I would like to get in touch with Russ Mowry. Read the rest of this article on The Stream here. Liberty War Bird Association Vice President and Navy veteran Michael Caimi says that the Huey is “a magnet for Vietnam veterans” and Jim Haga, Vietnam veteran pilot and Association President revealed, “Every vet that we talk to would like one last ride in a Huey, and we are here to do that for them.” The sooner the helicopter is in the air, the more veterans will still be able to ride. And it was Mowry who offered to replicate his Vietnam War design on Huey 823.
It is bedecked with a fire-breathing dragon and the words “The Flying Dragons,” accompanied by a curvaceous bikini-clad blonde inspired by the 170th A.H.C.’s call sign, “The Bikinis.” In country, pilot Russ Mowry painted this nose art on the helicopters. The nose of Huey 823 has also been restored to its former glory. It will take about $475,000 to finish paying for Huey 823 and complete the restorations on the war bird. For instance, the Huey’s engine was intact, but still needed to be shipped out for upgrading. They have set up a Go Fund Me page for the blades as well as a general Donation Page for other expenses. The main rotor blades were completely missing, but the group found a compatible set for $40,000. Most parts only need to be brought up to standard and re-certified. A great deal of restoration work has already been done on the Huey since the group acquired it from a civilian owner in early 2015, but there is still much to be done before it can fly again. Jones, an Army veteran who started as a UH-1H crew chief and ended his active service as a Maintenance NCO for a fleet of UH-60A Black Hawks, is the Director of Quality Control at Liberty War Bird. My old high school classmate David Jones spends almost every weekend working on the Huey in the hangar of Dutch Country Helicopters aviation school at Lancaster Airport. It was the star attraction at Army Heritage Days in Carlisle, PA. Huey 823 flew in Vietnam 1968-70 with C Company of the 101st Aviation Helicopter Battalion and then with the 170th Assault Helicopter Company. Last month I saw the first UH-1 acquired by Liberty War Bird. Ingalls and hundreds of other Vietnam veterans had the opportunity to not just hear a Huey, but to take one last ride? That is the goal of the Liberty War Bird Association, a Pennsylvania-based non-profit devoted to acquiring and restoring UH-1 helicopters, building a flying museum to honor all those that served and sacrificed in Vietnam. For Ingalls and other Vietnam veterans, the sound of the Huey is like the sound of home, a welcoming sound.
Still after 46 years “like the memory of my mother’s wonderful apple pie cooking, the sound of a helicopter flashes me back every time” said Ingalls. It was eventually phased out by the UH-60 Black Hawk. More formally known as a Bell UH-1 Iroquois, the Huey flew in Vietnam and remained in active Army service until 2005. “What do Vietnam Veterans think of when they hear the distinctive sound of a Huey helicopter?” The question was answered by the veteran above. (Preston Ingalls, Vietnam combat vet, on Quora) Suddenly, the file cabinet of memories is opened and the chop-chop sound of that bird returns you to a time long lost. It is like the memory of a smell from your mother’s kitchen. Huey flying (Photo courtesy of David B Jones) You can watch videos of the Bird and of the missions on which it has been flying now for over a year, bringing joy and healing to many veterans, bringing education and awareness to the public on their Facebook Page. And on August 18, 2018, Huey 823 flew for the first time since 1994. On June 9, 2018, Huey 823 got to “stretch her rotor blades” for the first time since 1994.
UPDATE: In 2017 the new engine and blades were installed in Huey 823. And praying for God’s restoration of broken and wounded spirits, symbolized by the restoration of a once-broken and earth-bound helicopter. Reprinted today in honor of all Veterans, with love and prayers that all men and women who have given so much to our nation receive the same kind of appreciation and honor that Liberty War Bird Association has shown to veterans of the Vietnam War through the restoration of Huey 823.