Page 145 - Rich Dad's Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money

Chapter 7

Financial IQ #5: Improving Your Financial

Information

In January of 1972, I was transferred from Camp Pendleton, California, to
an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam. It was my second trip to

Vietnam. My first visit was in 1966. The Merchant Marine Academy sent
students to sea for a year of study. My project was studying military cargo
operations in a war zone—more specifically, how to safely load and unload
bombs without killing ourselves. My second trip as a war pilot was a very

different experience than studying the war as a student.
My primary job on board the carrier was as a helicopter gunship pilot.
My primary mission was to fly as an escort for the larger troop helicopters.
Our squadron was made up of mostly troop transport helicopters, the twin-

rotor CH-46 and CH-53s, a.k.a. Jolly Green Giants. If the zone was hot with
enemy fire, the job of the gunship was to protect the troop transport
helicopters in the zone. Personally, I was happy to be a gunship pilot. It was
a lot better than being a troop transport pilot. Transport pilots had to be

extremely brave. They flew large helicopters into a hot zone, just sitting
there as troops got on or off.

Top-Secret Job

My secondary job was as an assistant to the squadron’s top-secret

information officer. It was an extremely interesting job. For hours on end,
we would sit, listen, observe, gather, and process top-secret information. At
regular intervals during the day and the night, we gave briefings to the