Parrot's Beak/1970

Retired W4 · 04-25-2009, 23:40

I feel like I'm going way out on a limb on this, but I will take my shot. While prowling a gun show recently I happened to see a guy with a hat with Soc Trang Tigers on it. Now I can spot a fake Vietnam helicopter guy in two minutes or less, but this fellow was a Crew Chief with the 121st AHC in 1970, and also flew with some other shady characters out of Vung Tau (my description, not his). Crew Chiefs hold a very special place in my heart. When you fire that Lycoming up and pull pitch they are back there behind the M-60 and are now a...door gunner, with a vested interest in the performance of their previous duties. After a while he started talking about some missions he flew in the scenic terrain of what was commonly referred to as the Parrot's Beak (exact location unknown). I am familiar with the exploits of the Tigers, being a former Crusader and Spartan myself, and having flown the AO, but I am not familiar with the particular mission of which he spoke. He seemed somewhat haunted about the whole thing, like waking up from a deep sleep.

Maybe I missed this one on this guy, but I had to check with the Professionals to see if any one around that area had heard of Sand Man. If you know, you know. If it's a figment of somebody's imagination I'll stick a sock in it. It only seems reasonable that agent orange wasn't the only thing dispensed from an agricultural type rig.

**Pete** · 04-26-2009, 05:15

Did a quick goggle (not deep) search and didn't see anything on it.

Marines had a Sand Man in 67/68 that was changed to YUMA.

I'm just sitting here thinking logistics, dose, time, area, vegitation, reliability and why?

Never say Never - it might have been tried once with mixed results but the story should have come out by now.

Retired W4 · 04-26-2009, 08:38

He said pretty much everybody on the ground got some. With close quarter fighting it is hard to discriminate with that kind of equipment. Good guys were extracted quietly, and some bad guys never woke up. I guess it was better than 500 pounders for everybody. I am going to meet with my new buddy in a more conducive environment this week to learn more. I'd like to know if the helicopter crew had any protection.

Richard · 04-26-2009, 08:57

Does this make any sense to you?

There was a 'Sandman' around a decade ago - but it was to stay awake.

Richard's $.02

Blitzzz (RIP) · 04-30-2009, 20:20

Parrot's beat was a region of shared borders of South Vietman, Laos, and Cambodia about 33miles west of Siagon. Agents used in that area were Orange, Pink, Blue Purple and white all containing different amouts of Dioxin, Cacodylic Aid, amd Picloram. And some other stuff. Blitzzz

f50lrrp · 05-01-2009, 10:57

I operated in the Parrot's Beak area between 1967 and 1969. I was exposed to Agent Orange but not , as far as I know, to any other agents.

Retired W4 · 05-01-2009, 20:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzzz

... Agents used in that area were Orange, Pink, Blue Purple and white all containing different amouts of Dioxin, Cacodylic Aid, amd Picloram. And some other stuff. Blitzzz

This would not have been a defoliant. It was used to induce a deep, temporary sleep. I guess the theory was if everybody is asleep the battle is over, and the good guys can be extracted. If no one has ever heard of it then, please just forget I even brought it up. I was intentionally being vague in my description in case it might still be classified, but what the hell, no one would discuss in off line either if it were.

Viper19114 · 08-30-2012, 11:52

There are two items to this story. One is the parrots beak which was an area that jutted out of Cambodia into Vietnam, along with the angles wing. This area was Northwest of Saigon and was considered a very hot area. I believe that this area was the raid on NVA Headquarters where Mad Dog went missing. But that was on the Cambodia side.

The second thing is the 121st AHC. I was a door gunner on their gunships (Vikings) from 1967 to 1969. During this time they never traveled that far north as they were stationed at Soc Trang which is south of Can To.

John (Jack) Smith

bushmaster11 · 09-06-2012, 16:25

While I was with the 3d MSF (B-36) '69 worked the area and kept being run off. We finally established an AO. Billy Waugh was recon 1SG and one of his RTs found one of the largest armories ever found in country. There were bunker after bunker filled with weapons, ammo, medical, and food. It required CH-47s looking like LAX, a/c after a/c to pull it all out. The downside for me was catching the wrong end of an 81mm at Rang Rang.

J R sends
De Oppresso Liber

OldNCranky · 01-24-2013, 00:44

I was surfing the site a bit and came across this thread. It made me think of I guy I can see clear as day (blond hair) but can't remember his name to save my life.. I'm hoping if I tell this story maybe he's on here. Dude was hard as woodpecker lips even in his late 50s (even for his age he ran most of us young pups ragged).

