“Nice day eh Bill?”

The Huey whined as Warrant Officer Bill Mendez put her through the power up sequence. As usual it was a battery start since no one had figured to get a ground power unit out to the FOB yet.

“Sure is Dave.” Bill replied, taking a second to look out over the Vietnamese countryside. Bathed in sunlight as it was, it could almost pass for a great vacation spot, “Beautiful day to blow shit up.”

The rotor made its first few lazy rotations and the squad of marines climbed aboard. They were all combat vets and they looked the part, every bit of unnecessary kit had been shed and their gaunt hardened faces glistened with sweat.

“You boys ready to rock and roll?” Bill yelled above the thrum of the rotors. The only reply he received was a thumbs up from from a marine whose nametag read Swanson.

“Alright.” Bill shrugged and applied the throttle, lifting the bird shakily off the landing pad. It really was a beautiful day.