Fallen Hero's / Duchy 41 / 38th ARRS Det 1 / HH-43

20 September 1965

Duchy 14

Det. 1 38th ARRS

HH-43 #62-4510

Lt. Martins HH-43 was shot down in the recovery of Essex 04 a F-105 that had crashed in North Vietnam. The three crew of the Huskie were captured, but Lt. Martin evade his captors & made his way to Laos, but was captured by the Pathet Lao. He escaped from the Houy Het Prison camp in Central Laos with six others, & evaded capture for 17 days with a US Navy pilot LTJG Dieter Dengler. Tragically Lt. Martin was killed by a villager in Laos, & LTJG Dengler was rescued 5 days later. For his courageous action & devotion to duty he received the Air Force Cross for his heroism.

Co-pilot- 1Lt. Duane W. Martin

 

The Air Force Cross is presented to Duane Whitney Martin, First Lieutenant, U.S. Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as Pilot of an HH-43B helicopter over North Vietnam on 20 September 1965. On that date, Lieutenant Martin participated in an extremely hazardous attempted recovery of a downed pilot. The mission required a flight of over 80 miles, mostly over hostile controlled territory. Evaluation of the environment in which the downed pilot was located indicated that maximum performance would be demanded from each crew member if successful recovery was to be effected. Without hesitation and complete disregard for his own safety, and though exposed to intensive hostile ground fire, Lieutenant Martin performed with courage and professional precision in a supreme effort to rescue a fallen comrade. Lieutenant Martin's courageous action and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the American fighting man under attack by an opposing armed force. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, First Lieutenant Martin reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

A lot of reports put the callsign at Dutchy, however, as you can see from this official document it was actually Duchy. A huge thanks to Johan Ragay for this document.

Fallen Hero's / Pedro 73 / 38th ARRS Det.6 / HH-43

11th April 1966

38th ARRS Det.6

Airman First Class Pitsenbarger distinguished himself by extreme valour on 11 April 1966 near Cam My, Republic of Vietnam, while assigned as a Pararescue Crew Member, Detachment 6, 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. On that date, Airman Pitsenbarger was aboard a rescue helicopter responding to a call for evacuation of casualties incurred in an on-going firefight between elements of the United States Army’s 1st Infantry Division and a sizable enemy force approximately 35 miles east of Saigon. With complete disregard for personal safety, Airman Pitsenbarger volunteered to ride a hoist more than one hundred feet through the jungle, to the ground. On the ground, he organized and coordinated rescue efforts, cared for the wounded, prepared casualties for evacuation, and insured that the recovery operation continued in a smooth and orderly fashion. Through his personal efforts, the evacuation of the wounded was greatly expedited. As each of the nine casualties evacuated that day were recovered, Pitsenbarger refused evacuation in order to get one more wounded soldier to safety. After several pick-ups, one of the two rescue helicopters involved in the evacuation was struck by heavy enemy ground fire and was forced to leave the scene for an emergency landing. Airman Pitsenbarger stayed behind, on the ground, to perform medical duties. Shortly thereafter, the area came under sniper and mortar fire. During a subsequent attempt to evacuate the site, American forces came under heavy assault by a large Viet Cong force. When the enemy launched the assault, the evacuation was called off and Airman Pitsenbarger took up arms with the besieged infantrymen. He courageously resisted the enemy, braving intense gunfire to gather and distribute vital ammunition to American defenders. As the battle raged on, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to care for the wounded, pull them out of the line of fire, and return fire whenever he could, during which time, he was wounded three times. Despite his wounds, he valiantly fought on, simultaneously treating as many wounded as possible. In the vicious fighting which followed, the American forces suffered 80 percent casualties as their perimeter was breached, and airman Pitsenbarger was finally fatally wounded. Airman Pitsenbarger exposed himself to almost certain death by staying on the ground, and perished while saving the lives of wounded infantrymen. His bravery and determination exemplify the highest professional standards and traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Air Force.

He was awarded the Air Force Cross, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor, which is the United States highest military decoration.

