He was awarded the Silver Star for evacuating wounded soldiers off a hill. That same night we were at the bar the story was related to me, not by Capt. Brink but by M.C. M.C. was a contract guy on the Saab we used for the sim in St. Lo. that knew Tom very well...
It was too foggy to extract from the top of the hill so Tom landed at the base took off his flight helmet and opened the door. He put the skid on the ground and would listen for the blade sound to change indicating it was nearing the ground. He inched his way up the hill until he was able to reach the wounded.
Afterward 'Nam, he also flew the OV-1 Mohawk, a fixed wing recon and surveillence aircraft. First memory Item in the OV-1 for an engine failure after take-off was to reduce power on the good engine. He had a couple funny stories on that one that night, but I can't recall.
Captain Brink gave me a Saab type, a couple of ass chewings and bought me a few beers. He was a good man. Too quick an end for a guy who deserved a long retirement on his boat.
God bless him.
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