The Story of Huey#174

Like all veterans of war, Huey #67-17174 has a story to tell.
The Huey helicopter that was repurposed for the Take Me Home Huey sculpture was a U.S. Army Helicopter Model:  UH-1H, Model 205 Bell Iroquois helicopter with the tail number/serial number 67-17174. We call it Huey #174.
UH-1 Huey Helicopter Take Me Home Huey

Designed as the Model 204, the Bell UH-1 Iroquois was the first turboshaft- powered helicopter to enter large scale production, universally nicknamed “HUEY” after its initial pre 1962- HU-1 designation.

About 7000 hueys served in the Vietnam War: as a troop transporter (slicks), for close air support (gunships) and for medical evacuation (medevac/ dustoff).

The Timeline

We were able to trace the history of this aircraft from the beginning of its military service in 1968; serving U.S. Army units in the United States, Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea. The timeline below follows the journey of huey #174 until its military career ended after a training accident in Florida in 1997 which damaged the aircraft irreparably and it was deposited at an aircraft surplus company in Arizona.
Researching the Vietnam War and interviewing veterans during the course of the film production helped shape the creative concepts that Steve completed end of 2015. After concluding traveling the transformed helicopter to events and exhibits from 2015 until 2017 the Take Me Home Huey sculpture was donated to the Palm Springs Air Museum where it is on permanent display.

Learn more about Huey#174's story in our 216 pages book.

The 216-page (9″x11″) book is the cornerstone of a groundbreaking multimedia project that also includes an Emmy award-winning film and an original song.
The stunning photographs and unique narrative provides vital context for the entire project through interviews with the surviving medevac crewmen, other veterans, PTSD survivors, doctors, art therapists, and historians, including Joe Galloway, the official spokesperson of the national Vietnam War Commemoration. With the addition of personal stories from those touched by the artwork, the book adds a new dimension to the art of the war memorial and is a perfect capstone to the Take Me Home Huey project.
Go to the book's page