A group of retired Vietnam War combat veterans from across the nation reunited with a De Havilland DHC-3 Otter, one specifically active during the Vietnam era, at K2 Aviation in Talkeetna, Alaska on August 12, 2024.
What started as a typical annual reunion for Vietnam era veterans from the U.S. Army 18th and 54th Aviation Companies soon turned into a more hands-on event when a social media post by their families.
“These men deserve to be honored with how they've served our country and the things they've been through. We owe them endless respect,” said Sarah Loreth, the media manager for K2 and event coordinator for the reunion. “When we saw our post gaining some traction, and that the vets were meeting in Alaska we thought, why not make a day out of it.”
K2 reached out to the group of eight veterans and their families via Facebook to invite them to the K2 Facility in Talkeetna, Alaska. It was apparent that despite many decades and thousands of miles of distance between the men’s respective homes, the camaraderie among the group had anything but faded.
Story after story was told in such exquisite detail, as if they were recalling a particularly eventful day from last week, not one from over 50 years ago during one of the most turbulent times in American history.
“It was incredible the things these guys talked about so casually, recalling moments so vividly,” said Eleaner Lochner-Greenland, daughter of retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Richard Lochner, a veteran in attendance.“It sounded like a highschool reunion until you listened and understood the significance of what they spoke about - it was pretty moving.”
Attending veterans were individually gifted quilts from the “Quilts of Valor” organization, a group that honors veterans and their families for honorable military service. The group aims to extend a warm hand of gratitude to veterans who have made sacrifices for the nation. Emotions ran high as these men received these tokens of appreciation, many of them having not received such gratitude upon their return home.
Following the bestowal of the “Quilts of Valor,” the veterans were given a tour of the K2 aviation facility, where a long overdue reunion finally came to fruition. Then men were reunited with their old friend the DHC-3 Otter, the very aircraft they had flown on long ago during their time in Vietnam. According to Lochner, the Otter hadn't changed a bit and brought him back to a very different time in his life.
Servicing all of South Vietnam from 1961 to 1971, the Otter was operated and maintained by the U.S. Army 18th and 54th Aviation companies and was praised for its versatility. The Otter transported everything from basic supply cargo, to Vietnamese prisoners of war across the entirety of South Vietnam. The aircraft was consistently praised for its ability to take off and land on extremely short runways, making it an ideal pick for the dense jungles of Vietnam, and now the short icy landing strips of the Denali mountains in Alaska.
“It was a good aircraft,” said Lochner. “It did its job well, and there's a reason the Army was so fond of it.”
The group was given a charter flight through the Denali mountains where they landed atop the Ruth Glacier. Despite all of these men working on the Otter when they were less then 25 years old, they all recalled the aircraft well, even playfully arguing over who got to sit in the back, the spot known to have the most leg room.
The men hoped to return, and were overheard planning their next visit as they walked out together, brothers in and out of Vietnam.
Local News
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