He was one of a very small handful of 19th SFG (A) brothers attached to A/2/5 SFG (A) around '95-96'' that had been MACV-SOG guys that were still running with us youngsters for a couple of CONUS trips and a OCONUS demining mission to Eritrea.

Anyway, I was on 543 at the time and this brother (18B I think) came along for a proof of concept doing Joint Theatre Missile Defense (JTDM) out in New Mexico. One day while were planning in Los Alamos, we were out back behind our team room cleaning.50 cals. An old civilian (GS employee) that had access to our area came limping up and said hey to us. During the conversation he made the comment that those guns would "take a big chunk out you". We agreed. He pulled up his pants leg to show us that he was missing much of one of his thighs. He began to explain that he had been a Loach pilot and had been flying low trying to smoke out ADA guns for the AH1s to kill and got a bit too close with a camouflaged DSHKA before he realized it. This SF brother that was attached to us and this guy start talking about call signs, locations and dates. Parrots Beak came up, and it turns out this Loach pilot is the dude that had pulled this SF brother out the shit one bad day. Things got a bit emotional and us youngsters just listened in silence and awe. So this pilot leaves and goes back and grabs an old photo albulm and comes back to show us that OH6 he was flying the day he pulled this SF brother outa Parrots Beak. I remember it was the OH6 in a museum at Fort Rucker, same tail numbers and everything in the pictures both in Viet Nam and Rucker.

Anyway, the point of all this story is if that brother is on here or someone knows who I might be talking about PM me as I would like to get back in touch with him.

Oh yeah. That reminds me... One last RFI.. Anyone know a SFC Bell (slim bald headed guy) from 20th SFG (A)? He was our student platoon SGT at Fort Benning, GA for the US Army Sniper School in '92. I owe him $50 for bailing me outa jail in time to make formation and PT the night before graduation for a DUI (didn't end your career back then yet or get you kicked outa school... I graduated). No shit.. No joke.. I need to square that old debt up.

OldNCranky · 01-31-2013, 03:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldNCranky

I was surfing the site a bit and came across this thread. It made me think of I guy I can see clear as day (blond hair) but can't remember his name to save my life.. I'm hoping if I tell this story maybe he's on here. Dude was hard as woodpecker lips even in his late 50s (even for his age he ran most of us young pups ragged).

He was one of a very small handful of 19th SFG (A) brothers attached to A/2/5 SFG (A) around '95-96'' that had been MACV-SOG guys that were still running with us youngsters for a couple of CONUS trips and a OCONUS demining mission to Eritrea.

Anyway, I was on 543 at the time and this brother (18B I think) came along for a proof of concept doing Joint Theatre Missile Defense (JTDM) out in New Mexico. One day while were planning in Los Alamos, we were out back behind our team room cleaning.50 cals. An old civilian (GS employee) that had access to our area came limping up and said hey to us. During the conversation he made the comment that those guns would "take a big chunk out you". We agreed. He pulled up his pants leg to show us that he was missing much of one of his thighs. He began to explain that he had been a Loach pilot and had been flying low trying to smoke out ADA guns for the AH1s to kill and got a bit too close with a camouflaged DSHKA before he realized it. This SF brother that was attached to us and this guy start talking about call signs, locations and dates. Parrots Beak came up, and it turns out this Loach pilot is the dude that had pulled this SF brother out the shit one bad day. Things got a bit emotional and us youngsters just listened in silence and awe. So this pilot leaves and goes back and grabs an old photo albulm and comes back to show us that OH6 he was flying the day he pulled this SF brother outa Parrots Beak. I remember it was the OH6 in a museum at Fort Rucker, same tail numbers and everything in the pictures both in Viet Nam and Rucker.

Anyway, the point of all this story is if that brother is on here or someone knows who I might be talking about PM me as I would like to get back in touch with him.

Oh yeah. That reminds me... One last RFI.. Anyone know a SFC Bell (slim bald headed guy) from 20th SFG (A)? He was our student platoon SGT at Fort Benning, GA for the US Army Sniper School in '92. I owe him $50 for bailing me outa jail in time to make formation and PT the night before graduation for a DUI (didn't end your career back then yet or get you kicked outa school... I graduated). No shit.. No joke.. I need to square that old debt up.

I owe money

cooper1340s · 06-24-2013, 09:01

I was a platoon leader(SF officer doing infantry duty) with 2/5th Cav in 1970 when we invaded Cambodia from the Parrots Beak. We got a chance to see the largest NVA base camp ever found in Vietnam (by 3rd MSF). Most of it was underground and it was huge. Did not experience any sleeping gas attacks at all.