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Warriors United in Arms, a nonprofit veterans’ group based out of Brownsville, will be dedicating a restored, wartime helicopter to the city on Veterans Day.

Scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at Veterans Park, 2500 Central Blvd. in Brownsville, the group will be dedicating to the city a Vietnam-era Bell UH-1D Iroquois “Huey” helicopter as a symbol of the sacrifice local veterans made.

Twenty-eight Brownsville servicemen died in the Vietnam War, the city has calculated.

According to group spokesperson Larry Jokl, the historic aircraft operated as a medevac helicopter which was mounted on a pole at the park Friday for static display.

Jokl said the Huey, which was purchased for somewhere between $35,000 and $38,000 from HeliTex Properties Ltd. of Cleburne, had been part of a nearly four-year effort to find, purchase and display this kind of helicopter.

Last year, it was used for display during a Veterans Day march in the city, now it’s perched 14 feet above ground and overlooks the park.

“First thing that came to mind was the smell of the aviation fuel when they were refueling the helicopter,” retired U.S. Air Force sergeant Tony Garcia said in a city of Brownsville news release. 

“I remember the smell of dry blood, of wounded soldiers that we evacuated. The sound of the helicopter was so distinct; you could hear it from miles away and feel the vibrations in your chest.”

This Huey was one of 3,500 helicopters deployed to Vietnam, and at one point was “shot down twice and refurbished each time, (and) served as a lifeline for troops in battle.”

“We were actually elated when the idea came about,” retired U.S. Air Force sergeant Jesse Huerta said in the release. “The helicopter was of vital importance during the Vietnam War, especially in carrying troops, bringing supplies, and evacuating the wounded.”

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