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War Stories

Hobo Woods Battle - TET 68

Walter Cooke OH-23 Scout Pilot

This is Walter's remembrances of that day on 28 January 1968 when he and Smokey Burgess probably saved the entire Aerorifle Platoon

Also see Battle of the Hobo Woods

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I don't remember exactly how or why Smokey and I were there, But when the defecation hit the Westinghouse there was 'radio traffic' for everyone to back off due to the proximity of the aero rifles to the tree line.

Well, (no modesty intended) that didn't sit to well with me, especially since the report was 2 or 3 had been KIA right off. So we just happened to have 'radio failure' and just started 'doing our thing'.

We just began making low and slow passes over our guys in a heavy left crab using the skid 60 on the tree line and when actually overflying them, tossing grenades and using the M 79's. Kept this up till we needed to rearm. So back to Cu Chi, then back to the 'fun'.

I think around the end of our second 'visit' our guys had moved back to a bomb crater, 'regrouped' and put out info reference wounds, ammo needs, etc. So when we got back for the third time (dark by now) we had brought ammo, first aid stuff and some C rations. We hovered over the crater, dropped this to our guys and continued 'doing our thing on the tree line till we were low on fuel and had to depart. (Wish I had a dollar for each green tracer we saw during the last visit!!!!!)

If I remember correctly we did not return since there had been an insertion of some ground units that had moved in, making contact with the aero rifles, and effecting a level of security for them.

Honestly I don't remember much of the aftermath that evening except hearing they had been extracted and were coming 'home'; was real happy to hear that. We had 5 - 6 hours at scene that day, but (again excuse) it was possibly the most gratifying hours I spent in all my time over there. We were doing good, and we knew it.

Any questions or clarification needed, please ' call' me.

Boy, I started to get emotional thinking of what they went thru that day.

Walter