Operation Lam Son 719 – Inside the 1971 Battle That Decimated America’s Helicopter Force in...

Just think of the song by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fortunate son and helicopters.

I once interviewed a World War 2 veteran who used to be in the 75th Division in World War 2.

This is a picture of his son on the 1971 cover of Newsweek magazine.
His son was a Loach pilot in this picture. The Little bird or Loach is the helicopter on the Left. The little Bird/Loach from the left would fly low, and take enemy fire from the ground, drop smoke grenades to indicate target. and the Cobra Helicopter on the right would come in and kill the soldiers/ Vietnamese enemy on the ground.

During this battle, the spotter was killed during this battle and you saw the Loach/ little bird pilot crying because his dead spotter was being carried away by the medics in a stretcher.

I have an email from this pilot on the left. I had requested information from him.

The veteran I met from the 75th Division told his sons to go to win. They were living in Canada as Americans but chose to go to Vietnam anyway. Both of them had volunteered. The second son went to Korea as a Special Forces Army Medic. The US military did not want them both being in the same war.

The Army medic ended up becoming a Doctor here in Edmonton. He was an emergency physician working at the local hospital in West Edmonton and retired five years ago.

The Newsweek cover on this battle is in the comments.