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by Harold G. Walker (Author)
The Grotto Book Two is a glimpse of the goings on in a combat helicopter squadron during the withdrawal of Marine Corps forces from Vietnam. The Flying Tigers of HMM-262, call sign Chatterbox, were honored to be the last CH-46 squadron to move south of the Hai Van Pass. On 14 February 70 we completed our move to the Marble Mountain Air Facility (MMAF), the home of Marine Air Group 16 (MAG-16). The base was located on the beach at Da Nang and was breathtakingly beautiful, reminiscent of the white sands of Pensacola Beach. Marble, as we called it, was almost like being in the states. It had everything, good food and good Officer and Enlisted Clubs where we reunited with friends from flight school.
It was a community of helos, 46s, 53s, Cobra Gunships and Huey Gunships whose task it was to keep the enemy away from Da Nang. That was the job and it was done with precision, 24 hours a day by the Grunts we swore to support in any way possible: Resupply, Medevac, Assaults and getting anyone out who had orders to R&R. Our hodge podge of missions frequently included the Marine Reconnaissance teams who were in every nook and cranny of the area from the South China Sea into Laos, charged with keeping tabs on the enemy. Each and every insert and extract was an opportunity for the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong to make themselves known and they always knew we were coming!
