"One thing they don't teach you in flight school is how to land helicopters in a formation while you have other helicopters firing through the formation." (Audio Interview, 24:16)

Francis J. Bayer

War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Persian Gulf War, 1991 Branch: Army Unit: 155th Aviation Company; 92nd Aviation Company; 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Division; 35th Infantry Division Service Location: Blackhorse Base, Central Highlands and Ban Me Thuot, Vietnam; Cambodia; Laos; Fort Knox, Kentucky; New York; North Carolina; Delaware; Nevada Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Place of Birth: PA

His grandfather and father were Marines, but Francis Bayer had other ideas about serving his country—he wanted to fly. He enlisted in the Army in 1967 because it was the one branch that guaranteed he would get into flight school. In Vietnam, Bayer flew helicopters involved in troop insertions and reconnaissance, learning to improvise under fire or in a tight spot. He is proud that in postwar tests of air-to-air combat situations, tactics that he helped develop allowed his helicopter to outmaneuver Navy jets. He continued flying after his service days, working rescue and medevac jobs.