A row of U.S. Army AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters sits parked along a dirt airstrip somewhere in Vietnam's central highlands. Cobra gunships like these provided close air support and armed escort for helicopter assault and extraction missions, including covert cross-border operations conducted by the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) such as Operation Tailwind in 1970. Ground crews performed constant maintenance to keep these aircraft mission-ready under harsh field conditions. Project: 219437