Rattler/Firebird Home Page

Welcome to the snakepit! This is the home page of the Rattlers and Firebirds of Company A/501st Aviation Battalion, 71st Assault Helicopter Company, 151st Transportation Detachment, and the 94th Signal Detachment. We served in Vietnam from 1964 until 1971, moving from our original base at Bien Hoa to Chu Lai in 1967.

Firebirds attacking

Rattler & Firebird Names

The radio call signs “Rattler” and “Firebird” were used by our aircraft during our service in Vietnam. “Rattler” was used by our UH-1D & H helicopters that carried troops, supplies, ammunition, performed command and control, combat assault, medical evacuation and insertion/extraction missions, as well as many others. The call sign “Firebird” was used by our UH-1B, C & M gunships, some of the most feared gunships in all of Vietnam. You can find more about the call signs and where they came from on our history page.

The Association

The Rattler/Firebird Association has no political agenda. We simply provide a means to stay in touch with those who share our experiences. If you served with us, or with anyone else during the Vietnam conflict and nobody has told you this already, we'd like take this opportunity to say, “Welcome Home!”

What's New?

Here are the most recent changes to our site:

Added Photos - 03/17/2013: Added a page for Gary Meegel's Pictures to the Photo Gallery.
Added Name to Taps Page - 03/09/2013: Added Fredrick R. Childs to the list of Men Who Have Died Since Serving With Us
Added Reunion Information - 02/23/2013: Added preliminary information about the 2014 Rattler/Firebird Reunion in Dallas, TX
Updated Agent Orange Information - 02/23/2013: Added ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) to the diseases covered under agent orange exposure.

Director's Corner

February 20, 2014 - Rattlers and Firebirds - We have completed a contract with the Marriott DFW Airport South in Fort Worth, TX for our next reunion. Gary White will be posting more details shortly.

We need to find out how much interest there may be in running a tour bus or busses to Mineral Wells and Fort Wolters. Almost all of our pilots trained or taught there early in their military career. There is a museum and one of our own Hueys located east of town. It would be about an hour bus ride to get there. See the museum, maybe eat somewhere and then drive through the old base. This would probably run about four hours.

Please email Ron Seabolt at rattler1@rattler-firebird.org if you think this would interest you.