Leon Mortland was born in Tyler, grew up on the family farm, and graduated from Tyler High School in 1964. He attended Mankato State College before transferring to Winona State. He met Augustana College student Marilyn Hokenson and they married in August 1968. She graduated and began teaching in Winona, but Leon had used up his four years of student draft deferments and received his draft notice that December.

Marilyn continued teaching in Winona while Leon completed Army training in the supply system. The Army deployed him to Vietnam in July 1969 and assigned him to the 5th Transportation Battalion (5th Trans), a helicopter repair unit and part of the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Eagle in the northern region of South Vietnam.

The aviation units the 5th Trans supported were always anxious to get their “birds” back. Sometimes the pressure to return aircraft to duty manifested itself in unusual ways.

“We were supporting 326th Med. I believe they had 14medevac helicopters and, at one time, we had five of them in at our place. Division was not happy. They needed them up! One day, Terry, a young guy with us only a few months, and I — I’m an E-4 — were in the office and this one-star general walked in. He said, ‘I’m here because I want to know what’s happening with the medevacs and I would also like to know why a Spec 4 is the highest ranking person I can find on this flight line.’ I said, ‘I don’t know, Sir. But I suppose the officers and NCOs, are having dinner.’ He replied, ‘Well, tell me about the helicopters.’ I told him about all five of them and that we were getting close on a couple. He said, ‘OK. Thank you very much.’

But that assistant division commander did not leave the hangar.

“He stepped into the 1st bay of our hangar. The officers and NCOs heard that there was a one-star general on the flight line and they came hauling butt down there. He got them in the middle of that hangar and locked them up. Terry and I were behind the counter, cheering him on as he read them the Riot Act. He said, ‘I do not ever want to come down to this company and find a Spec 4 in charge of this flight line!’ I can still see him! (Leon chuckled) That felt good.”

Leon remembered another fly-ability incident.

“The 101st wanted to have a high, 90-95% flyable (rating). We had a Loach (light observation helicopter) that they brought into our place pretty banged up. We couldn’t fix it, so they were going to take it to Red Beach by Danang. They should have been able to work on it. If they couldn’t, they would send it back to the States. All that time means it’s not going to be flyable. Lieutenant Jones was flying in our Huey with our crew. They hooked it up and went out over the South China Sea as usual. Lieutenant Jones came on the horn and said, ‘I don’t know if we are going to make it. She’s starting to auto-rotate pretty badly underneath us.’ That meant she’s twisting on the cable. A few minutes later he said, “We were losing control, so we punched it off.’ He hit the button; the sling opened; and she went down into the South China Sea.”

Leon explained the significance of dropping that damaged aircraft into the sea.

“At that moment I can call the company and tell them, ‘Your helicopter is in the South China Sea and you can order a new one.’ It could have been down for months and that would have looked bad on their sheet. But once it is gone, they can tell division to order a new one and they have a higher flyable rating. (Leon chuckled) If I had been a betting person, I would have bet on that outcome even before they lifted it off our flight line. Just write it off.”

Leon’s unit had duties beyond helicopter repairs.

“Every company took a rotation to serve on bunker guard duty on the perimeter. We had six or eight bunkers. Those bunkers were sandbags; then steel; and a place where you could be on top. Two guys are watching and two guys are sleeping until they switched. Out in front you had Claymores (command-detonated mines) and phugas canisters that you could blow.

Leon remembered a night when his bunker executed a live-fire training exercise with the deadly weapons in front of their position.

“I was on duty when we got picked and the OOD (Officer of the Day) came up. Everybody around us knew that we were going to trip the Claymores and shoot off the phugas. That’s jellied fuel that gets on people and burns them. We also got to fire the machine gun that night.”

The unit took care of the guys on perimeter guard.

“When you were on guard duty, about midnight, the OOD would come around in a Jeep, delivering coffee and doughnuts from the mess hall. One night, the OOD was Lieutenant Jones, one of our officers in Production Control. He asked me to drive the Jeep. We went to every bunker to make sure everybody got something.”

Leon experienced some unusual and even light-hearted days before his Vietnam tour ended.

©2024 William D. Palmer

Please visit our exhibit at the Lyon County Museum, “The Vietnam War and Lyon County,” to learn more about the experiences of our area Vietnam veterans.