Name: WO1 Michael L. Koskovich
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 02/18/1968 while performing the duty of Aircraft Commander.
Age at death: 23.3
Date of Birth: 10/22/1944
Home City: Hayfield, MN
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: 336 AHC, 164 CAG
Major organization: 1st Aviation Brigade
Flight class: 67-7
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 40E-008
Short Summary: Just off Soc Trang to support gound troops just outside wire. Hit on second pass, crashed and exploded. Garry D. Sheppard was pilot.
Aircraft: UH-1B tail number 62-02008
Service number: W3156539
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 06IB2
Primary cause: Hostile Fire
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: fire or burns
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: pilot
Started Tour: 07/14/1967
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
Location: Ba Xugen Province IV Corps.
Additional information about this casualty:
Koskovitch was aircraft commander and Sheppard was in training to be fire team leader in right seat of UH-1B gunship. We (I was wingman) had just taken off from Soc Trang to support ground troops fighting just outside our wire. We made one 360 degree pass at 800 to 1,000 feet AGL to try to identify the forward position of the friendlies. Flames shot out of Koskovitch and Sheppard's aircraft and they started to decend. I asked them if they were hit. "Roger That" said Sheppard. I could see the rotor start to slow down - I radioed them to "get your pitch down!" - Sheppard said "we're trying." They then hit the ground and exploded. Bodies recovered the next day. Submitted by Ron Swanson
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Hostile - killed
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Lutheran (Missouri Synod)
Burial information: FT SNELLING NATIONAL CEM, MINNEAPOLIS MN
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 08/27/1997
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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