Rog and the Head Strike
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In February 1970, I transitioned to Loaches as a scout pilot (I had actually extended my tour to be a Loach pilot – that’s how crazy I was). We were on a mission in the northern part of the AO supporting some troops out of a firebase. Rog Johnson was flying front seat for the cover Cobra.
We landed at the Fire Support Base to get a briefing and there weren’t any improved areas for parking or aircraft, so we just picked a couple of spots. The spot I picked was in a slight depression – sloping up all around. We had both shut down both aircraft and the blades were spinning down when Rog hopped out of the Cobra and was walking straight at the Loach from the 12 o’clock position.
He still had his flight helmet on and as he got closer (remember those spinning blades), myself and the observer were waiving frantically for him to duck down to clear the blades – he just waived back. He failed to duck down to clear them, and a fairly slow moving bade hit him in the front of his helmet, turned the helmet 90 degrees and knocking him on his ass.
We had many laughs at Roger’s expense for this incident – and he was always very good-natured about it.
After I left Vietnam in August 1970, I maintained contact with the Troop though Eric “Goat” Brethen. I was very saddened to learn that Rog had extended to fly Scouts (like I did) and shortly after his transition to Scouts he was killed. As all of us with survivor’s guilt are wont to think, I really hope that Rog was not trying to follow in his early hero’s footsteps.