Introduction

The 162nd Aviation Company (AML), later the 162nd Assault Helicopter Company, was one of the earlier aviation companies to arrive in Vietnam after the ground troop build up began in 1965. The company subsequently built a sterling record as an assault helicopter unit.

This history is dedicated to the men of the 162nd who gave their lives in the service of their country. But for the hand of fate, anyone of us could have easily been in their place. We still wonder after all these years why some were chosen and others not. Only God knows the answer. As those who survived, we owe a tremendous debt to those who did not come back. Everything we do, every breath we take, and every memory we have, we owe in some part to those who are not here. It is up to us to conduct our lives so as to make their sacrifice worthwhile, honor their memory and make sure they are not forgotten.

Also not to be forgotten are the men who made everything possible-the maintenance crews. Much has been said about the pilots who flew the aircraft but not much about the people who kept them in the air. Theirs was often an unappreciated task. However, they did a magnificent job. The performance of the crew chiefs and maintenance people was summed up by one general this way:

"The super performance did not stop with the pilots. The maintainers achieved the miraculous…crew chiefs flew all day and worked on their birds all night. The scene round any company maintenance detachment when the birds staggered home in the evenings was a sight to behold. The maintenance crews rolled out, turned on the lights, worked with flashlights, worked by feel, worked any way, in the rain, in high winds and dust storms, all night long if necessary to patch their aircraft, pull the required inspections, correct deficiencies and get them back on the line by next morning. Night test fights, prohibited in peacetime, were the rule rather than the exception."

Finally, it is important to realize that an assault helicopter unit was a team in which everyone had a vital role to play. Everyone was important, right down to the cooks and mail clerk-maybe especially the cooks and mail clerk!