[Akguy59]

That is definitely a pistol that needs to stay in the family forever. Thank your father for all of us.

 

[Redhawk100]

It sounds like your dad had an angel watching over him. He did a LOT of tours and made it back, which is one heck of a blessing. Too many pilots ended up dead or in the Hanoi Hilton in just a single tour. It's a great life he lived and worthy of a special kind of pride.

 

[cpt t]

Ruger a Shau Valley.jpg

• gjohns427
• Jun 19, 2023

So I have this Ruger 3 screw 357 Blackhawk, s/n 54731, that I grew up with. It has had the recall done sometime in the early 70's IIRC. Family lore was that when my father returned from his 1st tour of Vietnam as a FAC, he told my grandfather that they sent him up with nothing other than smoke rockets in an L-19 - not even the pictured carbine. He was a fighter pilot recruited as a FAC. Family lore continued that my grandfather promptly bought him the Blackhawk, and that my father smuggled it back to Vietnam in his flight helmet under his flight gloves. There are dings in the wood handles that, according to my father, were caused getting into and out of the L-19, and later F-4's for tours 3 and 4. I had a photo (that I've lost) of him standing next to an L-19 with an M-16. On the back was written "something new in flight gear." My father is now 90 and has moved into an independant living apartment for seniors. I belived the story, but have found proof. I found the below photo in one of his albums. I asked him where this was taken and he said the A Shau Valley. I would like for Ruger to hear this, but their "email the president" function has been disabled. Hope you found this as interesting as I did.
Gary

GARY: You have a Died In The Wool Family Treasure in your hands in that Old Ruger Blackhawk. That belonged to and was carried by Your Father while He was a FAC Pilot and Fast Mover Pilot in the 1970`s in Vietnam. You should Treasure Your Dad also, for He is very special. He served His Country Well and with Honor. Treasure Him and the things He did for Our Country. When You see Your Father the next time give Him a hug on the neck for me. And tell Him for me I am very proud of Him for the many Dangerous and Deadly Missions He Flew and for His Personnel Courage and Service to Our Country. Tell Your Father also for me, I am glad He made it Home safe . And that I hope He had a good life. For He darn sure deserved it. Tell Your Father that for me.
ken

 

[gjohns427]

Thank you for all the kind words. I've kept him up to date on this discussion. Thought I show some photos of the Blackhawk, so I pulled it out of the safe.
Gary

 

[LarryNBoise]

I especially like the small fracture in the right grip panel which authenticates its worn in service to your father and our country. What an heirloom!!!

 

[Rustyaa55]

Most shooters appreciate seeing a working gun. Especially true in this case. Wear is evidence of real jobs done. The fact that it is in such good shape is a testament that your Dad was a true soldier. In such a rough, wet envioronment he took great care of his weapon.

Thanks again for sharing.

 

[PriseDeFer]

A Forward Air Controller, and a fighter pilot, and 4 tours in it? How does he carry them around?
That Ruger is the best of guns, a family piece with stories of honor written on the blued steel.

 

[Welldoya]

I Bought a S&W 66-3 2.5” a couple of months ago.
I asked the guy if he had the box and he said “No, but I’ll throw in an old box from a Model 10
that I picked up at a yard sale”.
Inside the box was the original receipt for the Model 10 dated 1963, price of $51.80, sold to a captain in the U.S. Army, Advisory Team 7, APO San Francisco. The store was Polak, Winters & Company, San Francisco.

Also in the box was the application to the U.S. Embassy in Saigon Vietnam for a gun permit.
There were also a couple of cleaning rods that came with the gun.

 

[foldisk57]

I own two 3-screw Rugers, a Super Blackhawk 357 and a Super Single Six. When I received orders to Vietnam in F-4's, I considered taking a 9mm and several clips. A clunky revolver in an F-4 was unthinkable and in my mind, highly impractical. I can , however, see the psychological value. I'm sure Gen Patton's Ivory handled 45's had no practical purpose. Anyway, I decided not to take a 9 since the prospect of employing it against the NVA or Cong would probably tend to really piss them off! Our squadron had a collection of well-worn 38 revolvers. Mine was very worn, but seemed adequate to dispatch any snake likely to be encountered, if I were unlucky enough to find myself in the jungle. I studied many Intel debriefs of surviving aircrews shot down from the mid 60's to mid 70's. I don't believe there was a single instance of a shot-down aircrew attempting to utilize his handgun against the enemy.

 

[PriseDeFer]

" I don't believe there was a single instance of a shot-down aircrew attempting to utilize his handgun against the enemy. "

Maybe not, but it would sure make that first night alone in enemy territory a bit easier to sweat through.

 

[Sr40ken]

I own two 3-screw Rugers, a Super Blackhawk 357 and a Super Single Six. When I received orders to Vietnam in F-4's, I considered taking a 9mm and several clips. A clunky revolver in an F-4 was unthinkable and in my mind, highly impractical. I can , however, see the psychological value. I'm sure Gen Patton's Ivory handled 45's had no practical purpose. Anyway, I decided not to take a 9 since the prospect of employing it against the NVA or Cong would probably tend to really piss them off! Our squadron had a collection of well-worn 38 revolvers. Mine was very worn, but seemed adequate to dispatch any snake likely to be encountered, if I were unlucky enough to find myself in the jungle. I studied many Intel debriefs of surviving aircrews shot down from the mid 60's to mid 70's. I don't believe there was a single instance of a shot-down aircrew attempting to utilize his handgun against the enemy.

There’s a confirmed story of an American pilot in his parachute killing a Japanese pilot with his 1911. So, there’s always a chance you’ll need it.

