In 1968 Gary Green and I were flying a Sniffer mission down in a place called the Plain of Reeds. It was Northwest of Dong Tam. It was getting late in the day and Maj. Brofer wanted us to check out one more area. We headed toward the area that he indicated. Along our route was a group of hootches. The rule was that you never flew between two hootches. But I was in a hurry .

    Ace Cozzalio was leading the Loach team that was right behind me. Covering the three of us was a Cobra team at about 1500 feet. I was in a hurry and I flew between the 2 hootches. They never shoot at the first one through. The first one only warns them. They always get the second one as he comes through. The second one through was Ace and they riddled his helicopter. Neither he nor his gunner was wounded.  Ace called on the radio, "We have been hit and I have oil spraying out of the transmission, I'm heading out to middle of this big open area to set down where nobody can get to us".

    I pulled around and got on his tail and I was 50 to 75 yards behind and pacing him at about 110 knots. Apparently a flight control push-pull tube to the rotor head separated and in doing so caused the aircraft to start tumbling. I watched it tumble three times in the air before it contacted the rice paddies. It sent water flying and spraying in all directions. I slipped my Huey to the right, stood on the left pedal and did a backwards flare during a 180 degree turn then wallowed into the paddy about 50 yards past Ace. I looked over at Ace. He and his gunner were still sitting in the helicopter. The aircraft's tail was sticking in the ground. The rotor blades were gone. The bubble was gone and Ace was facing me. He looked up at me and impolitely gave me the "Finger of Fate". He let me know I was the one who had screwed up and gotten him shot down.

    Ace and his gunner got on my aircraft.  He rode in silence as he had nothing to say to me.
    He did forgive me the next day.