Gary Vacin
“Our job was to start battles, not to end them. We were always looking for a fight.” That’s how Sun Lakes resident George Abernathy described his missions in Vietnam as a 19-year-old helicopter scout door gunner during a presentation to the Sun Lakes Aero Club gathering on Feb. 16. More than 50 club members and guests attended.
Abernathy said his unit’s mission was to fly slow, right-hand circles at tree-top levels with the intention of drawing enemy fire. The objective was to bait the enemy into a fight. He flew Hughes OH-6A helicopters in coordination with Cobra gunships. The pair was referred to as a “Hunter-Killer Team,” among the most hazardous duties in the Vietnam conflict. “Cobras flew 1,500 feet above the scouts, waiting to attack whatever we found. We were the hunters. The Cobras were the killers. The adrenaline rush kept us going,” Abernathy said.
After logging more than 625 combat missions, he completed his tour of duty and was back in the U.S. as a civilian at the ripe old age of 19-1/2.
Abernathy’s presentation was the fourth in a series presented at Sun Lakes Aero Club gatherings. The club’s 2025-26 season will conclude with a talk by Fred Buckwalter on April 20 relating activities in preparation for the Artemis II Moon mission.
For more information on the Aero Club, contact Cannon Hill at 509-539-7857, Gary Vacin at 480-298-7017, or visit the club’s website at www.sunlakesaeroclub.org.