Member Meeting
|
March 21, 2012
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. |
John Palmer, US Army helo pilot in Vietnam.
| The speaker for our March 21, 2012, membership meeting is John Palmer who will be sharing his experiences flying Hueys and Cobras with the US Army Air Cavalry in Vietnam during 1970 and 1971. He will be talking about combat operations and tactics including Operation Lam Son 719 which involved the early 1971 invasion of Laos using Republic of Vietnam ground troops and U.S. air support. |
|
Bio:
John grew up in Castro Valley and attended Chabot College before moving on to Utah State University. He was drafted and flew helos as a Warrant Officer. His Vietnam experience also includes a tour in 1968-1969. Following his combat service, John was assigned by the Army as an instructor pilot with National Guard units. He went on to command an Attack Helicopter Squadron consisting of 36 aircraft and 356 service personnel. After Vietnam, John began flying with Western Airlines which was soon merged with Delta Airlines where he retired after 20 years as a Boeing 767 Captain. He has logged 30,000 hours flight time including 7,000 hours piloting rotary winged aircraft. He is currently a docent aboard the USS Hornet in Alameda where, as he says, for an Army guy, the learning curve was “vertical”. John and his wife reside in Moraga.
|
 |
Location:
Mesa Beverage Company, Inc.
3200 N. Laughlin Road. Santa Rosa, CA
Directions: From Santa Rosa, take Highway 101 North and exit at Airport Blvd. Turn left on Laughlin Road toward the museum. The Mesa building is located on the left side of the street just past the museum and Nob Hill south gate.
