medicineman said:
A friend of my father's was actually one of the observers on that mission...the mission was a shambles - IIRC correctly, Canada pulled out after only a few rotations.
MM
I remember waking up to the CBC saying a Canadian Observer was aboard a helicopter which had been shot down by the VC for flying over one of their base camps. I don't know if the chopper had actually overflown the camp all I knew was a respected friend was gone.
He was Charley LaViolette of the 12RBC.
He was the SOLAM attached to the Sherbrooke units. The first time I met him was on a Thursday parade evening. I had taken my troop out for a little mud recce, just to exercise the Voice Procedures and camoflague, just to make sure we could remain unseen. Well it took a couple of hours longer than I intended after critiqueing our efforts.
When we finally got back it was after midnight, and everyone was gone from the mess except this new officer who introduced himsely as Charley LaViolette of the 12 RBC. We wound up sharing a few drinks and had a good conversation, This was about the time the Russians went into Czechoslovkia and I was shocked to learn that the Russian troops did not even know what country they were in, that the maps didn't even indicate the country and that the majority of the Russians/ privates, corporals, sargeants etc couldn't even read the maps.
I couldn't understand that because that was one of the things I drilled into my troopers.
Charley became a good friend until he returned to Valcartier to setup and run a French language Armour school. His last assignment before Vietnam.
I always thought Charley would go far in the CAF and at least make General. We lost a great leader when that chopper went down
