Cowboy and Mustachio

[Rob Cookson]

Hi All,

I know it's a longshot but the world is full of strange coincedances...

Wondering if anyone worked with these two Vietnamese chopper pilots- Cowboy
and Mustachio. I know they worked with US SF and MACV-SOG between 64 and
67. Mustachio was KIA 03 Jul 66

I found some info on Mustachio at:
http://www.specialoperations.com/MACVSOG/Memorial/Chronological.html

The description of his death fits what my cousin told me yesterday.

--
- - -
Rob Cookson
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety"
Benjamin Franklin

[Sandy Hill]

Rob

I remembered seeing the names of Cowboy and Mustachio in my SOG history
books by Harve Saal. There's a story in which both are mentioned, an
abbreviated
version of which I'll recount below.

"During my experiences with SOG there were exceptions which mellowed my past
experiences with Vietnamese soldiers. Two of these exceptions were
nicknamed 'Mustachio' and 'Cowboy' - the main helicopter pilots for C&C Det
operations. Mustachio was so nicknamed because of the big black mustache he
sported. He was in his 30s and a very serious person with a devil-may-care
attitude. I think he modeled himself after South Vietnam's Air Marshal,
Nguyen Cao Ky, right down to the white scarf and aviator sunglasses.

Mustachio was one unbelievable chopper pilot, he did things with a H-34
helicopter that experts said couldn't be done. He wanted to have a Huey
(UH-1) helicopter but had to use his unmarked "34" for insertions into North
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. There were no maneuvers he did not try with his
helicopter and he took it anywhere. He had a special, unexplainable
attachment and relationship with the machine. He could be counted on to
volunteer for the most dangerous of missions. No matter the distance,
weather or hazard, he would fly anywhere to extract and rescue a recon team
in trouble. The teams he inserted were "his men" and he felt personally
responsible for them until he exfiltrated them safely. Many from C&C Det
owed their lives to him and were never able to thank him enough. His
mustache covered a lip scar which he had received while extracting a team in
Laos. As the recon team was scrambling aboard his helicopter, the enemy on
the landing zone shot him in the face through the windshield.

A younger pilot, second to Mustachio, was 'Cowboy'. He loved anything
American, especially those things connected with the wild west. He always
seemed to be smiling and had a large brimmed white cowboy hat. Instead of a
white neck scarf, he wore a yellow bandana tied around his throat in the
fashion of his American hero, John Wayne. He carried a 38 caliber revolver
slung low on his hip in a western holster. I seem to recall he even owned
a pair of cowboy boots, although I don't think he flew in them. He was an
active western movie buff and often asked if someone had seen such and such
a movie. If we had, he would ask for opinions on one part or another. If
on the other hand we had not, we were in for a long, detailed explanation of
the movie's plot and its characters. He had been born in the wrong place at
the wrong time.

Where Mustachio was an articulate, laid-back personality, Cowboy was wilder
and crazier. He rode his helicopter like it was a wild west Mustang,
sometimes heeling it all around the sky for the sheer joy of flying. His
antics on occasion perturbed Mustachio, but in spite of his tricks they
were very close friends.

I recall one time as we flew from FOB2 (Kontum) to the launch site at Dak
To, he unnerved Mustachio by seeing how close he could get to his
rotor blades before Mustachio yelled at him over the radio. The minute
Mustachio keyed his radio's hand-mike, Cowboy laughed loudly and gestured to
him with his thumb and forefinger indicating how close he had come.
Mustachio
shook his head in disbelief and began a derogatory tirade in Vietnamese.

At other times, along the route to Dak To while following the river, Cowboy
challenged Mustachio to see who could come closest to the river surface.
Mustachio
apparently did not rate this hazard with rotor-wrapping. So there we were,
skimming our
way down the river with both chopper wheels causing a rippling water-wake
and small
rooster tail. It may have been fun for them, but it caused a big lump in my
throat and the
pit of my bowels.

It was the way of the "Kingbee" pilots, the men who flew the unmarked H-34
helicopters into the jaws of certain death. I was glad to have known them
and called them my
friends."

(This account written by Dave Donahue, CPT, C&C Det. 1966-67)

Sandy Hill

--
'Always shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land amongst the
stars.'

"Rob Cookson" <red_daw...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:8oriis$8mi$1...@slb3.atl.mindspring.net...

[Rob Cookson]

Thanks Sandy!

That's them, that's exactly who I was looking for! Thank you very BIG for
taking the time to type that up.

