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[main]tained the helicopter must be limited to strictly defensive fires and they were quick to report to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, of an incident where the Army in their opinion usurped the role of close support. For example, on 26 July 1963, the Second Air Division wrote a letter to General Paul D. Harkins stating that, in three recent incidents, Army helicopters were used "offensively." Further, the Air Division inferred that: "...Employment of the HU-1B's in the above incidents appears to be an expansion of your directive for the use of armed helicopters to include interdiction and close air support missions. It also appears that air requests are being stopped prior to arrival at the ASOC's, with subsequent substitution of U.S. Army aircraft from Corps Advisor and Division Advisor resources."
Major General Richard G. Weede, USMC, Chief of Staff, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, replied:
...All incidents mentioned occurred in the immediate battle areas of the ground units. These are not subjects for ASOC/TOC coordination but rather matters for the ground commander to handle as he deems appropriate. Direct support aviation is controlled by the ground element commander and requires no supervision or control by a tactical air control system far removed from the ground battle.
U.S. Army aviation when employed in a combat support role is normally under the operational control of the Corps Senior Advisors. Therefore, incidents of the type reported are of mutual concern of the ARVN Corps Commander and his U.S. Advisor. Request future incidents be referred to Corps Senior Advisors by your Air Liaison Officers for resolution at the operating level.
By mid-1963 the 1st Platoon of the Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company which worked with the Marine H-34's in the I Corps sector had become adopted by their comrades-in-arms as an integral part of their operations and few, if any, H-34 pilots elected to fly without the armed Hueys nearby. Procedures were developed whereby the armed Hueys picked up the fire support right after the fixed-wing fighter planes broke off their support for safety reasons, and that, in most cases, the last minute reconnaissance by the armed helicopters prevented the Marine H-34 from going into extremely hot ambushed landing zones.
Ironically during this same period, I found myself as Director of Army Aviation testifying in front of Congressional committees on the role and absolute necessity of more and better armed helicopters. The Commandant of the Marine Corps and various Air Force officers gave negative testimony on the merits of this system. Fortunately, the Army viewpoint prevailed.