VHPA Black Widows & Spiders

188th AHC and C/101
Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association

188th AHC - MISSION STATEMENT – C/101 AHC

Our group is a not-for-profit fraternal organization. Its purpose is a) to foster camaraderie among those who served with the unit during the Vietnam War. b) provide information and contact information We are open to ALL Black Widows, their families and friends, as well as other interested in military history, and the general public. Please, come join us. For more information about our group, contact Bob Janes, Bob Quick or Richard Green Please note: The views and opinions expressed on this website are offered in order to stimulate interest in those who visit it. They are solely the views and expressions of the authors and/or contributors to this website and do not necessarily represent the views of others involved with keeping this group informed and interested.. If you have any suggestions for improvements to this site, please send them to webmaster@VHPA-BlackWidows.org We are here to serve you.

How it all began…
In 1985, Bob Gerald Crow (BW38) and Joe Sulak (BW22 aka Double Deuce) got together at an early VHPA gathering and started talking about the guys they served with in the 1968-1969 timeframe. That conversation led to their decision to try to get back in touch with all the Black Widow pilots they had flown with, and led to getting in touch with pilots who had served with the Black Widow from the forming of the unit (1966 at Ft Campbell KY) until its deactivation in 1972. What they did, and how it was accomplished will forever remain a mystery!
(Note:  Joe Sulak died in a helicopter crash in Hawaii in March of 2007, where he flew as chief pilot (and known as Helicopter Joe) for Hilo USA. Bob Crow, retired Tacoma WA Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant, died of a heart attack in February 2010.)

Shortly after attending a Black Widow reunion in Atlanta GA in 1992, Geoff Handel and Richard Green began to assist in locating pilots and suggested finding the crewmembers who served as well. Both were in touch with some enlisted crewmembers which helped to get the ball rolling. Several others joined in the locator effort, providing orders listing names and SSN, calling to find ones they knew. Others took over some of the more time consuming tasks to free Bob Crow from the immense load he had taken upon himself from day one.

The current list of those that were assigned to the unit from 1966 to 1972 has 1378 names, with as much information as could be gleaned from orders, morning reports, etc.  That list includes the names of the 42 who were KIA, 254 who have died since returning from Nam and has been expanded to show the 86 names/dates for those who have reported being WIA. (This information has been useful many times when a Black Widow needed to confirm a date regarding an incident that he was involved in.)

In addition, many photos/slides/movies that would have wasted away in some dark corner have now been scanned, preserved, and often consolidated on DVDs so that they can be shared with all who served in the unit, whether during the 188th, or C/101, timeframe.  At present there are some 28 DVDs available to those who want them and over 1500 DVDs have been sent to Black Widows who expressed an interest.

FTR (For the Record, for civilians) the unit, whether 188th or C/101, was the Black Widows. Anyone who joined the unit is/was a Black Widow.  Those who were assigned to the Gun Platoon during the 1966 thru 1968 time were known as the Spiders, but they too were/are Black Widows, not a separate group assigned to the unit.

The effort continues today to keep track of all that have been found/accounted for (922), to find those that are still not found and to keep all that are interested informed of what is going on, reunions, various other gatherings, etc.  The most unrewarding task is trying to determine those that have died since returning from Nam.

Anyone reading this article, who is in touch with anyone who served as a Black Widow that has not yet been “found”, is asked to please inform them and pass their contact information to Richard Green at signalocsbw36@comcast.net.

 

 

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