Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society

Happenings at NHAHS

By CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.), President, NHAHS LTM#46 / RW#16213

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Another year is behind us now to put into the books. It has been a good and productive year for NHAHS with a number of things accomplished and to be thankful for:

NHAHS and NHASF had a successful charity golf tournament 10 November right before the Veterans Day Holiday at the Admiral Baker South Golf Course. The weather was great and 125 golfers shared an outstanding round of golf and a nice lunch afterward at the clubhouse. A team of JO’s from HSM-41 Seahawks named “Big Putts” walked away with the big prize which was a silver trophy cup standing 36” tall. HSM-41 will defend their title at the Golf Tournament next year to be held in connection with the 2023 NHA Symposium in May.

Thanks to the efforts of the Midway Museum, HSC-4 Black Knights, and some members of NHAHS, the H-3 Sea King at Flag Circle has been freshened-up and painted and is looking good once again. This year’s Chief Selects also washed all the aircraft at flag circle as a community service project again this year and had some fun while doing it. Thank you to the new Chiefs for keeping our display aircraft looking good!

The Gifting Paperwork for the SH-60F CDR Clyde E. Lassen, USN (Ret.) Medal of Honor Memorial Display Aircraft at the front gate for NAS North Island is at the OPNAV Staff in the DNS Office and hopefully will be endorsed and then forwarded across the hall in the Pentagon to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy Installations and the Environment. With any luck we are hoping that by the time this issue of the Rotor Review is published that we will know something positive about the request and that we will be working on contacting Davis Monthan Bone Yard and making the arrangements for a truck to have the aircraft transported back to San Diego so it can be inducted into the Midway Restoration Hangar 805 on base. We are still collecting money to make this project a reality so if you are interested in helping out, please make a donation. Every little bit helps. Plus with the brick project at the base of the monument, you have an opportunity to have your name or a message left there for everyone to see. The details of how to donate are on page 17.

The Jack Rabbits to Jets history book about NAS North Island is in work and we are hoping to have a solution for publishing the book and making it available to those interested in having a copy soon. There is still work to do proofing and fact checking the book, however, the goal is to have it published sometime in 2023.

We are currently working with Mr. Hank Caruso to create a “helicatures book” (a book of helicopter character drawings) and we are hoping to have a preview available at the 2023 Symposium.

We are also working to fund and produce a movie about HC-7. "Leave No Man Behind - The Untold Story of HC-7." Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC-7) was formed during the Vietnam War and its primary mission was combat search and rescue (CSAR). Their mission was not for the faint of heart. CSAR is often dangerous and requires persistence to get the downed airman out of danger. HC-7’s legacy of rescuing downed pilots, often deep in enemy territory, epitomizes the mantra “Leave No Warrior Behind.” Among the tenacious airmen who flew these often-dangerous missions was Clyde Lassen. He was only one of four naval aviators to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism in Vietnam. By the end of the war, HC-7 had rescued nearly 150 personnel and 94 aviators from Vietnam and the Gulf of Tonkin. HC-7’s stellar performance and the awards given to its members established HC-7’s reputation as “one of the most highly decorated squadrons in Naval Aviation history.” By September of 1967 when HC-7 was established, Vietnam was quickly becoming the “helicopter war.” Helicopters were its defining mode of transport and the image that remains in the minds of most Americans today. These birds brought men into battle and carried them home. We are hoping that the movie will premiere in 2023.

We are also working to identify the Mark Starr Pioneer Award Recipient who will be announced at the 2023 NHA Symposium in May.

We are looking for some assistance to find a home for a Night Vision Device (NVD) Terrain Board that we acquired. This is a 10’ x 10’ display used for NVD/G training and everything works! We have tried to see if USS Midway, the San Diego Air and Space Museum or the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola wanted it, however, neither were interested. While the board does not come with any goggles, we have found that we were able to borrow some goggles from a local squadron to try to find the board a new home. We also have a contact at Raytheon who might be willing to sponsor the display depending on where it ends up. If you or someone that you know might be interested in having the board, please let me know. It might also make a nice train set display too if you know someone into trains.

That is about it for NHAHS for this issue of Rotor Review. If you are interested in our helicopter history, send us a note, check out our website, send us a story, donate some memorabilia, or attend one of our meetings. Contact me at billprsonius@gmail.com or 858-449-1726.

HC-7 Movie for Television - NHAHS is Still Collecting Donations

Mail Checks to: Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society, Inc. (NHAHS) NASNI SH-60F Project PO Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578

To donate with PayPay visit https://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/indexphp/donations/ and click on the PayPal icon or copy and paste this link in your browser https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=dUz7iSsDDUkFxuXCIsSpZE5lRrmAZ7M5diK1LRJ315ULqrsnyvU3nuz4WHPu0z4ZBCW7xiw34NubTIs

Computer Rendition of NASNI Stockdale Entrance with SH-60F on a Pedestal