Now in Their 70s, Vietnam Vets Gather to Honor the Metairie Helicopter Pilot Who Rescued Them

Their time together, that day in Vietnam, was less than half an hour. And they didn't see each other again for more than half a century. But when Army helicopter pilot A.W. Steed, who lives in Metairie, was finally reunited with three of the surviving members of the patrol he rescued from a firefight in Vietnam in 1967, it was an instantaneous, emotional bonding. “I usually stay in control, but tears came fairly easily for all of us,” said Robert Stowell '65, who led the six-man long-range reconnaissance patrol. “Because of A.W. and his courage, I have life. We all do.” Read more.