After all, what I am going to be telling you about a unit in Germany and a few of my own heroes along my the way. Without them, I wouldn't be writing this in the first place. And I certainly would never be gutsy enough to or have the skull set I needed to pull off what I did without their support.
4th Battalion, 77th Field Artillery(ARA), 101st Airborne Division(Air Mobile)
Unlike the 4077 MASH unit, the 4/77th was a 36 AH-1G Cobra Battalion. And unlike the "Gunships" the press believe every Cobra in Nam was called, our Cobras were Aerial Rocket Artillery platforms heavily armed with 72, 2.75 inch rockets and either two mini guns or 70mm grenade launchers or one mini gun and on grenade launcher.Ours looked like this:
A Gunship looked like this:
See the extra armor protection on the side and the 30mm Canon.
So what started off as a way to complete my time in Vietnam, turned out to be a way for me to tell the story about the differences between a "Cavalry Gunship" and the "Aerial Artillery Platform." And I was pretty much pleased with myself when my articles saw print in Rendezvous With Destiny, Stars and Stripes and Army Times.
But something clicked. Didn't know anything about photography--what shutter speeds were or what lenses could do or what f-stops were. All I knew was editors were going gaga over them and people I took images of others wanted copies and other people kept stealing my images!
The young man who replaced me said, "Man, you're going to be a tough act to follow."
Based on what I knew back then my thoughts were that won't be to hard to do if you know how to write a story. They have plenty of images, now. I just smiled back.
What was about to cement in stone my passion and my destiny was seeing on the freedom plane my article published in Army Times. From that point, destiny was already scribing legacy.
I can thank Retired Col. Craig Gies for kick starting my career.
BACK TO THE 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (Air Assault) I GO!
I have this unique talent for being at the right place at the right time. So, before getting orders to head From Fort Huachuca, AZ to Fort Campbell, KY, I would wind up taking an image of an Ordnance Officer standing on a 500 pound bomb.
I didn't take this image but he was standing on one of these drinking some milk. I personally thought was hilarious. This was the result of a train with 12 cars filled with 500 pound bombs caught fire and decided to make the middle of the desert outside of Benson look like a B-52 Arc Light bombing run.
The reason why I was allowed out there in the first place was because I was working for the Fort Huachuca Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and I took images of the aftermath to be used for the after actions report for both the EOC and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD).
The picture of the Officer drinking milk while standing on top of one of those 500 pound bombs got published in the Serra Vista Herald.
The other humorous story here is that 1 of the 500 pound bombs was found in Tuscon inside a damaged four car and the press had a field day, "OMG! if it went off it would..." was pretty much their theme song. If you notice, there are no fuses in them. So our local EOD people unceremoniously went up to Tucson, place the 500 pound bomb on a mattress in the back of a 3/4 ton, secured it and then took it to Fort Huachuca where they blew it up into non-existence.
I arrived at Fort Campbell, KY with my wife and it just so happened that now Major Craig Gies was there and we got to talking about my disdain for the 2/17th Cavalry verses being assigned to the 4/77th.
As it turned out, Craig invited me over to his house and also said there was nothing he could do about the assignment. I met an E-5 -- don't remember his name -- at Craig's place -- who was also assigned to the 2/17th Cavalry and to the same Troop I was being assigned to.
After arriving, that E-5 came up to me and asked, "Did you really do the things he said you did?"
"Was it good or bad?"
The e-5 looked a bit frustrated, so I said, "If you talking about the time where I found a pair of tail rotor bearings when they wasn't any of them in Vietnam, yes. If you're talking about the time I took over 2 of our sections to the 2/17th Cavalry and told a Major there that I had a Direct Order from the Divarty Commander to put them there, yes. And if your talking about the time where I single-handedly, helped to completely rebuild our unit from a logistics perspective after it pretty much got wiped off the face of the earth from a massive rocket attack, yes."
"As for the rest of the stuff I did, I can neither conform or deny such mischief. What I can say is every day was uniquely different and never dull around Craig."
I worked on a couple of AH-1G Cobras for a few months and decided to test the waters to see if the Squadron would be willing to place more emphasis on my writing and photography skills verses me being a Cobra Mechanic.
So, I talked to LTC Burnett R. Sanders. Sanders was not only interested, he was 101% percent behind what I was about to do.
When I knew him, LTC Burdett R. Sanders stood all of 5'7". He was instrumental in developing an a morale intensive environment for the 2nd Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry.
The first part of this environment included creating a program that brought the soldiers into the world of the mission tasking.
