"Eyeball to Eyeball with the Enemy"

"Eyeball to Eyeball with the Enemy"
Submitted by -1LT Robert Brewster, Headhunter 37, 3rd PLT LZ English Sep '70-Oct '71

AUGUST 1971 In 1970-71, we all knew the bad guys were down there watching us. Had we been any higher per the "rules" they would have had a better chance of hitting us. And because the friendly ground forces were getting scarce throughout the AO as the good guys pulled back,  flying low was not breaking any rules, it was to me self preservation,. Plus how close can you fly a Bird Dog to the ground without hitting anything? I was flying low level down Happy Valley near the Mang Yang Pass. My wheels felt like they were on the water when I made a slight turn to the right as the river curved. Right under my left wing tip only a few feet away was a fully outfitted NVA Regular in mid stride. New pith hat, canteen with cover, new uniform, AK, etc. We surprised the hell out of each other and I will never forget looking into his eyes just the length of the wing away. Of course I was gone in a split second and he disappeared back into the jungle. Turned out a few weeks later that he was part of a large NVA Regiment moving south filling in the areas we were leaving. What an airplane! Just slow enough to see things and just fast enough to get away. As O-1 pilots in RVN, I think we were the last of an era stretching back to the early beginnings of airplane flying.