March 29 marked National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Nearly three million Americans served in Vietnam and 58,220 U.S. military servicemembers made the ultimate sacrifice during the conflict. As a Nation, we strive to celebrate the selfless sacrifices made by all who served in Vietnam and the surrounding areas of Southeast Asia.
Some of the more enduring images of the Vietnam War are photos of helicopters soaring over the jungle terrain, which covers much of the country. And, of all the helicopters used during the Vietnam War, perhaps the ones most synonymous with the war are the Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) and its over twenty variants. Huey helicopters played a key role in the Vietnam War and continue to be widely used across the world. Huey helicopters have even become something of a cultural phenomenon, making appearances on the silver screen in films like Apocalypse Now and Forrest Gump.
One of these Huey helicopters serves as a reminder of the Vietnam War and the sacrifices of so many Americans to Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) employees as they start their shift. The helicopter that greets so many members of Team Tobyhanna each workday is affectionately referred to as “Miss Mini.”
Miss Mini has called TYAD home for 33 years since its acquisition in 1990 from Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. Although Miss Mini is now a TYAD staple, this military asset has trekked the globe in service to our Nation.
Miss Mini is a 1966 UH-1C/UH-1M model, which is one of the many variants of the Huey used in Vietnam. The Huey’s functions in Vietnam included transportation, evacuations and attack. Each variant was optimized for its intended role.
Miss Mini began as a UH-1C, a variant optimized for use as a gunship. Once the helicopter’s weapons were updated, Miss Mini became a UH-1M variant.
The olive drab helicopter saw service from 1969-1973. She first served the 118th Assault Helicopter Company (“Bandits”) from 1969-1970 in Bien Hoa. She then moved on to the 116th Assault Helicopter Company (“Hornets”) in 1971 in Cu Chi. Her stints in Vietnam wrapped up with the 120th Assault Helicopter Company (“Razorbacks”) from 1971-1972 in Long Binh and the C Troop 16th Cavalry (“Mustangs”) from 1972-1973 in Can Tho. The helicopter still has exact markings from its service in Vietnam.
While Miss Mini serves as a reminder of the service rendered during Vietnam, she also showcases how directly the work being done at TYAD positively impacts our Nation’s warfighters. During her years of service, Miss Mini utilized TYAD-maintained communication and electronics equipment.
Miss Mini and all TYAD-supported military assets on display celebrate the commitment to warfighter readiness shown by previous generations of Team Tobyhanna and remind our current workforce of the real difference their works makes each and every day.
Disseminating information about historical military assets and celebrating the service of Vietnam veterans directly aligns with Tobyhanna’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2035, which has four focus areas: Invest in Our People, C5ISR Readiness, Shape the Future and Strategic Communications. TOBY2035 aims to posture the depot for success in the coming years as the Department of Defense's premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.
Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.
About 3,100 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to empower the Soldier with winning C5ISR capabilities.
*Special thanks to the Army War College, Museum of Light and PatchQuartermaster for information that contributed to this article.
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