Pararescue Staff Sergeant William H. Pitsenbarger

Fallen Hero's / Pedro 42 / 38th ARRS / HH-43

28th October 1966

Pedro 42

38th ARRS 

HH-43B #62-4511

It was the evening of October 28, 1966 and the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division was in contact with the NVA forces, 38 miles west of Pleiku AB, near the Cambodian Border. Several of the “Grunts” had been seriously wounded and required immediate evacuation. This was a region of triple canopy jungle where Army “Dust-off” helicopters were unable to land. Since the medevac would require a hoist operation, a request for assistance was forwarded to the USAF 3rd ARRG Command Post at Tan Son Nhut. At 2115hrs local, Pedros 42 & 56 departed for the battle area. Once overhead, contact was established with the unit on the ground and the “hoist area” located. Procedures dictated that one H-43 hold a high orbit while the second, “Low Bird” was hoisting victims. This limited exposure and provided back up in the event one bird was lost. Trying to identify a hoist area in the jungle, at night, without lights and looking for a “Strobe Light” among the twinkling of ground fire is to say the least confusing. To add to that confusion, distracting strings of tracers reached up out of the jungle trying to locate the blacked-out Huskies. The deadly yellow and green lines seemed to be coming directly at each crewmember that observed them. It was decided that Pedro 42 would be the first bird in. They would lower their PJ, A2C Alan Stanek, to prepare the wounded and speed up the evacuation. After Pedro 42 had received all the casualties they could carry, they would be replaced by Pedro 56. As with most plans in a battle, fate would deny its execution. Pedro 56 climbed to a high orbit at 4000 feet, while 42 hovered and lowered it’s PJ to the jungle floor. Things seemed to be progressing normally with three of the wounded taken aboard and a fourth being prepared on the ground. Suddenly, the crew of Pedro 56 observed three strings of deadly tracers reach out from different directions and converge on Pedro 42. As everyone watched in the moonlight, the doomed Huskie faltered and settled into the jungle canopy. On the ground, A2C Stanek watched in horror as Pedro 42 tumbled 150 ft through the trees and came to rest and on fire. He rushed to the aid of his fallen comrades and with the help of some Infantrymen, pulled the two Pilots Capt Vermeys and 1/Lt “Spike” Bonnel to safety. Unfortunately, the fire consuming the aircraft was so intense that the Flight Engineer A2C “Dave” Rice and the three wounded could not be rescued. The downing of Pedro 42 was coordinated with a fresh attack on the besieged 4th Division soldiers. Due to the intensity of the ground fire, Pedro 56 was unable to assist their fallen brothers. Five-six continued to orbit until fuel was running low and was then “ORDERED” to return to Pleiku, refuel and await a break in the fighting. The fighting continued throughout the night. At dawn on the morning of the 29th, Pedro 56 launched to retrieve their friends and crewmates. Arriving back at the battle area, the two injured pilots and A2C Stanek were hoisted aboard and rushed to the 18th Army Surgical Hospital at Pleiku. 1/Lt Bonnel died of his injuries in November 1966 while still in the hospital at Clark AFB.

Co-Pilot-1Lt. George H. Bonnell III

Flight Engineer- A2C. Francis D. Rice

Fallen Hero's / Jolly Green 05 / 38th ARRS / HH-3E

6 February 1967

Jolly Green 05

38th ARRS

HH-3E # 65-12779

On 6 February 1967, then Capt. Lucius L. Heiskell was the pilot of an O-1F aircraft, call sign "Nail 65," that was the lead aircraft in a flight of two conducting a FAC mission for strike aircraft operating in extreme western North Vietnam. His wingman was Capt. Gerald Dickey. The mission identifier was Steel Tiger, Cricket Area 4," a region that included the portion of North Vietnam bordering Laos that included the Mu Gia Pass, one of the two primary gateways into the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail via Route 15. Between 17 April 1965 and 31 December 1971, 43 American airmen were lost and listed as POW/MIAs in a 33.3-mile square window of the world known as the Mu Gia Pass.

When North Vietnam began to increase its military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years before. This border road was used by the Communists to transport weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam, and was frequently no more than a path cut through the jungle covered mountains. US forces used all assets available to them to stop this flow of men and supplies from moving south into the war zone.

