ENCLOSURE 4
September 25, 1968
From: XO,
CPT Murray
To: CO,
MAJ Fraker
SUBJECT:
September 21st Combat Losses Sustained During Your R&R
1. The 189th Assault Helicopter Company lost through combat two, UH-IH model helicopters. Both ships were lost at approximately 9 kilometers west of Plei Merong. Both ships were totally destroyed and the injuries sustained were:
AC # 370:
A/C WO1 Brooks- minor bruises and small cuts sustained while getting out of the aircraft. Checked and released from 71st Evac Hosp. Pilot: W01 Crammey- minor bruises sustained in the crash and getting out of the helicopter. Checked and released from 71st Evac Hosp. CE: SP4 Silversmith- 1st and 2nd degree burns of face, arms, shoulders, back and buttocks. Left eye was injured and operated on at 71st Evac. The condition of the eye or the results of the operation are unknown. Silversmith sustained burns when helicopter crashed and burned, while getting out of helicopter. He was evacuated to Japan on 23 Sep. Speculate a complete recovery from burns, but uncertain about eye. Gunner: SP4 Prosy-MIA. (Now, officially KIA)
AC # 473:
A/C: WO1 Filmier- Fragmentation wounds in lower left calf, right foot and ankle, right arm and right eye. Treated at 71st Evac Hosp and he is to be transferred to Japan on Sep 24 to treat right eye. Extent of Injuries uncertain at this time, though hoped not serious. Injuries sustained in explosion of AC and ensuing crash. Pilot: Wo1 Gillis condition is good he only had a sprained hand. He was checked out and released from the 71st Evac Hosp. CE: SP4 Taylor (604th TC Det) 1st and 2nd degree burns of face and arms. He was evacuated to Japan 23 Sep. Looks like he will fully recover. Gunner: SP4 McGarrity- Loss of right leg, mangled left leg, both arms broken and burned moderately, chin cut, eyes and head received fragmentation wounds during explosion and ensuing crash. Presently at 71st Evac. Was in surgery over 4 hours. Chin was stitched; arms were set in casts, operated on for head and eyes for fragmentation wounds. Also lost one testicle. Condition: May have brain damage from fragments, loss of both eyes, no legs from knee down, nerve damage to right arm.
I visited on 22 & 23 Sep. McGarrity does not appear to have suffered extensive brain damage, as he knew SP4 Roach and me on the 22nd. On 23 Sep visit, he was moving both arms and talking loudly. Some statements were irrational, from the eyes of one endowed with all of his physical faculties. May not have been so irrational after all if the listener had been handicapped to the extent of McGarrity's condition. Unless other conditions occur, he is expected to live. He does not know yet (I think he does) that both legs are gone. God help him.
2. Conditions and operations prior to, during and after the aircraft losses, to include complete chain of events leading to the crashes and actions taken after the accidents:
a. On 21 Sep, 1435 hours, I was notified by SSGT McKinney of an aircraft accident (at this time It was believed to have been the result of a tail rotor strike in the LZ) In a LZ BK west of Plei Merong. A/C # was 370. Condition of crewmembers was unknown, but the A/C was burning. Bn S-3 had been notified and Dustoff was enroute. Bn SI was notified and I then proceeded to 189th Opns. On arrival no further news had been received. I learned the LZ was cold. Received word that Dustoff had evaced the burned CE and that the other crewmembers were in fair condition. No word on Prosky being MIA. CPT Lindsey and I proceeded to 71st Evac. Found Silversmith badly burned, but in good spirits. From conversation with him, learned the AC was picking up to a 5-foot hover to depart LZ when "ball of fire went off". It was not a tree strike. Learned that Mr. Brooks and Mr. Crammey had made it out of the ship. Waited for Brooks and Crammey's arrival. Dustoff ship arrived and the Dustoff pilot and CE were brought into emergency room. Talked to pilot. He said that he had received a B-40 round and his CE received shrapnel in the back (CE was only bruised as chest protector saved his life. Back protector was smashed. The LZ was cold after all. Pilot was not injured and said our other crewmembers were on the ground and OK. Called Dustoff Control and they informed me that the LZ was too hot to go into and that Brooks and Crammey would come out with resupply ship. Also, Dustoff Control, per radio comm with ground troops had learned the gunner was missing and had received no further word on the matter. Called Ghost Rider Opns and brought them up to date. Called SI and informed them of changes in situation. Told Ghostrider Opns to notify S3 and find out if Brooks and Crammey were going to be medevaced by Dustoff. Called Ghostrider Opns back and was informed that S3 knew nothing. Remained with Silversmith for a while longer, hoping for more information on Prosky, but had to depart, as it was almost 1630.
