What is a Legend ?



Almost thirty years ago, while in Vietnam, we would hear stories about extraordinary men doing extraordinary actions during the war. These were not men who necessarily won medals for their actions, but because of their actions, a story was told and passed through the ranks about it.

I heard my first Mohawk legend story shortly after I arrived in Vietnam. I didn't know when it happened, or who was involved or even what unit it happened to. But I do remember that whoever the pilot was, it was his daring and skill that made the legend. And it was that type of pilot I wanted to fly with.

Every Mohawk unit had it's legends, it's stories of great events. These were the stories that were passed around the unit. And every "FNG" was told of the units great exploits. Things like "did you hear about the Mohawk that came back with an arrow in it's fuselage?" or "did you hear about the Mohawk that shot down a MIG?". Some of these stories are true and some became legends as they passed through the unit.

While doing research, I came across one of these legends, in fact it was the first one I ever heard. There are more legends like this out there and I hope that we will be able to assemble them here. If you know of another Mohawk legend, please contact us. For like the great Indian tribe our beloved OV-1 is named for, the stories of our warriors exploits must be passed down to the next generation.


Captain Howard and Hawk 16

The Ballad of the Green Flight Pay


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No restricted and/or classified information is contained herein. This home page and web site have been constructed and will be maintained entirely by the author, and the author is responsible for the contents and accuracy of this site. The contents of this page have not been reviewed, approved, or monitored by the United States Army, nor is this page and/or it's contents a representation of such. All comments, questions, and concerns should be directed to the author - Howard Ohlson


Copyright © 1997, Howard Ohlson, All Rights Reserved.

Maintained by:

Howard Ohlson hohlson@ov-1.com

Last update: April 24, 1997