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SGT Rick Dunn
to remember
Holditch, Robert Wilson, CW2.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Port Robinson
Last Address Fayetteville, NC
Casualty Date Jul 02, 1969
Cause Non Hostile- Died Other Causes
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Vietnam, South (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Lafayette Memorial Park - Fayetteville, North Carolina
Rank CWO Chief Warrant Officer
Grade and posthumous promotion W2
Tour Date: 03/15/1969
Posthumous decoration
Body Recovered
Home of Record: Port Robinson, ON
Religion:
BAPTIST
Marital Status:
Married
_______________________________________________________________________
Status: Killed In Action from an incident while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 36.4
Flight class: 67-503/67-25 Short Summary: Night maintenance test flight 1/2 mile off coast.
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 67-17694
Primary cause: A/C Accident
Compliment cause: drowning
Length of service: 14
This record was last updated on 07/29/1995
Date posted on this site: 01/22/2013
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Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-17694
Incident number: 690702011ACD Accident case number: 690702011
Total loss or fatality Accident The station for this helicopter was Chu Lai in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 3 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 2
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated:
Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Crew Members:
P CW2 HOLDITCH ROBERT WILSON KIA
ME SP4 SCHNEIDER THOMAS JAMES KIA
GM SFC TOVEY DONALD LEE KIA
Accident Summary:
THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN FLOWN A TOTAL OF 387 HOURS. THE FIFTH PERIODIC INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED ON 2 JULY, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A TEST FLIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE PILOT WAS CW2 HOLDITCH. ASSISTING ON THE TEST FLIGHT WAS THE SENIOR MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR, SFC TOVEY, AND A UH-1 HELICOPTER MECHANIC, SP4 SCHNEIDER. AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM CHU LAI TO THE SOUTH ON THE TEST FLIGHT. ABOUT 2015 HOURS CW4 THOMPSON, THE 333D TC DET MAINTENANCE OFFICER DISCOVERED THE AIRCRAFT WAS MISSING. A SEARCH WAS INTIATED. THE WRECKAGE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND AT 0610 HOURS, 3 JULY, AT COORDINATES, BT 460166, ABOUT 6 NAUTICAL MILES NORTH NORTH-WEST OF CHU LAI, RVN. THE WRECKAGE WAS 200 FEET OFF SHORE IN 15-20 FEET OF WATER. ALL THREE CREWMEMBERS WERE KILLED. THE BODIES WERE RECOVERED ABOUT 1830 HOURS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED BY A NAVY LCT ABOUT 1500 HOURS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNLOADED FROM THE LCT ONTO THE DOCK AT 1630 HOURS. THE ACCIDENT IVESTIGATION BOARD EXAMINED THE AIRCRAFT AT DOCKSIDE.\\
Constituted 5 July 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 2d Company, 1st Battalion, First Regiment, 1st Special Service Force, a combined Canadian-American organization
Activated 9 July 1942 at Fort William Henry Harrison, Montana
Disbanded 6 January 1945 in France
Reconstituted 15 April 1960 in the Regular Army; concurrently consolidated with Company B, 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion (activated 19 June 1942), and consolidated unit redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces
Consolidated 30 September 1960 with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Forces Group (constituted 14 June 1957 in the Regular Army and activated 24 June 1957 in Japan), and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces (organic units concurrently constituted and activated 4 October 1960)
Group inactivated 30 June 1974 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Activated 1 September 1984 at Fort Lewis, Washington
(Former Company B, 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, withdrawn 3 February 1986, consolidated with Company N, 75th Infantry, and consolidated unit redesignated as Company N, 75th Ranger Regiment , hereafter separate lineage)
Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 1st Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces Regiment
CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT
World War II
*Aleutian Islands
*Naples-Foggia
*Anzio
*Rome-Arno
*Southern France (with arrowhead)
*Rhineland
1st Special Forces Battalion additionally entitled to:
War on Terrorism
Global War on Terrorism
2d Special Forces Battalion additionally entitled to:
War on Terrorism
Campaigns to be determined
DECORATIONS
*Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered PACIFIC AREA 1972-1973
*Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered ASIA 2002
*Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered JULY-AUGUST 1972
Company C, 1st Special Forces Battalion, additionally entitled to:
Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN IRAQ 2007
Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered CENTRAL IRAQ 2008-2009
Company C, 2d Special Forces Battalion, additionally entitled to:
Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN IRAQ 2007
