06/19/2021
History: The "HU-1A" was officially called the Iroquois. The designation led to the name Huey, and most people know it only by that name. The importance of the Huey during the Vietnam War cannot be understated. It is the most iconic symbol of the war. It took soldiers into battle and brought them out. Hueys delivered supplies, and were the sign of rescue and salvation. They brought out the wounded and the Fallen. Many historians are convinced that most of the men and women whose names are on the Vietnam Wall made their final trip from the battlefield in a Huey.
The Vision: Last November, Pat and I had the honor of participating in the reading of the rollcall of the Fallen at the Vietnam Wall in Punta Gorda, FL. After the wreath laying ceremony on the final day, I had the pleasure of meeting retired Major General Richard (Dick) Carr. I asked him what his future plans were for the Veterans Park, which is the home of the Wall, and he said that he wanted to get a Huey to display, but wasn't sure how to go about getting one.
Actions: Well, saying that to an engineer is throwing down an awesome challenge. I started researching and found it was not hard to get one at all, if you could raise enough money.
Next came the matter of obtaining official permission to display a Huey at the Wall. You see, the Park is owned by the City of Punta Gorda. So, MajGen Carr and I have been discussing the project with the City. While hopeful, we do not have that box checked yet.
Initially, the plan was to mount the Huey on a pylon above the Wall. The symbolism was simple. The Huey would be bringing home the Fallen to the Wall. Well, there are a lot of concerns about how to do that properly in hurricane country, and the cost estimates were mounting.
Near the same time, Gen. Carr told me about a book titled "Take Me Home Huey". It chronicled the story of a Huey restored by an artist, Steve Maloney, who used it as a canvas to depict scenes from Vietnam. Steve researched PTS and designed the art work to be a way to bring Vietnam Veterans together. The message and emotion were awesome, and led to a change in our approach.
We then decided to move toward a ground level display, where visitors could get up close and personal with the Huey. We hope that it will be a means for Vietnam Veterans to connect. That concept is gaining momentum.
A leap of Faith: Believing that we had to find a way to get things moving in a higher gear, I started searching for a Huey in earnest.
Let me introduce you to SN 70-16287. We'll call her 287 for short. She's a 1970 Huey. 287 served her country well for many years, but was eventually sold as scrap. Enter Heli-Tex, a company located southwest of Fort Worth, Texas, that specializes in restoring Hueys for display. The aircraft has been restored to display quality and looks awesome. Pat and I made an offer to purchase her on June 12th.
The future: We needed an initial home for 287. Where to put it while we negotiate with the City to place it in Veterans Park? Gary Butler is the Executive Director of the Military Heritage Museum, located in Punta Gorda. Gary was excited at the possibility of displaying the Huey on the Museum's grounds. Now we had a plan!
287 will be delivered to the Museum on June 29th, off-loaded and placed on the ground in front of the Museum. Patric Sullivan, an artist friend of ours, has photoshopped images of a model Huey in multiple locations at the park and at the Museum. These images are enabling us to show what our ultimate vision would look like.
We are all excited!
A special thanks goes out to all of the team members. MajGen Carr, for creating the vision. To Mike Maki for sharing details of his work to preserve the Huey his Vietnam Veterans Post has on display. To Danny Coggins for contributing his military and structural steel experience. To Patric Sullivan for artistry which projected a visual dimension to our plans. To Lou Sertich for his generosity of both thoughts and money. To Gary Butler, for his enthusiasm in offering an initial home to 287. To Bob Miller, a first-class construction guy who is bringing his expertise to the off-loading of 287, and the re-installation of the rotors and hub. Finally, my gratitude goes to Pat, who has been the inspiration for everything good that I have been part of over the last 37 years.
Stay tuned!
