At their June 2025 meeting, members and guests of the Grampaw Pettibone Squadron were privileged to hear a presentation from Doug Devine who shared his story as a Marine Captain and helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Doug painted a word picture of one marine year of combat in Vietnam through a series of stories. The stories are all related because he was involved in each and every one of them.
On his first day in country, not wasting any time, Doug assisted in recovering a team from another helicopter on the ground receiving enemy gun fire. Another event some months later as the co-pilot, involved flying the new South Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Cao Ki to a meeting and during an approach to landing was unable to communicate by radio due to weather related static interference. Due to cloudy conditions and low visibility, Doug expressed having a premonition which led him take control of the helicopter and a moment later observe a dark cloud approaching from below his position. He suddenly banked his aircraft to avoid a midair collision with another helicopter climbing out. A few more stories were presented to cover a number of memorable moments during a 13-month tour in Vietnam.
The Grampaw Pettibone Squadron wishes to thank Doug Devine for sharing his experience during his tour in Vietnam.
