sikorsky uh-34, sikorsky uh-34d, sikorsky h-34, sikorsky s-58, james c. farley, and 2 more (united states of america and 3 more) drawn by larry_burrows_(photographer)

Artist's commentary

Original

Caption from LIFE. "In the cockpit of YP3 we could see the pilot slumped over the controls," Burrows recalled shortly after the mission, his words transcribed from an audio recording and published alongside his own pictures in LIFE. " Larry Burrows—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

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"Then Farley heads for YP3 to try to pull its pilot from the cockpit. Seeing a bullet hole through his neck and thinking he's dead, Farley, under heavy V.C. fire, runs back to his ship."

""In the cockpit of YP3 we could see the pilot slumped over the controls. 'Farley, Captain Vogel said, 'see what you can do for that other pilot.' Farley barreled out of the copter and raced over to Yankee Papa 3. I chased after him. From a stone building some 70 yards away a Vietcong machine gun was spraying the area. Farley scrambled up to the pilot and fought to drag him out but he couldn't be budged. To get into a more upright position so he could exert greater leverage, Farley switched off YP3's engine but the rotor blades kept turning. I was kneeling on the ground alongside the ship for cover against the V.C. fire. Should I try to find another foothold alongside Farley and help him lift the pilot out?"

Image 18/29 of the photos of Larry Burrow's 'One Ride with Yankee Papa 13'.

The April 16, 1965, issue of LIFE Magazine is free on Google Books - https://books.google.com/books?id=RlMEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false