My father, this exceptionnal man : General Nguyen Huy Anh, 3rd chap...

My father, this hero. General NGUYEN HUY ANH was an example of nobility, bravery, moral integrity for the South Vietnamese air force and, taken away at the age of 39, remains today a legend in the heart of veterans of this cruel war. Here is his story... and to relate it, I chose to borrow the voices of those close to him.

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To relate this short period in Nha Trang as Pilot Instructor, here is the voice of one of my father’s student.

Nha Trang 1955.

The heat of this beginning monsoon is, normally in my native south, oppressive. But here, vented by the sea wind, Nha Trang benefits a temperate climate, ideal for the training of young pilots as I am. Furthermore, the mountains surrounding the bay offer a very didactic topographical volume. Thus, Nha Trang Air Base is the most popular training center of our army.

We are ten pilot students, engaged in the South Vietnamese Air Force ... I just turned 18 years old. We wait, a little anxious and in line well aligned, our Pilot Instructor, Lieutenant Nguyen Huy Anh. As French Officers are gone one by one, they are replaced by Vietnamese crew.

The Lieutenant is a young Officer, barely older than me but we have all heard that he was one of the few selected to be trained in France, and will be off to Texas in few months, as the first Vietnamese pilot to be admitted to complete his training there. He started in Avord in France and Morocco.

All those distant lands make me dream ... They are not on earth, but on some another planet as they seem to me unreachable. The fact that our instructor comes back from Europe and Africa to train us is for me pure fantasy... and this fantasy is turning right now into reality. The Lieutenant is known for his exceptional flying skills as he graduated major from his training section.
His talent is not limited to piloting: He is a renowned Kung Fu practitioner in the South.

Such a man is already, for me, a reference without even having met him ...However, an apprehension weighs in my heart: I might be disappointed by knowing the man. This feeling makes the waiting even more uncomfortable, in addition to the stillness and my well known restlessness.

An "Attention" finally sounds out and here is the long-awaited Instructor.
"At ease," our Instructor ordered in a soft, deep voice, a discreet smile on lips.
He is not tall, rather slender, with a very untied, flexible gait. His piercing gaze seems to see through us, straight to our soul, but yet, with sympathy. He finally smiles frankly and introduces himself:

"I am Lieutenant Anh and from now on, I am your Alpha for the coming months. If you are attentive, perseverant and learn with patience, sincerity, then, I will give the best of myself. And if I give the best of myself, I expect no less from you. In this case, you will leave this formation as excellent pilots and your contribution will be precious for our Nation. "

Pride filled my chest and within few minutes, I was positive that I could follow this man through all threats. In my heart, I promised myself to give my best and why not, maybe even beyond.

The next morning, first day of training, we were all lined up in front of the training building waiting for our instructions. "Alpha" is now his nickname, the Lieutenant arrived toward us and even before we stood at attention, he let go: "At ease boys", then:
"First of all, I want you to know that as long as you are under my responsibility, I will consider you as my own family. So, since you are my family, it is important for me to know who you are... "
And he invited us, one by one, to introduce ourselves. He wanted to know our homeland, our course, our hobbies ... I have not been in the army since long but this is the first time I witness an Officer with so warmly manners.

Over the weeks of training, "Alpha" became our big brother, our referent, our model, our confidant, our advisor, and somehow, “Alpha” is the best nickname we could find for him... And for me, single son knowing little about my own father, the Lieutenant Anh became my idol. Especially that my first passion was Martial Arts practice.

It was with great pride that I stepped into his life, as his family, like my nine comrades. He was able to establish such a relationship that our group was welded for life.... Many years later when we were sent to every corner of Viet Nam, we kept in touch as blood brothers.

This is how "Alpha" entrusted us as we entrusted him. He told us, for example, that his fiancée and parents would visit him in Nha Trang (whom we all had the pleasure to meet once) and that he was born in Benh Tre in the Mekong Delta, in a rich family able to afford good schools for his studies, ending at the highly reputed Petrus Ky School.

The fiancée of Alpha

Alpha's parents

However, I enjoyed a closer relationship with "Alpha" through the Martial Arts link. I practiced Judo, Japanese art. So we trained together at our break time, transforming the lawn behind the air shed into an outdoor Dojo.
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Our aeronautic training was mainly on the Morane Saulnier 500, also called the "Criquet". But pilots simply called it "Grand Mother": Very slow (200km / h maximum in flight and 100km / h cruise), if this plane was excellent for field observation due to its great maneuverability, it offered no opportunity worth adrenaline rage and did not allow any exciting speed ... Exactly like a Grand Mother : Excellent for watching but slow for any other activity (all respects due to all Grand’ Ma in the world, though!).

For us, very young pilots full of ardor and boiling blood, it was a frustration to fly with “Grand Mother”. For my part, I dreamed of T6, T28 or other war birds, powerful, fast and aggressive.

