Honor The Veteran: Rescue Gone Wrong... We Remember

The following is an account of the accident that occurred on October 9, 1969, taking the lives of 6 of the 7 men on board the Bell UH-1H Huey that were attempting a rescue near the Song Dong Nai river in South Vietnam.

On October 9, 1969, a UH-1H helicopter crew and passengers were attempting an extraction from a mined pickup zone in eastern Long Khanh Province, South Vietnam near the shores of the Song Dong Nai River. During the extraction attempt, the helicopter's rotor blade struck a bamboo thicket, causing the loss of rotor RPM's and lift capability. The helicopter began losing altitude, turned right and headed west and downriver in an attempt to regain air speed. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft struck 15-20 feet of water in an almost level attitude, and sank on its left side in less than 10 seconds. Immediate and continuous air and water searches, loudspeaker broadcasts, and phamplet distributions were conducted during the period of 9-15 October and 19-21 October, suspended October 16-18 only because of poor weather conditions. No recovery was made of any of those missing from the aircraft, but the remains of two personnel aboard were located and subsequently identified. The waters of the Song Dong Nai River were swift and treacherous. A LRRP swimmer trying to inspect the site had difficulty staying afloat even with a rope. The individual reported that equipment seen on the shore after the crash appeared to be alternately submerged and then reappear. It could not be determined at the time how many persons escaped the aircraft. One who was known to escape (unnamed in Army records) reported that he could not make it to shore and went under. Another survivor reported seeing him go down within 3-4 feet of him, but never saw him again. One of the individuals who was initially seen to survive, later drowned or was lost in the incident. The only survivor of the original crash was WO Kilbourne, the pilot. The two remains located were identified as the crew chief, who had survived the immediate crash, but later drowned. CW4 James W. Bailey, the aircraft commander, was lost and his remains were recovered. SGT Dallas A. Driver, SGT Jimmy R. Garbett, SGT Raymond G. Moore, SGT James L. Suydam and SP5 James H. Turner were listed as Killed, Body Not Recovered. Since their remains were never found, they are listed with honor among the missing. [taken from pownetwork.org]

We remember and honor those 6 men that were lost trying to save the lives of others. They should be considered heroes of the highest order.