We had one incredible day after Tet. We put out over 20 aircraft into the day’s work, and I think we had 13 to be carried back by external choppers. The next morning we were told to have about 25 aircraft up by 7 o’clock. We had 13 in the air by 1 o’clock – an enormous amount of work. Our pilots were probably in the air more than any others.

We had a New Year’s Day concert for the whole base. Just as a young girl was about to sing, a firefight erupted on the perimeter. It just scared the life out of her; she couldn’t sing. Once she got back home, she got her voice back.