11th Avn Bn Builds Camp Via 'Self Help' PHU LOI, (11th AVN-PIO) - Two 
more buildings in a growing "self help" construction program here have been
completed and opened for troop use.  The new structures, mess buildings for the 
128th and 116th Aviation Companies were officially opened with a ribbon cutting
by Lt. Col. John W. Lauterbach, commanding officer of the 11th Aviation
Battalion. The 11th's self help program employs the use of off-duty volunteers
for the construction projects.  Presently under construction is a battalion
 headquarters building, troops billets to accommodate the men of the 116th, 
128th and Headquarters, and Headquarters Detachment, and officer billets. A 
battalion brick factory averages about 400 bricks a day for the new building.

22 April 1966

Tomahawk adds to 128th Power PHU LOI (1st INF-IO)-The 128th Aviation
 Company of the 11th Aviation Battalion at Phu Loi, referred to as the
 "Tomahawks," now have a most unique weapon of the past. In comparison to
 the 128th's M-60 machine guns, rocket pods and grenade launchers, a 
brass-headed tomahawk seems a bit obsolete, however the 128th feels "If it's
 good enough for the Indians, it's certainly good enough for us." The idea of 
acquiring a tomahawk symbolic of the 128th's own namesake, was that of 
Captain George Crofoot, who wrote to his uncle, Mr. Carl W. Naessig of 
Webster, South Dakota. The letter inquired whether any tomahawks were in the
 area. Mr. Naessig searched, but found only stone-headed mashers that could
 never stand up to the "rigors of war." The Flandeau Indian School in Flandeau,
 South Dakota, after hearing of Mr. Naessig's plight, volunteered their services 
and donated a handmade brass-headed tomahawk that is not only a weapon of
 war, but also a peace pipe. 

The tomahawk was presented to the commanding officer of the 128th, Major 
Gene Reed at a ceremony March 26th. After receiving the weapon. Major Reed
 gave a small speech, which he concluded by saying, "Peace we seek, and fight
 we give, seeking a peaceful end." Lt. Col. John Lauterbach, the Commanding
 Officer of the 11th Aviation Battalion, was on hand for the ceremony, along with
 all the members of the 128th. The tomahawk, 16 inches of wooden pipe and 
molded brass, was displayed after the ceremony.

The 128th Aviation Company first landed in Phu Loi on October 27th, 1965 and
 was on combat status by December 7th. The 25 helicopters assigned to the 
128th have the responsibility of airmobile combat assault missions, tactical
 re-supply, and reconnaissance. Since the 1st of January the Tomahawks have
 participated in Operations Crimp, Mallot, Rolling Stone, Mastiff, Honolulu, and 
Silver City.

Choppers Rescue USAF Pilot After Jet Crashes In Jungle HU LOI,
(1st AVN-IO) Helicopter crews of the 128th Assault Helicopter Company
 initiated rescue operations recently for the pilot of an Air Force F-4 Phantom
jet fighter which crashed five miles east of Lai Khe. Several aviators saw the jet 
crash in flames moments after the pilot ejected and parachuted into the thick 
jungle canopy. The Air Force pilot was later pulled out of the jungle with only 
minor  injuries. Three Air Force Phantoms were running air strikes on the area 
east of Lai Khe just prior to a planned combat assault from the 1st Infantry
Division.

"We were in the area getting ready to make our gun runs," said WO Robert C.
 Codney a gunship pilot with the 128th. "The jets were still rolling in, when all at 
once there was this flash from one of the fighters, and then it burst into flames." 
Major Larry G. Miller, commanding officer of the 128th, was flying overhead as
pilot of a command helicopter when he spotted the flaming jet. He located the
downed pilot and called for a slick helicopter to rescue the pilot.  Warrant Officer
Lyle D. Genz, rushed to the area. "The jungle was thick where the pilot was down,
so my crew chief tried throwing a rope down to him. The pilot tied himself into the
rope as we hovered over the area, but each time we tried to lift him the rope
became tangled in the thick underbrush. After trying for several minutes to lift the
pilot safely out of jungle, Genz gently lowered him back to the ground to await the
arrival of a Husky rescue helicopter with special rigging which finally lifted the pilot
out to safety.

18 November 1968

Massive Assault Wins Base (Continued from Page 1)
........Missing the copy of page 1

....over Dau Tieng, as guns of Battery B, 2nd Bn., 32nd Arty, the 1st Bn.,
27th Arty., and 2nd Bn., 27th Arty., hurled projectiles into the largest area 
seven miles south of base camp." The artillery was still firing as the assault
 helicopter companies hovered almost 30 choppers into two pickup zones.
 The airlift consisted of the 187th, 128th and 116th Assault Helicopter companies.  While
the efforts to establish the support base continued, the infantrymen began sweeps 
into an abandoned rubber plantation and heavy undergrowth, searching out
snipers who harassed the oncoming force.  The area, long an enemy hotbed,
produced bunker complexes and numerous enemy supplies. Company B found 
a 30-man sleeping position which apparently had been abandoned by North 
Vietnamese only hours earlier. Found were a 75mm recoilless rifle round and 
various tin cans, a poncho and other small items.  Meanwhile the battalion's           
reconnaissance platoon found a 500 lb cache of rice in a fighting position.
Shortly thereafter, Company B made another find, 800 lbs of rice, and six
motorized sampans.

