Info Sheet - Michael D. "Mike" Holder
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
July 2025: Mike Holder CW2 Scout Pilot (Centaur 13) brings us up to date on the crew members he worked with:
....."John Adams was a Spec 4 crew chief. (His MyPage corrected to show Crew Chief not Gunner), Sgt Milan Lee was an 11B. He was a door gunner/observer. Chester Stanley did fly with Jim and later with Andy and later for a short time with me.
I was assigned 69-17169, Super Egg Ii, my main crew on Super egg Ii was crew chief Spec 4 John Adams and Gunner/Observer Milan Lee. We were shot down in her 3 times and was downed by engine tail rotor failure on another mission. We made one more emergency landing when my crew chief shot through all the rotor blades when we were in a tight right turn returning ground fire. We had to land and replace the blades to finish the mission in a rice field.
I did fly with Chester for a while with another gunner. But most of my time was with Adams and Lee. Chester did crew chief 303 for a time. And I did fly with him on that aircraft briefly.
After I was shot down in Cambodia with Adams and Milan Lee. The aircraft was recovered. It was repaired from having received moderate gun fire damage.The aircraft was later assigned to Mr. McCoy and Adams and Lee remained as her crew. Around September of 70 Mr. McCoy and crew were flying a recon mission at the Crescent area and Mr. McCoy was wounded, Milan (kIA)."