"The interesting thing was, when they tried to kill us, they were more interested in disabling the helicopters than killing the pilots.They never understood that it took a lot longer to make a helicopter pilot than a helicopter." (Audio Interview, 22:40)

Galen Frederick DeGraff

War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Army Unit: 173rd Assault Helicopter Company (Robin Hoods) Service Location: Lai Khe and Phu Loi, Vietnam; Fort Rucker, Alabama Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Place of Birth: NY

Galen DeGraff served in Vietnam as a pilot in the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company, nicknamed the Robin Hoods. He arrived in country just before the Tet Offensive began and quickly learned that tensing up when he was flying through enemy fire diminished his abilities to maneuver out of danger. DeGraff saw the bravado of the pilots and the camaraderie among the crews as key elements to completing successful missions. On the ground, he couldn't let down his guard, as infiltration by the Vietcong made it difficult to trust the locals, even those who worked for the U.S. Army.