This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SP 6 Gary McJimsey
to remember
Lamb, Colin Edward, 1LT.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Caldwell
Last Address Caldwell, Idaho
Casualty Date Jul 03, 1968
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Long An (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Canyon Hill Cemetery - Caldwell, Idaho
Long An Province, US Military Region 3, Republic of South Vietnam
Helicopter – Crash, Non-crew member (Forward Observer HHB, 1st Battalion, 11th Field Artillery, 9th Infantry Division.
Age at Death 26
Died in helicopter crash as result of hostile automatic weapons fire that raked the aircraft, causing it to crash into a portion of the Vam Co Dong River 3 miles south of Ben Luc Bridge. Colin was serving as an observer on this flight with LTC Frederick French Van Deusen, Battalion Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. The Battalion was on combat operations near the village of Ben Luc, Republic of South Vietnam.
Remembrances From The Internet:
From Randy Dunham
Field Artillery OCS Class 5-67 Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
1LT Lamb was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 11th Artillery. He was killed in a helicopter crash while serving as a Forward Observer with 2nd Battalion, 47th Mechanized Infantry, 9th Infantry Division.
LTC Van Deusen had been in Vietnam since April 1968. Three weeks prior [prior to July 3, 1968] he took command of the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, US Army 9th Infantry.
On 3 July 1968 some of his men fought Viet Cong estimated at platoon strength 18 miles southwest of Saigon near the border of Go Cong and Long An provinces. Twenty four enemy soldiers [Viet Cong or NVA] were reported killed with no US losses. Van Deusen and 9 others were in the helicopter taking a last look at the battle site when the helicopter was fired upon.
A newsman at the battle site said other officers (on the ground) reported Van Deusen shouted into his radio just before the crash, "We're being shot at from the river bank. He's using an AK-47”.
Note: The information from the web site Find A Grave is unverified. There is a difference in the number of causalities in the crash of this helicopter. The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association which maintains the most complete records of all US Helicopter incidents during the Vietnam War era states seven casualties including LTC Van Deusen. If the two pilots were killed in the crash the total would then be nine.
