Huey art sculpture comes to Carson City
Submitted by Brett Fisher on Sun, 10/01/2017 - 2:29pm
A Vietnam War-era combat helicopter turned into an art exhibit was on display Sunday at the Carson City Community Center.
"Take Me Home Huey," a 47-foot long sculpture featuring a collage of imagery commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, is the brainchild of contemporary artist Steve Maloney, who recovered the empty hull of a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter in a boneyard and began using it as a canvas dedicated to the Americans who served a half-century ago in Southeast Asia.
For U.S. Army Vietnam combat veteran Tom Spencer, who is also president of the local chapter 388 of Vietnam Veterans Association in Carson city, seeing the chopper again was literally deja vu.
"This is a helicopter that actually was in Camp Red Cliff in Vietnam in 1968 and so was I," he said. "The exact same helicopter."
The hull of the "Take Me Home Huey" sculpture once belonged to a commissioned U.S. Army helicopter flown under the serial number 67-17174, otherwise know as No. 174.
Both Spencer and Huey No. 174 were stationed with the First U.S. Cavalry in Vietnam. But this was the first time he got to see the former medic transport chopper.
"I didn't meet it then," he said. "But it brings up memories. I flew in one of these."
The Bell UH-1, better known as Huey, was commonly used during the Vietnam War as a medical, troop and supply transport into and out of hot combat areas.
The unique thumping hum of its rotors was a welcome sound to United States service men and women in battle zones, as well as a fearsome sight for enemy North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet-Cong fighters.
"They have a 'wup-wup-wup' sound that you will never, ever forget," Spencer said. "Every time I hear one, I start looking for it."
Vietnam became known as "The Helicopter War" largely because of the Huey, which took on an integral role during the United States military's decade-long direct, full-scale involvement in the conflict.
The Huey art sculpture on display this weekend in Northern Nevada had been shot down in Vietnam during a 1969 medical rescue mission. Its crew chief and medic were both killed in the crash.
After salvaging the remains of the Huey from a junk yard, Maloney partnered with Light Horse Legacy, a non-profit outreach organization supporting veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
"Take Me Home Huey" promotes healing and aims to bring awareness to PTSD. It's also dedicated to the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam and never received a welcome home.
Visit "Take Me Home Huey" online here to learn more about the art installation project.
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