One day I dragged my paw, a kind of reluctant to get into my non pride taken Morane, "Alpha" approached me.

"Did you take care of “Grand Ma” last evening after your flight?" he asked me.

"Yes, of course, my Lieutenant." I answered right away.

"Well, because what we're going to do today requires a flawless state of your plane, are you sure you've checked and maintained everything? A poorly maintained "Grand Mother" might let you down in the middle of the flight. When the 25 hours check has been made? "

All of a sudden, I felt less confident... like a trap closing on me. I had to search the service sheet to find the requested date.

"You have to know it by heart, without having to check it anywhere. You and your plane are both partners, a couple, understand that if you don't respect it, this plane will not respect you either. Don't have any regard for it, and it won't have any for you... And when you will really need it, it won't help you. This plane must be a part of you. "

"Yes, My Lieutenant ... But ... It's not a living being, My Lieutenant."

"When you enter a Dojo, do you salute?"

"Yes, my Lieutenant."

"Why salute a Dojo, it is not a living being, though?"

"Out of respect for the place, My Lieutenant."

"So a place where you train deserves respect and not a plane on which your life depends?"

Realizing all the pertinency of his analysis, I agreed.

"Get ready, pilot, we're going on mission, it'll be your first, come to the report when you're done."

My blood took fire. My first military mission! I made the "checklist" of my "Grand' Ma" closely, rubbed her like a copper cauldron to restore shine. I took my time to oil, screw and coddle my Morane. After an hour, "Grand' Ma" shone like a parade plane. My comrades whistled at my beautiful plane’s sight:

"Hey, are you going to get married?" They joked.

"No, I'm going on mission, guys!" I answered without denying a big pride warming my gut.

I left my comrades and their rounded eyes, heading the Head Quarters.

"Alpha" was studying the map.

"My plane is ready, My Lieutenant." I reported.

"Well, here is our mission: We are going to collect a report done by one of our agents, on the Viet Minh hideouts in the Bach Ma area. This report is hidden in one of the abandoned French villas. We will land in the mountain jungle, in this clear area, here."

He pointed the place on the map, then went on:
"We will refuel at Da Nang before arriving at Bach Ma, then, returning from Bach Ma, we will stop at Da Nang overnight before flying home."

The Nha Trang/Da Nang flight is the red line

After a silence, he went on:

"Questions ?"

"Yes My Lieutenant: Is the weather conditions good enough for this kind of landing ?"

"We don't have any choice, the report is drop on site today at 3:00 pm. We need to pick it up before someone else does, these kind of things must not linger, so whatever the weather conditions is, we must accomplish the mission, except of course, strong storm."

In front of my frowning face, he added, eyes sparkling:

"Good news, since this is your first mission, I will be with you."

09:15AM : My Morane takes off as a leaf blown in the wind. The lightness of this plane makes it vulnerable to air and fire, the slightest change in temperature has an impact on it. Rotation at 80km / h, flaps released at 15 °. I force gently the engine and at 2000m altitude, go back to the cruising speed. "Alpha" tested me:

"How long to the reach Da Nang ?"

"In four hours and twenty minutes, if our cruising speed is maintained at 100km / h, My Lieutenant, we will have to refuel, for it will be the reserve fuel limit."

"Alpha" kept a silence that I wish satisfied, not able to see his expression, as he was sitting behind me, in tandem.

The flight to Da Nang was pleasant, and it was with wonder that I admired the landscape scrolling under "Grand Ma", incredibly clear with a wide vision field. This plane is definitely the best observation plane of the army. The weather is rather cool, which made me feel quite comfortable.

Landing on Da Nang without wind. On the tarmac, "Alpha" told me to ask the mechanic for a machine gun mounted on port.

"We are entering a sensitive area, never know what can happen..." he explained.

This extra equipment was going to burden "Grand Ma" while making her balance less easy to handle and I welcomed it like a weight to drag. But orders are the orders.
Another problem arose: In Da Nang, I could not ask for the full tank fuel for my Morane. Due to technical situations, we were rationed for fuel at least until noon tomorrow. My Morane received 1/3 of his tank. Since Bach Ma was only 60 km away from Da Nang, that should be enough.

Da Nang, 4:00PM :

Paired with her machine gun, "Grand' Ma" is ready for a new take off.

We follow the coast in a rather clear sky but the mountain heights were pretty misty.
The China Sea shone with silvery bursts, hosting the feet of emerald mountains in its water. We took more altitude to cross the mountain range, heading for our landing zone. But when passing over the crests, in the quiet basin, we saw a sea of clouds welcoming us...

