LATE SIXTIES GATHERING: 500K IN VIETNAM, 400K AT WOODSTOCK

A late Sixties gathering in the air:

We would take off at max gross weight 6000 pounds light on fuel.

At the first refueling we would fill up to the inflight max gross weight to head North.  

Refueling here was a “piece of cake.”  Try it at night and in the weather and was sometimes more stressful than in the target area. 

Look at this picture long enough and you can see Top Gun.

Except these are real pilots doing real pilot things in war.

If that doesn’t make your blood run cold, you may need a transfusion.

Remember the Vietnam War/Conflict was/is not a popular time in our history.  We were not in it to win it.

There is an internal conflict to go along with the external conflict. One is doing dangerous things that win wars, the other is fighting a war where one side is more committed than the other.

The internal conflict is whether or not to fly. It’s not a question to ask during mid-air refueling before heading to North Vietnam.

No One Wanted To Go Home After Woodstock Late Sixties Gathering?

Did they find their way back? Did anyone who wasn’t at the ultimate late sixties gathering?

I agree that it’s difficult to claim hippiedom at 67–my age as well. One of my many regrets is that I wasn’t old enough to attend Woodstock. From my perspective, analysis, and worldview, Woodstock was the apex of American culture and contribution to the history of civilization–and I missed it.

But I learned the lessons and never wavered in my commitment to them. I have been universally opposed to having anyone’s boy be sent home in a box. Judy Blue Eyes is the purest voice that has ever lived. I have followed the White Rabbit whenever possible. And there has been a Bad Moon Rising ever since. Darling, please be home soon.

So I guess in retrospect, it may not have been necessary to have been a hippie to learn the lessons that hippies made available to teach us. It just all depends on what we’re open to learning.

Homeward Bound

 What remains of the Hoa Lo Prison, The “Hanoi Hilton,” located in center of Hanoi. Around 592 POW,s mostly aircrew officers were detained here and in 12 other smaller Camps.  

Google Son Tay Raid for interesting failed rescue attempt. 

Despite rescuing no prisoners, the raid proved a success in other ways. It caused North Vietnam to gather POWs in fewer locations to prevent similar raids, making POW communication and organization easier. POW morale soared.

Later, one recalled that “…the Son Tay rescue attempt dispelled all doubt: We were not forgotten; our country cared!!”

The daring raid so close to Hanoi demonstrated that the U.S. had the will and means to carry out exceptional operations to ensure POW well-being. The Son Tay raid was one of the most complex and dangerous missions of the Southeast Asia War. It laid the groundwork for future joint forces operations by serving as a model of organization, cooperation, and flexible execution.

Winning The Internal Conflict Of A Late Sixties Gathering

“Dawn patrol.”  

Climbing into the sunrise to arrive in the target area at first light before they  had an opportunity to hide for the day under the jungle canopy.  Well, where we hadn’t used Agent Orange.  

I have flown over all of those areas some 30 years later and the jungle is back.  I repeat, sadly, “We were not in it to win it.”  

Once you learn how to face things you’d rather not face, and come away better for the experience, you’ve won the moment.

If you find yourself covered in broken promises, you’d better change your priorities.

After seeing and hearing about the late Sixties gathering of people who wanted to be someplace, of people who were drafted to be someplace else, I made a personal pact to:

PAY ATTENTION

I pledged to be a good listener, which is one of the skills a writer needs.

Once I listened so hard I landed in the ICU.

Was it worth it? Yes, and I’d do it again.

As you travel your path, pay attention to moments of decision. That’s where you decide one way, or the other, or not at all. No decision is also a decision.

A decision in the cockpit of a Phantom is different from a decision on where to sit at a concert. How different?

The sunrise shot is one of my favorites.  We had just come off the tanker and an AC-130 Gunship was screaming for help.  He had been working the “trail”  all night and was running out of ammo, but had a lot of trucks cornered by ones they had destroyed at the front and back of the string.  We were happy to oblige.  

If you have a challenge to meet, consider the decisions made in a late sixties gathering.

Choose one to help make the right decision for you.

That’s how you’ll get home.