William G. Cihak, DDS, of Punta Gorda, FL, passed away September 18, 2024. He was the beloved husband of Linda (nee Knapp); loving father of William G. (Kimberly Orth) Cihak II, MD and Christopher Cihak; cherished grandfather of Kayla Cihak, … Continue reading →
Another good Marine has Returned to Base. Harry Bob went home on Sunday, October 3, 2021. Bob was a character, but first, last and always, Bob was a Marine. Bob’s second tour of duty in Vietnam was with us in … Continue reading →
Being young, spirited and sometimes clueless often leads to hard lessons in life. Not so for Huey. He’d emerge from challenging flights and head scratching decisions unscathed, unassuming and successful. As captains and CH-46 aircraft commanders, we often flew missions … Continue reading →
This past weekend we returned from the Celebration of Life of my friend and fellow Marine, Tim Bastyr. Tim joined HMM 265 as we boarded the USS Boxer and departed for Vietnam. He was an avionics technician and soon became … Continue reading →
Frank Durbin was and is one of my heroes. He was a crewchief with HMM-265 when we went to Vietnam aboard USS Boxer in April, 1966. I was a rookie copilot just a year out of flight school with little … Continue reading →
Remembering George, by Arnie Reiner I’d sometimes meet George for lunch in D.C. during airline layovers. By then he was chief of the SEC’s Enforcement Division and we’d joke about how, all those years ago in Vietnam, he settled on … Continue reading →
Operation Hastings began on July 15, 1966. Those who were there remember it well. The shot of EP-171 going down in flames became one of the iconic pictures of that war. This gallery is for pictures from that day. Contact … Continue reading →
In the spring of 1967, attacks were becoming more frequent on Marine fire bases along the Demilitarized Zone that divided North and South Vietnam, particularly at the Khe Sanh combat base in the highlands, about 10 miles from the border … Continue reading →
The posts in this section show whatever details we have about our fellow Marines’ Return to Base. The comment section at the bottom of each post is available for logged-in members who would like to pay tribute to a friend. … Continue reading →
I was the crew chief for helicopter #167, which developed an internal leak in the ramp control valve and was downed at Phu Bai on the 14th. By the time we were able to get the hydraulic shop to bring … Continue reading →