Lady Bell Shines Again

Hidden in the south corner of the sprawling VA campus in Vancouver, a retired Vietnam era UH-1B Huey helicopter keeps vigil over the VA’s Veteran Museum, the VA FARMS gardens and both the Korea and Vietnam War memorials located there.

But after being subjected to harsh northwest weather over those two decades, Lady Bell was in dire need of some love. James Donnelly, Architect and Healthcare Engineer with VA Portland Health Care System decided to take on the Lady Bell project.

“When I heard the Lady Bell was in need of attention, I was thrilled to give back what had been given to me during my time in the Navy in service to others,” Donnelly said.

Indeed, concerns had been raised starting in March of 2025 about the condition of Lady Bell. Questions ranging from who was responsible for the aircraft, and who might pay for a refurbishment were floated.

Larry Smith, himself a Veteran, had inquired with the VA Portland about how to help with restoring Lady Bell. Smith, who is with the Community Military Appreciation Committee (CMAC), based in Vancouver, Wash., and retired US Army Infantry colonel who served with the 104th Division at Vancouver Barracks, played a key role in bringing Lady Bell to the VA’s Vancouver campus.

Smith and other Veterans had observed that Lady Bell looked a bit “rough around the edges” and wanted to know what could be done to bring her to her former glory. Back in 2007, Smith had assisted with some of the permitting and research into where the Lady Bell could be relocated from its former location in Salmon Creek, Washington, where she had been displayed since 1996 in front of American Legion Post 176. Over time, it had been vandalized with rocks and had parts stolen off her. Enter Dan Tarbell, who, along with Mike Harding, would see Lady Bell’s initial restoration and move to its new spot on the VA’s Vancouver campus.

The two Vietnam Veterans; Harding, a retired Army helicopter pilot, and Tarbell, a Navy Veteran, who already had a connection to the VA as a contractor specializing in sheet metal repair, were members of the Hall-Howell Chapter 512 Vietnam Veterans of America. They began making preparations to move Lady Bell from her current location, and to begin her restoration. They reached out to several people with the VA, and after numerous meetings and conversations, began planning to relocate her to the VA’s campus in Southwest Washington.

“We were already talking with Ann Marie Murphy at the VA Vancouver, who was in charge of memorials there, so it was natural to talk about relocating Lady Bell to the campus,” Tarbell said.

With Smith’s position as the Pro-Tem Mayor of Vancouver and his connections to help secure the appropriate permits, the move was now set in motion. Smith, like Tarbell and Harding, had a soft spot for the aircraft, having flown many missions in a similar Huey during his service in Vietnam between 1966 and 1969.

“The Huey is very special to me,” Smith said. “It saved my life on more than one occasion.”

Unfortunately, Harding would soon be diagnosed with cancer, and as he began visiting specialists and undergoing chemotherapy treatments, the bulk of the planning fell to Tarbell.

“He asked me during a meeting at the American Legion to take on moving Lady Bell,” Tarbell said.

Tarbell soon found himself a member of a ragtag group of volunteers devoted to first moving Lady Bell from her perch above the Salmon Creek American Legion Post 176 to where the restoration could begin. Harding, a retired Skyview High School teacher, would participate whenever he could, with Tarbell and other Veterans rounding out the group of volunteers. There were Veterans, students from Clark College, local businessmen and a local Superior Court Judge—all interested in seeing this project through to fruition.

Smith brought to the team his experience as the Vancouver Parks and Recreation Director, and connections with the National Park Service and City of Vancouver, which gave him information and knowledge about critical permits needed for the final display. And Tarbell’s knowledge of sheet metal work would become critical in replacing damaged and corroded panels on Lady Bell.

The restoration group would put in more than 200 hours of work to bring her back to life. They worked closely with the VA Portland, settling on a location near the Veterans’ Museum in the southwest corner of the Vancouver campus. They would eventually have her installed on a 25-foot pole and incorporated into the campus’ existing Vietnam and Korea War Memorials.

And there she sat for nearly 20 years. Nearly two decades of hot summers, incessant winter rains, periodic snow and ice storms and blustery winds—all the while enduring exhaust fumes and dust kicked up by myriad cars streaming by on the adjacent I-5 freeway, just 25 yards to the west.

The Veterans who noticed she was looking a bit “shabby” were right—she needed help. This is where James Donnelly of the VA Portland Health Care System stepped in.

