192Nd Assault Helicopter Company

192nd Assault Helicopter Company

Polecat and Tiger Shark were the radio call signs of the Huey slicks and gunships of the 192nd Assault Helicopter Company, 10th Combat Aviation Battalion, First Aviation Brigade, US Army, during the Vietnam War. The 192nd was formed at Fort Riley, Kansas and transported to Phu Hiep, Vietnam in October, 1967. A pet skunk named Waldo was the unit mascot and made the trip to Vietnam on a boat with the men and aircraft. In January 1968, the 192nd moved to Phan Thietwith its 21 UH1H (slicks) and 7 UH1B (gunships) to become a member of Task Force 3-506th in direct support of the Currahees. In 1970 the unit moved its operations to Phan Rang.

The primary mission of the 192nd AHC was for direct support of the 3-506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airborne/Airmobile), and general support for the Phan Thiet MACV, Bao Loc MACV, Dalat MACV, 53rdRegiment ARVN, Phan Rang MACV, 5-27thArtillery and the 44thARVN Regiment, within the DSA(Deputy Senior Advisor) II Corps. As the effectiveness of the Polecats and Tiger Sharks increase, more missions were added because of their professionalism in accomplishing the mission.

The 192nd AHC participated in all the 3-506thoperations, while the battalion was operating out of Phan Thiet, i.e. McLain, MR-6, Rockne Gold, Banjo Royce, Harmon Green, VC Contact, Johnson, Phuong Hoang, Le Hong Phong, Combined Operations, and Double Eagle I, II, III, IV, V, Sheridan, Hancock Eagle I, II, III, Shadow, Hancock Queen, Combined US-ARVN, US-ARVN Pair-Off, Hancock Flame, Southern Free Strike, etc.

In 1968 alone, the Polecats and Tiger Sharks flew 25,742 hours, carried 119,402 passengers, hauled 2,779 tons of cargo, medevaced over 250 troops, and had over 300 KBA (Known Bomb Assessment) and destroyed over 225 enemy structures.

The 192nd AHC supported many units other than the 3-506thin the southern II Corps area, including the White Horse division of the army of the Republic of Korea, IFFV ( First Field Force Vietnam ), C/75/173 ( Charlie Company, 75th Rangers, 173rd Airborne Brigade ), and MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam).

Those 192nd AHC members who were killed in action while serving alongside the Currahees of the 3-506th were:

CWO David W. Timm – April 5, 1968 (Extraction of Charlie Co. 3-506th)

SP5 Thomas J. Brennan – June 18, 1968 (Operation MR-6)

WO Mark A. Wenzel - June 18, 1968 (Operation MR-6)

WO Theodore V. Thoman – April 3 1969 (WhiskeyMountain Incident 3/31/69)

SP4 Wayne H. Russell – March 31, 1969 (WhiskeyMountain Incident 3/31/69)

SP4 Kenneth J. Lewis – February 16, 1969 (3-506th CO, LTC Alves’s C&C ShipIncident)

CW2 Richard Maxwell Arann – June 24, 1969 (FF Incident at LZ BETTY)

192nd KIAs – Visit their Vietnam Veterans Memorial Page

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HISTORY OF THE192ND ASSAULT HELICOPTER COMPANY