Anti-guerrilla Spy Rescue - early 1972
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I flew on a Felix Mission" back in early 1972. COL Felix I. Rodriguez was an adviser leader of an elite anti-guerrilla force of Provincial Reconnaissance Units. I couldn't remember too much about it because it was 54 years ago, but what I did do recall was picking up a large Cuban man at an airfield and flying him in the lead LOH to a Vietnamese or Cambodian village with several hootches.
Before we got to a Village I was directed over the LOH intercom by the COL. He told myself and the crew chief "Don't shoot the guy in the purple shirt cause he is one of my men" (an obvious anti-guerrilla spy). Then he directed, "Keep the aircraft running at full speed, but just light on the skids." We landed close to one of the hootches where he directed me to land and then Felix jumped out of the left seat and ran to the hootch with his silver .357 magnum pistol held in the air.
Soon (but what seemed like forever) Felix and a Vietnamese looking man in a purple shirt ran out of the hootch and jumped into my LOH and Felix yelled..."go, go, go get out of here". Off we went being given headings by Felix until we then landed at the same airbase we had departed some hours before. Both men got out of my LOH and I never saw him again until I saw him testify on National News TV during the Congressional Iran/Contra hearings sometime in the 1980's.