Cheers,

--
- - -
Rob Cookson
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety"
Benjamin Franklin

Sandy Hill <sandr...@gellert.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8os43c$28$1...@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk...

[Slowboy]

Rob Cookson wrote:

The weekend before last I attended the USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Crew Association
reunion in San Diego. At the Saturday night dinner the group was addressed by a
former VNAF H-34 pilot. I believe it may have been Cowboy. He was a double
amputee and during his talk (very hard to understand) he mentioned Mustachio.
Does anyone know if Cowboy is still alive?

Slowboy

[Sandy Hill]

Rob & Slowboy

 

I found the following entry relating to Cowboy on a MACVSOG website.  He lost his life just a few years after Mustachio.

 

http://www.specialoperations.com/MACVSOG/Memorial/Chronological.html

 

"May 68 - Vietnamese Kingbee Pilot known as "Cowboy", (Real name unknown) Captain, 219th Vietnamese Helicopter Squadron, Ops 32. (Volunteered to extract a SOG Recon Team in trouble which needed emergency extraction in Laos when all US helicopter pilots refused to attempt the extraction. Cowboy made the extraction saving the entire team and delivered them to FOB-2, Kontum, and when attempting to return to his base, became disoriented in the heavy overcast and crashed into a mountain - KIA. Cowboy was involved with the extraction of the 1st SOG recon mission during 1965. [From all SOG members: We pray for his soul and may his spirit soar in the heavens. Seconded by Tom Hunter])."

 

Another entry on the website is for Jerry 'Mad Dog' Shriver - MIA. 

(In the early 90s Jerry's sister, Colleen, married Harve Saal - a SOG member who'd known Jerry in Vietnam.  Harve was the author of the 4-volume history "MACV Studies and Observations Group - Behind Enemy Lines" , who sadly died of cancer a few years ago.)

 

"24 Apr 69- Jerry "Mad-dog"Michael Shriver, SFC E-7 of Sacramento, CA, Plt SGT Exploitation Force, Gregory M Harrigan, lLT, Asst Exploitation Force Plt Ldr; Ernest C. Jamison, SGT, USASF and An unknown number of Special Commando Scouts (names and ranks unknown) CCS, Bam Me Thout, Ops 35. Shriver MIA-presumed dead and Harrigan and Jamison KIA-RR. The nickname "Mad-dog" was given to Shriver by radio Hanoi. A 25 man exploitation force on a reinforcing mission became engaged immediately upon being inserted into enemy held territory 1 ½ miles inside Laos west of the DMZ’s southern boarder by an entrenched superior company sized enemy force with fortified machine gun positions . Fighting from bomb craters, the force called for air strikes and as fighter aircraft dropped napalm around their positions, Shriver and one SCU was last observed by Cpt Paul D. Cahill attempting to move behind a machine gun position and were last seen moving into a tree line. Shriver maintained radio contact for four hours at which time transmissions ceased. It is known Shriver had been wounded three or four times during the fighting. An enemy soldier was observed to be in possession of the same type weapon Shriver had been using. The commander of the force was wounded in the right eye resulting in total blindness for 30 minutes. The enemy fired at everything and bodies of the exposed dead force members were machine gunned repeatedly. By this time, over half of the force was either killed or wounded. Approximately forty five minutes later, 1Lt Harrigan, the assistant force team leader was killed. A1-E "Sky Raiders" bombed and rocketed the area while the NVA applied heavy ground fire wounding one door gunner. Several attempted extractions had to be aborted. With the force commander and assistant commander wounded or dead, the third in command called for napalm to be dropped ten yards from his position resulting in him and nine SCU in his bomb crater being burned by the napalm. The fight raged on for seven hours in an intense battle then finally three helicopters were able to drop in and extract fifteen wounded members of the force. With movement noted in another crater, a fourth chopper came in with a Lieutenant aboard from CCS who retrieved the badly wounded radio operators and a body from the crater. The helicopters were receiving fire the entire time and lifted off immediately after the individuals were aboard. Ten air strikes and 1,500 rockets were required to extract the few survivors of the team. No further insertion could be made into the enemy stronghold. Jun 12th, 1970, a search recover team was inserted into the battle area and human remains were recovered and identified; however, the remains of SFC Shriver was not recovered. One of many stories about Mad-Dog is the report where he and his team was surrounded by the enemy and as air support arrived inquired as to his situation. Mad-Dog is credited as reporting something to the effect, "we have them right where we want them, surrounded from the inside out!" (This quote may not be exact, it’s something I heard when I was at CCN and seen elsewhere in writing, which is characteristic of a SOG soldier and marks Shriver as one of SOG’s many legends).

