The Ubiquitous Huey

Today's installment of 'TWW' was inspired by the television series 'The Sixties', currently airing on CNN. When your blogmeister thinks of the 1960s, the Vietnam War invariably creeps into his thoughts at some point or other... and when he thinks of that awful conflict, his head is often filled with visions of the subject of today's post.

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois was the U.S. Army's undisputed workhorse in Vietnam. The 'Huey', as it came to be known, was everywhere and doing just about everything you could think of... personnel transport, cargo transport, patrol duties, insertion and extraction of combat troops into contested areas, direct fire support of troops on the ground, medevac... everything.

Whenever your blogmeister thinks of the 'ole Huey and its participation in the Vietnam War, the image below is usually the first that enters his mind...

Project 914 Archives

Here's the news tag from the reverse of the photo, in case you're interested...

Ever wonder where the name 'Huey' came from? Well, the original designation for the UH-1 was HU-1... 'tis as simple as that.

Here's a few more views of Hueys in 'Nam...

Project 914 Archives

Project 914 Archives

The info which came with this last photo reads as follows:

UH-1D helicopters airlift members of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment from the Filhol Rubber Plantation area to a new staging area, during Operation "Wahiawa," a search and destroy mission conducted by the 25th Infantry Division, northeast of Cu Chi, Vietnam. 05/16/1966

National Archives and Records Administration

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