This was literally unheard of. Even in Vietnam, very few soldiers actually knew what was going on with respect to daily mission activities. Yes, the infantry was briefed on each task they were to perform but to have a similar daily briefing on mission activities which included all of the soldiers involved simply didn't happen.
It did for each soldier involved with the 2/17 Cavalry between 1973 and 1975 when LTC was Burnett R. Sanders the commanding Officer.
The second part of this morale intensive environment involved public affairs and more specifically me.
My job was to develop a program that would focus on the individual and how that job title played an important role in the success of that area of expertise and how it affected the overall performance of the Squadron.
Today, we call that process management. My job was to highlight all the sections that built up to Squadron level.
We accomplished this by providing Division Public Affairs with "Day in the life of" photo features, our "Out Front" newsletter, a very dynamically driven awards and decorations program and timely images -- pictures without articles -- to the editor of the Fort Campbell Courier.
When the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault celebrated its 101st birthday, it was my images that took up two pages in three different newspapers: The Clarksville Leaf Chronicle, The Courier Post and The Hopkinsville New Era.
Many of these images were of the Air Assault demonstration.
When we went to Fort McCoy, I was there to take pictures and to document -- I was with the Blue Platoon when it launched an attack on the National Guard. I brought a screen and a move projector and showed movies.
When we went to Fort Bliss, Tx, I went in a C-130 and took pictures of the C-5A as it opened the cargo door and we unloaded it.
When we went to Fort Polk, La, I went with LTC Sanders and, again, I brought a screen and a move projector and showed movies.
We weren't just about Cobras and recon. We also had an ground Troop. D Troop used 106 recoilless rifles. Photographing them in action was awesome.
I remember, once, taking a picture of a jeep dropped at 500 feet from under a chopper. Wasn't pretty.
We didn't just photograph exercises.
When the women of he officers wives club went to a retirement home up in hopkinsville, I took pictures and wrote a story about it. I remember an older gentleman kept on insisting we see a young man at the retirement home. When I asked him what the age was of this young man, he said 53.
As I write this, I'm almost eight years older than that "young man"
We also once landed at a school up in Hopkinsville. I'm not sure why we did but one school teacher thought it might be nice if we could return with some of the other helicopters we used. So, we did after a few weeks and I took pictures and wrote the article.
There were times when we just had fun laughing at ourselves. Maj McDermitt comes to mind. I accidently took a picture of him holding the purses of then BG Jack V. Mackmull wife's gloves and purse. LTC Sander's wife thought that to be totally hilarious considering McDermitt was well known for not liking to do such things.
So, I printed it up and it was given to Maj. McDermitt during the hail and farewell ceremony for LTC Sanders. When Maj. McDermitt wasn't happy at me he would billow out "Edwards".
This time I said while in the hallway, "I'm not here sir." That made everyone laugh.
As if that wasn't enough salt in the wound, then BG John N. Brandenburg asked McDermitt to have me report to him so he and I could have a picture taken together. Guess who had to take the picture?
It was sad to see such a good leader leave after a year and a half but that's the way of the Army. LTC Gary E. Luck assumed command.
Working interactively with the Division Public Affairs Office, I met John AG Klose and an Sergeant by the name of Charles "Chuck" Drake. Chuck was an extremely gifted and talented young man who was willing to work with me on my writing. With his help and with LTC Burnett R.Sanders approval and LTC John AG Klose's enthusiasm I managed to average a story and a picture in the Fort Campbell Courier. There were also times when 10 of my images were used over a two page spread -- known as a double truck -- and published in more than one newspaper.
Not only did the military paper use the images, so did the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle and the Hopkinsville New Era.
In 1975, I re-enlisted and received orders to head to Germany. In January of 1976, I received a Commander Certificate and an Army Accommodation medal for the work I did.
But my work was just getting started. I still had a lot to learn about writing and photography. I just had to convince the CO and XO of the 3rd Combat Aviation Battalion (CAB), 3rd Infantry Division of that fact.
WHEN THINGS TO WORK OUT, RATCHET UP THE STAKES
I pretty much crashed and burned on my first attempt to gain traction on being the 3rd CAB. My wife arrived in Country and we had to leave to go back to the States because her brother died. I had an issue with my TA-50 gear being stolen back in the states and that didn't help. The camel's back got broken when the Inspector General (IG) Inspection found me to be in a critical job title.
No one wanted me but the Aid De Camp for the Harvey Barracks' 1 Star saw me on gate guard, wanted to know what I was doing there and I told him.
