Back to Combat Art - VIETNAM   ESCAPE FROM HAPPY VALLEY Original 11"x 15" Graphite/Pencil Drawing Retired Army Major Fred Edens, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was a member of the 75th Rangers in Vietnam, in 1972. He was also a three tour, twice wounded veteran of that conflict. As a young enlisted Sp4, he became part of a six-man "hunter-killer" team. These small, highly trained, covert teams were regularly inserted by helicopter into enemy held locations where U.S. soldiers were least expected to be. Their mission: to inflict unrest and fear in the enemy.... through set ambushes, hit and run tactics, secret assaults against individuals and small groups of Viet Cong guerillas or NVA soldiers (specifically the type action loved by "Rambo" movie script writers). Fred's team had been inserted into a valley in the coastal mountain range south of the 1st Cavalry Division's base at Tuy Hoa. A large marshy shallow lake covered the floor of "Happy Valley," edged by jungle extending up into the mountains. *Please note*: Artist Frank Thomas' studio lithographic art print sales are discontinued from 10 March 2007 until 1 October of 2008. He and his wife are serving for eighteen months in the Ohio-Cleveland Mission, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), at the Kirtland Historic Sites, Kirtland, Ohio. He has set up his art studio and is producing additional LDS historical paintings at that location. Rolled canvas art prints (only) are available and may be purchased by calling Frank at (435) 406-9526 or contact by email wildgoose@crystalpeaks.com. With no clearings available, the chopper hovered over water and the men waded to shore, and safety in the dense trees. Five days of tracking and attempts to ambush the local force Vietcong guerillas resulted in no contact. The VC were eluding this small U.S. team. Finally an extraction helicopter was called to get them out. It cautiously approached, across the lake and the team began wading out to climb aboard. Suddenly the Vietcong force attacked, firing upon the aircraft and vulnerable men in the water. Edens spun and fired a long burst of ammunition from his M-16 rifle, to hold the VC at bay, while his buddies got aboard the chopper. In seconds, as he struggled to reach the hovering HU-1D helicopter, the door-gunner was killed; the pilot, concerned about his aircraft and its load of men, took off! Fred Edens just managed to throw his leg over a skid, as the huey chopper dropped its nose and powered across the water, into the sky...to safety.