Firefly

This mission is called a Firefly. After sunset, the Huey with the circular light array would fly along the river bank while shining the lights on the water looking for sampans. The gunships would fly higher and behind over the water and launch a pair of rockets into the sampan totally destroying it and its cargo.

The sampans were not allowed on the river at night as they would be transporting enemy troops, food, and/or weapons. Occasionally a secondary explosion occurred. That’s when the sampan is carrying explosives, (bullets, mortars, hand grenades, etc.) Those explosions could be quite spectacular with a ball of fire rising 100 feet above the water. The gunships would have to turn sharply away from the inferno so as not to be consumed along with the sampan.

We could shoot various weapons at those sampans besides rockets. At our disposal were the door gunners with their machine guns, the cannon the nose of the lead gunship, the wing man’s electric Gatling guns, (miniguns). The wing ship also had door gunners and rockets.

This mission could be an hour or most of the night which would include rearming and refueling the ships numerous times.

Occasionally some along the river bank would foolishly shoot at the Firefly ship. At night when any rifle is fired, (especially the AK-47) a 4-foot-long stream of red flames follows the bullet out of the barrel which tells the gunships exactly where the shooter is located. This ends that soldier’s career as the gunships have him pinpointed within a few seconds and targets him with a pair of rockets.

The good news is that you get the next day off after firefly mission.