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Show Local man serving as helicopter gunman in thick of strange war mates aboard. A Viet Cong slug ripped into the machine-gun machine-gun ammunition box next to Dickerson, he related, and there was a lot of metal flying fly-ing around. John said a couple of pieces grazed him but he was lucky. Three Americans were killed and 10 wounded at Ap Bac, along with 68 Vietnamese government troops killed. Of the 15 helicopters which participated in the battle, bat-tle, 14 were hit, according to report. Dickerson, according to the tsory of his activities, volunteered volun-teered for service in Viet Nam and may be there a year or so before returning to the states. He said, "I'm going to finish out my time in hell as they call it and I won t be too anxious to come back.' But the story further relates that Dickerson shares the conviction con-viction of his energetic company com-pany commander, Major Ivan Slavich of San Francisco, that escort helicopters are doing a vital job.' The H21 people (crew of the troop carrying helicopters) need us here, he reported, "I've talked to a lot of their pilots about it and some of them say they wouldn't want to fly at all without us along as along as escorts. In the beginning, begin-ning, they didn't have us, he reported. Dickerson - . ions about quick victor, the related. "There is no way 01 Sng how iong this war take, the way it S0'" is certainly a mixed up affair, he said. According to the report, free time in the Transport company com-pany is scarce and there is not much to do around Saigon Airport. The men live in hot wooden; shacks with open mosquito-netted mosquito-netted sides. There is a makeshift make-shift snack bar and an enlisted en-listed man's Club. Dickerson dates a Vietnamese girl in Saigon when he gets the chance, the story related. You can't leave the post when there's a mission the next day and there is usually a mission the next day, he said. Can't shoot first Dickerson, like all 12,000. U. One of the most thrilling accounts of the war in Viet Nam, and one which involves the activities of a Mapleton man, ' reached the Springville Herald this week, and is as interesting in-teresting as any adventure story. Accompanied by a picture of John Dickerson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil C. Dickerson, 990 East 200 North, Mapleton, the story gives a description of the danger to men serving in this area. Aluding to Dickerson, Dick-erson, the story begins with a question: "How does it feel to be 23 years old, 10,000 miles from home and know there are thousands of guerilla fighters dedicated to killing you?" "Your stomach turns over a little when you see them shooting at you and sometimes some-times its so close that you feel the burning of the passing bullet. Its not too pleasant, but you shoot back," is the way the writer describes the high-flyer gunner's reaction, after he has spent three months on the front lines of America's Am-erica's only shooting war. (Mapleton .man) A helicopter- gunner, Pvt. First Class Dickerson grew up in Mapleton and his job now is to shoot at anyone who shoots at him first, according to the newspaper story. Leaning Lean-ing from the door of the helicopter, heli-copter, he carries in his hand a carbine and on his belt a pistol. . -. . - - r -f ; I " I V. . '. "' '' -1 : v.. -r " -j I I - ! J - ! ; i - - . ii'?. ' , - 4 1 A' . .tr! t "" " - m r & ? . , , - .ii- . V"- 1 I JK, ... j f "7 - r ! U 1 . . t liiiwni " " -....-j S servicemen in Viet Nam, is under orders not to shoot at the Viet Cong, unless they shoot first. It's a shame that way, he reportedly said, as we often see Viet Cong sampans or units right under us that we could knock out easily. But we are not allowed to shoot unless they do and they know it so a lot of them get away. "It's not like a regular war, where you can get to shooting right away," said Dickerson, "You have to give the other guy first crack at you. It really keeps one alert." He further pointed out in the interview that the U. S. will win the war, but, that it's - going to be a long hard fight. A ski jumper would never attempt at-tempt a jump with only one ski, or with a clamp that wasn't able to hold his ski on properly. Your Utah Safety Council points out that a careful care-ful driver would never attempt to face the hazards of the winter season without all of his automobile equipment working properly. Check your lights, windshield wipers, battery, bat-tery, tires, tire chains -and exhaust system often. Just as a good ski jumper needs sound equipment, a good driver needs a car that is in top-notch condition for winter. Human cross-circulation permitting per-mitting a second person's heart and lung pump the blood under surgery was developed by an American surgeon, C. Walton Lillehei,: in 1954. Dickerson is credited with killing 20 Communist fighters who tried to kill him and his crew mates. In token of one of five hits it has taken from Viet Cang gunners, his turbine-powered craft has been given the name of "Hot box." It was hit several weeks ao by an e n e m y rocket which started a dangerous fire. The pilot doused the flames by landing in an inundated rice field. In the three months in which Dickerson has been in this line of duty, he has reportedly report-edly flown with some 120 missions mis-sions and he estimates he has been a target on at least half of those missions, the report re-port stated. Aiming better It is the duty of the escort helicopter to skim along about 100 feet or so high as it ranges over the flat green battlefield of the Mekong River Delta. Its arsenal of rockets and machine guns has brought a new dimension to guerrilla warfare, but it has to pay the price sometimes, according to the story. Dickerson' s company has the unglamorous name of,, "Utility Tactical Transport Company." One of his com-rads, com-rads, an enlisted man with the same job he has, recently paid the supreme sacrifice, the story related. Ask how good is the enemy, Dickerson replied, "The Viet Cong are smart. There's hardly a time they don't know we are coming in advance. They have better weapons than before be-fore and they are aiming better." bet-ter." The escort helicopter flew into a wall of Communist fire at the battle of Ap Bac Jan. 2, with Dickerson and all crew- AIK FORCE VETERAN Pfc. John Dickerson of Mapleton, Maple-ton, reportedly a veteran of some 120 missions over South Viet Nam, literally rides shotgun on the escort helicopter "Hotbox" which has been shot at and hit at least five times by guerillas. |