Without any wind to chase it, and a sweltering heat lifted the nebulous banks to our altitude. Pretty soon, "Grand Ma" was above a haze so thick that visibility on the ground was zero. As far as the eye could see, an opaque lid covered the mountainous bowl.

"My Lieutenant, I'm afraid we have to turn back, visibility does not allow us to land." I said in the microphone.

"How far is the flying autonomy ?" "Alpha" asked, behind me.

I took a look at my fuel gauge and it seemed stuck on half of the tank. I patted it with my nervous finger and it began to stir, ending still at "empty tank".

"The fuel gauge is blocked, My Lieutenant!" I concluded. Then, a little anxious, I proposed: "Can I change course to return to the base, My Lieutenant?"

"Why, Pilot?"

This question puzzled me. I replied, agitated: "Why, because we can only land if we find a breakthrough and for that, we must search over the whole area ... But the fuel gauge is stuck and ..."

"And haven't you calculated how many hours of autonomy can we keep, according to our speed, spending, the fuel reserve of "Grand Ma" since we left Da Nang?"

Alpha's question hit my mind like a chopper. But, yes, did not he tell us not to trust the gauges and always make the mental calculations to know our flight autonomy? I found this advice excessive then, but today, I understand its weight. I stammered a few apologies in my microphone, ashamed for committing such a rookie mistake. After a silence that seemed to last ages, "Alpha" let go:

"Fly over the area, we still have 2h15 flight time, according to my calculations."

After an hour of flying in circle and waiting over this compact mist, I expect at any time the order to return to the base ... when:

"There, at North West, a breakthrough! Go ahead, this is our only chance!" Ordered "Alpha".

I saw it too. A big turn on the left allowed me to see the breakthrough enlarging and below, the green of the forest. It was big enough for me to guess, through thin strips of fog, a zone clear enough to land "Grand Ma"... but barely bigger than a football field! My hands got sweaty, my heart started drumming and my breathing accelerated.

"My Lieutenant ... I ... I don't know if I'll be able to ..." I heard myself whisper in the microphone.

"Focus, pilot, you've already done this in training, "Grand' Ma" can land within a distance of 70m, you know it, and down there, you have all the distance needed." Answered "Alpha”.

I headed towards the cloud hole, pouring sweat on my forehead. No wind, I will land "Grand Ma" facing East. I make my last turn quite tight and find myself on the final line chosen, desperately short. "Grand Ma" is diving toward the ground, speed increasing dangerously... My hands are shivering, not to mention my mind...
I gently straighten the nose to lose some speed but this makes “Grand Ma” regains altitude.

"Take another turn" I said to myself… "You're too high ..."

In my headset, complete silence. No doubt that "Alpha" closely followed my moves.

I took another turn in order to lose more altitude and again headed to the ground, aligned on the final line. This time, I was at a good altitude but at this speed, we are going to crash ... I made a “go-around” again when I heard the microphone spitting the voice of Alpha:

"Regain some altitude and begin a sideslip on axis, right wing."

Sideslip on axis? But I never did it! He wants to kill us! Not listening to my fear twisting my stomach, I executed his orders. I press the left rudder and lean my stick on the right. In the microphone, his voice was calm and precise :

"More, press more, you are not compensated correctly."

I press more, "Grand Ma" sends her petticoat high on the left and leans dangerously right.

"We're going to spiral!" I said to myself, trembling ... But in my helmet, Alpha's voice kept silent. Then:

"Still ... Wait ... Wait ... Now, right now, you're balanced, land her !"

I straighten "Grand' Ma", gently, following Alpha's instructions on the blade. When the plane stabilized, I saw, amazed, that the altitude was perfect in the final line with a pretty high speed, though manageable for a quite "sturdy" landing. I convinced myself that "Grand' Ma" has a strong and long, long landing gear ... And breath hold, I let the three wheels kiss the ground.

In front of me, less than 250 meters away, stand huge trees. I have already landed "Grand' Ma" on a 80m distance in training, I can do it again...
The tires hit the ground violently, the plane bounced like a spring, once, twice, ricochet, skidded and resigned itself to roll on, quivering like a cocktail shaker. The brakes moaned and stopped “Grand’ Ma” few meters from the first giant tree.

I recover my breath... floppy in my seat. We were alive. I suddenly found myself feeling for "Grand’ Ma" boundless love. Yes, she was able to make me spit adrenaline!

The rest of the mission was uneventful and fortunately no offensive was encountered. The machine gun did not serve, at my great relief.
It was with the precious report on board and all my joy that we returned to the airbase of Da Nang.

To this day, I still bless the presence of Lieutenant Anh, "Alpha", during this mission, my very first. He remained engraved in my memory, in my heart, like a Big Brother whom I never dreamed to have in my life. During all my military career, I sought by all means to be in his regiment because to be under his commands, it is to be under a lucky star.

Viet Nam Nha Trang Army Macaroon