Weather conditions were extremely overcast with tops at 3,000 feet and low scattered clouds underneath. Visibility was 4 to 5 miles in haze. The terrain consisted of extremely rugged karsts covered in moderately heavy jungle growth.

Once in the area of operation, Capt. Heiskell identified an underwater bridge for attack. The target was located on Route 1501 that ran through a small valley approximately 1 mile east of Route 15 and 7 miles due north of the Mu Gia Pass. Capt. Dickey was directed to hold to the south while the strike was being conducted. Two US Navy A-4 Skyhawks were assigned to this mission. The lead pilot was directed to the chosen target, and he acknowledged that he had the underwater bridge in sight. Capt. Heiskell turned west to fly over the west edge of the valley in which the target was located. Capt. Dickey also turned his aircraft toward the west and momentarily lost sight of Lucius Heiskell.

As both Birddogs pressed through their turns, Capt. Heiskell reported receiving ground fire. Capt. Dickey also began taking ground fire and both pilots immediately took evasive action. Shortly thereafter, Lucius Heiskell reported, "I'm hit." Gerald Dickey turned his aircraft to the left and saw Lead's aircraft in a descending left turn. The Birddog's horizontal stabilizer had been badly damaged by flak from an enemy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) battery hidden in the jungle below. Capt. Heiskell reported that he "could not control the aircraft and would have to bail out."

Capt. Dickey watched Lead's aircraft as it crossed over the center of the valley heading east. Lucius Heiskell was able to partially roll out of his turn. As he reached a point near the center of the valley, his aircraft started trailing a thin line of white smoke. Capt. Dickey continued to watch from a distance of roughly 1 mile as the Birddog reached an altitude of terrain plus 1,000 feet when he saw a parachute deploy and descend into a forested area 4 to 5 kilometers east of the valley. Gerald Dickey immediately contacted the airborne battlefield command and control center (ABCCC) with a situation report. In turn, the ABCCC initiated a search and rescue (SAR) operation for the downed pilot.

Firefly 13 and 14, a flight of F-4s, arrived on scene to assist in the SAR mission to rescue Lucius Heiskell. Capt. Dickey gave them the direction and the column of smoke believed to be from the crashed aircraft. After some minutes, Capt. Dickey saw a burst of AAA fire over Capt. Heiskell's location and turned to avoid the ground fire.

During and after this time Capt. Heiskell came up on his survival radio with beeper and several voice transmissions. He said, "the people on the ground were after him and he was hiding his parachute." Capt. Dickey continued to monitor his flight leader's transmissions for 4 to 5 minutes, after which time he could not be raised on the radio. Rescue helicopters arrived onsite, but were also unable to make radio contact with him or gain any signal from him.

Major Patrick H. Wood, pilot; Capt. Richard A. Kibbey, co-pilot; SSgt. Donald J. Hall, flight mechanic; and A2C Dwayne Hackney, pararescueman (PJ); comprised the crew of the lead HH-3E rescue helicopter (tail #65-12779), call sign "Jolly Green 05." The call sign of the number two helicopter in the flight was "Jolly Green 36."

When contact was finally reestablished with Lucius Heiskell, Jolly Green 05 descended through holes in the undercast of clouds, which were lying on top of some mountain peeks. Capt. Heiskell assisted Major Wood in locating his position with voice vectors. At 1634 hours, the SAR helicopter successfully recovered the downed Birddog pilot in the helicopter's minimum time. Major Wood notified Sandy Lead that he had the pilot onboard and was leaving the area to the south while looking for a hole in the clouds to ascend through.

At 1635 hours, JG 05 transmitted he had been hit and was on fire. The Sandy pilots immediately saw extremely heavy and accurate 37mm AAA fire directed toward Jolly Green 05 as they raced through the clouds. Fire was observed in the top part of the helicopter just below the rotor blades. Lead continued to the south with flames streaming behind, and continued forward for approximately 1 mile after being hit. Just before crashing into a karst peak, Major Wood transmitted that the whole aircraft was on fire. Other pilots and aircrews watched in horror as Jolly Green 05 flew directly and perpendicularly into the karst outcropping at a high rate of speed while on fire scattering flaming wreckage everywhere. The crash site was located less than ½ mile east of Route 15, 3 miles northeast of the North Vietnamese/Lao border, 6 miles due north of the Mu Gia Pass and 59 miles northwest of Dong Hoi, North Vietnam.

