Mission

Upon arrival in country on February 3rd, 1966, the 162nd was sent to Phouc Vinh, just north of Saigon, and assigned to the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion (CAB) at Phu Loi which supported the First Infantry Division in the III Corps area. On 1 November 1968, the company was relocated to Dong Tam in the upper Delta region and assigned to the 214th CAB which was the direct support aviation battalion for the 9th Infantry Division. Upon the withdrawal of the 9th Division from Vietnam in August 1969, the 162nd was assigned to the 13th CAB in the Mekong Delta and relocated to Can Tho.

The period at Can Tho saw a shift in type of missions flown from the previous emphasis on Combat Assaults and related support to more ash & trash type missions with fewer CAs and a variety of sometimes unusual tasks. After the pullout of the 9th Division (parts of the division did not leave until early 1970) there were no US infantry units left in the Delta, and the Vultures primarily supported ARVN units. This included the 5th ,9th and 21st ARVN Infantry Divisions as well as other Vietnamese units throughout the IV Corps area until the company stood down in April 1972. The 162nd had the distinction of being the last assault helicopter unit in the Delta.

During its six years of service in Vietnam, the 162nd supported a wide variety of US, Vietnamese and free world forces throughout the III and IV Corps area. Although the company was in direct support of two US divisions for much of the time, it was frequently called on to support many other units.

Units Supported