This Military Service Page was created/owned by
CW2 Phillip M. Kemp (Mike)
to remember
Chaffin, William T., III, 1LT.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Oakland
Last Address Oakland
Casualty Date Aug 29, 1969
Cause Non Hostile- Died of Illness, Other Injury
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Phuoc Long (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Lexington National Cemetery (VA) - Lexington, Kentucky
Accident Summary:
AIRCRAFT 637 WAS CONDUCTING A LOW-LEVEL SCOUT MISSION IN PHUOC LONG PROVINCE, RVN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS 30 MINUTES INTO THIS, ITS SECOND MISSION. THE FIRST MISSION HAD LASTED APPROXIMATELY 5 HOURS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING LOW-LEVEL AND IN A STEEP RIGHT TURN OVER A SUSPECTED ENEMY TRAIL.
THE CREW CHIEF TOLD THE PILOT THERE WAS A UH-1 AT HIS 10 O]CLOCK POSITION. THE PILOT STARTED TO LEVEL OUT TO AVOID THE OTHER AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT SEEING THE OTHER AIRCRAFT DID NOT EFFECT HIM, STARTED TO BANK BACK TO THE RIGHT.
UPON LEVELING OUT THERE WAS A TALL TREE TO THEIR DIRECT FRONT. THE PILOT TRIED TO AVOID THE TREE BY CLIMBING AND BANKING HARD TO THE RIGHT. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TOO LATE AND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED WITH TREE. UPON HITTING THE TREE, THE LEFT SKID AND THE TAIL BOOM WERE BROKEN FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO SPIN AS IT FELL. THE AIRCRAFT HIT ADDITIONAL TREES AS IT FELL AND LANDED INVERTED.
THE CREW CHIEF AND PILOT WERE BOTH PINNED IN THE WRECKAGE. APPARENTLY THE GUNNER WAS THROWN CLEAR WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE TREES AS IT FELL. WITHIN 20 MINUTES A MEDEVAC SHIP WAS AT THE SCENE TO EVACUATE THE CREW. THE JUNGLE PENETRATOR WAS USED TO FIRST EVACUATE THE GUNNER. THEN FOUR MEN WERE DROPPED DOWN TO FREE THE TWO PINNED IN THE WRECKAGE.
THE PILOT HAD APPARENTLY BEEN KILLED BY THE IMPACT WITH THE TREES.
Comments/Citation:
William T. Chaffin III was a fellow graduate of Infantry OCS Class 5-68. We graduated on 5 Feb 68. Thanks, Bill, for giving your all in the service of our nation.
-David Heminger, 2/11/02
Vietnam War/Summer-Fall 1969 Campaign
From Month/Year
June / 1969
To Month/Year
October / 1969
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.