Bell® UH-1B Huey, HAL-3 Seawolves (1969), 16" Mahogany Scale Model

HAL-3 Seawolves UH-1B (1969) Model Fly with the Seawolves of HAL-3 again with this UH-1B with 1969 markings. Each model is carefully carved from wood and hand painted to provide a very unique piece of art. Length - 16 inches Made from Mahogany US Veteran-Owned Business Officially Licensed by Bell The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger.   Bell®, emblems, logos, and body designs are trademarks of Textron Innovations Inc. and are used under license by Squadron Nostalgia LLC.     As the United States increased its presence in the Republic of Vietnam, the Marine Corps reactivated VMO-3 at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton on 1 August The Seawolves would see their first major action while still part of a detachment of HC-1. On 31 October 1966, two Navy boats encountered a superior force of over 80 boats transferring a Viet Cong battalion. Encountering fierce resistance from them, the Navy boat commanders requested close air support (CAS). Scrambling and arriving within approximately fifteen minutes, the Seawolves would claim 16 Viet Cong boats sunk or destroyed.[9] After the commissioning of HA(L)-3, the Seawolves continued to support Navy Operations. Missions included Search and Destroy patrols, reconnaissance, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), and SEAL Team insertion and extraction. By the time of their decommissioning on 16 March 1972,[10] the Seawolves flew over 120,000 combat sorties over Vietnam and Cambodia. Over 200 Seawolves would be wounded in combat and 44 would be killed in action. Write up provided by crew member THE CHARIOT of ANGELS Seawolf 306 – Peggy Sue Peggy Sue was a well-armed UH-1B Navy helicopter gunship with a crew of two pilots and two door gunners. Peggy Sue was more than just a helicopter to us, she was our chariot. Her role was to perform unbelievable maneuvers when called upon in the time of need. My role as door gunner/Crew chief was to ensure she was in good enough condition to perform her tasks successfully. Although, age began to set in and it became harder for her to carry the heavy load for us. The following is a summary of what led up to a very unfortunate tragedy. Having spent the night standing guard over the troops, Peggy Sue and her wingman could be spotted skimming over the treetops of the jungle canopy of South Vietnam. Whenever the troops were engaged in a firefight, the battled hardened maiden along with her wingman would be called in to engage the enemy from above. One night our fireteam of two helicopter gunships showed up to a gunfight to take on the unearthly 51-Cal. As the battle ensued, the 51-Cal's red hot tracers pierced through the night sky as if they were streaming up from the bowels of hell below. In return, both aircrews rained down fire from above with enough force to put the fear of god into anyone on the receiving end of their wrath. As the smoke cleared, the enemy ended their attack on the outpost and limped away into the darkness of the night. Peggy Sue, gravely damaged, struggled to bring her crew back home alive. By the grace of God, Peggy Sue carefully set the crew down onto the darkened landing pad. Severely damaged, the maintainers worked countless hours to bring her back home again. Just over a week later, we were happy to see her return to pick up where she left off. She continued to hold her own as the days went by, until one night she succumbed to the endless beatings that were inflicted upon her over the years. It was a night I will never forget. It was a moonless night when we returned home from a firefight. I was sitting in the middle position training a new gunner on the 50 cal. Ray Winters was manning the M60 on my left. We reloaded our munitions and topped off Peggy Sue with JP-4. It was when we were taxing back to our staging area when for the very first time Peggy Sue could no longer carry the tremendous load for us. Her engine failed and she dropped like a rock hitting one skid on a berm in a shallow pond. Peggy Sue