I arrived in Hawaii early part of March 1965 a week before my nineteenth birthday and Operation Black Night had just concluded after I got to Hawaii. The men of the 1st Bat. Wolfhounds played aggressors for the Cacti I believe. When it was all over the stashed C-rations had to be retrieved from deep in the Kukus Mountain Range. I soon realized I wanted no part of those mountains and as soon as I could I volunteered for the shotgun program and after a little interview with my First Sergeant Leonard Letoto on why. I sold him on my love of mom, apple pie, and country to get away from the back breaking Kukus Training Center on the North Shore of Oahu. Vietnam was always easy in my mind in terms of topography the only problem being the live AMMO that was being used there. Terrain was not a concern for a door gunners I figured and flying in choppers sounded easier then humping the Kukus on Oahu, thus off to Vietnam I went. I learned of war first hand and when flying over the Central Highlands of Vietnam being shot at by the NVA, not to many VC in the Highlands a lot of the people supported us especially the Montgnards. I had one special friend from the Eagle Flight Platoon of reactionary forces Kanl Jerit in the summer of 1965 and my departing gift to him was a new radio I bought from the PX. He cried and gave me his most prized possession a Zippo Lighter with his name and grade etched on it. Lost it somewhere in a New Jersey bar in outside Lakewood in the late 70s with my name Mike Moschkin and Shotgun X etched on it with a Wolfhound Crest mounted on it.