An AW rate is a flying rate and one of the responsibilities is to earn your Aircrew wings and become a member of the crew. In order to earn your A/C wings one had to know emergency procedures of the aircraft you were flying in, the equipment of your rate and pass the A/C tests.
The TRIM planes had a lot of special electronic gear that I had to learn how to not only operate, but how to repair. I spent hours with the Tech Reps going over electronic schematics, tracing wiring paths, learning how to trouble-shoot problems and operate and interpret the Foward Looking Infrared (FLIR), the Low Light Level TV (LLLTV) and the Black Crow (a sensor for truck ignitions). I also became a radio operator and played with the M60's out of the aft windows.
As we were flying over the jungles of Viet Nam we were also required to take a jungle survival course which was given out of NAF Sangley Point, RPI. Our small group was dropped off in the Philippine jungles with our Negrito guide/instructor. He was the only person who had a rifle. (This was in the event that while in the jungles we met with Hucks. Hucks were the remnants of the WWII Phillippino freedom fighters who fought against the Japanese and who after the war remained in the jungles and later became bandits). The rest of our group only had their survival knives and a little salt. Our Negrito instructor taught us how to trap, make rope from vines, obtain water from vines, obtain a soap-like substance from vines and generally how to survive if we ever had to bail-out over the jungles of Viet Nam. We spent about a three days in the jungle surviving on what we could harvest, catch and cook.
One day we came to an area that had a medium sized stream running through the jungle. Our guide cautioned us to be quiet and crouch down and crawl towards the stream which had a large overhanging bank on the far side. There appeared to be at least a dozen holes about six inches to a foot in diameter in the bank. Previously, our guide showed us how to make small bows and fire-hardened arrows. The picture now becomes a little clearer as our small group crawled, bows and arrows in hand, towards the stream through the dense jungle foliage. As we got closer we could see large lizards lounging part-way out of the holes. Our guide picked a large lizard and told us all to aim for "that one." Rising as one, we let loose our arrows, a few actually coming close to the lizard, one actually hit the lizard in the foot. Our guide immediately jumped into and crossed the stream, ran up the bank and stuck his arm, up to his elbow, into the hole and pulled out the lizard. There were wild cheers of success until it finally dawned on us that this was our dinner. "Gourmet lizard" in the jungle prepared over an open fire is something one has to experience. - Story submitted by Eric B. Shyer.