When I arrived at Phu Bai the MAG-36 Commanding Officer, Colonel Bruce Matheson, told me to go fly with HMM-364 because I would be taking over the squadron at some future date..  On my first visit to the squadron I believe I was being escorted around by Capt. Marcus G. "Catfish" Monk and noticed YK-13 was in the hangar being patched up from some recent bullet wounds.  Catfish possibly mentioned that it was not unusual for YK-13 to undergo such maintenance procedures.  I mentioned that on my first tour overseas in Korea with VMF(N)-513 we did not have a number 13 because at least two of our aircraft that had borne the number 13 had been lost to enemy action.  Instead we flew number 12 7/8ths.

It was a pleasant surprise, at the change of command ceremony on 13 Sept. 1968, to see the static display helicopter in the background was number 12 7/8ths.