Driving by the New Hampshire National Guard headquarters on Regional Drive, you may have noticed the aptly named “helicopter on a stick,” or so the folks at the Guard facility jokingly call it.
It’s actually a real-deal helicopter, one of the Hueys that are best known for their use in the Vietnam War. “It was a lifeline during the Vietnam War,” writes Staff Sgt. Ginger Dempsey in an article for New Hampshire National Guard Magazine, “ferrying troops, the injured, food, ammunition and other supplies.”
As with most things, the Huey (aka UH-1H) became outdated with advances in technology.
Major Gregory Heilshorn, public information officer for the New Hampshire National Guard, said he isn’t sure if the Huey gracing the Guard facility actually flew in Vietnam, but it is a reminder of the helicopter model’s history.
The Hueys were eventually phased out, and those remaining were passed on to law-enforcement units or used for training exercises.
The retired Huey at the Guard facility was part of the unveiling to celebrate the new aviation facility, which opened in 2004.
