The sun hadn't yet broken the horizon when the crewchief stepped onto the flight line. The air hung heavy with humidity and the sharp tang of JP-4. Another day in NAM, what would it bring?
His Huey, sat quietly, in the revetment, blades still, waiting for the day's first mission. The crewhief ran his hands along the fuselage like a farmer inspecting a prized horse. Every rivet, every hose, every bolt tightened, every panel polished, each one mirrored the pride and discipline of the crewchief. Lives depended on it.
The crewchief had been in-country for nearly a year, serving as crewchief with the 134th Assault Helicopter Company. He wasn't just a mechanic. He was guardian, caretaker, and combat crew, all rolled into one. His job didn't end when his ship lifted off. It began there.
That morning's mission was a troop insertion near the LZ English. The LZ was tight, surrounded by elephant grass and uncertainty. As the Huey lifted, the crewchief scanned the terrain from his door gun, eyes sharp, senses wired. The pilots trusted him. The gunner trusted him. The grunts in the back trusted him. And he trusted his ship.
The flight in was smooth, too smooth. The crewchief had learned to distrust quiet. As they flared for landing, the jungle erupted. AK fire stitched the air. The crewchief returned fire, short bursts from the M60, sweeping the tree line. The Huey hovered just long enough for the troops to jump, then peeled away, banking hard.
Back at flight line, the crewchief didn't rest. He climbed onto the engine deck, checked the rotor head. He logged every detail. The Ship had taken hits, nothing fatal, but enough to keep him busy. He worked through the heat, through the noise, through the ache in his shoulders.
That night, the crewchief sat on an ammo crate, writing a letter home. He didn't mention the firefight. He wrote about the weather, the chow, the guys. He signed it simply: All's well. But he knew the truth. He was the last line of defense between chaos and survival. And tomorrow, his ship would fly again, because the crewchief made sure of it.
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