Norm Miller

     “The Wood, the Wood, the Belleau Fucking Wood!” This chant can be heard in bars around the world, whenever you see a former shipmate, sometimes 20 or more years later. The LHA-3  (Landing Helicopter Assault ship), better known as the USS Belleau Wood, was a combat ship. At a length of 820 feet, 106 feet above the water’s surface, it resembled a WW2 carrier in shape. It was brand new, sailing on its first Western Pacific (WestPac) cruise in 1981, with over 900 sailors and 2,000 Marines aboard. Defended by 2 Ram launchers, 2 Phalanx guns, and 4 MK 38  mounts. It was also protected by a fleet of support ships. It carried 28 helicopters and 4 Harrier jets. The Belleau Wood’s mission was to transport a battalion of infantry marines, and the aircraft aboard was the battalion’s transportation into battle. 

     

     Three marine corporals decided they wanted to sail on a third Westpac. Westpac meant going aboard ship with the squadron for 6 months as the tip of the Marine Corps spear. All fun  with many Asian liberty ports, as long as a war didn’t start. The corporals had already completed their enlistment and two required ship deployments, yet they wanted one more.  Probably a feeling of saltiness over the younger crew chiefs and the parties in Olongapo City,  Philippines, was on their minds. Hard work rewarded by getting plastered in town with their pick of bar girls was a strong draw on these 21-year-olds brains .“Space Case”, “Lips”, and “The  Green” were the three CH-46 crew chiefs looking for a third adventure at sea. They each had an assigned helo better known as a “Frog” which they maintained and flew with two pilots.   Norton was a pilot, and while being a brand new Lieutenant to the squadron, he had formed a kinship with Space Case, or Space for short. They were only three years apart in age. Norton was an officer while Space was enlisted. However, Space was always joking around and called  Norton “L-T” instead of Lieutenant, which was sort of an acknowledgment of friendship where the enlisted trooper was Norton’s contemporary; however, Space did not completely ignore their differences in rank.

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      Lips was named after his unusually large lips. He was a quiet crew chief and did his job, but didn’t really talk much to the officers. When he got excited, he had a slight stutter. He didn’t really look like a marine. Short and sort of pudgy, but he was an excellent crew chief.  The Green was a tall, outspoken Corporal. He was loud and generally made a big production out of everything. Pre-flighting with him was a crack-up because he had an excuse for everything the pilots found wrong and claimed it was still “good to go, Sir.” The deployment departure grew closer, and the three aircrew had to commit to going or not by reenlisting. At the last moment, The Green changed his mind, he decided not to reenlist, became a civilian, and went home. He did not know he would never see his two buddies again.

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 On the first day at sea, the squadron had to resupply the ship. While the LHA was moving out to sea, several helicopters were buzzing back and forth, flying from land to ship carrying loads of mostly ammo in slings below the aircraft. Space Case was the crew chief doing some Vert Rep or (vertical replenishment) of the boat from Barbers Point Naval Air Station, HI. His job as crew chief was to assist the pilots with the sling loads, and when in the airport traffic pattern, he kept an extra set of eyes outside watching for conflicting aircraft traffic. Limpy and JD were the pilots, and they were just turning the aircraft into the traffic pattern, so Space was leaning out the crew door, bracing himself against the locked hatch that is designed to swing down when opened. He had a gunner's belt around his chest to protect him from falling if the helo was turned abruptly. The belt was attached to him at one end and the aircraft’s floor at the other. Needing a better look, he pressed against the hatch, and it popped open. They were 1200  feet above the runway. For a split second, he knew the gunner's belt would grab him around the chest, and he would be hanging outside the hull of the Frog, embarrassed that they would have to land so he could crawl back inside. He would never live this down with the other aircrew.  After one second, he reached for the cables that held the hatch open, and his gloved hand couldn’t hang on. The second of relief thinking the belt would catch passed as he realized the belt wasn’t holding. The belt was not hooked up! Space Case had screwed up, and he was really stunned. How had this happened? He had forgotten to attach the belt to the aircraft floor. After 3 seconds, he thought to himself about how much trouble he was going to be in. The  Gunny is going to be pissed. In 5 seconds, the acceleration was starting to pick up. His thoughts returned home to his family. Space reached 120 miles per hour in 10 seconds. He was thinking this is really fast, and it’s going to hurt, and he put his arms in front of himself, and then darkness.

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     Word spread quickly around the ship that Space had fallen out of his aircraft. Everyone knew right away that it was his gunner's belt, and how could he screw that up? Lips was especially sad. His drinking buddy was gone on the first day. Norton heard that Space had fallen, yet he was convinced that maybe he fell into the water and survived. Walking through the ship's passageways, he ran into the Executive Officer (XO) and asked him if Space hit the water. The  XO told him Space was dead. Norton felt horrible; however, he did not know that more was yet to come. Lips would be next.