my yankee papa
Early in the Vietnam War, the U.S. Marines were assisting the South Vietnamese in their conflict to push back the spread of communism from the North. My father, Lt. Dale D. Eddy was flying a Sikorsky H-34 helicopter with HMM-163 Squadron. Most missions were to ferry South Vietnamese infantry to the front and on March 31, 1965 they were attacked on their third sortie while dropping soldiers off at the LZ. Eddy's ship, YP-3, took on heavy gunfire and he was hit in the neck, temporarily paralyzing him while others in his crew were injured or killed. Eddy describes his Vietnam experience, the events of March, the brave men who played a part in saving him, and how wild it was to be part of an article in LIFE Magazine in April 1965.
LIFE was doing an article on USMC gunner Lance Cpl. James C. Farley (crew chief of Yankee Papa 13) who would try and rescue my Eddy in the midst of a heavy gun fight. Farley and YP-13 had to leave Eddy at the LZ because all hell was breaking-loose after an attempt to pull him from the cockpit. Unknown to Farley, a gun-fight was happening on the other side of the ship as Gunnery Sgt Garner ‘Rocky’ protected the injured and himself until help arrived. The LIFE article was a big deal when released in April 1965 as it was the first time the American public would see their young boys getting killed in action. 'One Ride with Yankee Papa 13' was a page turner in 1965 and still is today.