Rattler/Firebird Association

One of the things I remember most about my friendship with Don is all the friendly argueing we used to do about my
first ship an old D model with a real sick engine. I used to constantly try to RED-X the engine in the hopes that I’d get a new one for the old bird. And as soon as Don heard that I’d done it again He’d be out on the flight line. Don would grab the aircrafts log book, give it a quick glance, walk back and look in the exaust cone at the two inch deep puddle of oil in there and sign off my RED-X! Smiling at me the whole time! He’d laugh and say “It’s good for a couple thousand more hours!” Then we’d get into it! I’d yell”the damn thing bleeds at 30 pounds and leaks like a seive, the tail booms black!” And again Don would laugh and again tell me”I can’t get you a new engine, the airframes too old! The only way it’ll get an engine is back in the states when the whole things rebuilt!”
And we’d go at it again for another five minuites! Both laughing at the sorry situation we where stuck with. I had to keep it flying and Don had to keep signing off my RED-X’s. I was really upset the night He went down on that test flight. A few nights later the CQ and I drove the platoon 3/4 ton truck up the beach after the CQ received a phone call that the wreck had washed ashore. We got there and found most of the fusalage about 50 yards out in about 4 feet of water with the waves crashing over it. The nose ,seats, roof, tail boom, engine, and most of the transmission, rotors where gone. We waded out into the surf dragging the trucks winch cable, wrapping the cable around the bulk of the fusalage and then pulled it in as far as we could. We hoped our efforts might help in finding out what happened that terrible night. I still think about Don and remember his smile.

we grew up together , he was my older brothers buddy, and a wonderfull mentor to me, can anyone explain to me about what happened? he died when I was 15, we were kids who fished and talked and fished,he was a young man who loved his wife, family, his god and country. Please email me if you were touched by him in your sacrifice/service, may god bless you and all that served.