Michael Peake, Robin Haywood, Jon Bernstein, Matt Godec - -What does Du Me Mi mean?
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Jonathan A. Bernstein, Arms and Armor Curator at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia, recently contacted the Centaurs (Sep 2022) with news that another of our noted aircraft is undergoing preservation in Maryland. Mr. Bernstein's following correspondence outlines his discovery of our AH-1G 68-15012, "#1 Du Me Mi," originally flown in-country by Centaur 47 Captain Walter "Russ" Miller Jr. (Nov 1971-Nov 1972) and later, Centaur 49 1st Lieutenant Kenneth R. Mick (Oct 1971- Sep 1972), both men now deceased.
Mr. Bernstein:
"I wanted to reach out to see if it would be possible to contact any pilots or ground crews that flew or worked on AH-1G 68-15012, better known as #1 Du Me Mi. This past May I was on a parts acquisition mission for the restoration of our AH-1G (68-15140) at Aberdeen Proving Grounds when I was sitting in 012's rear cockpit about to remove the main control panel. When I saw the tail number, I immediately recognized it (Lou Drendel's original painting of her is hanging over my desk at home) and contacted colleagues of mine over at the National Museum of the US Army.
"I am now working with NMUSA to preserve her and restore her to as she appeared in the Fall of 1972 at Hue-Phu Bai. We have her complete history from her arrival in-country in May 1969, combat tours with the 334th AWC, 3/17 Cav, 2/17 Cav and ultimately F/4 before heading home in January 1973. She flew nearly 2000 combat hours in-country and then another 20 years in Army and National Guard service, ending her career with the 107th Cavalry, Ohio National Guard. After that, she was slated to be a target at Aberdeen, which is where we found her.
"While the aircraft herself tells a fantastic story, her restoration and exhibition will ultimately fall flat if the stories of the men who crewed and maintained her are not included as well. So, I am reaching out to see if there is any way to get the word out to your fellow Centaurs in order to ask for their recollections, anecdotes, photographs, etc. of "#1 Du Me Mi".
"I was fortunate to be able to write about her a bit in my book "AH-1 Cobra Units in Vietnam", which led me to earn my own pair of wings in 2007 when I became an Army Attack Aviator myself. I'm honored to be working on this project to preserve the history of those who came before me."
In a second e-mail, Curator Jon Bernstein provided an expansion on the history that we were unaware existed:
"Between the Army Gold Book entry and her maintenance records, we've been able to build a very accurate picture of her life over the past 53 years. She served almost four full years in Vietnam, flying with the 334th AWC, 3/17 Cav, 2/17 Cav, and ultimately F/4 Cav. She flew the majority of that with the 334th and almost as much with F/4. She was only with 3/17 and 2/17 for a few months respectively. She left Vietnam in January 73 with nearly 2000 combat hours. After returning to the States, she was back with the 334th for a few years before going to 2/10 Cav. She was turned in to an AH-1S in 1986 (rather late for the S program) and served with 4/107th Cav, OH NG from 1987 through the late 1990s. She was transferred to storage at Ft. Drum in 1999 and in 2000 was selected to be a weapons survivability target at the test range at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where she's been since then. She was actually slated for destruction on 23 May, but we were able to intervene and save her for the museum."
Matthew R. Godec CIV USARMY CMH (USA) National Museum of the US Army
"Centaurs: Thank you very much for your time and efforts in this ambitious initiative to document the history of 012! As we continue through the acquisition, restoration, and eventual exhibition phases, I am striving to support 012 with substantial "Solider Stories", the term we use at the National Army Museum, so once again, thank you for communicating to your members via the newsletters and any direct correspondence between myself and Jon. It is all greatly appreciated."
What does that mean? #1 Du Me MI
According to online entries, the problem is that it isn't Vietnamese, but rather bastardized French. Many Vietnamese didn't make the distinction between US and French forces and a lot of old phrases from the Colonial Days carried over because we were just another bunch of tall white people to them.
"du me mi" is roughly translated to mean "Your Momma," from the words "de maman," pronounced "doo ma ma." In the war slang vernacular, it was an insult...
....Online Quote: "Actually, being half Vietnamese myself and fluent in the language, the correct translation is "F" your mother. Can also be translated as mother-F-er as well. Du (f*ck), which depending on the dialect is often pronounced as Di(pronounced dee, which also means whore).