Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
7:40 | It was decades after his Vietnam tour that Tom Kirk got the call again. He was flying for a Reserve Medevac unit that was mobilized for Desert Storm. They were based in Riyadh and their helicopters had to be modified to deal with the sand. The Americans also had to deal with Saudi customs and social mores.
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He was 1-A in the draft so Tom Kirk went to talk to a recruiter to at least have some choice. How about communications? No. Armor? No. Helicopter pilot? But I have no college. No problem!
Tom Kirk thought the harassment was over after basic training, but when he got to Fort Wolters to begin flight training, the TAC officers were like drill instructors on steroids. Then he had to learn to hover, the most difficult thing he'd ever attempted.
He was doing well in flight school but Tom Kirk had one problem. His instructor was a screamer. The training company commander gave him some grief, too, but it wasn't like that and they shared a laugh later.
When Tom Kirk arrived in Vietnam, he was told you're going to the 135th Assault Helicopter Company, an experimental unit. Experimental? What kind of experiment am I part of? It turned out to be a very fine one.
It was the time of Vietnamization. Huey pilot Tom Kirk supported the ARVN 9th division on their operations and sweeps. Eventually he changed from hauling troops to piloting a gunship.
The Mekong Delta was for a long time the stomping ground of the VC but the NVA were moving in from Cambodia. Huey pilot Tom Kirk supported ARVN troops there and he was now targeted with some heavier weapons.
Vietnam was a beautiful country from the air. At the right time, the Delta looked like a vast green pool table. But Huey pilot Tom Kirk knew there was a dark side that went with it. When he saw what the Viet Cong did to some women and children, his resolve was strengthened.
It was a great relief to return home, even with the rampant anti-war sentiment in the country. Helicopter pilot Tom Kirk knew he didn't want an active Army career so he found a reserve Medevac unit and stayed there 25 years.
There are a lot of myths about Vietnam. Tom Kirk blows holes in some of the popular misconceptions and explains how the so-called "loss" had nothing to do with the quality of the soldiers. When he was mobilized years later for Desert Storm, he was proud he could still contribute.
Like many veterans, Tom Kirk enjoys getting together with his comrades from the war. He recalls how, after a day flying over the Mekong Delta and getting shot at, a cold beer and some rock and roll made it seem like it never happened. Then it was the Rolling Stones. Later, in Desert Storm, it was AC/DC.
