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I was a Pachyderm from Dec 69 to Feb 71. I was on the recovery team that went out
to prepare that Chinook to be slung out. It was one of our aircraft. It was hit with
two RPGs right in the APU. The crewchief was my roommate. Luckily, they made it
to the ground ok. I couldn't remember if it was a Varsity or Playtex aircraft that
came to sling it out. They had the "Super Cs" with the L-11 engines. A Co. didn't
have any yet. We took the blades and heads off and engines off via slinging them off
with the Chinook. Quite an experience.

We took the aft blades and head off first. One guy was sitting on top of the aft head,
Indian style, to hook up the sling. When the aircraft came in, the downwash started
the blades turning. Pretty funny watching him spin around and yelling like a banchee.
I went up and grabbed a forward blade and because the forward part of the aircraft
was facing the downslope of a hill, the forward blades were only 1 or 2 feet off the
ground. I basically hugged the forward blade to keep them from turning so they
could hook up the aft head. That blade beat the @*%$! out of me and I had a big
bruise on my chest for a month. Jim Wheeler.

A Co/159 (Pachyderm) CH-47C 67-18526 was hit by an RPG in the
ramp area (believed to be near Ripcord). In the first photo below are
Pachyderms Dick Jewell, Jim Wheeler, and Joe Garvey. The blades
and engines were removed to lighten the load.

Photos provided by Dick Jewell.