Seeking the men of the Jolly Green Giants

June 4, 2022 8:40 AM

You are a very specific kind of Vietnam Vet: a former crewman of a Jolly Green Giant—more specifically the "Super" Jolly Green Giant HH-53 that came into service around 1967. I have specific questions about your service, and about the HH-53 helo you flew in during the war. I'm also interested in source materials concerning ARRS's and the big buff.

I'm in the middle of a piece that requires a working knowledge of the day to day of Super Jolly Green Giant helo crews and their squadrons, particularly during an active rescue attempt. I've read several books at this point, but functional knowledge of the nuts and bolts procedural variety has been thin so far: most of these are recounts of all the rescues performed and the air assets involved. This is very helpful, and has assisted me in getting an overall mental picture of how a rescue was processed and the role of the different aircraft and personnel involved. But I'm having a hard time getting the worm's-eye view of an enlisted pararescue jumper both on and off duty. I'm very interested in your experiences in the crew spaces of the bird

I'm interested in personal accounts, but if you have knowledge of helpful sources or written memoirs of service, I welcome those, also. Ground crew/mechanics who served will also have a perspective that can move my project forward.

If you have experience in the HH-53 after this period, this could also be helpful to me, as these birds were used for a long time: many of the procedures developed in the 1960s carried over for the next forty years (as I understand it) and are still in use today.

I am a non-veteran with C-PTSD, so I understand that this might be difficult to discuss, so please know that I will do everything in my power to respect boundaries concerning your recollections. I am willing to take this discussion out of the public space and onto memail if that suits any respondent

Thanks in advance for all who respond.

posted by ivanthenotsoterrible to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

Best answer: If you're looking for leads then it might be worth contacting the Combat Story channel on Youtube, as they've covered lots of Vietnam stories and might know people or organisations that could put you in touch with the jumpers you're looking for.

(YouTube has a lot of Vietnam stuff, including an interview with a retired Col. who flew Jolly Greens and a "segment on Airman 1st Class Dwayne D. Hackney, the most decorated para-jumper to serve in Vietnam", amongst many, many others, but that doesn't sound quite what you're looking for.)
posted by underclocked at 10:06 AM on June 4, 2022

Maybe go hang out at the local VFW or American Legion bar and buy the guys some beers? They'll know who the local former Jolly Giant crewmen are.
posted by mareli at 11:19 AM on June 4, 2022

Best answer: My dad flew a helicopter which was shot down and he was rescued by another helicopter, though I'm not sure which. He reunited with that pilot sometime in the past 20 years. If you want to talk to him let me know.
posted by sulaine at 11:49 AM on June 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: This might be a weird way to answer a ask.mefi question, but Quora seems to do really well with military questions like this.
posted by drezdn at 1:57 PM on June 4, 2022

Air Force CSAR association You might be able to contact a veteran through this group.
posted by nickggully at 8:42 PM on June 4, 2022 [1 favorite]