Veterans dedicated to preserving old military equipment

CELINA - For some veterans it's not the sight of a Huey helicopter but the near deafening roar of its rotor blades that instantly take them back in time to when they served in the Vietnam War.

American Huey 369, a nonprofit organization based in Peru, Indiana, is dedicated to preserving military equipment educating and paying tribute to all U.S. veterans.

Roughly 38 crew members and one of the organization's three restored Vietnam War-era Huey helicopters came to Celina Lake Festival last weekend to continue spreading the word about the men and women who answered the call to service along with the crafts they manned.

They also offered membership flights to the public and took a group of local veterans on a ride 500 feet above Grand Lake.

"A lot of people don't know what Vietnam was," pointed out pilot Chuck Canfield.

Pat and Gary Moline have actively attended the group's events for over 16 years. Gary Moline was a crew chief in an assault helicopter company, logging 1,300 hours in the Vietnam War, his wife pointed out.

"Yes it does help," Pat Moline said about the group's advocacy. "This is a living museum. (Veterans) hear the sound come in and it takes them back and our veteran members are there to help them cope with that. It's an amazing thing."

Longtime Celina Lake Festival committee member Tom Hendricks was responsible for bringing the American Huey 369 group to the festival last weekend.

"I met these guys a couple years ago," Hendricks said. "Their mission is to preserve the history of the aircraft and the heroes that flew them."

Hendricks said it's a fantastic organization that is also in the midst of building a museum.

"They have several aircrafts in their fleet … but this is kind of the flagship of the fleet, the 369," he said.

The helicopter carried out medical evacuations in the Vietnam War, Hendricks continued.

"Back in WWI and WWII, if you were injured your chances of surviving were very, very slim because it took so long to get medical attention," he said. "In Vietnam, when we started using helicopters like this, if they could get to you, they could get you to medical attention within an hour."

Pilot Don Nelson of Columbus said the helicopter "was used in Vietnam extensively."

It's capable of carrying 11 people, including crew members, he said.

"Mostly we do it on weight," he said. "Out here you have to have a seatbelt to fly. In the combat theater, if you could get it in and lift it, it went."

Nelson was a pilot in the Vietnam War. He recalled a mission where helicopters evacuated an entire village in a few hours.

"The Viet Cong were going to kill everybody in the village if they weren't out by noon the next day, so we brought all the Delta models, D-Models," he said. "There were so many people. There was a baby, like a three- or four-month-old baby stuck down between my seat and the pedestal."

American Huey 369 boasts nearly 24,000 members today. Anyone can join, and proceeds help the group in its advocacy.

"We become members. That's how you fly with them. They don't sell rides. It's not a ride, it's a membership flight," Hendricks said. "You actually join American Huey 369 for your donation."

Festival-goers last weekend had the opportunity to become members. In addition to meeting the crew and gaining a whole new batch of friends, members enjoyed the bonus of a flight on the Huey, Hendricks said.

Sponsor Lots for Soldiers coordinated with other organizations to select local veterans for a flight on the Huey last Saturday. Lots for Soldiers is a nonprofit organization that provides homes at the lowest possible price to those who have served or are serving in the armed forces.

"(Hendricks is) the one that has raised all the money for this Huey to come in and then Lots for Soldiers became a sponsor and we have the VFW and the American Legion pick their veterans for a flight," said Mary Rosengarten, president of Lots for Soldiers.

Several family members and friends of the veterans selected for the flight as well as others gathered on Saturday morning to honor the servicemen and women and American Huey 369's crew members.

"There's a lot of logistics involved in getting it done and it's quite expensive to get them here but it's a great thing," Hendricks said of the event. "We've had lots of help, lots of sponsorships to help take care of it so it's been a very great event for us. Something different."

Huey 369 will hold its 16th annual gathering of veterans and patriots Aug. 13-14 at 2901 W. Broadway, Bunker Hill, Indiana.