flying this aircraft because of its survivability," he said.
Crandall, a soldier who specialized in survivability, said he'd like to pilot one of the new helicopters instead of the Huey's he flew through Vietnam without the aid of GPS systems or night vision.
"When we had to go out at night, it was a hell of a lot more dangerous," Crandall said. "It's the difference between driving a Volkswagen and driving a Maserati."
After sending remanufactured versions of the AH-64A into battle for the last nine years - Boeing rebuilt 501 of the helicopters between 1997 and 2006 employees at the Mesa plant are under contract to deliver 45 new-build Apaches to the U.S. Army.
But riding in one of the first was a thrill for Crandall, who's experienced his fair share in the last few years.
Crandall's story, and that of the 1st Cavalry Division were also told in the book, We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young, and in the 2002 movie We Were Soldiers, in which Greg Kinnear played Crandall.
President Bush awarded Crandall the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony in February for Crandall's heroism in Vietnam.
Hearing the president recount Crandall's courageous deeds was something of a thrill for his friend and former co-worker in the City of Mesa, Mike Hutchinson, who retired as City Manager in late 2005.
"When the president read the commendation, I got goose bumps," Hutchinson said. "What he did in that battle was just tremendous. I'll never forget reading that book and that feeling of chills running down my spine."
Crandall felt some of the same sensations as he guided the new Apache over the desert Wednesday, tacking an extra 30 minutes or so onto the planned hour test drive.
As the ceremony drew to a close, and Crandall took the keys and flight book from Al Winn, vice president of Boeing's Apache programs, the Medal of Honor recipient told Winn, "The Army's getting one of the finest helicopters ever built."
Crandall should know.
Ellie