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The War Above the Trees

by Ronald Carey

401 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1331; ISBN 1-4120-3503-1; US$27.99, C$35.00, EUR22.75, £15.77

The war as seen through the eyes of a helicopter crew member. What it was like to be on the work horse of the Vietnam War.

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about the book      about the author      excerpts      catalogue info

About the Book March, 1969. Another season would soon change in America. Winter was ending and the warm breezes of spring were melting the snow. The earth would renew itself as it has done for thousands of years. The generation of Americans which had been born since the Second World War was becoming young adults. Termed the ''Now'' generation by themselves, many made plans for the up coming year. Fueled by ''Rock N Roll'', ''Free Love'', and the "'Anti-War Movement'' these plans would bring change to a troubled country. The ''Summer of Love'' would be the answer of this which many needed. Half a world away, another season was about to change and other members of the is generation made other plans. The Dry season in the Central Highlands of Vietnam would soon end. It would be replace by the Monsoon season which would come out of the west. For this reason, young American soldiers would again enter th Valley of Death which was called the Plei-Trap. The War Above the Trees is the story of the air crews flying support to the men of the 4th Infantry Division during Operation Wayne Grey in March and April of 1969. This is a day by day account of what happened as seen through the eyes of a young crew chief. It includes After Action Reports and eyewitness statements of both air crew members and infantry personnel which were on the ground. This is not a story about the war, but rather the story of the young soldiers who fought there. It tells of the brotherhood formed by the small things which was part of our lives. A meal shared with friends. The time spent together which would bring relief from the madness of the war. It is not the story of heroes but of young men doing their jobs in a war they did not understand. This is a factual account of an operation few people have heard about. It was not written to judge the actions of the people responsible for its planning. Its main goal is help the people who were there still looking for answers thrity years later. It is also a tribute to our borthers who died and the hope that their families can find some closure to their loss.

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About the Author Ron Carey was born on April 29, 1949 in Chicago, IL. Raised in the small town of Plainfield, IL. he is the oldest of six children. In April of 1967 he decided to enlist in the Army under the ''Delayed Entry Program'' prior to graduation from high school. He reported for active duty six days after graduation on June 12, 1967. He arrived in Southeast Asia in January of 1968. In March he was assigned to the 1st Flight platoon of the 119th Assault Helicopter Company in Pleiku. For the next ten months his missions included support for the 4th Infantry Division in the Dak To, Kontum areas near the Tri-borders of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. During August and September his company was assigned to MACV-SOG missions out of FOB II near Kontum. At the end of his first year in Vietnam, he extended for another tour. After his leave in January 1969, he returned to his company in February. He flew with the 1st Flight platoon until the end of April. During Operation Wayne Grey he logged almost 400 flight hours over the Plei-Trap Valley. In May he was assigned to the 3rd Flight platoon. He continued to fly as a crew chief on a UH-1C (''Charlie'' model gunship) until September. During his entire tour of duty he logged over 2200 flight hours. He returned to the United States and was stationed at Fort Eustis, Va. as an instructor, and was discharged in June 1970. In December of 1969 he married his high school girlfriend. They have been married for thirty-five years and have three children and five grandchildren. He worked for the telephone company for thirty-two years before retiring in 2002. Ron and his family still live in Plainfield, IL.

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Excerpts From Chapter I

The Assault in to LZ Swinger

I tap the passenger in the middle of the ship, who is a 1st Lieutenant, to let him know we are starting and that we will be going in ''HOT''. This means we will be firing our machine guns and that we are doing so as a plan and not actually receiving fire. The zone has been marked and we are setting up for our final approach. The rockets impact into the ground and the roar of the mini-guns can be heard over the sound of the rotor blades. The command ''FIRE'' blasts into my helmet. Our ''sixties'' (M-60 machine guns) start to rock at the same time. Clearing the outer perimeter with the tail rotor we start to land. ''The tail is clear!'' I inform Stoney as we start to hover. ''Clear right!'' Dana says as he still fires his gun. ''Clear left!'' I echo. About a foot off the ground the command ''GO!'' comes from Stoney. I yell ''GO!'' to the troops as we cease-fire. They exit the ship and my command is ''We are clear!'' and Stoney pulls pitch to leave the LZ. ''We are coming out and negative fire,'' as we climb into the sky. No fire and no bad guys. This just might turn into a nice day.

''Taking fire! Taking fire!'' comes over the radio. Our good day has just gone south. Gator 390 is the second ship in and all hell has broken loose. Out of the corner of my eye I see ''Shifty's'' ship taking fire from the left side of the landing zone. I open up to protect his side of the ship. Heavy fire is coming from the opposite side of where our gun cover is. ''My crew chief is down!'' is the only thing we hear as Gator 390 departs the LZ. ''We are en route hospital, Pleiku.'' That would be the last transmission from Gator 390 that day. The landing zone disappears as Gator 603 hovers above the landing pad. The NVA have detonated the mines around the pad. Dirt and debris surround Gator 603 and it is impossible for us to see the helicopter. ''I'm coming out!'' is the only thing I heard as the helicopter slowly rose above the cloud of dust.

Mr. Hudkins (aircraft commander of Gator 603) informs the rest of the flight that he has wounded but the ship is flyable. He is also headed for the 71st Evac hospital in Pleiku.

''Taking fire! Taking fire!'' again comes into my helmet. The fourth ship, Gator 606, is taking fire from the same spot. Again I open up but now ''Croc 2'' has broken his pattern and started to make a run towards the enemy fire. ''My crew chief is down and I also have a wounded passenger,'' is Gator 606's response as they lift off. The Crocs are now raining hell down on the little people who started this fight. We call the two remaining gunships at Polei-Kleng. They have been monitoring the radio and are aware of what is going on. They are en route to our location. Meanwhile Gator 606 informs the flight that he is losing power and might not make it back to Polei-Kleng. We begin to follow Gator 606 in case he goes down. Departing the A/O (Area of Operations) it's becoming clear that things are going to get worse before this day is over. We pass our other gunships as we head for the airstrip. Gator 606 is leaking fuel and the engine is smoking badly. We have less than twenty people on the ground and we have lost three ships already. We have yet to return to Plei-Mrong for our second load. We stayed on station much longer than we should have and, having to follow Gator 606 to Polei-Kleng, we will have to refuel before returning to the LZ. The airstrip is in sight and Gator 606 will be able to make it.

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Catalogue Information

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