On July 3, 1971, two Cobra AH-1G helicopters from A Battery, 4^th Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, 101^st Airborne Division were involved in a night-time mid-air collision southwest of Camp Eagle, Thua Thien Province, with the loss of both crews and aircraft. The lost crewmen included CPT Phillip R. Bergfield and CPT Terry J. Martell from aircraft 68-15185 and CW2 Robert S. Schettig and 1LT Gary P. Tomlinson in aircraft 67-15760. The following is a summary of the loss by Army investigators: The aircraft in question were on 2-minute alert status with an aerial rocket artillery battery. They received a contact mission at approximately 2320 hours and were immediately launched. Arriving on station at 2330 hours in trail formation, a circling orbit was set up by the lead aircraft and was observed by ground troops, who indicated the orbit got smaller and smaller. The last radio transmission monitored was that the lead aircraft, flown by CPT Bergfield, was, "Rolling in hot." At this time the troops on the ground observed a large flash of fire and some rockets being fired. The burning aircraft fell to the ground over a ridge line 800 meters from the ground troops who also reported shortly after the flash of fire in the sky, there was another flash on the ground over the ridge line. The flash of fire in the sky was also observed by CW2 Barry Martens, of A Battery, 4/77th Artillery, 101^st Airborne Division, who watched the aircraft launched and depart the Phu Bai combat base to the southwest in trail formation. CW2 Martens observed the aircraft set up their orbit over the contact area and was watching for the section to commence their firing runs. CW2 Martens then observed a large flash in the area of the aircraft and could no longer see the aircraft positions lights. He went to the battery operations center and informed the personnel on duty, who initiated a radio search with negative results. The ground commander also radioed that it was possible that the aircraft had crashed. At this time the 4^th Battalion, 77th Artillery Headquarters Tactical Operations center was notified, who in turn launched a search and rescue team in a UH-1H helicopter. Upon arriving on the scene, two fires were observed approximately 200 meters apart and with close observation of the fires, it was determined that both aircraft were totally destroyed with little chance of survivors. [Taken from vhpa.org]

The 134th got off to a sad start in 1970 with the loss of a gunship crew member. On January 11th while providing gun cover for a medivac in the Phu Cat Mountains, a Devil gunship (66-15151) went IFR and crashed into a mountain. SP4 Edward Hamrick was killed when the aircraft hit, rolled over and the transmission crushed him. The door gunner, SP4 R. D. Tipple, was not injured but the two pilots sustained serious injuries. Captain Porter suffered a broken leg and the copilot, WO Larry Ingle had a partially collapsed lung and was in shock. SP4 Tipple managed to pull the pilots out of the wreckage through the windshield and get them away from the crash site, successfully avoiding nearby NVA/VC troops. SP4 Tipple, a former infantryman on an extension, had the presence of mind to break off the magnetic compass from its mount on the instrument panel and grab a map of the area. They spent 3 days in the mountains, evading the enemy while seriously injured and slowly making their way east toward Phu Cat Air Base. On the 3^rd day they were finally spotted by search aircraft and rescued. SP4 Tipple was awarded the Soldiers Medal for his actions in saving the injured pilots from capture during this incident.

On 6 February 1969, the 134th conducted a Combat Assault with ROK units near Phan Rang. At the landing zone, the VC were waiting in spider holes for the incoming aircraft. The lead ship was hit by ground fire and crashed in the LZ while another (66-16326) was destroyed by a B-40 rocket as it landed. CW2 William M. Harrison, the AC with 24 days left in country, was killed by shrapnel from the B-40. The crewchief, SP4 John Baxter, was hit numerous pieces of shrapnel and also took a hit in a leg that had to later be amputated. The last ship (66-16319) in the 3 ship formation went around the crashed lead ship. As it did, it was hit by a hail of fire and a round hit the gunner, PFC William Ogden, in the neck killing him instantly. The rest of the crew somehow escaped serious jury and managed to get the badly damaged ship back to Phan Rang Air Base.