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| Roush, VHPA President John Shafer |
BATH -- Steuben County Legislator Gary Roush, R-Erwin was recognized Wednesday (July 5) by the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) for 31 years of volunteer service. The recognition took place in Indianapolis, at the group’s annual meeting. A US Army captain and pilot for the 242nd Assault Support Helicopter Company, the "Muleskinners," during the Vietnam War, Roush completed 942 hours of combat flight hours and more than 3,000 landings. As a volunteer, Roush has been instrumental in collecting data on those who died, or potentially died, in action, and those who have died since serving in the Vietnam War. A member of the VHPA executive council for six years, Roush has served as president, and developed their web site in 1995. He is active in the Coffelt Group, the official source for the National Archives for Vietnam War KIA information. Roush is considered the worldwide expert on the use of helicopters in the Vietnam War, and -- representing the VHPA -- has provided research and information to Congressional committees, the Department of the Army, the Veterans Administration, Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum, the Joint Services Task Force for Full Accounting (looking for remains in Southeast Asia.) An advisor for TV programs, documentaries, book authors and thousands of individuals, Roush’s knowledge has helped expose many fake veterans and assisted in indictments. He has given presentations related to the use of helicopters in the Vietnam War to several local civic organizations, Elmira College, the National War Plane Museum, the Library of Congress and the Reagan Library in California. Most recently, Roush’s work provided information used to approve a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery commemorating the helicopter crew members killed in the Vietnam War, often known as "The Helicopter War." The databases he has compiled will be made available soon to the public at the Vietnam Archives at Texas Tech University https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/ Roush also is a strong advocate for all Vietnam veterans, "Vietnam veterans are not victims," he said. "They are just like any other American veterans. The difference is that they have been treated differently and are perceived differently which is unjustified and unfair. That is slowly changing."
** The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association is a non-profit war veterans organization organized in 1984 and open to all helicopter pilots who flew in Southeast Asia as a pilot during the Vietnam War (1961-1975). The VHPA has a membership of over 15,700 helicopter pilots from around the world. Approximately 40,000 served as helicopter pilots in the Vietnam War.