All during this time the weather conditions worsened, and due to the weather, the SAR operation for the down helicopter's crew and passenger was cancelled. Sandy Lead requested that Jolly Green 36 make a pass between the cloud layers to look for survivors in and around the new crash site before departing the area. After completing the first aerial inspection and seeing nothing, Sandy Lead requested that he satisfy himself that there were no survivors and made a second pass to do so. Jolly Green 36 conducted a 10-minute low-level search of the crash site and surrounding area. The SAR aircrew observed and identified two deployed parachutes on the ground, 1 was located 30 yards from the wreckage and the other 60 yards away from it.

As Jolly Green 36 was inspecting the debris field, Firefly flight heard an emergency beeper signal emanating from the area of loss. At 1640 hours, A2C Dwayne Hackney, the Lead helicopter's PJ, ignited a smoke flair to identify his position and was recovered by SAR personnel near the parachute farthest away from the crash site. No other survivors were seen near the other parachute or the wreckage. A2C Hackney reported that only he and Capt. Heiskell were wearing parachutes at the time his aircraft was struck by AAA fire and that he had been blown out of the helicopter by the force of the crash. At the time all formal SAR efforts were terminated Lucius Heiskell, Patrick Wood, Richard Kibbey and Donald Hall were listed Missing in Action. Further, due to the intense enemy activity in the area, no other SAR effort was conducted.

Dwayne Hackney flew more than 200 combat missions during his three and a half years of Vietnam duty, all as a volunteer. He was shot down five times. He did not recall how often he went down into the jungle looking for survivors or how many lives his medical training helped him save. He became a legend in the rescue world, he earned four Distinguished Flying Crosses, not for flying a certain number of missions but for specific acts of heroism, and 18 Air Medals, many for single acts of valour. Then came the Air Force Cross, for which he was the first living recipient, the Silver Star, the Airman's Medal, the Purple Heart, and several foreign decorations.

Jolly Green 05 Crew
Pilot Col. Patrick H Wood	Air Force Cross
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pride in presenting the Air Force Cross (Posthumously) to Major Patrick Hardy Wood, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as a Rescue Crew Commander of an HH-3E Helicopter of the 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam, in action near Mu Gia Pass, North Vietnam, on 6 February 1967. On that date, Major Wood flew two sorties in an effort to rescue a pilot downed deep in heavily defended hostile territory. An intensive search under constant fire failed to locate the pilot and the first sortie was cancelled due to rapidly deteriorating weather. Major Wood undertook a second attempt fully aware that fighter cover and flak suppression support were unavailable due to marginal weather. Despite intense and accurate 37-mm. fire, Major Wood successfully located and hoisted the downed pilot into his aircraft. At this point, the hostile forces, thwarted in their attempts to capture the downed pilot, and with the possibility of luring other aircraft to destruction, directed all their fire-power toward Major Wood's aircraft. Heavy 37-mm, fire exploded above the aircraft on a climb out, and one hit was taken in the cabin. Although his aircraft was severely damaged, Major Wood attempted to clear a ridge line which would have provided a sufficient altitude for a safe bailout for his crew. In the face of a known highly dangerous area, extremely adverse weather conditions, and exceptionally heavy hostile fire, Major Wood pressed his humanitarian efforts to save a fellow airman. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Major Wood reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Co-Pilot Col. Richard A. Kibbey	Silver Star
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Colonel Richard Abbott Kibbey, United States Air Force, for gallantry in action in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force as Co-Pilot of an HH-3E Rescue Helicopter of Detachment 5, 38th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron, 3d Air Rescue and Recovery Group, SEVENTH Air Force, near Mugia Pass, North Vietnam on 6 February 1967. On that date, Captain Kibbey flew two sorties to rescue an American pilot downed in heavily defended hostile territory. On the second sortie, despite intense anti-aircraft fire and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, Captain Kibbey persevered in the rescue attempt until he was forced to leave the area. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Captain Kibbey has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Flight Engineer CMSgt. Donald J. Hall	Silver Star
For gallantry in action, CMSgt Hall was awarded two Silver Star Medals. Hall also earned a Purple Heart Medal, five Air Medals, Presidential Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valour, National Defence Service Medal, Vietnam Service medal with two stars, Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with palm, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He received the Sikorsky Rescue Pin and the Jolly Green 100 Mission Patch for participating in more than 100 search and rescue missions.
Pararescueman A1C Dwane Hackney (Survivor)	Air Force Cross

