Vietnam Cobra

Rolf

Dear Jon

 

I could recently buy a Zippo lighter (made in 1970) with the NETT patch engraved on the frontside and the engravings "AL SNAKE 16" on the back. I am wondering if there is a way to trace the original owner.

Best regards

Rolf

 

 

 

Not sure I can offer much other than lighters were sold by the millions over there with various unit logos, crests, flashes, etc.

From what you are describing it sounds like you may have one some guy had custom made for himself from some enterprising Viet Nam locals of which there were no shortage. That may have been some guys call sign. My call sign was the same one the guy before me had and the same one the guy after me had and on and on so it was not unique to me as an individule.

I didn't realize this thread was so old until I posted it.

Very interesting thread with lots of good information and I'd like to add my little part of Cobra history:

A/4/77 wasn't always Cobras.  I joined A/4/77 in September 1968 at Ft Sill Olkahoma as a huey crew chief.  At Ft Sill, the home of Army Artillery, A/4/77 was forming up and doing some oddjob training and flying.  I remember once my Huey flew Ft Sill's Commanding General to Tinker AFB and back, my only VIP flight.  A/4/77 left Ft Sill in late December 1968.  I flew from Tinker AFB to Da Nang in a C-141 and then in a Chinook from Da Nang to Camp Eagle where I found my UH-1C waiting for me.  From January thru March 1969 we flew fire missions with our C models.  Our standard configuration was a 19 rocket pod on each side and a crew chief/gunner on either side using a free M-60 suspended from a bungee cord.  I think I loaded a million rockets during that three months.  During one two-week period I remember being on alert and living on my helicopter at a forward fire base, sleeping on the ground with my head propped up by my flack jacket against the skid. MY UH-1C was 66-556 (thats 66-00556 in reality, but 66-556 was painted on the tail).  In late March 1969 I flew down to Vung Tau with two pilots and another crew chief where we picked up our first set of AH-1G's.  When we flew them to Camp Eagle, I rode up front and even got to fly it a bit, the only time I ever flew a helicopter.  I soon realized that my actual flying days were over as there's no seat for a crew chief on a Cobra.  Our standard Cobra configuration, as mentioned earlier by someone, was four rocket pods with 19 rockets each, that's 76 rockets to load when it pulls up to the re-arm point (I loaded another million rockets). Our turrets had a mini-gun and an M-5 grenade launcher.  The turret was a learning experience as we weren't given any training except a monkey-see, monkey-do hands-on session by the Battery armorer (who didn't know much more than we did).  We learned from experience that if you turned the mini-gun the wrong way by hand you'd shoot a hole into the revetment in front of you.  I remember watching the armorer get a 40mm round that was stuck in a grenade launcher barrel out by pounding it out with a mallet and a block of wood.  I left Viet Nam and the Army three months later in June 1969.  Before joining 4/77 ARA I'd spent a year as a crew chief flying D model slicks with the 25th Aviation Bn. out of Cu Chi.  I did all of this before I was 21 years old, and that was 52 years ago.