FORT CARSON, Colo.---When a group of Vietnam veterans and their spouses visited Fort Carson June 8, they got the kind of reception they were not used to.
As the veterans stepped off the bus at Butts Army Airfield to get a briefing on Fort Carson and on the 1st Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, it was the battalion commander himself who greeted them.
The veterans, from the 213th Assault Support Helicopter Company "Black Cats," toured the airfield as part of their biennial alumni reunion. The vets were mechanics, pilots and flight engineers of CH-47 Chinooks who served in Vietnam in the late 1960s.
The group learned the history of Fort Carson and its impact on the local community from Capt. Christopher Neyman, garrison operations officer. Neyman, who said his father is a Vietnam War veteran, closed his presentation by thanking the veterans.
"I appreciate what you all have done, and your support for all of us has been awesome," he said.
After a briefing from Lt. Col. Michael Hosie, commander, 1st Bn., 2nd Avn. Reg., and a chance to share their own experiences with the Soldiers present, the group toured one of the hangars to view aircraft maintenance and got a presentation on the capabilities of the Apache.
The fact that the Chinook veterans were visiting an AH-64 Apache attack unit led to some light-hearted jabbing during the briefing over which was the better aircraft, but didn't stop some members of the group from climbing up into the Apache.
"That was great," said veteran Terry Sanderlin moments after sitting in the pilot's seat. "I wanted to do that right away."
Sanderlin said he was amazed at how much the technology has changed since his days in combat.
"Technology is just overwhelming now compared to what we had," he said. "It's a little bit of a different mindset. We were more seat-of-your-pants, and (Soldiers) at this time are more precision-oriented."
He said talking with today's Soldiers allows the veterans to "parallel what we did in the military to their attitudes and their proficiency."
Sgt. 1st Class Jon Wisman, who spoke to the veterans about the current standards for aviation maintenance, said the interaction was good for the 1st Bn., 2nd Avn. Reg., Soldiers.
"I enjoyed seeing them interact with the Soldiers, since most of (the Soldiers) don't get the chance to meet Vietnam vets otherwise," Wisman said. "For these Soldiers to be able to hear some of their stories was amazing."
Hosie said the visit showed his Soldiers something about the earlier days of Army aviation and that they are continuing that lineage.
"This is a great opportunity for both sides," Hosie said. "The interaction provided an opportunity for the older veterans to come and see what aviation is all about 30-40 years later and an opportunity for our Soldiers to see that they are a part of the 'long green line' (of Army aviation)."
Although the veterans were not expecting to even meet Hosie, he stayed with them until the tour ended. He thanked each of them for their service to the nation as they boarded the bus.
It was a thank you they may not have received when they returned from the war.
"We were not looked upon very favorably by a lot of groups at that time, because there was such a divisive nature in the Vietnam War," Sanderlin said. "Not everybody was behind it. I think the nation was split just about in half."
Still, Sanderlin said, the veterans are proud to rally around Soldiers who now deploy on multiple combat tours.
"We can easily support them, because we know what they go through," he said. "We understand combat; we understand the hardship of combat and all of the different roles, from the supportive role, the liaison role to the actual combat role. Many of us have had all of those particular roles or at least some of them while we were in Vietnam.
"It's easy for us to support the troops, because we know what they go through - physically, emotionally and in the aftermath."
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