b. Captain Lindsey and I came back and stopped at S3 where we were informed that A/C # 473 had gone down In the same spot as A/C # 370. Called Ghostrider Opns and got names of crew on # 473. Ghostrider Opns was not sure of the condition of crew, but said the A/C was burning. MAJ Morrison came in and informed 3-G that Dragon 6 had just returned from hot area and was on the "hot spot" refueling and wanted to talk to Dragon 5. CPT Lindsey and I proceeded to the "hot spot" where I talked to Dragon 6 and S3. They informed me that three crewmembers had been taken to 71st Evac and all appeared to be OK. (LATER PROVED WRONG!!!) I asked them about Prosky being MIA and was told three members had left LZ with resupply ship. I was elated, only to later find out the truth. They said the LZ was relatively cold except for two Incidents. CPT Lindsey talked with them until they were refueled and took off.
c. We went to Ghostrider Opns and requested a ship and told them to make sure that our people to be released at 71st Evac were picked up. We were given an A/C and the crew was alerted. Picked up crew and drove to Cathouse and waited for refueling to be completed. CPT Stratiff had completed a preflight for us and we cranked and departed at 1730. We flew direct to Plea Merong.
d. Enroute, we called the ground operator at Plei Merong. GR 18 answered and told us to pick him up on the ground at Plei Merong. We were sure glad to hear his voice. Landed at Plei Merong, talked with 18 (who was ragged looking, but showed no signs of Injury at this time other than a bad looking right eye. The eye was red as if bruised, but showed no signs of fragmentation or else would have sent him back to Hosp.) He briefed us. He had approached the LZ to drop off fire extinguishers when he received a B-40 direct hit and went down. He informed us that McGarrity had lost a leg and his head was badly wounded; that Taylor had been burned, that LTC Yarborough had sustained wounds in feet and that SGM Pitts was OK. All three were taken to 71st Evac, but Wo Nilmeter (18) had Insisted on returning as he had promised LTC Yarborough to get more troops in the area to help those few (30-35) already on the ground. His return was valuable, not only to the Ghost Riders, but in assisting the operation of more Insertions. CPT Lindsey was AC, I was Pilot (I had to make all of the communications because CPT Lindsey had comm trouble, though I was barely able to understand the instructions he so wisely and helpfully gave me In the completion of the Insertion) and- WO1 Nilmeir was observer with a Major presently unknown to me. These are the events that took place, as I knew them at the time, but before going further, I will give a more detailed account of what actually happened with info gained through many conversations with those involved.
e. The crews are on the Sep 21st mission sheet. We were working for Saladin and we were to insert troops in an area approx. 8km west of Plei Merong. WOI Nilmeir was AMC. A single ship LZ was used. The first ships made their insertions without incident. A/C # 370, piloted by Wo1 Brooks made their insertion. On takeoff, a B-40 rocket hit them. WOI Crammey was on the controls and made a hovering autorotation as, at first, the A/C began to turn to the right. The B- 40 rocket had hit them on the right side, aft of the cargo door, and the ship had begun to burn before it hit the ground. The ship landed on a log and rolled onto its right side. WOI Crammey escaped through the right overhead Plexiglas. SP4 Silversmith who had received facial burns in the explosion followed his exit and his clothing was burning. He had tried to get out the left-hand cargo door, but could not get footing. Wo1 Brooks who was next in line pushed him out the opening. As Brooks was departing, the ship was in total flames and he remembers a voice saying, "Help me" The ship was totally destroyed in a few minutes. If SP4 Prosky were still in the ship, it would have been Impossible to get to him as the ship was on its right side and engulfed in flames. An Air Force Medevac arrived shortly afterwards and hovered down into the smoke and took Silversmith to the 71st Evac. Brooks and Crammey were to be taken out on the next birds in the area. They were still not sure what had caused the explosion. Before any more ships could land in the LZ, a Dustoff arrived to pickup Brooks and Crammey. On his descent into the LZ, he was hit by a B-40 rocket and immediately left for 71st Evac. At this time Brooks and Crammey were convinced it was a B-40 rocket