Humans or Helicopters? • followHIM Favorites • February 24 - March 2 • Come Follow Me

Summary

Episode Summary: "Humans or Helicopters?" • followHIM Favorites • February 24 - March 2 • Come Follow Me

Introduction

In this compelling episode of the followHIM podcast titled "Humans or Helicopters?", hosts Hank Smith and John Bytheway delve into the profound message of Doctrine and Covenants Section 18, specifically focusing on verse 10: “The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” Through a riveting real-life story, the hosts illustrate the immense value placed on human lives, even amidst chaos and danger.

Main Story: The Rescue Amidst Saigon's Fall

Hank Smith opens the conversation by recounting a dramatic event from April 1975, during the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. As communist forces advanced, the South Vietnamese desperately attempted to evacuate the city. The USS Midway, an aircraft carrier, became a lifeline for countless individuals seeking refuge.

At [00:18], Hank introduces a pivotal moment involving a South Vietnamese major determined to save his family. With his wife and five children aboard a small Cessna O-1 Bird Dog, Major Buang faces the perilous task of reaching the USS Midway for evacuation. The situation is dire: communication lines are down, and helicopters are already flooding the deck to rescue others.

Despite the chaos, Major Buang crafts a plan to save his loved ones. [02:33] Hank describes how the pilot drops three paper notes from the plane, all of which are lost to the waves before the Midway's crew can retrieve them. On a subsequent pass, he ingeniously attaches a fourth message to his pistol's holster as a makeshift weight, ensuring it reaches the carrier. The USS Midway's sailors rush to collect the message, which, despite its misspellings, conveys a desperate plea:

“Can you move the helicopter to the other side? I can land on your runway. I can fly for one hour more. We have enough time to move. Please rescue me. Major Buang. Wife and five children.” [03:40]

Captain Larry Chambers, who had only been the ship's skipper for a few weeks, faces a heart-wrenching decision. To accommodate the major’s desperate plea, he orders several helicopters to be pushed over the side to make space. Reflecting on this pivotal moment, Hank shares:

“And Larry Chambers said, talking to me, my conscience talking to me, saying, you're going to have to live with this decision for years. What are you going to do?” [03:25]

Despite the potential repercussions, including the fear of a court-martial, Captain Chambers prioritizes the lives of Major Buang's family over the logistical challenges of helicopter management. The successful rescue becomes a testament to the belief that every soul holds immense value.

Discussion: The Worth of Souls Over Material Assets

The hosts pivot to discussing the deeper implications of this story. John Bytheway underscores the central theme by posing a poignant question:

“What's more important, humans or helicopters?” [02:34]

This rhetorical question encapsulates the episode's essence—highlighting the eternal truth that human lives are paramount. Hank echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that Captain Chambers' decision was driven by a profound recognition of the worth of souls in God's eyes. The narrative serves as a powerful illustration of putting spiritual and moral values above material concerns, even in life-and-death situations.

Notable Quotes and Insights

• Hank Smith on the Worth of Souls:

  “The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” [00:18]

• John Bytheway Reflecting on Sacrifice:

  “We’ve gotta rescue this. He’s never landed on a carrier. We’ve got five kids in there and a wife.” [03:10]

• Hank Smith on Leadership and Conscience:

  “Larry Chambers said, talking to me, my conscience talking to me, saying, you're going to have to live with this decision for years.” [03:25]

Conclusion

As the episode draws to a close, Hank and John reiterate the profound lesson learned from Major Buang’s harrowing ordeal: the unparalleled value of each soul. They invite listeners to reflect on the importance of prioritizing human lives and spiritual commitments over worldly possessions and conveniences.

John Bytheway teases future content by mentioning an upcoming guest, Dr. Steve Harper, who will further explore the depths of Doctrine and Covenants Section 18, promising to provide insights that will "blow your mind."

“Our guest, Dr. Steve Harper is going to do something with that verse 10 that is really going to blow your mind. It’s special.” [04:07]

Listeners are encouraged to explore the full podcast for more enriching discussions and to stay tuned for subsequent episodes that continue to make followHIM a vital resource for those seeking to deepen their understanding and appreciation of LDS teachings.