With his military background and training as an aviation structural mechanic and corrosion control specialist acquired during his time in the Navy, Donnelly became the perfect subject-matter expert for the second round of restoration in 2025. He volunteered for the project, and began conducting research, how it came to be at the VA’s Vancouver campus, and what would be needed to bring her back to her former glory.

“My (Navy) squadron was unique in that we had several different platforms that we tested,” Donnelly said.

While most of the aircraft in Donnelly’s squadron were fixed-wing, their Marine detachment flew the AH-1 Cobra helicopter, so he had some experience with rotary wing aircraft. But his experience was more than just a job.

“My aviation roots run deep as my dad was an aircraft mechanic for 40 years,” Donnelly admits. “I’ve always been fascinated with flight,” He added.

Once Donnelly had completed his research in mid-2025—paint specifications, costs, estimates, tools and materials, insignias—he began washing and inspecting the aircraft to see what repairs were needed before starting the painting process.

Over the course of several weeks starting in late May, and extending through early July, the Lady Bell was cleaned, inspected, sanded and prepped, patched where necessary, refinished, and re-marked with some of the designations denoting her different duty stations. While not technically accurate, but appropriate to her station at a Medical Center, she now carries insignia of the Army and Navy, with particular designation as a medical evacuation aircraft.

What began as providing his own personal and professional knowledge became a labor of love for Donnelly.

“Many people made many sacrifices, specifically in Vietnam,” Donnelly said. “Medivac aircraft like the Lady Bell served as a beacon of hope to those most in need.”

Produced for 31 years from 1956-1987, and in service in various roles, even today—an incredible 60-plus years of service—the UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” left an indelible mark on so many Veterans. The same aircraft that transported Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen into battle, also served to save lives of the wounded, and eventually brought them home. 

It is believed that Lady Bell was first assigned to duty in Vietnam with Company D, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion. Ultimately, she would serve a total of three years, one month in Vietnam before returned to Fort Rucker, Alabama in February 1972. In March 1973, Lady Bell was withdrawn from active duty and served for the next three years with the Wyoming National Guard and Kentucky National Guard, before being transferred to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for firefighting duty.

Donnelly says the original work done by the volunteer group helped preserve not only Lady Bell, but the memory of those who served in Vietnam.

“Working to preserve the Lady Bell and allowing the VA to display her in the gardens of VAMC serves to continue to heal the wounded,” Donnelly said of the original volunteer group. “As was the case with the team that worked to create the display, it took a team effort to restore her; the same principles we all learned from day one in boot camp are still valid today.”

Donnelly, for his part, is fully aware of the long list of people who got the Lady Bell to this point in time.

“It has been an honor to give back to others from a skillset and training that was given to me,” Donnelly said. “There are countless people that this means more than I can even imagine, and to be a small part of that was very rewarding.”

Donnelly’s tribute to the original restoration team resonated with those who were able to attend the rededication ceremony held at the VA’s Vancouver campus on September 25, 2025. According to Tarbell, most of the original volunteer group who worked on Lady Bell in 2007 have passed away.

When asked about what Lady Bell represents, and how future generations should view memorials such as Lady Bell, Tarbell said, “Never forget.” He then paused, perhaps to consider his own inevitable mortality.

“All I care about is that people remember,” he added. “And what better place to do this than at the VA?”

James Donnelly also wishes to thank the following personnel for assisting with the recent refurbishment of Lady Bell: VA Portland Maintenance and Repair Supervisor Roy Long, Adam Coleman, Ed Oquendo, Kevin Popovich, Bret McCarty, Karl Heinz, Jacob Saulsbury, Tony Filippello, Bob Stevens, Andy Franklin and Marcus Nosko, Facilities Project Engineer John Carrier and Facilities Management Chief John Dodier.

If you would like to see the Lady Bell in person visit the VA Portland Health Care System’s Vancouver campus. Lady Bell is located in the southwest corner of the campus, adjacent to the Veteran’s Museum in building 1819. The museum itself is open to the public, Monday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and is staffed by volunteers who would be happy to answer questions or provide you with information about Lady Bell or a myriad other historical subjects.

Significant contribution to this article was made possible by James Donnelly, VA Portland Health Care System Healthcare Engineer.

Note: The original version of this story was revised following the acquisition of additional information and interviews.