Heroic Kingbee Pilot's Story: Saving SOG Teams in Laos & Cambodia

The Kingbees: South Vietnamese Air Force Heroes

• 🐝 The 219th Special Operations Squadron, known as the "Kingbees," were a vital unit of the South Vietnamese Air Force attached to MACV-SOG.
• ✈️ These fearless pilots flew the H34 "Choctaw" helicopter, an older but robust aircraft, often saving Green Beret teams during dangerous missions across enemy lines.
• 🇺🇸 The "secret war" in Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam involved 1,581 Americans still missing in action, including 83 aviators and 50 Green Berets.

Flying the H34 "Choctaw" in Combat

• 🛡️ The H34, despite being called a "flying dinosaur," offered superior protection with thick steel armor under the pilot's seat, crucial for surviving ground fire.
• 💥 Steve Dong recounts being shot down at least twice, once in an H34 in 1971 and again in a Huey in 1973, highlighting the inherent dangers of their missions.
• 🚁 While the Huey was preferred for general travel due to its aesthetics, the H34 was favored in combat for its protective features and ability to perform rough maneuvers.

The "Falling Yellow Leaf in the Storm" Maneuver

• 🍃 The Kingbees employed a unique maneuver called the "falling yellow leaf in the storm" (la vang roy) for dangerous landings and extractions.
• 🌀 This involved a spiral descent with engines in neutral, engaging the engine and flaring just before landing, a maneuver that instilled fear but saved many lives.

Surviving Enemy Fire and Near Misses

• 🎯 During a 1971 mission near Cambodia, Steve's H34 was shot, but the armor deflected the bullet, saving his life but wounding his crew chief.
• 💥 In a harrowing 1973 incident flying a Huey, Steve was shot down, experiencing a pedal failure that led to a crash landing in a swamp.
• 🚀 The Kingbees often returned from missions with numerous bullet holes, patched up and camouflaged, a testament to their resilience and the pilots' skill.

Personal Journey and Motivation

• 👨‍ Professor Dong's father, a nationalist who opposed communism, was shot and killed by communists in 1946, deeply influencing Steve's anti-communist stance.
• ✈️ Inspired by a book about a Vietnamese Air Force pilot and seeing pilots in action, Steve joined the South Vietnamese Air Force in 1966, initially dreaming of flying jets but training on helicopters.
• 🎓 After training in the US, he returned to Vietnam in 1969, serving with the 219th Squadron for over six years, flying numerous dangerous missions.

The Tragic Loss of Friends and Escape

• 💔 In March 1975, during the fall of Ban Me Thuot, Steve's close friends Captain Hung and Captain Son were killed in action during a mission under heavy SAM-7 missile fire.
• 🚁 Steve himself survived a SAM-7 attack that destroyed Hung's gunship, with his own helicopter sustaining damage and experiencing control issues, possibly due to his co-pilot's intervention to save him.
• 🇻🇳 Following the fall of Saigon, Steve endured re-education camp and later immigrated to the US, where he reconnected with his co-pilot and learned the extent of his survival.

Honoring the Fallen and Preserving Memory

• 🕊️ The story of Captain Hung's remains being found 36 years later, aided by a psychic and a butterfly, highlights the enduring search for closure and remembrance.
• 🎗️ The video emphasizes the heroism of Vietnamese pilots like Steve Dong and the Kingbees, whose stories are often overlooked in the broader narrative of the Vietnam War.
• 🇺🇸 The episode concludes by honoring all service members and acknowledging the 1,581 Americans still missing in action from the conflict.