Fort Eustis in Newport News, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
CH-21C Shawnee
The CH-21 Shawnee was introduced into service in 1950 by the Plasecki Helicopter Corporation. The army purchased 334 CH-21Cs plus sixteen more CH-21Bs from the Air Force. The Shawnee served as a multipurpose helicopter capable of carrying twenty troops or 2,300 pounds of cargo. The Shawnee was the Army's workforce during the early years of the Vietnam War. The CH-21C was the main transport helicopter with the 57th Transportation Company when it became one of the first American units to serve in Vietnam from 1961-1963.
On August 24, 1954, with the assistance of in-flight refueling provided by a U.S. Army U-1A Otter, a CH-21C known as Amblin' Annie became the first helicopter to cross the United States nonstop. The Shawnee continued in service until 1964 when it was replaced with the UH-1 Huey and CH-47 Chinook. By 1965 most CH-21 helicopters were withdrawn from active inventory in the U.S. Army and Air Force.
This aircraft is a veteran of one of the first U.S. Army combat units to serve in Vietnam, the 57th Transportation Company, and is so marked. After having been used in Vietnam, the helicopter arrived at Fort Eustis where it saw service until 1967 when it was turned over to the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.
Erected by US
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Forts and Castles • War, Vietnam. A significant historical date for this entry is August 24, 1954.
Location. 37° 9.848′ N, 76° 34.57′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in Fort Eustis. It can be reached from Washington Boulevard just north of Jefferson Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 321 Washington Blvd, Fort Eustis VA 23604, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginias Peninsula, in Hampton Roads, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
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Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 668 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 28, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