A Company D soldier, discovered a 10 feet tunnel behind a fireplace.  A
substantial cache found in the tunnel included 30 lbs of tobacco, 100 packs of
cigarettes, 100 cans of fish, 50 bottles of perfume, 50 tooth brushes, a large 
supply of razor blades, and buttons for enemy uniforms .Meanwhile Company A, 
normally mechanized, also flew an air assault into the area. Shortly after arriving
they were greeted by sniper fire, and rang up the only body count of the day, 
killing an enemy hiding in deep foliage.

25 November 1968

Bridge built, as base camp Chinook lifts to river site Lai Khe, (1st INF) -
Engineers have an important job performing difficult construction tasks in a
 minimum amount of time. The 1st Engineer Bn., 1st Infantry Division fills the
 role  well. Its men frequently work long hours before infantry operations begin, 
preparing roadways and setting up equipment. After the infantry has left the scene,
 the same equipment must be dismantled and made ready to use again. Typical of 
the missions performed by the engineers was a bridge-building job, accomplished
 recently in support of the 2nd Bn. 2nd Inf. In order to conduct essential 
reconnaissance-in-force operations to check out part of the Michelin Rubber
Plantation's vast acreage for VC activity, the men from the mech unit needed to
get their 13-ton armored personnel carriers (APC's) across the Suei Cam Xe 
River, at a site about 15 miles west of Lai Khe. A 45-foot prefabricated bridge
skeleton had been set up back in the base camp, and "Chinook" helicopter laid 
on to transport it to the Suei Cam Xe. But abutments had to be prepared to hold
the span in place and a soupy quagmire filled, so the big tracks could approach
the bridge. Finally, the area was prepared and "Chinook" arrived. Generally, the 
engineers fitted the airmobile framework into the newly built abutments. Then
pre-fitted blocks were carried on to the span and pinned into place, forming the 
floor of the bridge. Minutes after the last block had been laid down, the men of 
the 2nd Inf. rumbled across the bridge in their APC's. Few of them realized the
hours of work necessary to make their river crossing so simple. The mechanized
infantrymen carried out their reconnaissance-in-force, while the engineers
remained in place, guarding that bridge against possible enemy attempts at 
destruction. Once the infantry mission had been accomplished, the engineers
were at work again. They did not get back to their base camp until hours later
when the bridge had been dismantled and the framework lifted out to use in
another mission on another day.

09 March 68

Avn Bn Breaks Records: PHU LOI, (1st AVN-IO) - The 11th Combat Aviation
Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade set a record-breaking pace recently when it
 moved over 3400 troops and 370 tons of cargo in support of 1st Infantry 
Division operations in the III Corps tactical zone. In the short span of 10 hours, 
the three assault helicopter companies of the 11th, the 128th Tomahawks, the
162nd Vultures, and the 173rd Robin Hoods, moved nearly six infantry battalions
 to locations covering the area from Di An, to Quan Loi. At the same time, the 
CH-47 Chinooks of two assault support helicopter companies, the 205th 
Geronimos, and the 213th Black Cats, tackled the massive job of moving the 
necessary equipment for the support of these troops. "This is the largest
movement of troops ever conducted by the UH-1 units of a combat aviation 
battalion in a one-day operation," stated Maj. Herbert Sink. There were two
battalion-size insertions, two extractions, plus nearly two more battalions were
inserted in company-size lifts in the late afternoon. Seven organizations of the
1st Div. were moved to forward positions from Di An to Quan Loi."My men
moved in impeccable fashion," said Lt. Col. William A. Hobbs, "but this lift could
never have been accomplished without the superb organization displayed by the
1st Div. They were completely professional and a pleasure to work with.

21 December 1969

Reenlists 23 Years Later, Pilot Makes Big Comeback PHU LOI, Vietnam 
(Special) - Short breaks in military service are somewhat commonplace, but for 
CWO Stanley E. Whitman of the 128th Assault Helicopter Company, it took him 
23 years to make up his mind. Whitman enlisted in the Army in 1942 with the 
dream of becoming a pilot. He realized that dream 16 months later when he 
earned his wings and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Air 
Corps. With his multi-engine "ticket" he received orders assigning him to China
 as a B24 pilot. Whitman served under Gen. Clair Chennault, founder of the
 Flying Tigers. Still in China and a year later, Whitman's aircraft received heavy 
anti-aircraft fire which severely damaged the airplane. The young lieutenant
ordered his crew to bail out while he stayed at the controls to maintain stability
and try to bring the plane down. Seeing his crew were safely out of the aircraft
and realizing his chances of landing the plane were slim, Whitman parachuted 
some 750 miles away from his crew and home base. After 45 days of evading
the enemy and the loss of 40 pounds, Whitman finally made it back to his home 
base suffering only from malnutrition. When asked what navigational devices and 
means of survival he used, he said, "I just headed East and hoped."  After a
 recuperation period, Whitman returned to the States to attend instrument
 instructors school in Lubbock, Tex. and was in the first class to be taught use of
 instrument landing systems.  He was released from active duty as a captain in 
1946. 

During the 23-year interim, Whitman, married and became the father of two
daughters, owned and operated a furniture store in Boise, Idaho. He was also
a member of the Idaho National Guard during the period. In May of this year,
Whitman liquidated his furniture holdings and returned to active duty as an Army 
pilot. He attended the helicopter transition at Ft. Rucker, Ala., and is currently
rated in 16 fixed and rotary wind aircraft. The 46-year-old pilot's military record 
reflects two Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals for valor.