Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:21 | On his first mission, Al Flory and his detachment took a lot of fire as they tried to bring back some KIAs. On a particularly hairy mission he calls "Black Friday", the entirety of his unit was hit by NVA fire.
Keywords : Chu Lai Vietnam fire firefight NVA (North Vietnamese Army) crew chief medic shot down Black Friday
Growing up with his dad in the military, Al Flory always figured that he would join the military. After talking to an Army recruiter, he decided to join the medical service corps and deploy to Vietnam.
After his time at Fort Hood, Texas, Al Flory was happy to be deployed to Vietnam. Accepting a commission to go serve on a surgical team in Can Tho, Vietnam, he was able to serve the military and civilian casualties as they came in. After this deployment, he decided to go to flight school and was accepted, starting his aviation career.
Throughout his 8 months in flight school, Al Flory and his team worked with all sorts of aircrafts in order to prepare for a Vietnam deployment. After arriving in Can Tho, they were shipped to Chu Lai where they were ultimately stationed.
On a particular rescue mission, Al Flory and his detachment faced a lot of fire as they descended below the trees, battling brush, to airlift some troops with casualties. 33 years later, he had an unlikely phone call from one of those soldiers that sticks with him today.
"The Magic Hour" was the critical time period for Al Flory and his team, as they tried to give the soldiers they rescued the best chance of survival. Acting quickly during this time period was crucial and they did their best to do so.
The difference in climate in various regions of Vietnam affected Al Flory and his detachment as they tried to navigate the changing landscapes. After most missions, they found different ways to pass the time back on base in Chu Lai.
In his last few weeks in Vietnam, Al Flory was anxious to get home and took steps to ensure he would get there alright. On his way home from Vietnam, he had an unfortunate show of disrespect from a citizen he came across that disappointed him.
After his return home from his 2nd tour in Vietnam, he deployed out to Korea providing Medevac support for ground troops there. After that, he rose in the ranks of the military and ended up as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Security for the Army.
Al Flory remembers the 40th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy and the work that went into making it memorable. It felt special to get to be a part of such a meaningful event and it will stick with him forever.
