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Casualty Info
Home Town Beloit, WI
Last Address Beloit, WI
Casualty Date Oct 30, 1969
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Quang Duc (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Floral Lawn Cemetery - South Beloit, Illinois
Wall/Plot Coordinates 16W 003/Blk 130-A,20th Row frm E. Fence/11th Colum
Status: Killed In Action while performing the duty of Pilot. Flight class: 68-505/68-3, Short Summary: Hit by RPG and lost portion of tail boom near Bu Prang out of LZ Kate being attacked by 500 NVA. Call sign: Joker, Compliment cause: fire or burns.
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1B tail number 63-08587
Incident number: 69103099.KIA
for Close Air Support
While On Target this helicopter was Attacking at 0200 feet and 070 knots.
Cambodia
UTM grid coordinates: YU593534
Helicopter took 1 hits from: Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. (7.62MM)
The helicopter was hit in the Engine Compartment causing a Fire.
Systems damaged were: FUEL SYS, PERSONNEL
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed. Burned
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated:
Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database.
Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database.
Also: OPERA, UH1P3, 30301 (Operations Report. )
In October 1969 Fire Support Base KATE (near Bu Prang) became a major target of the enemy. Enemy positions were active all around the fire base and on the 30th KATE came under sustained ground attack by at least 500 NVN Army troops. Two JOKER UH-1B gunships from the 48th Assault Helicopter Company were diverted to support FSB KATE. One JOKER (hull number 63-08587) was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, lost a portion of its tail boom, and crashed with no survivors.
These four men of the 48th died while supporting the men on the ground: These four men are remembered by their comrades of the
Description This campaign was from 9 June to 31 October 1969. During the summer and fall of 1969, conduct of operations was increasingly turned over to Vietnamese, US troops withdrew in greater numbers amid reaffirmations of support for the Republic of South Vietnam government. President Nixon announced the reduction of the U.S. military presence in South Vietnam which would be demonstrated initially by the withdrawal of 25,000 troops by 31 August 1969.
American troop strength had peaked at 543,400 in April 1969 but dropped to 505,500 by mid October. More scattered than before, enemy attacks were concentrated on South Vietnamese positions. U.S. combat deaths were down in the early fall as American units switched to small unit actions. The trend was not constant, however, because U.S. troops deaths which had fallen well below l00 a week in the fall, rose above 100 later in the year.