Company A

227th Assault Helicopter Battalion

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)



May 19, 1968
Ho Chi Minh's 78th Birthday Celebration
Robert Kelly and Ernie Kramer's Promotion Party
Great Firework Show Provided By Camp Evan's Ammo Dump

by CW2 Robert Kelly


After a routine day of flying, Kelly and Kramer were looking forward to receiving their W-2 bars. That evening they made the short trek through our dirt flight line, the proud 227th Hueys sitting in their revetments. Then walking over the downward tilting dirt and rocky runway arriving at the battalion area composed of an awkward group of various size tents and conex containers.

After a short wait we were invited into the battalion briefing tent. It was filled with A,B,C and D company commanders, various battalion personnel and of course the battalion commander. We were first up and after a few nice words we moved to the front and had medal W-2 bars clipped on over our camouflaged cloth W-1 bars. A few more nice words and we turned and started to leave. However we were called back and after an apology we had to give our bars back. It is true. The battalion commander informed us that those W-2 bars were all that they had and needed them back for future promotion ceremonies. Ha! - W-2's for five minutes.

We exited the tent and got congratulations from the Battalion Flight Surgeon. He invited us to share some beer he had in a cooler. Of course we did. Then he showed us his new bunker he had just completed. It was large enough for a dozen or more soldiers. The base was made of upright, sand filled 55 gallon drums. From there a frame holding up sand bags was installed tall enough fo a person to stand in. This bunker was about twenty feet from the entire 1st Cavalry Division ammo dump and next to the Battalion Headquarters tent where we got promoted. There was a dirt abutment surrounding the ammo dump. We were talking outside the bunker door when a huge explosion shook us.

We knew it was a Russian rocket, that it was close, and it was in the ammo dump. We started talking about the rocket, to ourselves and each other. "Don't ignite our ammo", "Stay quiet", "We are screwed if this dump blows", "So far so good", "We are glad you built this bunker, just in case", "Pleeez don't blow", "Don't think it will blow now, its been quiet long enough" ------------ Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom.

We stepped inside the bunker. The explosions at this point were not that loud and we all foolishly were hoping the ammo on fire would stay within its inner side wall. Then the booms started getting louder and in larger areas within the dump. The fire in the ammo dump was larger but none of us could even imagine what was to come.

Two hours went by. Ernie, the flight surgeon, and silhouettes of four or five unknown soldiers, and I were in a dusty oven of a bunker with our large artillery shells blowing up in such speed that there was no break in the sound between the shells blowing up, 105, 155, 175 and 8" artillery shells, and all the other ammo. And there was the occasional whistling of spinning metal. It was one huge sound, like the launch of a space shuttle except lasting hours rather then minutes. The fire was a hundred feet high and baking us. Shrapnel was going out in every direction burning and bending our helicopters and burning many of the 227th tents down. Some of the shrapnel was going straight up and raining down on us.

Why would more rockets be shot in? At hour two or three, a rocket hit the corner of our bunker near the door. The bunker held but a blast of hot air and dust blew through the door, We could not see each other for a while but by touch we shared two blankets to breath through.

About an hour later I stood up and was looking out a 12"x6" peep hole. It was like a scene from the burning part of "Apocalypse Now" and maybe hell? I saw many helicopters burning and 227th tents burning. Ernie was behind me a bit and a rocket hit right in front of that peep hole, how far I do not know. I know this. The blast lifted me up, knocked me into Ernie and threw us backward into the ground. I could not see. I told Ernie I was blind. I opened my eyes and saw no light, nothing. I thought I was blind for a couple of minutes after which I saw a bit of light. Slowly and painfully my sight began to return. When the blast of dust and debris came through the peep hole my eyes were wide open and into my eyes it went. Water eventually flowing from my eyes started cleaning them. Even though it was painful I was happy because I could see.

It was still dark but getting near first light. The ammo dump explosions started to slow but still increased intermittently. At this time the entire division stores of CS gas ignited. The gas floated right over and into our bunker. We where sweating profusely so the pain of the gas increased. Basic training with CS paid off. Ernie and I made plans that we would escape this bunker during the next slowdown in the explosions. It came soon and we were out of there. We had to run through the Bn HQ tent. The canvas was burnt off but the wood poles were still smoldering. Ernie went under some debris and I went over it landing on him. I include this because this is one of the things we laughed about over the years.

