174th Assault Helicopter Company Alumni Association 2023 Reunion
The 2023 Reunion was held at Fort Walton Beach, Florida from April 27 to April 30, 2023, with 36 members attend with 39 guests attending. See the After Action Report here.
2022 Reunion From April 29 to May 1, 2022
The 2022 Reunion was held at the Best Western Beachfront hotel in Fort Walton Beach, FL from April 29 to May 1, 2022. Read the 2022 Reunion's After Action Report here.
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS WONDERFUL PRINT
The 174th AHC Association is excited to announce your opportunity to own this wonderful Joe Kline, "limited edition" 20" X 28", signed/numbered print, entitled, "NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE." The prints were produced from the original painting, commissioned specifically by the 174th AHC Association to remember and honor those individuals who served the 174th Assault Helicopter Company.
To purchase this print, click HERE to order a copy from the Company Store.
174th AHC's 2019 26th Annual Reunion
After-Action Report (AAR)
Click HERE to see the 2019 Annual Reunion AAR.
Butch Elliott's 2015 Return to Vietnam
Click HERE to see the PDF slideshow Butch put together of his (and other 174th vets) return trip to Vietnam, which includes a return to many of the areas of operations of the 174th. Also included after Butch's slideshow is an account of (KIA) Robert Hazen's wife, Judy's, 2008 trip to Robert's crash site, to honor him as well as their daughter Marcie. Both are well worth the time.
Welcome to the 174th AHC
The 174th Assault Helicopter Company formed at Ft. Benning, GA in 1965. It deployed to Vietnam by U.S. Navy ships in 1966. Our three homes in Vietnam were Lane Army Heliport near Qui Nhon (1966; II-Corps), Duc Pho in Quang Ngai Province (1967-1970; I-Corps), and Chu Lai, basecamp for the Americal Division (1971; also I-Corps).
The 174th flew various models of the UH-1 "Huey" helicopter. We served long and proud in Vietnam and saw much combat action in the rice paddies and mountains in the northern half of South Vietnam from 1966 until 1971, and in Laos during Operation Lam Son 719 in 1971. We have here pictures, stories, and information about the 174th's experiences. This site is dedicated to those Dolphins and Sharks, both pilots and enlisted crewmembers -- brave men all -- who did not return.
News and Announcements
- New 174th Guestbook
- The 174th's guestbook provider, that we've been using over a decade, went out of business suddenly and folded on April 1, 2012 (yep, April Fools Day), taking all our old guestbook entries with them. A new one has been added to the site, starting anew.
- 174th Website's New Look
- You'll note the website has a new look. The front page has undergone a facelift, and with time many sub-pages will also be converted to the new format. Note all major "Contents" items are now contained on the left Navigation Bar. Hover over each bar to display a "flyout" for any subpages each may contain.
- Join the 174th AHC Listserv
- Our email Listserv has about 350 former members on it now. It is a low-volume (low bandwidth) list to reconnect friends, share information from "back in the day," coordinate information like reunions, and answer questions about other former members and events. To join, contact the webmaster.
Pictures
"Sharks on standby at the Gia Vuc Special Forces Camp. Gunships Shark #161 'Surfer' and #140 'Hooded Cobra'. We actually had a heavy fire team of three gunships heading back for fuel after a combat assault, when we happened upon a group of 'un-uniformed' regulars. We opened up on them as they scrambled for their weapons. No enemy survived. As close to 'face to face' with the enemy I saw and participated in. L-R: Jarvis Gambrill, Sgt. Ronald Grothe, Budd Vann, Bob Millius (tall guy, with dark hair), John Moore, Gary Harter (seated) and Lt. Bob Hackett's back"- Fred Thompson (Photo by Fred Thompson)
Crew chiefs and mechanics, the backbone of any helicopter unit. (Photo by Fred Thompson)
A combat assault (CA), taken on short-final to the landing zone (LZ), with infantry troops jumping from a UH-1 "Huey." This photo was taken in the Americal area of operations between Duc Pho and Chu Lai. The lead helicopter has just taken off; chalk-2 is unloading (note the right skid hasn't even touched down yet and one troop's already out of the helicopter and has reached the rice paddy dike); chalk-3 is on short-final just before touching down; and the rest of the flight is barreling down on Chalk-3 from the rear. Chalk-2 will probably be on the ground for less than five seconds. (Photo by Jim "Chalk-3" McDaniel)