Door Gunner

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 10/14/2013 at 15:48 • Filed to: Planelopnik

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Lance Cpl. Chris Eichelberger, a Huey door gunner with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, unloads on a target at the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, California, Oct. 2, 2013.

Image credit: U.S. Marine Corps via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

For Sweden > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 15:51

9

Did he neutralize the chocolate?

DanimalHouse > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 15:51

0

That is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad ass.

Frank Grimes > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 15:52

7

I want to be a helicopter gunner at Chocolate Mountain that would be such a sweet job!

Soloburrito > For Sweden 10/14/2013 at 16:00

0

They Freedom'd the hell out of that chocolate.

Soloburrito > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 16:07

14

Moving pictures.

rabbitman > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 16:09

12

Thanks for posting this.

The most important man in my life was door gunner in Vietnam.

162nd AHC, he had some great story's, I deeply miss him.

SasquatchElvis > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 16:20

1

Helicopter mounted ma deuce .50 cal? Yes, please!

venivelovici > rabbitman 10/14/2013 at 16:20

1

Can you explain what's on the front of his helmet - the reflective blue surface? Complete noob here as far as military equipment p0rn of this sort.

Quite a picture.

rabbitman > venivelovici 10/14/2013 at 16:26

0

I will let the service men give you a better explanation, But I am pretty sure you are referencing the pull down Visor on the helmet

OneFastPuertoRican > Frank Grimes 10/14/2013 at 16:26

8

Well that's one way to bite the bullet...

Dolemite > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 16:26

2

Some footage of a flyby in the hot zone:

ttyymmnn > SasquatchElvis 10/14/2013 at 16:29

1

Yes, indeed. HH-60 Pave Hawk.

Full size

Rows His Own > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 16:30

1

One of those moments where I should have put air crew before avionics when I enlisted. Oh well. Semper gumby my fellow Lance Coolie

ttyymmnn > Dolemite 10/14/2013 at 16:31

0

Wow, I remember that commercial. Good call.

Diesel > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 16:32

9

So much win!

ttyymmnn > venivelovici 10/14/2013 at 16:36

0

Looks like the built-in visor on the helmet. I'm guessing that LCpl Eichelberger opted for goggles to protect his eyes from rotor wash, wind and sand.

rent > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 17:08

2

I bet that barrel isn't much fun to clean.

Sweet picture. I'm surprised they put a Lance in the door, I thought it was usually E-5s running the guns on rotary wing. When I was in and around Fallujah in '07, the tail gunners on Chinnoks would let us(grunts) gun up if we had to go anywhere and it was always a thrill ride to us.

Ridge_Runner_5 > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 17:13

0

Wasn't Chocolate Mountain one of the tracks in Mario Kart?

Highball! > Frank Grimes 10/14/2013 at 17:26

3

Ah, the land of chocolate.

the_talker > Rows His Own 10/14/2013 at 17:28

1

I'm torn between avionics and crew chief. Think I'll be better off a civilian with avionics with an a&p when I finish..

Hawaiian > Soloburrito 10/14/2013 at 17:37

0

these guys littering...

Frank Grimes > Highball! 10/14/2013 at 17:39

1

Where all chocolate is half price.

BrianMadigan > rent 10/14/2013 at 17:40

1

There are no sights or anything on these guns. They're just walking tracers in right? With the relative movement and distance they're shooting, pouring lead on is the only real solution. The right hand gunner's M134 looks like it has an optic on top, but it's really just the plug for the barrel motor's power supply. It's kind of like aiming a fire hose I guess; you have uncork it before you can aim it. If I used that much ammo on a Sunday at the range, I'd have to take out a mortgage to pay for it.

DavidHH > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 17:46

1

Lance Cpl. Chris Eichelberger, thank you for serving!

venivelovici > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 18:24

0

Thanks!

1stGenRex > Rows His Own 10/14/2013 at 18:28

1

You would have ended up as Air Crew in a C130. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just not nearly as much shooting from one of those :P

rent > BrianMadigan 10/14/2013 at 18:30

1

Optics were generally unit specific when I was in, so I'm not sure how wingers handle it. Even with optics, you are still walking rounds onto a target based on its distance as no mounting system and operator will ever be able to pour 8-12 round bursts on to a target every single time.

