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The Vietnam War

The Associated Press photographer Huynh Thanh My covers a Vietnamese battalion pinned down in a Mekong Delta rice paddy about a month before he was killed in combat on Oct. 10, 1965.

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A U.S. Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter comes down in flames after being hit by enemy ground fire during Operation Hastings, just south of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam, July 15, 1966. The helicopter crashed and exploded on a hill, killing one crewman and 12 Marines. Three crewman escaped with serious burns.

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The pilot of the aircraft was taken hostage and held in a Hanoi prison from 1966 to 1973.
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Sorry, but they were not hostages, they were POWs. To call them hostages denigrates their status IMHO.
 
While I can understand your question RD, we did on occasion get clean clothes and showers while in Vietnam.
 
With my diminutive frame (5'6" @135 lbs) I would surely have wound up pulling this type duty, but for the fact the NVA did not use elaborate tunnel complexes in my AO (Leatherneck Corner).
 
Those would be USMC H-34s.
I had the opportunity to work with one of these birds one day, as I had 3 guys to get out of the Bush for an in country R&R. All went well as he came into my LZ and I loaded my 3 boys aboard. The chopper then attempted to lift off, to no avail. The crew chief kicked off one of my boys and they tried to take off again, this time they got about 3-4 feet into the air before settling back on the LZ, no luck. The crew chief kicked off the 2nd of my boys, leaving Mike the only one aboard. He attempted to lift off again and the pilot was still having a hard time getting aloft, I could see the crew chief pushing Mike to the hatch to kick him off, but as they were now about 6 foot off the ground, Mike was clutching the sides of the hatch as the crew chief was trying to push him out the door. This struggle went on until they reached about 15 foot in the air at which time the pilot pointed the nose of the chopper down the slope we were on, and started picking up speed to provide more lift. Needless to say, Mike went on his R&R, and I had one hilarious memory that still resides in my minds eye. Mike Knowland about 6'6" tall standing in the choppers hatch holding on for dear life as the crew chief was trying to boot him off. As the chopper dropped down the slope, I could still see Mike standing at the hatch holding on. It was the only time during my ToD that I worked with this tired old warbird, though I did hitch a ride on one from LZ Stud to Quang Tri when I went on my R&R.
 
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