Something had to be done to alleviate the situation, and fast, before our helo's ran out of fuel. So, the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD), began an all hands effort. Along with help from other departments, they began stripping the South Vietnamese aircraft on deck. It was a piece of work I'll never forget. In an amazingly short period of time the aircraft were stripped of all usable parts down to, in most cases, the rotor blades and seats! Then all the empty fuselages were pushed to the edge of the flight deck and pushed over the side. The job was accomplished none too soon, as many of our helo's had been circling, waiting to be able to land with most running low on fuel. As I recall, we retained only four of the helo's that were flown in intact. Two had been the personnel aircraft of South Vietnamese President Thieu, complete with chrome trim and customized interiors! The other two belonged to Air America, the name the CIA flew under. We secured them back on the fan tail.