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Daleville Sun-Courier Newspaper
Volume 17 Number 9 Wednesday, October 9, 2002
Continued from Page 1
TEXT OF ARTICLE CONTINUED
The concept for the film was already
proving true even before the official lift-off for the first leg of the
cross-country journey.
"We flew into Fort Rucker Tuesday afternoon," said Flight Director and Pilot
Bruce LeMoine, "with Mike Novosel at the controls. Later on some members of the
Robin Hoods (173rd assault helicopter Company) took a short flight to Dothan
with us."
Everything was going along very smooth, quiet and
calm for almost all of the flight, LeMoine said. Nobody said very much at all.
As the old Huey approached the airstrip LeMoine eased off the throttle and made
her "sing."
Wop! Wop! Wop! There it was again, that old familiar sound of the blades
thumping as they came in for a landing, LeMoine said.
"You should have seen their faces light up when
they heard that sound," LeMoine said. "You couldn't shut them up then...Do you
remember when ..?..Did you ever...?...They went on and on. They were like little
kids.
many civilians and even some veterans' family
members have never heard the sound of the Huey blades, but Kim Douglas Sistrunk
spoke for them as she recounted the story of her own father, in the 1st Cavalry
in 1969, who was killed in action in Vietnam when she was only a year old.
Sistrunk said she longed to find a connection to
her father.
Sistrunk said the mission of "In The Shadow of
The Blade" is to bring people together whose lives were unalterable changed
because of the war." hers was, she said, telling the crowd that the mission
represents her father.
"I believe a part of him is in the cockpit," she said.
In addition to Novosel , four veterans of the
Vietnam War were chosen to ride the Huey on the first leg of the journey to
Pensacola, Florida, as representatives of each of their parent services.
Retired navy master Chief Aviation Ordnance man
Charlie Roberson served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 as crew chief / door gunner
and Detachment Chief. He was awarded 13 Air medals and the Purple heart and many
other citations. Roberson, in the Navy from January 1950 to July 1978, attended
the pre-fight ceremony with his wife of 50 years Marjorie, They reside in Foley,
Alabama.
"I am proud to be representing the Navy on this
flight," said Roberson.
The U.S. Marine Corps was represented by former
1st Lt. Mark Byrd who served with HML-367 from September 1969 top September 1970
, flying the UH-1E gunship and later the Huey Cobra under the call sign "Scare
face". His awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air medal for Valor
and 32 Air Medals. Byrd is now a sculptor in Dallas, Texas.
"I feel very lucky to be here," said Byrd.
Air Force representative Senior master Sergeant
Jim Burns served with the 20th Special Ops Squadron "Green Hornets" and later
with the 21st "Dust Devils." In Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, Burns was awarded the
Bronze Star, The Distinguished Flying Cross (5 awards) , and 13 Air Medals.
Since retirement, Burns builds scale models of aircraft of all types.
"I am extremely pleased to be a part of today,"
said Burns.
The Army representative was former Private First
Class Doug Ward, who served as a crew chief /door gunner from 1966 to 1967 with
the 173rd Assault Helicopter COmapny (Robin Hoods). ward was awarded the Bronze
Star with a V device, 2 Purple Hearts, and 16 Air Medals.
"This is fantastic," said Ward, "I 'm absolutely
blown away by it."
The rev. Bill McDonald was a crew chief and
door gunner with the 128th Assault Helicopter Company stationed in Phu Loi South
Vietnam from October 1966 to October 1967. McDonald was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, 14 Air Medals and the Purple Heart. He
is now serving as a chaplain and spiritual leader of the crew and will help out
along the flight as veterans remember their past associations with the Huey and
relive some of their old memories. McDonald currently resides in Elk Grove,
California.
The members of the flight crew also include Pilot Bruce LeMoine who is an Army
veteran with 23 years service and trained at Fort Rucker. LeMoine is the
son-in-law of jack Reyes, Ozark businessman and longtime member of the Fort
Rucker / Wiregrass Chapter of the Association of U.S. Army. America Airlines
Capt. Jim Palmershiem, with 11 years service, will be one of the co-pilots for
the journey.
After the flight crew was introduced , they all
lined up on the parade field.
"Shadow crew requests permission to depart," said
LeMoine as he saluted Smith.
The crew did an about face and marched off to the
Huey and loaded up. The audience could hear the high-pitched whine of the engine
turning up and the slow whooshing of the blades as they began to turn.
A few minutes later the bird lifted up, turned to
the left and pulled pitch to meet her escort.
Shortly, the sound of those blades could be heard
again in the distance as the "old Huey" made a fly-by with her escorts, an
Apache, a Blackhawk, a Kiowa Warrior, and a Kiowa Scout, and then disappeared in
the distance.
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MEDIA INDEX
BACK TO McDonald's MEDIA
INDEX
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