The Caribou at AirVenture 2009 HELPING VIETNAM WAR VETERANS ‘MOVE ON’
One of the aircraft which really stood out at this year’s AirVenture was the CV-2B Caribou. It is the only flying example of the aircraft type in North America. Hundreds of people had the opportunity to walk through the aircraft and view historic photographs and information sheets, but the Caribou visited Oshkosh for a much more important reason. Crew Chief Bob Schrader was one of the aircraft’s original crew members and explained the purpose of the Caribou’s visit.
CARIBOU NO. 62-4149
The De Havilland Caribou was a Canadian-designed aircraft which was developed in response to a U.S. Army requirement. The army needed a tactical aircraft which could transport troops, evacuate casualties and deliver supplies to frontline troops, such as the Green Berets. The Army ordered 159 Caribous and used them effectively as STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) aircraft. These aircraft gave the army the capability to land at landing strips which were too short for C-123s and C-130s.
Caribou No. 62-4149, which attended the AirVenture, was received by the U.S. Army in 1962. It was assigned to the 61st Aviation Company, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. This Caribou, along with seventeen others, was deployed to South Vietnam in 1963 as part of Operation Highroad. Bob Schrader was one of the crew members onboard No. 62-4149 during the long ferry flight to Vietnam, which lasted 72 hours. He was nineteen years old at the time and, as assistant crew chief, was responsible for cleaning the aircraft, conducting minor repairs, servicing the engines, loadmaster duties and refuelling the aircraft. Bob described the Caribou as very forgiving when taking off overweight. Caribous could carry two jeeps or 26 fully equipped paratroopers. As a medevac aircraft, it would transport up to twenty patients. During their service with the army and later the U.S. Air Force, Caribous would transport all kinds of freight, ranging from boats to ammunition, rotor blades, mail, celebrities, leaflets, beer, ‘Agent Orange’, pigs, cows, troops and many other types of cargo.
After serving in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and Air Force, No. 62-4149 was transferred to the Air National Guard in New Jersey, Maryland and later Connecticut. In 1999 the aircraft was restored by the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation and in 2007 it was sold to its current owner, the Cavanaugh Flight Museum.
BOB SCHRADER
As mentioned, Bob Schrader was one of Caribou No. 62-4149’s original crew members. Nevertheless, why is this particular aircraft so special to the retired 65 year old crew chief? Well, first of all, his first assignment as assistant crew chief was on this aircraft. Also, as Bob stated, “The first time I was shot at, I was in this airplane.” During the situation to which he was referring, two soldiers were wounded and received Purple Heart medals. Bob Schrader is the only surviving member of the Caribou’s original crew. In 1964, a crew chief on a different Caribou was experiencing severe back problems and was tasked to fly a very long flight. Bob, on the other hand, was scheduled to fly a short flight and offered to swap crews. This meant that the other crew chief would have a shorter flight and would be able to consult a doctor sooner. As it happened, the Caribou crashed and killed all fifteen onboard. Swapping flights saved Bob’s life. The crash was the first major air disaster of the Vietnam War. It was also the first aircraft lost to 61 Aviation Company and it was the first time people were killed in a Caribou.
As with many other Vietnam veterans, Bob has some terrible memories of the war. During one particularly emotional experience, Bob’s aircraft landed near a village which was being terrorised by Viet Cong (VC) guerrillas. American soldiers drove away the enemy and managed to rescue a ten year old boy who was being burnt alive by the VC. The boy and his mother were taken to the Caribou and it was intended that they would be flown to an area where they could receive medical attention. It was getting dark and the Caribou took off in haste with the back doors still open. Bob was holding the boy in his arms to keep him safe. After take off, the boy died. Bob looked up at the mother and he could see in her eyes that she knew her son had died. Not a word was said. The two of them just sat there, staring at the sunset through the Caribou’s open back doors.
Memories such as that one place a heavy burden on Vietnam veterans. Seeing the Caribou at airshows and talking to Bob actually helps veterans come to terms with those memories. One veteran for example, was a gunner on a Huey gunship. He was the only one who survived when the helicopter crashed and had to hide the bodies of his pilot and co-pilot. This event affected him badly and influenced the rest of his life, causing him to become an alcoholic and subsequently lose his family. Decades later, he attended an airshow with his daughter and noticed the Caribou. Upon entering the aircraft, he started talking to Bob about his experiences. It was the first time that his daughter heard what had happened in Vietnam. She gained insight into her father’s life and for the first time, they could move closer as a family.
Bob explained that not all meetings with the Caribou have happy endings. “I had a veteran from Scotland stop by. The second time he stopped, I walked over to talk to him. After half an hour he said it hurts too much for him to go into the ‘Bou’. I told him we would clear out the crowd and he and I would do a ‘one on one,’ but he walked away. Never saw him again. A lot of work needs to be done for the vets yet.”
To Bob Schrader, helping veterans is the true purpose of Caribou 62-4149. “It is an honour to help preserve the Caribou and to help vets with the healing process,” said Bob. During the interview, it became clear that he is a sincere individual who is trying his best to help others deal with their pasts. With 47 patched bullet holes, the Caribou has served in a world that cannot be adequately described to those who were not there. It flew in a world which only Vietnam veterans know. It is therefore the perfect tool to help those men ‘move on.’