Fallen Hero's / Pedro 56 / 38th ARRS / HH-43

 

7th February 1968

Pedro 56

38th ARRS Det. 9

HH-43 # 62-4525

Hit by ground fire while assisting in the recovery of a crewman from a downed US Army helicopter, near Kontum. The Huskie crashed, with three of the four crew surviving, however Jose Abara perished.

Flight Engineer SrA Jose G. Abara

Crew of Pedro 74 (l-r) Jet Mechanic, A2C Robert E. White, Pararescueman, A2C David B. Ortiz, Crew Chief, A1C Jose G. Abara, Pilot, Maj. Richard A. Smith, Co-pilot, Capt. Francis E. "Bud" Gilligan. August 1967.

Photo credit: Collection of Robert E. White

Fallen Hero's / Det.13 38th ARRS / HH-43

28 September 1968
Unknown
Det. 13 38th ARRS

HH-43

A Huskie took off from Phu Cat AB to recover the crew from a downed US Army helicopter that had crashed 30km north of Phu Cat. At 300ft up from the pickup point ground fire killed Maj. Pittard. The helicopter was able to fly back to recover at Phu Cat.

Pilot-Maj. David H. Pittard

Fallen Hero's / Pedro 44 / 38th ARRS / Jolly Green Giant

10 October 1968
Pedro 44 
HH-43 # 58-1845

38th ARRS

The Huskie crashed as a result of control problems at Phan Rang AB. The helicopter had been scrambled with its firefighting equipment for a returning B-57 landing with an emergency, & was landing after completing the mission,  when its thought a control rod broke. 

Pilot-Capt. Von M. Liebemecht

Co-Pilot- Maj. Donald Brooks

FE- SSgt. Emmett Orr

FE- SSgt. Milard Bledsoe

Other- SSgt. Angel Luna

Fallen Hero's / Komodo 11 / 41st & 38th RQS / HH-60G

23 March 2003

Komodo 11
HH-60G # 97-26778

41st RQS 

Crashed in Afghanistan killing all six crew members on board while on a mission to rescue two wounded Afghan children.

Komodo 11 Crew
Pilot Lt Col. John Stein (41st RQS) Flight Engineer SSgt. Jason Hicks  (41st RQS) Pararescueman MSgt. Michael Maltz (38th RQS)	Co-Pilot Lt. Tamara Archuleta (41st RQS) Flight Engineer SSgt. John “Mike” Teal  (41st RQS) Pararescueman SrA. Jason Plite (38th RQS)

 

Fallen Hero's / Jolly 51 / 38th RQS / HH-60G

14 March 2018

Jolly 51
106th RQW, 38th RQS & 308th RQS
HH-60G #92-6466

Crashed at Anbar Province, Iraq after colliding with wire cables.

Jolly 51
Pilot Capt. Christopher T. Zanetis (106th RQW) Flight Engineer MSgt. Christopher J. Raguso (106th RQW) Pararescueman MSgt. William R. Posch (308th RQS)	Co-Pilot Capt. Andreas B. O’Keefe (106th RQW) Flight Engineer SSgt. Dashan J. Briggs (106th RQW) Pararescueman MSgt. Carl P. Enis (308th RQS)
Combat Rescue Officer Capt. Mark K. Weber (38th RQS)

Lt. Col. Timothy Hanks, middle, 308th Rescue Squadron commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Mike Ziegler, right, 308th RQS chief enlisted manager, salute Master Sgt. William Posch, Staff Sgt. Carl Enis and the rest of the Jolly 51 crew who were killed in a helicopter crash in Anbar Province, Iraq, earlier this month, during a memorial ceremony March 27, 2018 at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. Posch and Enis were assigned to the 308th Rescue Squadron. (Matthew Jurgens/Air Force)