Still flying high Published May 3, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Stephanie Ashley Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- "I left in July of 1965 for Vietnam," Richard Stark, retired Army helicopter engine repairman said, slowly adjusting his glasses. "We went over on the Kula Gulf and we took 104 helicopters with us." Stark was born in 1943 in Turtle Lake, N.D., and joined the Army at the age of 18, right out of high school. "I was raised as a farmer, and joining the Army was my way to do something different with my life." Stark remarked. His first assignment was in Greece working on missiles, but in 1964 he reenlisted and began his training at Fort Eustis, Va., to become a mechanic capable of working on the engines of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois' known as Hueys. He was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., as part of the 11th Air Assault Division but was unable to begin working in his field as a mechanic. "I drove a staff car or picked up cigarette butts," Stark said with a shrug. "I volunteered to go to Vietnam." He went on to say this was his chance to do his real job, working on the Huey. According to Stark, infantry men from the 1st Cavalry Division would clear the landing areas in the central highlands of An Khe, Vietnam. The civil engineers would follow afterward with tools to level the ground at the base of the mountains so the Huey's could land. Approximately 7,000 UH-1 aircraft were in service during Vietnam. The aircraft is now known as the UH-1N Huey and has been upgraded to a dual-engine craft to meet the demands of today's mission. "Us guys with the choppers were one of the last groups to go so everything was ready for us," Stark continued, "I extended my tour by two months while I was there because I didn't want to do clean up details in the states, in Vietnam I had a job to do." In 1966 Stark volunteered to go to Germany after he had returned to Fort Benning. While in Germany, he supervised a crew of German mechanics working on helicopters in the engine shop to ensure the proper maintenance was being performed. Two years later in September 1968, Stark once again volunteered for a tour in Vietnam. He said he had ended up on the same clean-up details in Germany as back at Fort Benning, but the job that needed to be done in An Khe, alongside his fellow soldiers never stopped calling. "I remember a guy named Dennis from Bakersfield, Calif., that was big on Kung Fu and he would come out of his tent and be practicing his moves," Stark reminisced when asked about those who had served with him. He went on to say he remembered very few names from his time in Vietnam, mostly because everyone went by nicknames. Stark returned home in 1970 after taking yet another six-month extension. His time in the service was over but little did he know that almost 50 years later he would get the opportunity to once again get up close and personal with the aircraft he loved. Mr. Stark recently visited the base's 54th Helicopter Squadron, which is one of the few remaining Huey squadrons still in service, and was given a tour by 1st Lt. Jonathan Bonilla, 54th HS standards and evaluations officer. "It was great talking to Mr. Stark because he played such a big part in our past," Bonilla said. "I enjoyed hearing about his adventures in the Huey during the war." Stark told Bonilla stories about pilots who used to bank their aircraft at 50 miles per hour above rivers with their skids in the waves and bounce the stingers at the rear of the chopper off of cliff sides, while in the jungles and highlands of Vietnam. "Everything that they did with the Helicopters in the past has helped us to learn the safest ways to fly and operate today," Bonilla added. "Many of the maneuvers and tactics used in Vietnam taught us new ways to look at the Hueys and their capabilities." When Stark was asked what changes he saw in the Huey, he replied that the double engines and paint job were a new sight to him, but also that the upgraded aircraft, "don't have as many bullet holes in them now."