NOTE: Page 234, of John Plaster’s book, "The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam", contains the following: "It was Mad Dog Shriver who’d spoken the most famous rejoinder in SOG history: His team surrounded and the CCS staff concerned he might be overrun, a FAC told Shriver, ‘It sounds pretty bad.’  Shriver replied, ‘No, no. I’ve got ‘em right where I want ‘em - surrounded from the inside."

 

 

Sandy Hill
--
'Always shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss you'll land amongst the stars.'

 

 

"Slowboy" <po...@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:39B51E75...@mindspring.com...

[Lee]

> when all US helicopter pilots refused to attempt the extraction.

Sandy, this was interesting stuff.
Who were "all" the helicopter pilots who refused? Any record of what
unit or how many?

>An unknown number of Special Commando Scouts
>(names and ranks unknown) CCS, Bam Me Thout, Ops 35.

Was CCS in Ban Me Thout? I thought CCC was in that area?

[Sandy Hill]

Lee

I cut and paste the contents of my last message from the website addy included in the previous post.  However, I checked in my MACVSOG books for answers to the questions you raised and found the following.

 

Re:  Was CCS in Ban Me Thout?  I thought CCC was in that area?

 

"Consolidation of Operation 35 (Ground Studies Group)         (abbreviated version...)

During the final weeks of November 1968 a consolidation of forces was occurring in SOG's Operation 35, the American led reconnaissance element.

 

CCN was not the only MACSOG 35 camp which was receiving experienced SOG men from other camps.  Forward Operations Base Five (FOB 5: Ban Me Thout) was in the process of welcoming the forces from FOB 6: Ho Ngoc Tao).  The elements already occupying Ban Me Thout were from Project Omega (Detachment B-50).  They awaited the elements of Project SIGMA (Detachment B-56).  Upon the arrival of SIGMA, the two Projects were to be combined and designated as a single unit: "Command and Control, South (CCS)"

 

Source:  "MACV Studies and Observations Group - Behind Enemy Lines"  (Volume III "Legends") (page 338)

------------------------

 

Who were "all" the helicopter pilots who refused? Any record of what unit or how many?

 

I've found an "En Memoria" reference to Cowboy's death in the above mentioned MACV SOG book (page 289), but I'm afraid it doesn't specify which helicopter units refused.

 

"May 1968 (exact date unknown)

"Cowboy (exact name unknown) Vietnamese Captain (Dai Uy)

Kingbee Pilot

219th Vietnamese Helicopter Squadron (219th VNAF)

Operation 32 (Air Studies Branch)

 

Kingbee pilots flew anywhere, anytime.  When US helicopter pilots would not fly for SOG, the VNAF pilots did.  A reconnaissance team inserted from Dak To was in trouble and needed emergency extraction.  The weather was bad and getting worse.  The Command and Control Detachment (C&C Det) Commander could not convince any US helicopter pilots to conduct the extraction attempt.  The flamboyant Cowboy stepped forward and volunteered to try to extract the team.  After successfully extracting the team from Laos, Cowboy transported the team to FOB2 (Kontum) and then departed for the VNAF hanger in Da Nang.  In his last radio transmissions, his location was placed somewhere north, past Da Nang, where he had not yet reached Phu Bai.  During this curse of bad weather and somewhere within this expanse of jungle wilderness his aircraft was heard exploding as he talked over his radio.  The diagnosis of his last conversations indicated he had probably crashed into one of the numerous protruding mountain peaks or high hill tops."

 

(Cowboy left a young wife and new born baby)

 

Sandy

--
'Always shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss you'll land amongst the stars.'

 

 

"Lee" <gen...@mediaone.net> wrote in message news:sXct5.19308$pu4.1...@typhoon.ne.mediaone.net...

[Lee]

"T. H. Rau" <laid...@lava.net> wrote in message
news:laidback-BD77C6...@news.lava.net...
> PS. Where's the AAR on your Hawaii ops?

I was sending dispatches from the front daily, but apparently good old
*%&*^$ MSN didn't post them.

I'm have to work up an AAR "soon." I'm trying to sell a house, figure
out how to cheat the tax man, and move all at the same time.

BTW, sorry I didn't catch up with you while I was over. The morning
traffic coming in from Ko' Olina was a bit too much for a man on
vacation. Had a wonderful time, though.

Things have really changed since 1977! Found my old unit still at
Helemano Mil. Res., but someone plunked down a couple of hundred Army
family houses there, too!

Lee