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What Made the Huey a Defining Icon of the Vietnam War?
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May 14, 2025
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois—better known as the Huey—became one of the most recognizable helicopters of the 20th century. From troop transport to lifesaving medevac missions, this aircraft reshaped modern warfare and mobility during the Vietnam War. In this episode of Dusty Roads, Anita dives into the history, impact, and enduring legacy of the Huey. Listen in and click here (https://abusonadustyroad.com/the-huey-icon-of-the-vietnam-war/) to read more about how geography influences culture, from mountains to deserts and seas. #VietnamWarHistory #HueyHelicopter #MilitaryInnovation #VietnamEra #DustyRoads #HistoryPodcast #BellUH1 #WarAndCulture Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/globaltradegal)
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hi this is Anita from the Dusty Roads
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podcast where we like to talk about all
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things about living life as a global
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citizen
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when many people think about the Vietnam
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War or as they call it here in Vietnam
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the American war one of the things that
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comes up is the Huey helicopter which
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was basically the Bell
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UH-1 you know helicopter which is known
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as a Huey and this helicopter rose to
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prominence during the Vietnam War as it
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was used you know became sort of the
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emblem of the war it you know redefined
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battlefield mobility and offered a
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previously unseen mix of versatility it
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was used a lot for medevac and other
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things the Bell
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UH1 or the Huey helicopter took off into
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the skies as an emblem of American
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innovation however shortly after its
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debut the chopper became the defining
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symbol of the Vietnam War part of the
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reason it became a defining symbol was a
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gamecher from the get-go its
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introduction brought a new sense of
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mobility and flexibility on the
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battlefield you know unlike before the
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troops could now be transported quickly
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across the challenging terrain the the
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helicopter was able to land go up and
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down uh drop into hot zones and evacuate
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quickly so it really changed the entire
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course of the war it made the American
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military more agile and became a crucial
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advantage in the unpredictable
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environment of Vietnam but it wasn't
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just about moving troops it also served
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as a gunship a medevac for the wounded a
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cargo transporter and a flying command
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center so the Huey began to have many
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different roles you know it also it took
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the media spotlight as television became
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a household staple in the 1960 images
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and footages of the Hueies in action
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captivated many audiences back home they
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were seeing airlifting soldiers raining
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down firepower and saving lives and this
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became you know constant media presence
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with this um helicopter began to be
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etched into the minds of many of the
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Americans with the Huey as you know you
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know in their public minds they saw this
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as part of the war it symbolizes the
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experiences of those who served in
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Vietnam you know for the veterans the
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sound of the Huey could be instantly
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transport them back to the jungles or it
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could get their comrades out you know
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that were hurt it became more than a
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helicopter it became a witness to the
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bravery the sacrifices and the
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complexities of the Vietnam or the
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American war you know its legacy endures
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you know not just you know in military
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history but also in popular culture from
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movies to documentaries and even to
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memorials the Hueies portrayed as the
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iconic image of the Vietnam conflict you
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know it's fascinating how a piece of
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technology can transcend its initial
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purpose and become such a powerful
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symbol and this really became a powerful
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symbol of the Vietnam conflict the
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Vietnam War or as they call it here in
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Vietnam the American War so how did the
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Huey become a symbol of Vietnam War well
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it was through its
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versatility on the battlefield and its
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presence in the media and its deep
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connection to the experiences of those
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who were saved so the Huey in many ways
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is not just a helicopter it was a
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Vietnam war flying through time carrying
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stories of courage and
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resilience but the Huey also what's
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important is it has an influence on
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helicopter design it's a you know became
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a true icon of innovation has influenced
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the design of future helicopters beyond
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its versatility and symbolic nature
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introduced design elements that have
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become staples in the blueprint of
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modern
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helicopters one of the most influential
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design features is the the rotor system
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the Huey utilized a two-blade central
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rotor system that was simple yet
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effective making it more reliable and
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easier to maintain than the more complex
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systems found on earlier helicopters you
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know this emphasis on simplicity and
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reliability of course would have been
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very important during wartime but it's
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been carried over to many modern
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helicopters ensuring that they perform
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in various conditions without needing
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constant complicated maintenance
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another thing that was groundbreaking
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about the Huey was the aspect was the
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Hueie's use of the turbo shaft engine
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this was a significant shift from the
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piston engines used in earlier
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helicopters the turbo shaft engine
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offered more power and was lighter and
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it also contributed the Hughes
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capability to fulfill various roles from
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cargo transport to medevac missions
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today the turbo shaft engine is a
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standard among helicopters providing
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necessary power and efficiency for
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various
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tasks the Hueie's cockpit design too
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also made waves it featured large
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windows that offered pilots unparalleled
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visibility this was a critical factor in
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combat and rescue missions nearly all
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military and civilian helicopters have
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adopted this design element recognizing
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the importance of a visibility for safe
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and efficient operations so they really
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expanded the windows there so that so
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the pilots would have this very large
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view of the landscape perhaps one of the
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most impact of the Hueie's um design yet
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the most subtle modular approach to
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mission equipment the Huey can be
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quickly configured with various weapons
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medical equipment or cargo transport
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apparatus this made it highly adaptable
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aircraft so this became very important
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and a key feature of the design of this
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so it made it a very versatile type of
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helicopter allowing it to be able to fly
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a high range of missions with a single
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airframe by simply swapping out
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equipment yeah the noise of the Huey
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chopping through the air became a symbol
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of hope for many and a sound of terror
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for others and this you know really
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became one of the uh symbols of the
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Vietnam War era or as known here as the
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American War while modern um helicopters
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haven't eliminated noise there has been
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an emphasis on designing more efficient
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rotor systems that produce different
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sound signatures even though noise is
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still an issue with the helicopters but
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the Huey certainly became a symbol
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through their noise when you look at you
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know helicopters you can look at the the
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Huey helicopter and see how it became
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such an important symbol during this
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time but not only that as you see how
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during this wartime era we were able to
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use the things that were learned to be
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able to build a hel better helicopter
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today and how many of those design
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elements today have continued to become
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an important um element in aviation
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design you know for pilots and the crew
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the hoie was more than just a machine it
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was actually a lifeline and each mission
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whether it was medevac rescue transport
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or combat assault you know began with a
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they had a meticulous flight check so
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the you know the Huey really became this
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great symbol of the war itself to hear
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the you know the humming of those blades
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that was going on you know the mechanics
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of course were also very important in
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all of this being able to you know keep
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the helicopters up in the air you know
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today if you go to Vietnam and you go to
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any of the war museums you'll be able to
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see some of these helicopters there that
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are in some of the war museums that the
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U Vietnamese have on display you know so
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really you know the Huey was very much a
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symbol of you know America during this
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time and it really did in many ways
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prove to be a symbol of the Vietnam War
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i really you know enjoy this because of
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the fact that you know living here in
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Vietnam myself as I you know I've seen
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some of these helicopters in person but
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not only that is just to see you know
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how things like this have evolved over
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time and and how the use and how the
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helicopter was used during this time
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changed probably aviation history for
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many years to come if you'd like to be
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able to read more my co-author James
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Johnson has written a blog entitled The
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Huey the icon of the Vietnam War we'll
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put a link in the description so that
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you can be able to read about it and be
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able to learn more about the Huey he's
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got a lot more information on here than
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what I'm talking about here and some
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great u photos and other things which
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show about the Huey helicopter and how
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important it was during this era of time
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and for this war thank you so much for
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listening we hope that you've enjoyed
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this Dusty Roads podcast and that you'll
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subscribe and become part of our
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community we'd love to have you join
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