Mohawk Rescue in Laos

Company A

227th Assault Helicopter Battalion

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

Mohawk Rescue in Laos
by James Caufman (Aircraft Commander/Instructor Pilot) and John Ray (Pilot)

John Ray

On 15 July 1968, three UH-1H aircraft from A Co, 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Air Calvary Division were assigned to support a Special Forces unit at Mai Loc, West of Quang Tri. These aircraft were supported by 2 UH-1C gunships from D Co, 227th.
The mission was to insert a Special Forces team to conduct reconnaissance operations west of Khe Sanh (actual location was in Laos). This mission was usually structured to have one aircraft do the insertion of the team and the additional aircraft to provide a diversion and serve as recovery aircraft in the event an aircraft went down. This was an "over the fence" mission our company frequently conducted in support of the Special Forces.
I was the pilot that day with WO Jim Caufman serving as aircraft commander. WO Bob Witt was the aircraft commander of one of the other UH-1Hs, but I do not remember who he was flying with or the third UH-1H crew. On arrival at, Mai Loc Special Forces Camp, Jim and I were assigned a mission to support the SF Commander, Major Clyde J. Sincere, Jr. (later General Sincere) on some local recon and visitations before conducting the mission. We completed our support for the commander and went to LZ Stud to refuel. After departing LZ Stud on the return leg to Mai Loc we heard a May Day call from an Air Force FAC regarding an Army Mohawk that had been shot down.
Realizing the downed aircraft was in Laos, the crew agreed that we should attempt to assist in recovery of the downed crew. We notified the SF camp that we were proceeding with the rescue mission and flew toward the crash site. En route to the site we did not encounter any enemy activity and were directed into the area the Mohawk crew by the FAC.
The area the crew ejected into was an extremely large area surrounded by jungle and covered in elephant grass about fifteen feet high. We were engaged by the enemy from various locations on higher ground than the LZ as we approached. Once in the LZ we were below the tree line and still saw tracers going overhead but the enemy gunners were shooting at our sound.
We first went to the individual we observed in a tree (the pilot) and established contact on the emergency radio frequency. En route to him we also spotted the chute of the observer. The pilot was having difficulty in getting his lowering device to work so we relocated to pick up his observer. Hovering over the observer we realized we did not have a rope (a fifty-foot rope was usually carried on the aircraft but it had been removed during the support mission for some reason) to lower to the individual on the ground. We started reducing our hover height and was able to get low enough for the observer to climb on board with the help of the crew chief. We then proceeded back to the pilot, who was still in the tree. I noticed that we were becoming fuel critical and told the downed pilot that if he didn’t want to eat rice for a long time he needed to jump out of the tree, as were fuel critical and had to leave. At that time the cut away from his harness, fell through the tree limbs and landed in the elephant grass. The pilot relocated about fifty meters and we again lowered the aircraft into the elephant grass and the crew chief and observer were able to pull him into the aircraft.
The aircraft commander, Jim Caufman, decided that due to the heavy machine gun fire over the LZ, our best option was to fly a circle inside the LZ to gain as much airspeed as possible and obtain a higher rate of climb to hopefully get out of any 7.62 and .51 fire. We accelerated around the edge of the LZ and as we neared our departure point we observed an enemy patrol step into the clearing and began to engage us. The crew chief returned fire, killing 3 or 4 of the patrol. We began an expedited climb and a turn to the east to depart the area.
After reaching about 4,000 feet and departing the area we realized we were being engaged by 37mm antiaircraft fire and began a series of turns and altitude changes. It was during this time we were contacted by WO Bob Witt and informed that we were receiving airburst and that he the third aircraft and gunships were at our 11 o'clock position. It was shortly after this time that our aircraft encountered a massive compressor stall due to a close airburst. I notified the other aircraft that we were losing power and possibly going down. We turned toward Khe Sanh as a possible landing area, even though no friendly personnel were there. We were able to recover from the power loss as we approached the runway at Khe Sanh and proceeded to climb out and head for LZ Stud.
Landing at LZ Stud we were approximately 17 minutes into a 20 minute low fuel light. I shut the aircraft down and Jim Caufman and the crew chief assisted the Mohawk crew onto one of the other aircraft to be transported to Phu Bia. We refueled the aircraft and returned to our home base at Camp Evans.
Some days later, I was returning from a mission and entering the company I met the Mohawk pilot, as he had come to visit. I did get a photo of him and Jim Caufman, but due to my debrief I only had the opportunity to say hello. I never knew the name of the observer.
This was not a me thing this was an us thing. Thanks Jim Caufman for all the things you taught me as a young guy in Vietnam. Many of those lessons were used my entire flying career.
Thanks to all the guys in the door for the hard work you did to keep our aircraft flying and the protection you provided on the door guns. You are all heroes in my book and brothers forever.

James Caufman

That is mostly what I remember. We heard the emergency call on guard from his wing man in another Mohawk.

The Army pilot, a Captain, was hung up in a tree about 50 feet off the ground. He had left his let down kit back at his base in Phu Bai. Seemed it was uncomfortable in his gray flight suite.

The area where he was down was known as 4 corners. Several of the books I have read about SOG ops said it was the heaviest protected areas inside Laos, but of course we did not know that at the time.

The conservation between the downed pilot, John and myself was a little heated and we used some very foul words on guard. He was just scared to jump. A couple Air Force pilots ask us to go to a different frequency but we had no other means to communicate. Finally, knowing our fuel status, I told Ken Combs (crew chief) to start cutting the tree trunk in half above his head. Ken opened up with his M60 about 10" above his head and before the third round hit he had jumped. Now for the funny part, he landed in a tall abandon termite mound. A second later he popped out the side completely covered with a white power. funny as hell.

The way back was scary. When the flack burst went off we did have a severe compressor stall. N1 was running between 105 and 107, EGT was forty over red line and the engine tachometer was around 5800 RPM. At LZ Stud during the engine cool down the engine ran out of fuel a second or two before I rolled the throttle to off. The fuel gage said we had 20 pounds of fuel. I do believe maintenance brought us another aircraft to fly back to Evans.

A couple days later we went to Phu Bi to fly another SOG mission. A master sergeant pulled me aside and gave me several 8X10 pictures of us leaving the pick up area shot by the other Mohawk. They were very graphic of Ken leaning out the door firing his 60 and killing the five NVA within the first 100 meters of our takeoff run. After we took off on our mission, Ken said he had ripped the pictures up in very fine pieces and was going to throw them out the door.

Many years latter I was flying from Newark to San Frisco and the other pilot had on an Army aviator tie clip. I ask if he flew Fixed wing or should I put 7700 in the transponder.

He said he flew Mohawks.

Where were you in July 68? - and he replied Phu Bai.

Did you know the pilot out of Phu Bai that had his wing blown off over Laos?

"He was my room mate."

Seems they were both now in the Mohawk Association and he was a furniture salesman in San Francisco.

During our layover I could not buy a drink.