Flight Lieutenant Gordon Wood
Flight Lieutenant Wood was enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force on 6 January 1964 and trained as a Helicopter pilot with 3 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force. He was posted to Vietnam to serve in 9 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force as a pilot in Iroquois aircraft on 1 April 1970.
Flight Lieutenant Wood is recognised for his outstanding courage and devotion to duty under enemy fire while flying a large number of troop-extraction missions on operations in Vietnam.
His conduct and calmness while under fire reflected great credit on himself, his unit and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
A special note to this citation:
During the year he was in Vietnam, Flight Lieutenant Wood logged 852 flying hours and completed 2,998 missions.
These missions ranged from troop carrying tasks, resupply tasks of men, water, ammunition and food, medical evacuations of sick and wounded soldiers, hot and cold Special Air Service patrol insertions and extractions, gunship missions, plus periodic support missions delivering reinforcements, ammunition, food, clothes and the always welcome mail from home.
The troop carrying helicopters were always escorted by a helicopter light fire team.
As a result of this constant use of helicopters, the sound of an Iroquois helicopter resonates an emotional response in every Vietnam veteran.