USAF ROTORHEAD Members

Terry L. Smith, Flight Engineer on UH-1N and CH-3E’s.

October 1971 AFB – Basic.

Jan – March 1972, at Shepard AFB TX.

April 1972 – Feb 1973 with Detachment 14, 44th ARRS at MacDill AFB, FL.

March 1973 -March 1974, PACAF with the Choggie Int’l Airlines at Osan AB, Korea.

April 1974 – September 1976, with the 350th SRS at Davis Monthan AFB, AZ.

A short biography detailing my military service;
I joined the Air Force in October 1971 after graduating high school. I went to Lackland AFB in San Antonio Texas for basic training. I was sent to Shephard AFB for helicopter mechanic training Jan-March 1972.
My first duty station was at MacDill AFB as helicopter assistant crew chief in Tampa FL., from April 1972-Jan 1973. Shortly after arriving to MacDill, I volunteered to go to Vietnam, by applying for a special program on helicopters. I was sent back to Shephard to train on CH-3E helicopters. Then water survival in Florida, then Combat helicopter training at Hill AFB Ogden Utah, the SERE school at Fairchild AFB in Washington state. Then Jungle survival training in Clark AFB in Philippines.

I was then stationed at Osan AB, Korea from Mar 1973-Mar 1974 in PACAF on CH-3E helicopters supporting mountain radar sites throughout Korea. In unit called Choggie Int’l Airlines.
In April 1974 I was stationed at Davis Monthan AFB In Tucson in the 350th SRS, where we accomplished Mid-air retrieval of “Buffalo Hunter” Drones in Korea and NKP Thailand.
I was TDY to Osan Korea once and NKP three times between April 1974 and June 1975.
My crew had finished a 60-day TDY to NKP in Feb 1975 and returned to Davis Monthan. In late April, my crew was sent back to NKP during the period of the evacuation of Saigon to accomplish reconnaissance of troops movement etc.

After the evacuation of Saigon, during the second week in May 1975, a mission was launched to recover the USS Mayaguez merchant marine vessel and crew from Cambodian forces.
One of the 21st SOS CH-53C’s went down near NKP early on in this mission. My crew from the 350th SRS provided support to recover the service members who perished on this fatal crash and the wreckage. This was my last flight outside of the US.
I spent another year with 350th SRS flying out of Davis Monthan, but within the U.S., such as Point Mugu, California and Yuma Arizona on recovery missions.

I was discharged from the Air Force in September 1976.
In 1980-1982 I served in an Army reserves MASH helicopter unit at Hobby airport Houston.