We made our way across the flight line between burnt helicopters. We could not see all of the live ammo we traversed until morning. When we got near the 227th area we realized we might be shot. We rested on the 227th side of a revetment. We started hollering at the personnel in the 227th. We did not want shot. Someone called from C Co. and gave us safe passage. We knew D Co. was to the left of C Co. We got into C Co. area and made our way to our home.

There were hugs all over. They had given us up for dead. We got into a bunker, drank a lot of water and rested. This is the first time I knew we would survive this night. Our tent collapsed about 20 minutes later. A piece of artillery round finally cut the last guy rope supporting the tent. A little later I crawled to my sleep area pushing the heavy tent up as I went. I got there and was kneeling next to my cot removing my mosquito net, grabbed my poncho liner and pillow and returned to the bunker.

When we were cleaning up that morning I was very surprised to see an 81mm mortar round by my cot right where I was kneeling under the tent getting my poncho liner.

You will find three pictures on this website photo album documenting this.
First you will see the floor by my cot crushed by the mortar round.

Robert Kelly Photo

Then you will see the mortar round resting on the outside of the sandbags. EOD was to busy to take it away. Robert Kelly Photo

The third picture is me, sitting on the sand bags reading a letter someone handed me. It was from my grandmother. She was always there when I needed her.
Robert Kelly Photo

I don't know how many casualties in all. Here is what I know. A WO-1, two weeks in country, was killed when an artillery round penetrated his bunker and hit him in the back. My friend from flight school, Jim Krull, showed me the local papers his mother sent him. Jim was also wounded by the same round which damaged his knee. They were with the 2/20th, ARA and just returned from a mission. There was a 227th guy that stepped on a 40mm grenade. A med-evac helicopter landed in our area and hauled him off. Those are the only ones I know about. There were rumors that two or three South Vietnamese working for us were shot and killed. I have never veriļ¬ed that. The entire LZ was covered in heavy shrapnel and live ammo.

The 227th was no longer a combat unit. We lost 77 "horses", our helicopters, out of 78. The 78th was not on Camp Evans that night. I have always wondered how many helicopters were lost in total. Camp Evans had helicopters also assigned to ARA, Med-evac, Hq&Hq Co, 1/9th and probably more.

Finding helicopters fast. Get back to combat. Our Division General, MG Tolson and General Westmoreland worked on this and within a few days the helicopters were found. They were the sorriest D and B models in all of Vietnam but we would make do. We were given a Caribou and it dropped us off at various locations.

Robert Kelly Photo

This Caribou was assigned to us. It was packed with pilots. We flew all over Vietnam picking up Huey's. Ernie and I picked up two B models from Pleiku. Westmoreland needed to get us combat ready again.

Ernie and I were dropped at the 1st Infantry Division at Pleiku. Their General wouldn't give us the B Models. Their excuse was they had not finished the new Cobra transitions. We went to their TOC, and called Major Fyffe, our CO, who called MG Tolson who called Westmoreland who called 1st Infantry Division, who must have got his ass chewed because as soon as they were cleaned up and refueled we got our helicopters. Ernie and I made our escape plan. We were solo and no guns. If one of us went down anywhere near Mang Yang Pass with an engine failure or precautionary landing the one would pick up the other and we would keep going to An Khe leaving the downed helicopter behind. Didn't have to!

With a lot of work from every soldier on Camp Evans the cleanup preceded briskly. I can't remember when we were back flying combat assaults. It was not long. I always liked the CW2 rank. Getting it was very memorable. Bars given and taken away. We joked about how could the battalion function with four helicopter companies when it could not even obtain W-2 bars.

Nobody ever outdid our promotion fireworks. What a show. We heard it could be seen from Hue, Quang Tri, Dong Ha and places unknown. And the NVA. Can you imagine them sitting on ridges eating popcorn while watching the show. And of course they had two things to celebrate. Exploding the ammo dump and Ho Chi Minh's 78th birthday. It was a good day for our enemy.

And a good day for Ernie and I.

We survived.

Robert Kelly Photo

Last updated March 16, 2018
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