THE STUPID STICK
There was a period after the Circus moved out of the Bong Son and into I Corps during which the unit was encountering a spate of flight accidents and incidents not attributable to enemy engagements. Major Kuypers, with some prompting from higher up the chain of command, instigated the concept of a "STUPID STICK" as a deterrent which would end this rash of events.
It fell to the second in command of the aviation unit to devise an appropriate item to fill this requirement. After giving the matter some serious thought, the individual came up with an idea. He acquired a short shaft (the first and shortest section of the tail rotor drive shaft as it leaves the transmission) from an OH-13 and had a sign attached to it that simply read "STUPID STICK". The concept was that the next person to damage a helicopter through one of these "stupid" mistakes would be presented with the stick. He would have to keep this "stick" with him everywhere other than on flights, including to the mess hall, so that all would know of his shame. The "stick" was proudly placed in OPS to await the first recipient of the award.
As poetic justice would have it, the person who invented the "stick" was the next one to have a mishap. While lifting an OH-13 out of a revetment, he caught a skid toe on the sandbags and dropped the machine back onto the ground. The other pilots credited him with a "hard takeoff". The STUPID STICK was ceremoniously brought from its resting place and awarded to the hapless individual.
It may be of further interest to note that this was the last time the STUPID STICK was seen.
story by F. Vanatta