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CPT Mosburg joined the United States Army and attended flight school in 1959 at Fort Benning, Georgia. He served in Company A, 2nd Battle Group, 12th US Infantry at Fort Riley, Kansas. He went on to serve in Korea in S-3 Operations, Section of the 1st Battle Group, 31 Infantry known as the Bearcats. He served in both Korea and two tours in Vietnam where his assault helicopter was shot down. His body was never recovered and he is listed as MIA. His plaque stands at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.
Other Comments:
Name: Henry Lee Mosburg
Rank/Branch: O3/US Army
Unit: 114th Assault Helicopter Company
Date of Birth: 03 December 1935 (Custer City OK)
Home City of Record: Putnam OK
Date of Loss: 26 September 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 094014N 1063454E (XR735693)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1B
Other Personnel in Incident: Marvin F. Phillips (missing) 2 unnamed crewmen:
1 rescued, one body recovered.
SYNOPSIS: Capt. Henry L. Mosburg was a pilot assigned to the 114th Assault
Helicopter Company. On September 26, 1966, he was assigned a combat assault
mission in the Delta region of South Vietnam over Vinh Binh Province. He
departed with a crew of four, including himself.
On the second pass on a target near the mouth of the Son Co Chien River,
Mosburg's aircraft was fired on by small arms. As the aircraft prepared for
a third pass, it was noticed that one of the helicopter's rockets was on
fire on the left side of the aircraft.
Observers watched the tail section of the aircraft fall away, causing the
helicopter to fall toward the water in a steep spin. The helicopter landed
on its right side in approximately nine feet of water. One person (unnamed)
was rescued, and one body was recovered. Mosburg was not found, nor was his
gunner, SP4 Marvin F. Phillips.
An exhaustive ocean search was made surrounding the crash area, but no trace
of Phillips or Mosburg was ever found. Because of the over-water area, it
was considered that the two were killed, and that it would be impossible to
recover their remains.
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1B tail number 64-13935
Date: 09/26/1966 MIA-POW file reference number: 0474
Incident number: G509ACD Accident case number: G509
Unit: 114 AHC
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
for Close Air Support
While in Target Area this helicopter was Attacking at 0750 feet and 070 knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: XR735693
Helicopter took 2 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 Armament system causing a Fire.
Systems damaged were: ARMAMENT, PERSONNEL
Casualties = 01 INJ, 03 DOI . . Number killed in accident = 3 . . Injured = 1 . . Passengers = 0
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft is later recovered by any means other than its own power.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
costing 310255
Loss to Inventory
Crew:
MOSBURG, HENRY LEE; PHILLIPS
P MAJ DUPRE NORMAN LEE KIA
P CPT MOSBURG HENRY LEE BNR
G SP4 PHILLIPS MARVIN FOSTER BNR
Accident Summary:
ACFT WAS ENGAGING HOSTILE TARGET AND RECEIVING SA FIRE CE SAW ONE ROCKET 275 PROJECTING HALF WAY OUT ONE TUBE WITH FLAMES FROM THE AFT END OF THE MODULE AND LFT SIDE OF ACFT ENTIRE TAIL SECTION SEPARATED ACFT SPUN INTO THE SEA UNCONTROLLED CE ONLY SURVIVED CABIN WAS RECOVERED BUT NOT WEAPONS OR REST OF THE ACFT TWO BODIES NOT RECOVERED
Description This campaign was from 25 December 1965 to 30 June 1966. United States operations after 1 July 1966 were a continuation of the earlier counteroffensive campaign. Recognizing the interdependence of political, economic, sociological, and military factors, the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared that American military objectives should be to cause North Vietnam to cease its control and support of the insurgency in South Vietnam and Laos, to assist South Vietnam in defeating Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces in South Vietnam, and to assist South Vietnam in pacification extending governmental control over its territory.
North Vietnam continued to build its own forces inside South Vietnam. At first this was done by continued infiltration by sea and along the Ho Chi Minh trail and then, in early 1966, through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). U.S. air elements received permission to conduct reconnaissance bombing raids, and tactical air strikes into North Vietnam just north of the DMZ, but ground forces were denied authority to conduct reconnaissance patrols in the northern portion of the DMZ and inside North Vietnam. Confined to South Vietnamese territory U.S. ground forces fought a war of attrition against the enemy, relying for a time on body counts as one standard indicator for measuring successful progress for winning the war.
During 1966 there were eighteen major operations, the most successful of these being Operation WHITE WING (MASHER). During this operation, the 1st Cavalry Division, Korean units, and ARVN forces cleared the northern half of Binh Dinh Province on the central coast. In the process they decimated a division, later designated the North Vietnamese 3d Division. The U.S. 3d Marine Division was moved into the area of the two northern provinces and in concert with South Vietnamese Army and other Marine Corps units, conducted Operation HASTINGS against enemy infiltrators across the DMZ.
The largest sweep of 1966 took place northwest of Saigon in Operation ATTLEBORO, involving 22,000 American and South Vietnamese troops pitted against the VC 9th Division and a NVA regiment. The Allies defeated the enemy and, in what became a frequent occurrence, forced him back to his havens in Cambodia or Laos.
By 31 December 1966, U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam numbered 385,300. Enemy forces also increased substantially, so that for the same period, total enemy strength was in excess of 282,000 in addition to an estimated 80,000 political cadres. By 30 June 1967, total U.S. forces in SVN had risen to 448,800, but enemy strength had increased as well.
On 8 January U.S. and South Vietnamese troops launched separate drives against two major VC strongholds in South Vietnam-in the so-called "Iron Triangle" about 25 miles northwest of Saigon. For years this area had been under development as a VC logistics base and headquarters to control enemy activity in and around Saigon. The Allies captured huge caches of rice and other foodstuffs, destroyed a mammoth system of tunnels, and seized documents of considerable intelligence value.
In February, the same U.S. forces that had cleared the "Iron Triangle", were committed with other units in the largest allied operation of the war to date, JUNCTION CITY. Over 22 U.S. and four ARVN battalions engaged the enemy, killing 2,728. After clearing this area, the Allies constructed three airfields; erected a bridge and fortified two camps in which CIDG garrisons remained as the other allied forces withdrew.
