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AH-1F COBRA
April 4, 2003 --
Come visit our helicopter in person located at the corner of JFK Drive and Washington Ave. in Milltown New Jersey.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR COMMANDER:
The History of Helicopter #6817072 AH-1F
We received our helicopter on April 4, 2003. It arrived in Milltown on a flatbed truck via Washington avenue, causing quite a stir. This aircraft was shipped to us from Fort Drum, NY The process of obtaining it took approximately one year of negotiations which included making many telephone calls, lots of correspondence, and filling out forms to government offices in Warren, Michigan; Huntsville, Alabama; and Fort Drum, New York.
When the truck carrying the helicopter finally arrived, we were quite prepared to off load our cargo. With the assistance of the Department of Public Works and the coordination of the Borough of Milltown, the helicopter off loaded with fanfare of post 25 Legionnaires and sightseers.
Within a few days the helicopter was retrofitted with its wings, rocket armament and nose cannon by our own members. I was always aware that Post 25 had members with many talents but not as aircraft mechanics. They also constructed the pedestal for the static display. The Public Works employees were again called to assist us with placing the aircraft onto the pedestal.
We were very fortunate to have the assistance of the N.J. National Guard Unit from Mercer Airport. They sent four men to top off our monument by putting the main rotor blade and transmission into place. The smiling face of the shark you see was painted by the former test pilot who is a retired National Guard Member.
History reveals that the 53 foot long Cobra attack Helicopter had its primary mission by giving firing support to the "Hueys" which were troop-carrying helicopters but had only one-half the speed of the Cobra. The Cobra performed its job so well that it was possible to operate as a true air cavalry, thus giving complete cover for our troops and assisting in rescues. Reliable sources have informed us that they are 95% sure that our Cobra was involved in Vietnam.
After Vietnam, the Cobra went on to perform a great service with the Marine Corps that deployed four to six Force Squadrons to shield Desert Storm. These helicopters destroyed 97 tanks, 104 armored personnel carriers and vehicles, 16 bunkers and 2 anti-aircraft artillery sites without the loss of any aircraft.
In closing I want to give my sincere and heartfelt thanks to all who were able to help, encourage and support the task of this memorial.
For God and Country
Richard Craparotta
Commander
Joyce Kilmer Post 25
American Legion Milltown, NJ
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