The M2 can be particularly hard as the bolt housing is so large and produces so much force when firing that the weapon shakes violently, you have to have a massive amount of counterweight or anchoring to make it accurate. I'll never forget the sound of using one and I'm glad I was never on the receiving end of one.

yhatzee89 > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 18:42

1

Your right, the visor is built into the helmet, but the Oakley goggles are held against the face so as to allow less dust and wind behind them.
But my question is this, when was this pic taken? Cuz the US military no longer uses the Huey (actual name: Iroquois)

prisoners > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 18:43

1

"If they run, they're VC. If they stand still, they're well-disciplined VC!"

ttyymmnn > yhatzee89 10/14/2013 at 18:46

0

The Marines still do. They fly both the Iroquois and the Cobra in modernized, up-engined versions. The UH-1Y ("Yankee"), now called Venom, and the AH-1W ("Whiskey") Super Cobra.

Orange Exige > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 18:49

0

Really great photo.

PillowSmeller > Soloburrito 10/14/2013 at 19:49

0

I didnt know such wizardry existed!

emanresu > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 21:17

0

What's in his mouth?

ttyymmnn > emanresu 10/14/2013 at 22:12

1

It's a microphone for the intercom to the rest of the crew.

jonasJOSHUA > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 22:13

0

You should do a story about me! Why is that? Because I'M SO F**KIN' GOOD! That ain't no s**t neither! I done got me 157 dead gooks killed, them are all certified.

MAP2 Photography > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 22:15

1

Actually we have new "Cobras" too... The AH-1Z "Viper."

ttyymmnn > MAP2 Photography 10/14/2013 at 22:19

2

Good lord. I hadn't heard about these.

covesidekid > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 22:30

0

Fucking BAD ASS photo. Too bad there aren't a bunch of terrorists cunts at the other end of his reach.

emanresu > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 23:43

0

Cool. It looks like it's really on his mouth; like he's kissing it. Seems hard to talk into.

TheOnelectronic > ttyymmnn 10/14/2013 at 23:55

1

Trypophobia: When you least expect it!

TheOnelectronic > emanresu 10/14/2013 at 23:56

0

Tootsie Pop!

TheOnelectronic > emanresu 10/14/2013 at 23:56

0

Probably necessary given the insane amount of noise.

Hi there > ttyymmnn 10/15/2013 at 02:44

0

Thanks for getting to that before I got home and settled down to peruse Jalopnik. The new Hueys are pretty nifty, and vs "terrorists" I'd rather be in a Viper than an Apache. Sure, the Apache is a flying tank but it's also slow and not as nimble as the Viper. It's not like they have an airforce or lots of MANPADS sitting around.

NathSB > ttyymmnn 10/15/2013 at 06:12

0

The main philosophy seems to be "fit more guns!"

The Viper is among the coolest-looking combat helicopters, imo.

NathSB > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 06:15

0

Candy flavored microphones! We'll be rich!

dataPOG > ttyymmnn 10/15/2013 at 08:25

0

Stupid Full Metal Jacket quotes...they stuck I in my head! I trying to be nicer and gentler....

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > emanresu 10/15/2013 at 08:27

0

It's a special Kazoo that makes BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG-BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG noises.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > ttyymmnn 10/15/2013 at 08:27

0

Pentagon issued Sketchers.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 08:33

0

Wow! You'll really pulled that one out. I think angry hornets fly out of there.

OT.level7 > Soloburrito 10/15/2013 at 08:48

0

As far as ominous / badass sounds go, that m134 is a [not quite so] close second to the burp of a GAU-8. Amazing.

Ntovorni > ttyymmnn 10/15/2013 at 08:59

0

I see Hellfires, rocketpods, Sparrows (maybe Sidewinders? eitherway air to air rockets), Sensors out the ass up front, and of course the look anywhere and it will shoot cannon. Looks SO beastly.

Ntovorni > Soloburrito 10/15/2013 at 09:05

1

Is this live fire against enemies? I thought I heard radio chatter say taking fire.

Edit: Just saw the caption, they were running close air. Awesome. Thanks for posting. Think when I'm playing battlefield I'll have to use their right door/left door commands to let my teammates know what side I'm going to.

MCDallas > ttyymmnn 10/15/2013 at 09:35

1

What does the fox say?

900turbo > ttyymmnn 10/15/2013 at 09:47

0

L/Cpl Eichelberger is probably 20 yrs old with one of the coolest jobs on the planet.

I know it says he is a door gunner but he is probably a Crew Chief or 1st Mechanic, right?

900Turbo, 39 month L/cpl, USMC (ret)

LyleLanley > ttyymmnn 10/15/2013 at 11:06

0

"Anyone who runs, is a VC. Anyone who stands still, is a well-disciplined VC!"

Derpwagon > emanresu 10/17/2013 at 07:56

0

It has to be that close to your mouth, otherwise your voice just gets lost in the noise.