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Name: OSBORNE DENNIS M
Branch: ARMY
Rate: E04
Rank: CORPORAL OR SPECIALI
MOS: 67N
MOS Title: UH-1 Helicopter Repairer
Entered: 
Discharged: 
Service Number: 
State: FLORIDA
Race: CAUCASIAN

i just received your most interesting letter. i have not lived at that address for several years now and am surprised your mail reached me.

it looks like my zippo. i have no recollection of how or where i may have misplaced it. i can't tell you how many cigarretts lit, hands warmed, cook-fires started, or darkness has been illuminated by that lighte

i believe that lighter was given to me by my platoon sergeant when i arrived in vietnam in august of 1967. i was 19 years old and had just spent a year in germany. i was a specialist e-4 (same grade as corporal). i was trained in the united states at fort rucker alabama as a helicopter crewchief/mechanic, to maintain bell helicopter model uh-1 series. in vietnam the crewchief is assigned the responsibility of his own helicopter maintain, and ride along on all flights. my helicopter was what was known as a "slick", a uh-1d model with no fixed armament. this aircraft was the workhorse of the vietnam war. my crew changed daily--sometimes several times in a day. crew consisted of crewchief, gunner, pilot, co-pilot. we would fly missions daily beginning before dawn and into the evening hours.

we were a combat assault unit---b co, 229th aviation batallian, 1st air cavalry division. i flew nothing but combat missions from august of 1967 through august of 1968---thousands and thousands of sorties. we carried combat troops, usually squads of eight infantry men to and from various points all over I corps and II corps area of vietnam, lrrp teams and special forces teams into areas outside of south vietnam. we carried south vietnamese regular army personnel and republic of korea troops on missions as well. we supplied these troops in the field with meals, ammunition, replacement personnel, and medical evacuation when "dust-off med-evac" would or could not go in. i received 27 air medals---one of those for valor, and the distinguished flying cross.

i was extremely surprised to see this lighter---i thought all of my possessions and photos had been destroyed. Thank you for writing to me. feel free to contact me again.

sincerely

dennis

Die Erklärung, weshalb es zwei identisch gravierte Feuerzeuge des gleichen Besitzers gibt, ist eine ganz einfache:

"I decided to the lighter was important enough to me that i would have the lighter replicated."

Das Zippo, welches im Dog Wood Park gefunden wurde, ging inzwischen wieder über in den Besitz von Dennis M Osborne.