that got them too. CW2 Ronyak spotted the area from which the rocket fire had come, approximately 70 meters SW of the LZ and asked permission to fire. The ground commander refused to give him permission, saying he had his troops in that-area. We are still puzzled as to whether his measurement was from the point his troops had landed or the edge of the LZ. This could be important in the future because had Mr. Ronyak been allowed to fire on the target, possibly one ship could have been saved. At any rate, the ground troops were instructed to go to the RL's location. Their perseverance in routing the enemy is questionable. The need for more troops was apparent and it was Impossible to land unless the fire and smoke created by the wreckage was eliminated. Artillery and air strikes were put in the surrounding area. Still the LZ was obscured. W01 Wiles brought in a sling load of supplies to fight the fire. He was later called back to extract the wounded. On his extraction, Wiles brought out Brooks, Crammey and four wounded Infantrymen. In the meantime, CW2 Collins flew a large fire extinguisher into the area, but it missed the area and rolled down the hill. At 1655, Wo1 Nilmeir made his approach to drop another fire extinguisher and when he was about 60-70 feet off the ground, his ship was hit with a B-40 rocket in the tall boom. He miraculously continued his approach. The controls were stiff as if the hydraulics had been destroyed. The ship started nosing forward to the left. He brought the cyclic full back to the right rear position. This momentarily corrected the unusual attitude and allowed him to sit the ship down in an upright position. SP4 McGarrity had been on the right side of the ship and had received the greatest Impact of the explosion that is believed to have been just aft of the fuel cell. He was pulled out of the ship by one of the ground troops. Nilmeir and Gillis got out OK. Taylor received burns to the face. LTC Yarborough was badly wounded in both feet and his left leg. SGM Pitts was OK. Immediately, W01 Wittke was summoned to evacuate the casualties. While being loaded, a B-40 rocket passed the front of his ship--a near miss. Wittke evacuated the wounded to the 71st and was persuaded by Nilmeir to carry him back to Plei Merong.
f. At this time, approximately 1735, Lindsey and I were enroute. We picked up Nilmeir and looked for an alternate LZ to drop more troops. It was getting very scudy. The original LZ was still IFR (smoke), but "Hunter" wanted to wait, saying that the area would be clear in about fifteen minutes and we could use the original LZ. Nilmeir convinced him to use the alternate LZ about 1 km SE of the original LZ. Our operation was halted while more artillery was called in and an air strike was under way. Finally got the show going at about 1815 and loaded the troops on the ships at Plei Merong. Scarlet Lead, CW2 Stoddard had the flight airborne immediately. Pink Panthers prepped the LZ and picked up Scarlet Lead on final. We approached from North to South. Good LZ. On marking LZ for the third time for the first ship, we received small arms fire from the southwest. The flight was to break left and we heard no more reports of enemy fire. After two ships had landed and departed, Scarlet 3 became almost IFR on short final in a thunderstorm and broke west. Scarlet 4 likewise. We were orbiting on the west side, found a clearing to the east and started our orbit on the east side. The storm was moving west. Scarlet 3 & 4 finally made it back to our orbit. After it had cleared enough to continue, it was almost dark. There were four more insertions, ours being the last ship. At this time, I determined it unsafe to continue operations. We returned to Camp Holloway. Dragon 6 came on the air and congratulated the Ghostriders. Never before have I seen a unit so close knit with so many professionals. I have never been more proud of a group than I was of the Ghostriders on Sep 21st.
Since then, we have been working on awards. "Hunter" wants to award Nilmeir, but I am sending word that all we need is statements. I feel he will, at best, recommend a SS and we want a DSC for Nilmeir. Am sure can get statements from Dragon 6 and 3. Also DFC for Prosky. Would like SS for both ships that made evacs and DFC for many others. At any rate, the awards personnel are working overtime.
Major
Fraker, you told us one time that the true test of any unit combat was
how they performed when their leader was not there. That is true, and
then the Ghostriders are the best.
Welcome back.