I'd known Barney for a number of years, prior to his death in those "BOEING SHIT HOUSES"!  My 1st tour in Viet Nam was with HMM-365, in 1964-65 and I returned to the States...Barney's wife and mine were good friends. Barney received orders for Viet Nam and was there for a short time! He was wounded and sent stateside to heal.        Barney was issued orders to NAMTRADET, N.A.S. Memphis and he was a Hydraulics System Instructor there. My family and I visited he and his family at "HOUSING" and we would talk about "all the BOOTS" that didn't know their ASS FROM-A-HOLE-IN-THE-GROUND!  Barney's way of getting their attention was to pick-up the fire bucket and "THROW IT AT 'EM"!  I asked Barney if it worked, "Yep", said he.

In December of 1967 I received orders to HMH-463 and was in country (during TET) and for most of my tour. Then Barney reported to HMM-364 and I saw him at the "Staff Club", we grabbed a bunch of beers and went outside to the beach (Marble Mountain). We shot the shit for a long time!  Barney was happy to be a "Purple Fox", and e made plans for our return to the States.   I would leave before him but I told him my wife and I would look in on his "Oku-san".  I departed Viet Nam on the 19th of Feb., 1969.  After leave, I checked in at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River.   Within a short time, I received word that Barney was a victim of the Boeing habit of "DING---DING"!! "AFT PYLON DEPARTING"!!

I don't care what the Pilots say about the "H-46" !! Its' a sorry piece of shit !!

Gy/Sgt. Willard D. Reeves, Jr.
U.S.M.C.                  (Retired)