One month later, I took over the Special Services Photo-lab. You can imagine what happened after that, I learned photography like my life depending on it. What I could do with film and photographic paper was amazing. Worked with color slide film and how to do Cibachrome.
About the same time, I was hearing about the 101st Airborne Division coming over on REFORGER 76. On top of that, my unit just had a change of command and the 3rd CAB was going to be sponsoring the 158th Aviation Battalion. Its Commanding Officer was LTC John AG Klose.
The local Special Services supervisor had added a new civilian to run the photo-lab, so I had plenty of time to take pictures of the soldiers from the 101st getting things ready for the rest of the 101st to arrive and I sent them back to the Fort Campbell Courier.
"NOT ONLY CAN'T YOU WRITE, BUT IF YOU COULD, OUR RIFTED OFFICER WITH A DEGREE IN WRITING COULD GET US PUBLISHED"
That's what the XO, Major Scheely said to me months back before I took over the photo-lab.
He threw me out of the library when I told him LTC John AG Klose was the Public Affairs Officer at the101st when I was there and is now the CO of the 158th Aviation Battalion whom which we were sponsoring during their stay in Germany.
When LTC John AG Klose did see me, he said "Dick, what are you doing?"
I said, "Running a photo-lab, sir."
He said, "Not going to happen. Want me to talk to your boss?"
I thought, when does an E-5 have this kind of decision making clout, but said, "Yes, sir."
"Okay, done. By the way, Public Affairs wants to know how you're getting images back to the states when no one else is doing it."
"I'm sending them through the Bundespost -- the German post office."
"Have time to work with me?"
"Yes sir!"
The 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, conducts what's known as an Air Assault in Action demonstration. The Division was planning one for all the European dignitaries in Europe.
Up until recently, I wasn't able to prove that the images published in Army Aviation Digest were mine.
You can check those out here.
And to prove it, here's some more
And:
General John Wickham Jr was standing meside me when I took the image of the Huey under the camouflage and I gave him my camera so he could see for himself how the image would look.
LTC John AG Klose dropped me off where the Air Assault In Action was to take place and I walked up to my enemy -- anyone with a camera, I consider an professional rival -- and asked, "Anyone know what is going on here?"
As soon as I asked the question, out in the middle of the field, "Dick Edwards get over here."
Oh, my gawd, its LTC Gary E. Luck. So, I went over to him started to salute him but instead he opted for a hand shake.
"What are yo udoing out here?"
"Sir, I'm here to take pictures."
Well, he got a bit testy, "I meant who gave you permission to be out here?"
"Oh, well, I'm running a photo-lab at Harvey Barracks in Kitzingen and my direct boss said it was okay. Also, LTC John AG Klose invited me."
"Great, are you going to take some good pictures."
"Yes, sir."
"Where are you developing your images?"
I'm thinking, didn't I just tell you?
"At my photo-lab at Harvey Barracks in Kitzingen."
And I saluted him, he did the same and I walked away.
Now everyone wanted to know what I knew about what was about to happen. So I told them. Got into position and got ready to take the pictures that you see above.
Second one:
So, I'm up in my lab and I've just finished processing the film and am running the prints through the dryer.
There is a knock on the door.
There is a second knock on the door.
There is a third and louder knock on the door.
I'm tinking whose ever knocking on that door can't read the closed sign.
So, I go to answer it and Immediately stand at attention. Its a Full Bird Colonel.
"At ease. Are you Sergeant Edwards?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'm here to pick up pictures. Gary E. Luck sent me."
At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't something in the water or the European environment has caused the US Army to go completely nuts.
I get a LTC asking me if it is okay to talk to my boss and now, I have a Full Bird Colonel doing errand runs for an LTC.
Not only that, what would have happened if I decided to do the images later?
I have no idea whatever happened to those images past that point. What I do know is the 101st recommended an impact Army Accommodation medal but it was denied by the 3rd Infantry Division as I had just received one 8 months prior.
For those of you who don't know this, photographs seldom ever get used from unofficial resources. In fact, your job title is Journalist or photographer and the military pays for your film and your images.
Mine was AH-1G Cobra mechanic. So me, being neither, means I'm paying for the film and the prints.
I just new it felt right to do what I did. As for the two units I worked with:
The Cobras of LTC Tom Denny's 4/77th Attack Helicopter Battalion (Reinf) and LTC Gary Luck's 2/17th Air Cavalry Squadron accounted for 315 kills out of 464 aerial TOW engagements.
As for me, I was about to meet up with a man who would take what I didn't know how to do really well and turn that into an asset. And that man was at the time LTC Gerald E. Lethcoe.
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