GIDDENS HORACE GILBERT JR

Name: WO1 Horace Gilbert Giddens, Jr.
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 02/02/1968 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 22.2
Date of Birth: 11/13/1945
Home City: Andalusia, AL
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: C/1/9 CAV 1 CAV
Major organization: 1st Cavalry Division
Flight class: 67-9
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 36E-071
Short Summary: A round came up through the Huey chin bubble and hit Giddens' kevlar chest protector and then through his juggler vein. He was DOA.
Aircraft: UH-1
Service number: W3156799
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 06IB
Primary cause: Hostile Fire
Compliment cause: weapons
Started Tour: 08/09/1967
"Official" listing: ground casualty
Length of service: 01
Location: Quang Tri Province I Corps.

Additional information about this casualty:
The reason for the "ground casualty", I know for certain. C/1/9, at the time, was living at Dong Ha with the marines. Jr. Giddens, my tentmate/roommate in flight school, although a "B/C model gun pilot" had 6 months in-country experience and was "chosen/directed" to fly with the CO. I don't remember the CO's name, but I believe it was Maj. something that started with an R.,he was a nice guy, but new. Somewhere around the week of TET 68, they were flying a mission and received ground fire. A round came up through the Huey chin bubble and hit Giddens' kevlar chest protector and the shell casing veered off and went through his jugglers. The marines had an aide station at Dong Ha and the CO flew him there. I picked up their "receiving fire" call and escorted them back to the aide station. Jr. was DOA. I saw them carry his body out of the aide station, covered by a sheet, on a stretcher. My rotor-wash blew the sheet off of the stretcher and I saw his remains as they were loading him on a bird for the "graves registration guys" at the marine facility at Da Nang. We had a deal that if one of us was killed, the other would escort the body home. (We figured that would give one of us a free week to ten days in CONUS). Here lies the "classification" problem. He went to a marine facility at Da Nang and was lost. Unfortunately, I wrote his parents explaining the situation too early. He was "lost" for a month. I didn't escort him home and when he "arrived" a month late, the classification by DOD was "ground casualty. Bill William E. Gibson, WEG1279@aol.com WO pilot 67-68

Reason: gunshot or small arms fire
Casualty type: Hostile - killed
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Baptist - other groups
Burial information: ANDALUSIA MEMORIAL CEMETERY, ANDALUSIA, AL
The following information secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: warrant officer
This record was last updated on 06/01/2000

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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023