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SGT Rick Dunn
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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.\\
Description This campaign was from 23 February to 8 June 1969. From Tet 1969 through the month of June, the enemy again tried to sustain an offensive. His inability to do so can be largely attributed to aggressive allied ground operations. Between 23 February and 8 June 1969, a total of 70 significant named ground operations were terminated resulting in heavy enemy loss of life and materiel. The main operations concluded during this period were:
(1). The 3d Marine Division's Operation KENTUCKY aimed at preventing enemy infiltration through the Demilitarized Zone in central Quang Tri Province. Throughout the early part of January 1969, Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army forces continued to avoid major contacts with Free World Forces. Their continual movement to avoid friendly forces or to search for food and supplies contributed to a decrease in the enemy-initiated ground attacks and attacks-by-fire in Quang Tri Province.
(2). Operation NEVADA EAGLE, initiated on 17 May 1968 in Thua Thien Province, continued in 1969 as the U.S. 101st Airborne Division continued to defeat enemy personnel, and capture rice caches, material, and installations within its large area of operations, where it undertook offensive sweeps along Route 547 and around Song Bo.
(3). Two battalions of the 4th Marine Regiment were engaged in Operation SCOTLAND II. Initiated on 15 April 1968, this multi-battalion search and clear operation was centered in and around Khe Sanh.
(4). The IV Corps Tactical Zone Dry Weather Campaign began on 1 December 1968 in support of the overall mission to prevent Viet Cong units from interfering with pacification efforts. This operation, "Speedy Express," interdicted lines of enemy communication and denied him the use of base areas. In 1969 the 1st Brigade, 9th U.S. Infantry Division continued the operation in Dinh Tuong Province, using its highly successful night ambush tactics while the 2d Brigade continued its mission with the Mobile Riverine Force. Although engagements in Operation SPEEDY EXPRESS were typically small, the 9th Infantry Division fought several sizeable engagements with impressive results.
On 23 February U.S. Navy units and installations at Da Nang, Tan An, Ben Luc, Go Dan Ha, and Tra Cu came under numerous and widespread attacks associated with a new enemy offensive, but since many units in these areas were poised to meet these attacks they caused only minimal damage. April saw the heaviest cumulative enemy activity in the barrier interdiction camapign to date.