Sharyn O’Hare, board member emeritus and co-founder of the Worcester County Veterans Memorial at Ocean Pines, had the rapt attention of about 50 seated and standing at the Ocean City Airport.
It was Memorial Day, after all, a day to really recount those who gave their lives so that we may be free.
O’Hare talked about her past as a “child of the 60s,” something I could absolutely find in common with her.
Because I know like many of the respectful audience on hand, that the Vietnam War was the first war brought into our living rooms and den TVs every evening.
But there was more to what O’Hare was saying. Because as a backdrop to the podium where she was speaking was a UH-1 Huey Helicopter. Even though it was a warm spring afternoon, I felt chills being so close to this restored Huey, which for many was a symbol of combat in the jungles of Vietnam.
It was the Huey, O’Hare explained, that with its crew in control, would go into the most dangerous of battle zones to either extract the wounded and carry them to safety or to drop reinforcements and equipment in places that was never friendly to aircraft.
“It was the Age of Aquarius,” said O’Hare, “and there was a lot of hair.” She said it was a time of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
But it was also a time she added that we were fighting in a war with a country we didn’t understand.
O’Hare said that the sound of the Huey was the “soundtrack of the war.”
She added that during the Vietnam War, it was a sound recognized even by our enemies. O’Hare added that of the 7,000 Hueys brought to the war starting in 1963, almost half were destroyed, and 1,074 pilots were killed.
Still, they were air ambulances, and they offered better maneuverability than previous military helicopters. Most of all, they were helicopters of hope.
The Ocean City Aviation Association restored the Huey we were all staring at.
Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan was there to dedicate the special meaning of the Huey to the community and its place in history.
“We knew we needed to obtain this aircraft,” he told the crowd. “I can assure you it didn’t look like this today. Many hours were spent on restoration.”
The Hueys, O’Hare said, “took the mission in Vietnam to a higher level.”
Especially if you are a parent, I recommend you take your children to the Ocean City Airport to see the Huey. It is part of our country’s history. At the airport, it is larger than life.
Ocean City Council member Mary Knight knows full well about Hueys. Her husband Frank, flew in them as part of his Air National Guard service.
Huey was part of a difficult time for this nation and the world. Yet it brought countless numbers of our soldiers back to a safer place, and while the war was unpopular, the men and women who were deployed did so bravely, and to this day are not thanked and recognized nearly enough.
This Huey is a monument in their memory and honor.
Take time not just on a holiday like Memorial Day to go visit and give the quiet moment of respect this helicopter represents and always will in our history.
It was Memorial Day, after all, a day to really recount those who gave their lives so that we may be free.
O’Hare talked about her past as a “child of the 60s,” something I could absolutely find in common with her.
Because I know like many of the respectful audience on hand, that the Vietnam War was the first war brought into our living rooms and den TVs every evening.
But there was more to what O’Hare was saying. Because as a backdrop to the podium where she was speaking was a UH-1 Huey Helicopter. Even though it was a warm spring afternoon, I felt chills being so close to this restored Huey, which for many was a symbol of combat in the jungles of Vietnam.
It was the Huey, O’Hare explained, that with its crew in control, would go into the most dangerous of battle zones to either extract the wounded and carry them to safety or to drop reinforcements and equipment in places that was never friendly to aircraft.
“It was the Age of Aquarius,” said O’Hare, “and there was a lot of hair.” She said it was a time of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
But it was also a time she added that we were fighting in a war with a country we didn’t understand.
O’Hare said that the sound of the Huey was the “soundtrack of the war.”
She added that during the Vietnam War, it was a sound recognized even by our enemies. O’Hare added that of the 7,000 Hueys brought to the war starting in 1963, almost half were destroyed, and 1,074 pilots were killed.
Still, they were air ambulances, and they offered better maneuverability than previous military helicopters. Most of all, they were helicopters of hope.
The Ocean City Aviation Association restored the Huey we were all staring at.
Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan was there to dedicate the special meaning of the Huey to the community and its place in history.
“We knew we needed to obtain this aircraft,” he told the crowd. “I can assure you it didn’t look like this today. Many hours were spent on restoration.”
The Hueys, O’Hare said, “took the mission in Vietnam to a higher level.”
Especially if you are a parent, I recommend you take your children to the Ocean City Airport to see the Huey. It is part of our country’s history. At the airport, it is larger than life.
Ocean City Council member Mary Knight knows full well about Hueys. Her husband Frank, flew in them as part of his Air National Guard service.
Huey was part of a difficult time for this nation and the world. Yet it brought countless numbers of our soldiers back to a safer place, and while the war was unpopular, the men and women who were deployed did so bravely, and to this day are not thanked and recognized nearly enough.
This Huey is a monument in their memory and honor.
Take time not just on a holiday like Memorial Day to go visit and give the quiet moment of respect this helicopter represents and always will in our history.