Det 4 crash Sept 1971 crash email question correspondence

[Mike Dobson]

In typical email fashion, Jimmy's email to me is at the bottom of this post --- my response is above it ---- please feel free to add or correct anything I have said . I know many of you knew these men personally and hopefully will respond with that days events that lead to this loss .    Mike









Jimmy, here is our list of KIIA that would fit your time frame      




Cover, Lawrence Leroy LCDR 20 Sep 71 2W 21
Barden, Arnold Winfield LTJG 20 Sep 71 2W 20
Cowen, Harold Edward AMS1 20 Sep 71 2W 21
Goldbin, Charles Henry ADJ2 20 Sep 71 2W 22
This would have been the most likely crash if your dates are correct . LCDR Cover  , if he was the Det CO, would have had the call sign Seawolf 46 . This would have designated him from Det 4, and the Det CO .  Since this is the only crew killed with this general profile during the time period you stated , it would have been a Det 4 crew . All hands were recovered , and are interned here in the states. I am going to transfer your letter to our "Forum" which is under    www.seawolf.org    This crew died within 6 months of our squadron shutdown. There are a lot of us out there that remember these warriors well, I'm sure they will respond with more information for you      Thank you for your interest in the men that flew under the call sign "SEAWOLF" ,  They are all HEROES of he highest order.        Mike Dobson, Seawolf Assn President


Sirs,
I visited the HAL-3, Seawolves web site. I was stationed at OpBase Tan Chai 71-72 as a Radioman. We worked hand in hand
With Seawolves of Det 9 that were assigned to the YRBM-21. I am trying to find info about Seawolf 56(I think that was his call sign.
He was supporting convoy operations from Tan Chau Vietnam to Phnoem Phen Cambodia. If my memory severed me right he was
Shot down Aug 71 somewhere near Neak Long(spelling) Cambodia. All on board were killed, rescue efforts were not possible from
The NVA controlling the day at Texas crash site. To my knowledge the bodies were never collected. I was monitoring the convoy operations
Over the radio when 56 declared May Day were going down. That day has haunted me, not knowing who these men were and not
Knowing if their families ever learned what happened because they were on a classified mission, in a place we were not suppose to be.
Hope you receive tis email and can respond. If you prefer my phone is 850-307-3336.

Jimmy Boles

[Jimmy]

Thanks Mike for your quick response. I can't express how the news of the crews recovery and state side internment means to me. All these years I have been haunted by this incident, knowing because of the classification of the mission at the time, there would not be available information. We pushed convoys th whole time I was at Tan Chai, convoy going up every seven days and the Seawolves flew air cover for all the convoys. You guys saved our butts many times. We had a Duffle Bag team assigned to us and maintained 24/7 monitoring of all the sensors in our operations area. When the Seawolf on the YRBM-21 took a nose hit from a 57mm recoiled rifle, out Duffle Bag team assisted with planting sensors on the east bank of the Mekong to enable us to monitor and let you guys know in advance preventing a sneak attack on the Seawolves at there most venerable time, sitting on the deck. If my memory serves me correctly, we called for the Black Ponies to assist in this attack. The two Black Ponies arrived on site, were instructed to make firing runs from south to north to prevent strays from hitting our out post. They made a dry run from north to south intending on laying down some willie Pete to mark the target. When the pilot tried to fire the WP, there was an electrical malfunction on the rocket system causing him to fire 18 rockets an our out post. Luckily no one was killed and we had about 8 casualties, all civilians from outside the wire. Sorry for the long post, brings back lots of memories.

Jimmy

[Mike Worthington]

Spoke with Jimmy and do not believe the Det 4 crash is a separate incident. I gave him some info to check to see if we can offer him some closure.

[Dan Arnes]

Army helo incident records show only three incidents in September 1971 with KIA

9/20/1971:
UH-1B  62-04602  HA(L)-3    listed as Destroyed            Location: XS470910
NA AMS COWEN HAROLD EDWARD            C  KIA UH-1B  62-04602 HA(L)-3
NA ADJ GOLDBIN CHARLES HENRY          C  KIA UH-1B  62-04602 HA(L)-3
NA LJG BARDEN ARNOLD WINFIELD JR      P  KIA UH-1B  62-04602 HA(L)-3
NA LCR COVER LAWRENCE LEROY           P  KIA UH-1B  62-04602 HA(L)-3

9/27/1971:
UH-1H  67-17371 187th AHC  listed as an Accident        Location: Di An
AR SP4 CAMPOS LUIS HECTOR             CE KIA UH-1H  67-17371 187 AHC
AR SGT KUDLACEK EDWIN ALLEN           G  KIA UH-1H  67-17371 187 AHC
AR WO1 KARNEHM STEVEN DALE            AC KIA UH-1H  67-17371 187 AHC
AR CPT KINTARO JOHN JULLIANO          P  KIA UH-1H  67-17371 187 AHC

9/30/1971:
UH-1C  65-09458 117th AHC   listed as Destroyed          Location: XT980865
AR SP4 BEHM CHRIS ROGER               CE KIA UH-1C  65-09458 117 AHC
AR SP4 RICKS RONALD GLENN             G  KIA UH-1C  65-09458 117 AHC
AR WO1 HEBERT FREDERICK CONRAD        P  KIA UH-1C  65-09458 117 AHC
AR WO1 STANSBURY THOMAS RODGERS       AC KIA UH-1C  65-09458 117 AHC

Dan

[Gene sjoberg]

   That crash allowed Maintenance to verify a Manufacturing Flaw in a certain main rotor blades and Hicks to spend many hours of testing.  I believe all Hueys were grounded for a brief period.

[Howard Jacobs]

I remember the incident and the grounding of aircraft until the blades were all inspected. But not much more than that.... I'm sure we were all advised of the incident but my memory isn't that good now a days.

[Mike Dobson]

Gene, I thought that was the Det 3 Buzzell crash that was the blade loss incident ------  pretty sure I was there when that happened, and I left may 71

[Gene sjoberg]

  Mike that went unexplained until the latter was seen by the trail bird.Gene

[Bear]

Go to the scuttlebutt page.

R/Bear