18, I'm A Boy, I'm A Man

18, I'm A Boy, I'm A Man
Photos by
Bill Marchetti

Bill Marchetti was a CE/Doorgunner with the Greyhounds of White Flight, 69 and 70. Bill said this was the best reason to volunteer to fly. I'll give you a hint at what Bill is doing and it isn't a barbecue!

This is Mr. Bates, a Greyhound AC that flew Bill's ship on occasion. Mr. Bates was from Honduras and according to Bill, a great guy. Mr. Bates was affectionately called THE FRITO BANDITO!

Here's Mr. Seaborn writing sorties on the windshield of Bill Marchetti's ship. Mr. Seaborn paid the supreme sacrifice for America and was KIA on January 22, 1971. Rest in peace, Mr. Seaborn, you are gone but not forgotten.

Here's a picture of Sgt. Rooney. As you can see from the photo, Sgt. Rooney had a lot of tattoos. Bill said he use to joke about having a rat tattooed on his backside and it was running up his keister.

This is CE/Doorgunner Bill Marchetti from the Greyhounds, White Flight. Bill said that after looking at that picture from 30 years ago, he now understands why the woman got in line! Ah, those thrilling days of youth and yesteryear!

This picture is of Mr. Bates and Lt. Cappadona at a remote firebase. Bill said they bought chow for their pilots while they were on a DCS (Direct Combat Support) mission. When the Greyhounds flew DCS missions, many times that would have to perform Medevacs. The Greyhounds of White and Blue Flights were always there for the GRUNTS on the ground!

This is Sam Lusk, fellow Greyhound from White Flight, enjoying a cold one at the barracks.

This is a photo of the "hootch boy" Little Bit and Bill Marchetti. This kid was the "hootch boy" for some of the Mad Dogs, too, including myself. I always knew him as San (sp?).

Here's Whitey Larson from White Flight. According to Bill Marchetti, Whitey always had a smile on his face and was a great guy. Whitey left White Flight later and went on to become a Mad Dog.

This is a rare sight, the Greyhound CE/Gunners back to Bearcat while it was still daylight! Here is Schnoor and Dale Scheitler down at the flight line.