 

[DaddyO66]

Greetings from the Rockies.
Awesome story! Having photos makes it more valuable.
I've always wished old guns could tell me their tales.

 

[Higgy Baby]

studied many Intel debriefs

......and lots of things simply were not reported, and didn't make it into the intel briefs.

 

[LarryNBoise]

......and lots of things simply were not reported, and didn't make it into the intel briefs.

True Dat!

 

[cpt t]

Ruger a Shau Valley.jpg

• gjohns427
• Jun 19, 2023

So I have this Ruger 3 screw 357 Blackhawk, s/n 54731, that I grew up with. It has had the recall done sometime in the early 70's IIRC. Family lore was that when my father returned from his 1st tour of Vietnam as a FAC, he told my grandfather that they sent him up with nothing other than smoke rockets in an L-19 - not even the pictured carbine. He was a fighter pilot recruited as a FAC. Family lore continued that my grandfather promptly bought him the Blackhawk, and that my father smuggled it back to Vietnam in his flight helmet under his flight gloves. There are dings in the wood handles that, according to my father, were caused getting into and out of the L-19, and later F-4's for tours 3 and 4. I had a photo (that I've lost) of him standing next to an L-19 with an M-16. On the back was written "something new in flight gear." My father is now 90 and has moved into an independant living apartment for seniors. I belived the story, but have found proof. I found the below photo in one of his albums. I asked him where this was taken and he said the A Shau Valley. I would like for Ruger to hear this, but their "email the president" function has been disabled. Hope you found this as interesting as I did.
Gary

Great Story thanks for shearing. I really enjoyed it. I flew UH-1`s for C co 229th 1st Cav in 3 Corp`s in 71 & 72. Tell Your Dad Hi for me and give Him a big Hug on the Neck. And spend as much time with Him as You possibly can. And pry every last story from Him that He can remember. That He want`s to tell You. Tell Your Dad for me. I am so very glad He made it home, and I hope He had a good life. I turned 80 yrs old 10-20-23. And time is getting short for both of us. The Flying I did in Viet Nam and the people I flew with were some of the high points of my life. I bet Your Father feels the same way. Every Young Man need a War that He can tell stories about when He gets ((( OLD ))).
ken

 

[kfields]

What a great story - and you still have the pistol AND your old man!!
My cousin served in Vietnam in 1970 with the Marines. It's been 6-7 years since he passed away.
As the story goes, he wrote a letter to his mother asking her to send his revolver to him as he needed it. So she wrapped it up, covered it in aluminum foil, put it in the box and sent it to him. I remember her telling me about it but I was too young to ask more probing questions about it like what type pistol.
Anyway, here is a picture of him taken in Vietnam with that pistol. I suppose that holster could have been locally made. He was later wounded, ended up on a hospital ship and became separated from his gear and the pistol, never to be seen again.

 

[smokeybruin]

Just want to add details that unfortunately I can substantiate since it was passed along as a story.
Going off memory.

Picked up a hitchhiker a few years back, I stopped because the area was rural and it was starting to snow. His age was appropriate for a Vietnam vet.

He shared stories with me while I drove for the next hour or so. At no point did it feel like he was trying to load me up with too much B.S.

TL;DR I believe he said he was in search and rescue. Carried a Ruger single action as sidearm because it was what he grew up with and could hit his target instinctively. He mentioned getting grief from an officer including having it stolen by one at one point.

Claimed his success with it made the Ruger a bit of a status symbol in his unit. He was suggesting he had quite a reputation for carrying it.

He did mention that he was told the distinct sound and smoke from Ruger made him easier to locate in the jungle canopy.

I have never seen anything online to suggest anything he said was true but if someone were to stretch the truth they could have embellished a lot more than he did.

I think he said it was a Super Blackhawk but not sure enough to say for certain.

 

[LarryNBoise]

While this thread is over 2 years old, that's less time than many spent in the jungles of Viet Nam. Interesting thought is how we rarely run into an SKS or AK that are claimed to be a "bring back trophy".

Wondering if "Bring backs" were no longer allowed like in WW2 and the Korean War, or is it that AKs and SKSs were considered junk not worth bringing back?

 

[MikeWarner]

Ruger a Shau Valley.jpg

• gjohns427
• Jun 19, 2023

So I have this Ruger 3 screw 357 Blackhawk, s/n 54731, that I grew up with. It has had the recall done sometime in the early 70's IIRC. Family lore was that when my father returned from his 1st tour of Vietnam as a FAC, he told my grandfather that they sent him up with nothing other than smoke rockets in an L-19 - not even the pictured carbine. He was a fighter pilot recruited as a FAC. Family lore continued that my grandfather promptly bought him the Blackhawk, and that my father smuggled it back to Vietnam in his flight helmet under his flight gloves. There are dings in the wood handles that, according to my father, were caused getting into and out of the L-19, and later F-4's for tours 3 and 4. I had a photo (that I've lost) of him standing next to an L-19 with an M-16. On the back was written "something new in flight gear." My father is now 90 and has moved into an independant living apartment for seniors. I belived the story, but have found proof. I found the below photo in one of his albums. I asked him where this was taken and he said the A Shau Valley. I would like for Ruger to hear this, but their "email the president" function has been disabled. Hope you found this as interesting as I did.
Gary

This is an incredible piece of history - not just as a Ruger, but as a personal artifact of your father’s service. The 3-screw Blackhawks were rugged workhorses, and the A Shau Valley was one of the toughest AO’s in Vietnam. Have you considered reaching out to the NRA Museum or the National Firearms Museum? They might help document it.

 

[HNDLDR]

Since we are bringing this older discussion back to the forefront I too am impressed at the condition that old war horse survived. Your dad took good care of it. Awesome story.