A Minnesota PBS Initiative
Flying Rev Billy Graham over Hue
Fifty years ago this coming Christmas, I was a crew member on a Huey helicopter as a door gunner. One day in 1968 our ship set down in Phu Bai to take a VIP for an aerial tour of the Phu Bai/Hue area. The VIP was Reverend Billy Graham.
He and his group approached on my side of the chopper, so I jumped out to help them in. He sat next to the right door, his back to the my left as I sat facing outwards. This was perfect for me as I was able to share the same view as presented to Rev. Graham.
Normally no one wore a seat belt, but my AC told me over the intercom to “Buckle him in”. I helped him buckle up. As we took off, the doors remained open and the guns at the ready once we cleared the outer perimeter wire.
We first flew just west of Phu Bai over restricted air space (a first for us) – a lush valley lined with beautiful French-style mansions surrounded by well-groomed flower gardens. Later, it turned out the people living there did not want the sound of helicopters invading their lives.
Outside my tent in Phu Bai, 28 December 1968.
Next, we flew back east to Hue and circled the Citadel a few times, located just north of the Perfume river. Ten months earlier Hue was the site of a major Tet Offensive battle. That day it was this odd mixture of battle-damaged walls and buildings all abloom with beautiful flower and food gardens.
Then we returned to our air base in Phu Bai to end the tour. The entire trip lasted a little more than 30 minutes. Afterwards, my crew and I felt good about our ship having been selected for this special mission.
I loved flying and my crew. After the crash, I never flew as a crew member again.
Epilogue: Three weeks later, on the morning of January 15, 1969 while I was on sick call with a toothache, my ship was shot down and burned for hours in the jungle. All crew and passengers were killed in action. I was put in charge of the honor guard which delivered the 21-gun salute during the memorial service a few days later. Four weeks after that I was discharged at Ft. Lewis and sent home. I loved flying and my crew. After the crash, I never flew as a crew member again.
In memory on Panel 34W:
Cpt William Allen Currence
1Lt Nicholas John Swidonovich
Sp4 Francis Henry Corwin, Jr.
Sp4 Ronald Dennis Slayton
*Ron was my replacement that morning.
War has many faces.
Biographical Details
Submitted From: White Bear Lake, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Hue, Vietnam 
Story Subject: Military Service
Military Branch: U.S. Army
Dates of Service: 1966 - 1969
Unit: Corps Avn Co, 1st Avn Bde
Specialty: 11F40
Story Themes: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, Army, Billy Graham, Death and Loss, Hue, Read, Ross Culverhouse, The Vietnam Memorial, The Vietnam Wall, White Bear Lake
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