John was my first Aircraft Commander when I was assigned to the Aero Rifle Platoon the first few weeks of my tour with D Troop in June 1967. He was a superb pilot and a good man to have in the pilot seat when things got busy. He did his best to teach me how to fly the underpowered D Model Hueys with a load of Infantrymen on board.
One of my lasting memories of flying with John was my first night formation flight during the rainy season (of course). It was so dark I could not see the UH-1D that we were flying formation on and could only occasionally see the navigation lights on the top of that helicopter. My instinct told me that if I flew too close to that aircraft bad things were likely to happen to me. Think images of intermeshed main rotor blades, etc. John's idea of night formation flying was: If you can't see the other helicopter's NAV lights which you are supposed to use as your guide, you aren't flying close enough. Get closer and you will see the lights just fine. So, when we were close enough that John could see the other guys NAV lights I was in that pilot's flight mode roughly translated as "You couldn't drive a ten penny nail up my ass with a five pound hammer." Maybe you have had some experience with that particular flight mode. We survived that first night formation flight and others so John was probably right - but I sure didn't fully believe him at the time.
The world is a lesser place because of John's absence. It would be a lot of fun to have a beer or three with John and listen to him talk about how he survived all the new Centaur Lieutenants and Warrant Officers that he was given to train. I was pleased to learn that he was an Instructor Pilot back in the Land of the Big PX between tours. I'm sure the newbie pilots learned a lot from John about flying but also benefited from his combat experience with D Troop.
Rick Arthur adds some comments about John Hohman. Excerpted from Rick's email message.
I knew John and flew a lot of missions with him. He was an exceptionally brave
and skilled pilot. One of the best I have seen in my 30 years of flying Army
helicopters.
I flew gun cover for some night LRRP extractions where John was the extraction
slick. More than once I watched him disappear into the dark, his helicopter
blacked out, landing into a triple canopy jungle with only the beam of one of
the LRRPs flashlight inside the barrel of an M-79 to guide his approach. I would
completely lose sight of him, tracers flying in seemingly all directions, no way
for me to help him. But here he would come up out of that black hole in the
jungle with all of the LRRP team aboard. We could all start breathing again and
go home.
He was no doubt a true American Hero who lives in my mind.
Rick Arthur
Mike Banks adds some comments about John Hohman. Excerpted from Mike's email message.
I remember John as a slick jockey in D/3/4/25 while I was there. I think he arrived and DEROS'd on a schedule about two months behind mine, which was mid July 66-67. He returned to Rucker and I went to Wolters, but we kept in touch for a little while after that. I heard later that he had been on his 2nd tour when he gave it all. A sad day, for sure. Good to see his smiling face again - thanks.
Mike Banks
Centaur 38
Stephen Van Rie adds some comments about John Hohman. Excerpted from Stephens email message.
Mike Vaughn and I have conversed about John before. I was a door gunner/crew chief (Feb 69) but I knew a great pilot and person when I came in contact with John Hohman. The following is my thoughts on John that I sent to Mike Vaughn in 2009.
For the last 40 years I have been putting the Viet Nam era out of my mind. Since I have retired I have been trying to clear some things up. The person that I have been trying to remember was John Hohman. He was an IP when I first met him and I was a door gunner then. John was on a qualifying flight with the new pilot and John would say that he would put the toe of the skid right on the runway end line and he did. What this is leading to; I have been trying to remember John's name. With the information from D Troop's web page and 'The Wall' website I was able to come up with it. You see, my gunner, Jerry Ackerman and I were assigned to the Dust Off mission on the Stable Boy slick and were the ones that brought John's badly injured body back to the MedEvac Hospital that fateful day in May 1969. He died of his wounds shortly after.
John will never be forgotten.
Stephen Van Rie
D Troop Feb '69 Aug
Slicks Door Gunner Richard Stegner (D Troop Apr '65 - Mar '68) adds this photo of John Hohman (back to camera) with Richard (left) and Slicks Crew Chief Darrell Leland (right) taken in July 1967.
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Click on the TOGETHER WE SERVED website link to go to the original website for some of the details of John's time with D Troop Centaurs. TogetherWeServed - CW2 John Michael Hohman