The chopper, cropped and enlarged/Assuming
the identity (see photo and text at right) is correct, the group
photo was undoubtedly taken in the Fifties, probably after the
Korean War and perhaps at Fort Benning or Fort Bragg. |
 The
bird appears to be the Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw. This is
significant as: [it] first flew on 10 November 1949. Two
experimental YH-19s arrived in Korea on 23 March 1951 and began
evacuating casualties the next day. They proved so successful that
they went into active service in all service branches. The US
Army designated its versions as the H-19C and H-19D, both named
“Chickasaw”. Almost 1,000 H-19 helicopters and variants were
produced.
The US Marine Corps Helicopter Transport Squadron 161, HMR-161,
which arrived in Korea on 30 August 1951 was equipped with 15 HRS-1
helicopters. During the last year of the Korean War HMR-161 and the
1st Marine Division began expanding the role of helicopters, using
them for air assault, for air transport supporting an attacking
force, and for tactical re-deployments.
The US Army’s 6th Transportation Helicopter Company, equipped with
12 H-19Cs, arrived in Korea during March 1953. They were primarily
used for light transport and for casualty evacuation" |
