Stephen James & Larry Brassell
Memories from the Battle of Kontum
Dear Jack,
I have been in contact with Larry Brassel since I found your website. Your generosity and hard work are bringing us all closer. Thank you!! I am forwarding our communications to you so that you will see the product of your labor.
Steve James
From: "Stephen James"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 5:53 PM
Subject: VHPA and photos
Dear Larry,
The photo of 1LT Craig Smith was taken in June or July 1972, not August. I left Pleiku on or about 1 August 72 and he just happened to be at the airbase and came with me to the back ramp of the C-130 to say goodbye. The person I am calling Craig Smith was a 1st LT in the Scalp hunters. We also called him "Triple Nickel" because the last three of his tail number on his OH-6 was 555. He also got shot down north of Kontum by the main gun of a T-54 tank and escaped. I have just mailed you my CD of pictures and there is one picture of three guys standing in front of a Loach at Kontum. I am the one in the middle, Craig is to my left and I can't remember the other guy's name. I am not going to be able to come to the VHPA Reunion. My wife, the kids and I are going to Honolulu July 6-12 for a vacation. Hopefully I can come next year. Funny, I was an early member of the VHPA and I have never gone to a Reunion. Guess I was missing more than realized. It is sad to hear that Craig Smith and Jack Rogers have passed away. I will always remember them as young men in the prime of their lives. Why didn't I take more pictures of the fellows instead of bullet holes and the scenery? Some of my memories have become hazy but some are indelibly inscribed in my mind as if it were yesterday. For example the day Jim Stein lost his leg I remember meeting him walking towards the flight line and I was walking towards the hootches, he was carrying his helmet in one hand and a map case in the other, it was just before dawn. We passed without speaking. Later when I heard what happened to him I thought "Those were some of the last steps he took on that leg." I still have many other innocuous memories that I have held inside and now they are being tested by other people’s memories of the same events. In some ways it is good to read the recorded memories and confirm my own and yet it is a little disturbing to find out that they might not all be as accurate as I had thought. I hope this makes sense to you.
You can share my photos with the guys at the VHPA; I sent a copy to Jack Heslin today as well. If anyone has any questions about one or more of the photos call me at (501) 654-2473 (home) or (501) 745-2468 (work) or e-mail me at this address.
Steve James
From:
To: "Stephen James"
Subject: Re: VHPA and photos
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:07:56 -0500
Steve,
I can't wait to see the pictures. I do not remember when Smitty and I left country but we both got about a fifteen day drop. I suppose I could go back and look at records but it ain't that important. I do know we both left country at the same time so you must have left before us. I remember the day Smitty got shot down by the tank. His observer, Robbie Robinson got hit in the fanny by an AK or at least he thought it was an AK. I also wish you were coming to VHPA. Next year will have to do. You don't have to feel to sorry for Jim. He beats the heck out of me in golf with one leg. I would hate to think what he would do with two. I think I would rather know but, it is what it is. I am just glad to have him with us. He is one heck of a man and my hero to this day. As you can tell I am a one man Jim Stein fan club. I would have followed him anywhere.
My wife went to VHPA last year in Dallas and decided she enjoyed it so we will go to all of the future reunions. I can't wait for her to meet Jim's wife. She has to be a very special lady.
Thanks again for the contact and I will wait till next year to see you. Don't apologize for your memory it can't be any worse than the rest of us. Thirty-three years takes its toll.
Larry
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen James" sjames115@hotmail.com
To:
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 12:02 PM
Subject: Re: VHPA and photos
Larry,
I too think highly of Jim Stein. I went into the NG in 76 flying Mike model gunships and H model slicks and retired in 90. We all were vets and we wore each other out telling our war stories. I told everyone then that I knew someone who should have gotten the Medal of Honor-Jim Stein. When you see him ask him if he remembers me. I gave him my 40mm chunker and a vest of ammo when I felt that you Scalp Hunters could use it more than me.
In that vest were a couple of CS rounds and one day Jim found a bunker that he thought might contain some NVA soldiers. He fired the CS into the bunker but couldn't tell if they worked. That day I had a .50 cal mounted on my ship so we shot it up with that hoping it would penetrate the bunker and then went on our way. I think that it was Jim Stein who pulled WO1 Taylor and his crew out of a little hover hole after his ship was shot down by an RPG in an LZ east of Dak To. I was at a hover getting ready to take off when" blam" his ship rolled over right next to mine and all hell broke loose. They got out okay, except their survival vests were lost in the ship when it rolled over. Somehow they found one and then proceeded to crawl out of the LZ. The next problem was they didn't know which way to E&E. There were Vietnamese soldiers on opposite sides of the LZ waving at them to come to them. They crawled out and luckily it was to the good guys. From there they were chased through the jungle being shot at until they got to a small hover hole where a Scalp Hunter picked them up, but not before a standoff with ARVN soldiers who also wanted to get on the loach. The observer convinced the ARVN with his M-60 to back off. It would have taken two loaches to pull out the four crewmembers and everyone got out okay. Do you recall this incident? There is more to the story, but I think Jim Stein was piloting the first loach. Taylor is in a couple of my photos showing where a round came through his windshield and ricocheted off my seat. I look forward to your comments and those of Jim Stein and anyone else you see at the Reunion.
Steve James
From:
To: "Stephen James"
Subject: Re: VHPA and photos
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 15:14:28 -0500
Steve,
Yes, I do remember the incident with Gary Taylor. I was the second scout in the LZ and we had the same incident with the ARVN. My observer was Robbie Robinson and he had to point his 60 at the ARVN that was sure he had a ride out. Gary Taylor was a class mate of mine in flight school. After that little incident Taylor would go to a bunker at Kontum when we stood-by and would not come out. One day I threw a red smoke grenade in the bunker to make him come out and he chased me for a good ten minutes. Good thing I was a little younger then and in good shape because Gary was a good bit larger than me and he was very mad at the time. After the chase he went back to the bunker. I think the rocket that hit Kontum and wounded one of our observers had a little bit to do with Gray’s hibernation also. There is so much we have to talk about and so many memories.
Larry
Stephen James & Larry Brassell <sjames115@hotmail.com & lbrassel@bellsouth.net>
USA - Friday, July 22, 2005 at 10:59:02 (PDT)