Word: pilots
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...shoot them down with homemade shotguns and ancient French rifles; one helicopter even returned to base with an arrow stuck in its fuselage. Today, with more practice and an abundant supply of captured U.S. weapons, the Viet Cong gangmen can make things hot for the most skilled U.S. helicopter pilot. Last week the Viet Cong forces proved their prowess by shooting down five helicopters over rice marshes southwest of Saigon and inflicting a brutal defeat on the government forces...
...landed with no ground fire from the enemy. But as the fourth lift fluttered over the paddies, the Communists let loose with a blaze of bullets from the woods at the edge of the rice field. "The tree line seemed to explode with machine-gun fire," said one helicopter pilot. "It was pure hell." Virtually motionless, the banana-shaped helicopters were helpless targets at point-blank range; five of the hovering choppers were shot down, and nine others were riddled by enemy fire...
...airport, Castro delayed their departure by demanding to inspect the first shipment of drugs. Then he watched a demonstration of Soviet MIGs in the air space required for the prisoners'-take-off. At last, beaming like a black-bearded Santa Claus, Castro waved the prisoners toward freedom. One pilot got a vicarious sort of revenge: he gunned his plane in such a way that Fidel's cap almost flew off in the prop wash...
After Castro had finally inspected the 20% down payment of ransom goods carried to Cuba in the freighter African Pilot, the exchange began. Suddenly Castro stopped the release of the last three planeloads of prisoners, recalled that he had not been paid $2,900,000 in cash for the release of 60 prisoners last spring. With just one telephone call, Robert Kennedy got a $1,000,000 pledge from an unidentified donor-a fund-raising feat that should qualify him for the chairmanship of the United Arab-Jewish Appeal. The sponsoring committee pledged the rest, Clay borrowed cash against...
...Bonus. When the exchange was completed, Donovan, who had been exchanging quips with Castro for hours, mentioned casually that it was a shame that the African Pilot would return to Miami empty. Castro said he would fill it with 1,000 relatives of the prisoners, called it his "Christmas bonus." Some bonus. As it turned out, 922 were permitted to sail-but only after signing over all their property and possessions to Castro's Communist government...