Thakkek is a town along the Mekong River in Laos with a nice long runway nearby. The mission was that at dawn 10 H-34 helicopters would line up on the runway and each would board 10 local combat soldiers.
My crew chief and I were in the lead helicopter and as soon as the local troop commander climbed on board my helicopter, we would all toddle off across North Vietnam, locate the target city, and drop off 101 of my gifts to the enemy.
My guys would assemble and then search out North Vietnamese Army regulars and anyone else looking for big trouble. My guys would then turn the area crimson with the blood and guts of countless commie bastards.
The mission was no problem, a piece of cake. I could fly this gig in my sleep as I had many, many times flown variations of the basic mission plan to many destinations in most of the countries in Southeast Asia.
In the mission plan, there was no mention of us having fighter cover to go along with us this time. I thought the mission planners were trying to be economical, to learn what that approach was all about, or maybe to use something about what that approach was all about.
So, no jets, no Sandy props to keep us company.
By that time in the war, the pilots were a lot more concerned about hand-launched missiles. I waited and waited on the runway for the local combat troop commander to get on board. Finally the denouement.
The previous day the local troop commander had gone to a fortune teller, paid the fee, and anxiously waited for the pronouncement. It was that on mission day it would be horrifyingly inauspicious for him to go on a trip to North Vietnam, or even to take a trip across town to the local brothel.
The local troop commander went home and resolved to remain at home throughout mission day.
The mission was canceled. Sorry guys, it was only money and time that got flushed down the toilet here today.
I was a bit deflated on realizing that the local combat troop commander was the only person to show some common sense.
Just another day at the office.
As I wander down memory lane it is evident that during the Vietnam War I was a hell of a lot crazier than I then knew myself to be.