"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)
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Galen Frederick DeGraff |
| Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Army
173rd Assault Helicopter Company (Robin Hoods)
Lai Khe and Phu Loi, Vietnam; Fort Rucker, Alabama
Chief Warrant Officer 2
NY
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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.
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