ST. LOUIS – A powerful reunion more than five decades in the making is happening in St. Louis.
Two Vietnam War helicopter pilots who haven’t seen each other since one saved the other’s life in combat have reunited.
The veterans, Ed Sloan and Clinton Cain, told FOX 2 the reunion isn’t just about remembering Vietnam—it’s also about celebrating second chances and the bond of brothers who never gave up on each other.
“This is the first time I have seen him in 54 years,” Sloan said.
In 1971, pilot Sloan risked his life to save fellow aviator Cain. Clinton was known by his brothers in arms as “Candy Cane” after he was shot during a mission.
For decades, Sloan never knew if the man he pulled to safety had even survived.
“They were waiting for me; they came out and took the wounded pilot up. That was the last time I saw him,” Sloan said. “As we were flying to the hospital, I looked back and he had not moved on the floor.”
Now, 54 years later, that uncertainty turned into a reunion.
“Ed called me three years ago and told me who he was and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t remember you,’ and (Sloan) said, ‘I’m the one who saved you,’” Cain explained.
Cain arrived late Wednesday night at the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Reunion in downtown St. Louis—the convention that brings veterans from across the country together.
On Thursday, the two men met face-to-face for the first time since the battlefield bound them together.
“He said, ‘Ed doesn’t remember a thing; he said I was in pain,” Sloan said. “I don’t even remember being in the helicopter; you are telling me everything I missed. He told me he got shot; the pain was so bad he passed out.”
Cain also shared with FOX 2 his last memory of Ed during the military.
“About the most I saw of Ed was the back of his helmet because I was lying down in back of the aircraft,” Cain said. “I was just lying in the back waiting for a ride home. I had 13 days left on my tour when I finally got hit bad. I’m glad he pulled me out that day.”
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