CH-47: The Hook That Connects Generations

Official Statements

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “CH-47: The Hook That Connects Generations Story by Sgt. 1st Class Roby Di Giovine, 59th Aviation Troop Command, S.C. Army National Guard More than 50 years after serving in separate combat tours in Vietnam, with the same Army Aviation unit, former CH-47 Chinook pilot Mike Mackey and former flight engineer Bob Roy met for the first time on Aug. 20, 2026, at a South Carolina Army National Guard aviation event. Their unexpected meeting began a friendship rooted in shared service, long-held memories and the aircraft that connected them across generations.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Two Veterans, One War, One Aircraft Mackey and Roy, served in Vietnam with Company C, 159th Aviation Battalion, supporting the 101st Airborne Division.__ Operating from Camp Hochmuth, Phu Bai. The unit flew demanding assault-support missions in some of the most challenging terrain, weather and conditions of the war. __Mackey served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970, while Roy served in 1971 to 1972. Although assigned to the same unit at different times, the two men had never met.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “They may have walked through the same company area, used the same facilities, or perhaps even flown aboard some of the same Chinooks. They certainly faced similar operational challenges: unpredictable weather, low clouds, dense fog, rugged mountains, and the ever-present threat of enemy fire.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Their missions took them into the A Shau Valley, the mountainous region associated with some of the war's fiercest fighting, including the battle of Hamburger Hill. More than five decades later, their paths converged at a South Carolina Army National Guard flight facility, where a chance meeting would reconnect them with a part of their lives they had long left behind. An Unexpected Reunion”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “On August 20, 2026, the South Carolina Army National Guard hosted its annual Boss Lift, an employer-appreciation and community-relations event recognizing civilian employers and organizations supporting National Guard Soldiers. The event offered participants the opportunity to visit the Army Aviation support facility in Greenville, South Carolina, and experience a flight aboard a modern CH-47F Chinook.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Mackey and Roy were among the participants. For both veterans, the opportunity to fly aboard a modern Chinook was something special. The aircraft had changed considerably since their days in Vietnam, incorporating decades of technological improvements, enhanced avionics, and new operational capabilities.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “But something else had remained remarkably familiar. The young Soldiers operating and maintaining the aircraft were not so different from the men they remembered serving alongside in Vietnam. Professionalism, pride, technical expertise, and sense of belonging were still there. And somewhere between the familiar sound of the Chinook's twin rotors and the conversations that followed, two strangers discovered that they had far more in common than either could have imagined.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “The chance encounter soon developed into a friendship that captured the attention of several Chinook aviators and maintainers serving with the South Carolina Army National Guard. The Hook: A Legacy That Never Stopped Flying”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “First introduced into U.S. Army service in the early 1960s, the tandem-rotor CH-47 Chinook helicopter became one of the most recognizable symbols of Army aviation during the Vietnam War. Its lifting capabilities, operational versatility, and ability to evolve through successive modernization programs have allowed it to remain an indispensable part of military aviation for more than six decades.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Throughout its long service, generations of Soldiers have given the Chinook a variety of affectionate nicknames, including "The Hook," “Big Windy,” "Workhorse," "Sky U-Haul," "Misty Baby," “Trash Hauler,” and "Easy Rider," among the most popular. From Vietnam to the conflicts of the twenty-first century, the Chinook has continued to carry Soldiers, supplies, equipment, and, at times, the hopes of those depending on its arrival.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Its technology has evolved. Its missions have expanded. Its crews have changed. But its distinctive silhouette, the unmistakable rhythm of its tandem rotors, and its role in supporting Soldiers on the ground have remained constant. For those who have flown, maintained, and depended upon it, the Chinook is more than an aircraft. It is a shared identity.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “And, while generations of aviators and maintainers might have come and gone, The Hook remains the common thread connecting them. That connection became especially meaningful to Mackey and Roy as they rediscovered the Chinook community through the young Soldiers serving at the South Carolina flight facility.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Rather than simply reminiscing about their own service, the veterans found themselves admiring the professionalism and dedication of the newest generation. "These guys at the flight facility are absolute professionals," Roy observed, echoed by Mackey who added, "It makes me proud to have been part of that - the Chinook community and its legacy that started in Vietnam and continues today." For Mackey and Roy, the young crews demonstrated that the traditions they had helped establish were still very much alive.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “The admiration was mutual. For the younger Soldiers, these two men represented a living connection to the aircraft's combat history. More Than Nostalgia: A Place to Belong Yet the most meaningful outcome of this unexpected reunion had little to do with aircraft technology or operational capabilities. It had everything to do with people. For both veterans, returning to an aviation environment and spending time among Chinook pilots, flight engineers, crew chiefs, and maintainers awakened memories that had remained largely unspoken for decades.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “The familiarity of the hangars, the aircraft, and the people created something neither man had necessarily expected: a place where they felt at home. A place where they belonged. And perhaps, most importantly, a place where they could finally talk.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “For many Vietnam veterans, returning home meant entering a society deeply divided over the war. Regardless of their individual experiences or personal beliefs, many found it difficult to discuss what they had endured. Some, like Mackey and Roy, simply stopped talking about it. But the renewed camaraderie they discovered among the Soldiers crewing the Chinook today began to change that.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Roy described the experience in deeply personal terms: "Talking about long suppressed memories… being able to 'hang around' helicopter pilots, maintainers, and flight engineers, as well as these beautiful Chinooks, turned into the most cathartic experience; one that didn't happen [since coming back from Vietnam] till I came here." The impact extended beyond the flight facility and into his family. "Now I talk about it [Vietnam] with my wife and daughters. They had no idea."

