HONORING ONE OF OUR OWN

Peter Lane made a print of Bruce taking out the .51 Cal for which he received a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). It took him about 40 hours with a ball point pen (BIC). Peter displaying Bruce Nesmith’s heroism.

It will be presented April 8 at 11:30 a.m. to Bruce at the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Novosel (Rucker) by Col Cody.

Bruce Nesmith depicted behind the Huey machine gun on 12 November 1969.

Bruce Nesmith depicted behind the Huey machine gun on 12 November 1969. A loach (OH-6) on a hunter killer team was nosing around in the edge of the hills when it was shot down. It crashed in a thicket about 400 meters down from the ambush site. Both crewmen were wounded and hiding near the crash location. The cobra flew down to try and rescue the crew, and it was shot down crashing in the same area.

Shortly afterwards, a Huey slick (UH-1H) attempted to rescue the downed crew when it was shot down and crashed in the same spot. That made eight aircrews with four wounded in the thicket. The C&C sent two Huey slicks with an infantry squad on board to provide some ground support and both were shot down crashing in the same general area as the others.

A Huey medivac made a try for the wounded, and it was shot down crashing in the thicket as well. That made six downed helicopters and twenty-eight men in what was being called helicopter valley.

Bruce Nesmith represents all Huey crew chiefs and door gunners in Vietnam. Men behind a machine gun who were routinely eyeballed to eyeball with a well-armed enemy on the ground and from a vulnerable highly visible low and slow flying aircraft. As Newsweek magazine quoted about us, not unlike the Lafayette Escadrille during WW1.

B Co 158th Avn "LANCERS" Artwork by Peter Lane

L-R: COL Clint Cody,Commander, Peter Lane, Artist,

Lancers: Bruce Nesmith, Honoree, Howard Strickler, Lancer, Steve Smith Redskin 16

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From FACEBOOK

Clint Cody is at U.S. Army Aviation Museum and Training Support Facility.

These are the days I love what I do and love wearing the uniform. I have always said any day I can recognize a Soldier, especially a Vietnam hero and veteran, is a great day. On behalf of B Co 158th Avn "LANCERS", I was honored to present this awesome print, done with only a ball point pen, to Bruce Nesmith. This print commemorates and recognizes his heroic actions on 12 November 1969 when he took out a .51 caliber machine gun nest that had previously shot down 6 aircraft. Due to his heroism and skill, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. To say we stand on the shoulders of giants is an understatement and its Soldiers like Bruce and the Lancers who paved the way for our generation of aircrews. Definitely proud to know these legends.

Colonel Clint Cody

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Mike Jacobi

I shared his Facebook with these comments.

Thank you, Colonel Clint Cody, for recognizing that Bruce Nesmith also proudly represents the thousands of other unsung crew chiefs and door gunners in Vietnam. The men behind machine guns who were routinely eyeball to eyeball with an enemy on the ground shooting tracer rounds at their aircraft. Aircraft containing a thousand moving parts and 1,200 lbs. of jet fuel.

The artist Peter Lane wisely brings this enemy into view here in his artwork which dramatizes how highly venerable these low and slow flying aircraft were.

Without these “men in the back seat” none could have survived.

As Newsweek magazine quoted, "not unlike the Lafayette Escadrille during WW1”.

Those of us B Co 158th Avn "LANCERS" who lived did so …. because of these men. like Bruce Nesmith.

And those we lost have their *names etched in a granite monument between Tennessee and Kentucky Blvd’s on Fort Campbell, KY.

A monument whose dedication was also supervised by Col Clint Cody as then Commander 101st CAB, Wings of Destiny.

With eternal gratitude to you sir,

Mike Jacobi, Vietnam Lancer 26