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Rick Koechley-Family
to remember
Whitney, Philip Leonard, SGT.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Ft Collins
Last Address Ft Collins, Colorado
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 Fort Logan National Cemetery (VA) - Denver, Colorado
Years of Military Service - One Year Approximately
Vietnam Tour of Duty Started September 9, 1967
Died in helicopter crash as result of hostile automatic weapons fire that raked the aircraft, causing it to crash into a portion of the Song Van Co Dong River. Whitney was a non-crew member 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 Ben Luc, Long An Province, RVN.
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D
Tail number 64-13854
The Army purchased this helicopter November 1965
Total flight hours at this point: 00002103
Date of Loss: 07/03/1968
Incident number: 68070399.KIA
Unit: 240th Assault Helicopter Company
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: XS628710
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated:
Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database.
OPERA (Operations Report.
Summary: Crashed in the Vam Co Dong River 3 miles south of Ben Luc Bridge.
Helicopter Loss to Inventory
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.