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “More than fifty years after returning from war, Roy had found a community that helped him begin sharing experiences even his own family had never heard. For Mackey, the memories carried an especially painful weight. The Memories of Fire Support Base Ripcord”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Among Mackey 's most vivid memories of Vietnam are those associated with the battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord (July 1-23, 1970), fought in the mountains west of Hue, in the Thua Thien Province. The battle, one of the last major engagements involving U.S. ground combat forces in Vietnam, placed extraordinary demands on the aviation units supporting the 101st Airborne Division. Chinook crews played a critical role in sustaining Soldiers fighting from isolated positions, delivering ammunition, food, equipment, and other essential supplies while operating under enemy fire.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “For Mackey, those missions were among the most frightening experiences of his life. "I had never been so scared," he recalled. "On one occasion I could see human waves of NVA troops climbing FSB Ripcord. We were supporting the Soldiers on the ground, keeping them alive by delivering ammunition, food, equipment, and we made it through." The danger was immediate and unmistakable. Mackey said he was later told that his Chinook had sustained either 37 or 57 bullet and shrapnel holes during one of those missions.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “He was only two weeks away from returning home. "I could see the end of the tunnel, but that day really freaked me out." The battle also brought devastating losses. Mackey remembers the loss of a Chinook and its five crew members#footnote-1. He recalls extensive damage to the unit's aircraft, several helicopters destroyed, and the heavy American casualties associated with the battle. The experience left an impression that never faded.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “For Mackey, Ripcord was not merely another battle. It was an event that shaped his memories of the war and his eventual return home. He also believes the battle never received the public recognition deserved by the Soldiers who fought there. In his view, the political controversy surrounding the Vietnam War, particularly in the aftermath of Hamburger Hill, contributed to the limited attention Ripcord received.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “But perhaps his most painful memory came after the fighting had ended. "Two weeks after Ripcord, which was not a good memory, I came home and I was called baby-killer, but I never killed any baby." The experience contributed to his decision to remain silent about the war. "Consequently, I never talked about the war with anybody; I kept everything inside for decades. People cannot understand." For more than fifty years, those memories remained largely his alone.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Until a chance encounter, a familiar helicopter, and a new generation of Soldiers helped create an opportunity to share them. A Brotherhood Without Generational Boundaries”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “The friendship that developed between Mackey and Roy, and their growing connection with the South Carolina Army National Guard's Chinook community, illustrates something that transcends time. For the Vietnam veterans, being welcomed into the modern Chinook community was more than an opportunity to revisit the past. It was a reminder that their service mattered, that their experiences were worth hearing, and that the legacy they helped build continues through those serving today.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “For the younger aviators and maintainers, the relationship offers something equally valuable: the opportunity to learn directly from men who operated the same aircraft under combat conditions more than half a century ago. Their conversations connect historical experience with contemporary service, preserving lessons that might otherwise disappear with time.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Perhaps most importantly, this experience compelled these veterans to speak without feeling obligated to explain or defend the circumstances of the war in which they served. The hangar became more than a workplace. It became a meeting place between generations, a repository of memories, and a setting where mutual respect helped bridge decades of silence. Mackey and Roy now hope to extend their experience to other veterans, bringing more former Soldiers together and creating opportunities for them to reconnect with military aviation communities.”

• South Carolina National Guard, November 11: “Their goal is not simply to reminisce. It is to preserve history, share lessons learned, strengthen the Chinook legacy, and perhaps help others find the sense of belonging they rediscovered. RESOURCES and Related Links __HistoryMaps Project __- https://history-maps.com/warmap/vietnam-war/event/battle-of-fire-support-base-ripcord U.S. Army - https://www.army.mil/article/80071/vietnam_40_years_later_101st_airborne_division_veteran_recalls_ripcord_battle Keith Nolan, Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam, 1970 (New York: Presidio Press, 2000) - https://my.tlu.edu/ICS/icsfs/NolanRipcordExcerpts17pg.pdf?target=2b007ab7-dac1-48f6-93d8-84938d4e2fb0 Ripcord Association - https://ripcordassociation.com/facts-about-the-battle/ The Brutal 23 days the NVA surrounded the 101st - https://youtu.be/xAlEQIkYLoM?si=RQ34jtbVMq_2wGMW”

  • (July 18, 1970) a CH47 from Company A, 159th Aviation Battalion, carrying a sling load of 105mm howitzer ammunition to Ripcord, was hit by 12.7mm machine gun fire while approaching the firebase. The aircraft crashed into the 105mm ammunition storage point, causing a major fire. All six 105mm howitzers of Battery B, 2nd Battalion (Airmobile), 319th Artillery were destroyed. An an/MPQ-4A counter-mortar radar, two 106mm recoilless rifles, and one radio set were also destroyed. Despite the fire and exploding ammunition, the perimeter remained intact and fires were under control by late afternoon. https://ripcordassociation.com/operation-texas-star/ #footnote-ref-1