Additional Resources

For more details and supplementary materials discussed in this episode, visit the show notes at followhim.co. Visual enthusiasts can also check out the episode on YouTube at FollowHimOfficialChannel or engage with the community on Instagram and Facebook at instagram.com/followhimpodcast and facebook.com/followhimpodcast, respectively.

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The followHIM Podcast is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed on episodes represent the views of the guests and podcasters alone.

Transcript

[Hank]

Foreign.

[John]

Welcome to Follow Him Favorites. This is where John and I share a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, one section of the Doctrine Covenants this week, section 18. I know you have a great story for this. In fact, I've heard it before. Hit it, Hank.

[Hank]

There's so many things you could draw from section 18, but I'm going to focus on verse 10. The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. Now, Hank, I don't know how old you were in April of 1975. Okay.

[John]

You know, I could have been a million years old. I don't remember. Yeah.

[Hank]

How old was your spirit?

[John]

How old was my spirit at that point? Yeah.

[Hank]

So what was going on was the fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War. But they were trying to evacuate the South Vietnamese out of Saigon. The Communists were coming and it was going to be really, really bad. And so you can find pictures of people climbing on top of the embassy to get in helicopters to get out of there. There's an aircraft carrier called the USS Midway. The deck of this thing was filled with helicopters evacuating people. April, I think, was 29th or 30th of 75. There is a South Vietnamese major who gets into a little Cessna 01 bird dog. It's basically like a little Cessna 172. Doesn't know where to go and heads out to sea. But he finally, he finds the Midway. He flies over it. He waggles his wings, he tries the radio. Nothing works. I'll just read. From history.net, the pilot dropped three paper notes from the plane. They blew over the side before the ship's crew could snatch them. On the next pass. He stuffed a fourth note into his pistol's leather holster to weigh it down. And sailors rushed to grab the little package after it hit the deck. They read a scribbled message written on a crumpled chart of South Vietnam. And there's some misspellings. This guy's Vietnamese. Can you move the helicopter to the other side? I can land on your Runway. I can fly for one hour more. We have enough time to move. Please rescue me. Major Buang. Wife and five child. They didn't know. They thought, let him ditch the plane next to the ship and we'll get him. But he had five children stuffed in this little Cessna. Hank, I gave a talk years ago about my first solo and. And I talked about my shoulder touching one end of the plane, my other shoulder touching my flight instructor's shoulder, her shoulder touching. They're crammed. He's got five Kids in there and a wife.

[John]

And a wife.

[Hank]

And the wife is holding a newborn, basically. Oh, John, please rescue me. And Captain Larry Chambers has only been the skipper for four or five weeks. To make room, they literally pushed helicopters off the side of the ship. Why? Because the worth of souls is what it's worth. It is great. And he's like, we've gotta do this, we've gotta rescue this. He's never landed on a carrier. He's got a Cessna that's a tail dragger. Instead of having they call it tricycle landing gear, where the nose gear is in front of you and like a tricycle, you know the nose gear. And two more. This one is dragging. The tail is. That's where the gear is. Go like this. So it's a whole different thing. He's trying to land on a carrier. The whole crew runs over, they're cheering. And this major gets out, his wife's holding a baby, these little kids. And Larry Chambers, the skipper, thought, I'm going to get court martialed because he had to move helicopters off the deck to make room for these.

[John]

I pushed a $50 million helicopter off.

[Hank]

The side pushing these Hueys in the water. I'm like, wait, can I have one? But I love the story because he said, I felt my grandma. Larry Chambers said, talking to me, my conscience talking to me, saying, you're going to have to live with this decision for years. What are you going to do? And they rescued that little family because the worth of souls is great. So I love that story.

[John]

He might say, I'm going to lose my commission, I'm going to lose my job, but it's worth it.

[Hank]

What's more important, humans or helicopters?

[John]

John, what a classic story. The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. Wow, that's awesome. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. In fact, our guest, Dr. Steve Harper is going to do something with that verse 10 that is really going to blow your mind. It's special.

[Hank]

Yes.

[John]

So we hope you'll join us over there and then come back next week. We'll do another Follow him favorite.