The story Behind that Huey Painted Desert Camo on Gate Guard Duty JRB Navy Ft.Worth

She started out as D-model HUey at the Bell Plant.  In the skies of Vietnam she was just another Huey.  Her path may crossed WO1 Bandenberg, WO1 Maris, Spec Norville and others.  She made it back to the states got made to an H-model at an overhaul depot and wound up the mount of Texas Army National Gaurd out of the Dallas area she would remain until War would come again.   

There were three events that conspired to make the Desert Slug a symbol and raise her from a faceless Huey to almost sacred symbol.  When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait the Chinook was a high demand aircraft.  The unit that operated her was mobilized early on.  Many of the pilots and many of the ground crew and crew chiefs were on their second war.  Vietnam had been their first.  In the deployment certain desirable food stuffs were shipped to Saudi Arabia.    The result was a trade a case of a certain food stuff to a unit that painted things from France.  The Huey became the Desert slug emblazoned with Bad Boy Club stickers in a couple windows.  

My father spent the Desert Shield phase a stranger to his house in New Braunfels.  He was an instrument flight examiner an instructor pilot and was rated as a Cobra pilot, Huey pilot and OH-58 pilot.  The unit he was assigned to in Austin while not deployed had work to do.  Aircraft were ferried to be shipped off at Corpus Christi.  Their new Blackhawks which had some hours on them were shipped to Saudi Arabia.  Pilots were few and the flight hours increased.  The Guardsman of Austin were getting Blackhawks coming off the line and they had to be flown from New England to Austin Texas.  The duties of an instructor pilot remained and a few Cobras needed pilots to get them to the port.  The result was a full timer's work was seeingly never done.  The first part of my freshman year I rarely saw my father between his normal duties and the duties the war was bringing. 

It was July 4th 1991 the Desert Slug entered her new career she was proudly on the ramp of The Army Aviation Support Facility Robert Mueller airport as a symbol.  For those who still wore the uniform having first worn it in Vietnam she was their story.  She was on display.  With the career shifts of my mother my did was transferred to her unit and he learned the way of Chinook.  He also through various tales introduced me to the larger then life CW4 Bandenberg.  Bandenberg was gruff demanding he was at times the embodiment of caricature of the older Warrant officer.  Beneath the tales there was respect.  My father spoke in respect and admiration for his skill, integrity and loyalty.  I had heard of the slug only through talk.  Later I remember being introduced as she was in a hangar at Hensley Field NAS a symbol of pride.  Her career as a symbol was marked by the fact the hangar was her home not the ramp.  Those who maintained her and flew her took   She flew the Gov Texas and other VIPs though a helicopter equipped for VIP flights were available. 

Blackhawks continued to replace Hueys. Her disposal in 1994 became a concern.  It was decided that her final mission was to be a gate guard.  During the Base Realignment and closure it was suggested that the Unit based out of Navy Dallas actually Hensley field NAS move to Carswell.  As evaluation of the location began the conversion of it was too hard.  During this time it was decided that she would do gate guard duty at Carswell.  She went to the paint shop for decoration her Desert Camo was touched up and the center of nose had three ribbons painted on it.  The desert slug was awarded the ribbons she rightly earned an air medal for he two wars of combat flying, she was given the Vietnam Campaign ribbon, She was also awarded the Kuwait liberation Ribbon. 

The summer of 2007 saw the death of CW4 Bandenberg.  He had done two tours in Vietnam, a long peace time service and then the liberation of Kuwait.  He was deployed to Korea with other Chinook pilots.  Col Robin Olds and Tex Hill also passed that year as well.  If you see the Desert slug think of the men now pushing 60 who loved her as their own.  One was born in a refugee camp in Germany as his family fled the soviet takeover of Latvia.  One was an orphan foster child who joined the army served as an infantryman later a pilot he was ornery and loved.  That man's passing was marked by a Chinook fly over.  There are others you would see them as average joes and people you might over look.  Their story's are rich and they served this nation well.  When you see the Desert Slug think of those who flew her and maintained her.