MCMURRAY FRED HOWELL JR

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Name: CPT Fred Howell McMurray, Jr.
Status: Body Not Recovered from an incident on 04/07/1968 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Declared dead on 11/13/1974.
Age at death: 24.4
Date of Birth: 11/16/1943
Home City: Charleston, SC
Service: AR branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: B/1/9 CAV 1 CAV
Major organization: other
Flight class: 67-14
Service: AR branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 48E-045
Short Summary: Shot down at Kae Sahn observer SGT James Powers got out & picked up. Fred reported to be dead. See memo.
Aircraft: OH-13S tail number 63-09084
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 1981 = 19 Rotary Wing Aviator (Unit Commander)
Primary cause: SVN-BNR
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: vehicular accident
Vehicle involved: fixed wing aircraft
Position in vehicle: not a crew member
Vehicle ownership: commercial
"Official" listing: fixed wing air casualty - pilot
The initial status of this person was: missing in action - bonified
Length of service: *
Location: Thua Thien Province I Corps.
Military grid coordinates of event: YD921512

Additional information about this casualty:
Scout pilot with b/1/9 Cav 1 Cav in OH-13. Shot down in Au Shau Valley prior to push. Last light mission bird went down on fire. Observer got out and picked up. At first was reported Fred was still in aircraft (dead). Next morning Blue's went in to recover body. Fred was not in aircraft. Chest protector and helmet was found stacked up, like we did between missions. Name reported on document found later. from Larry Brown Fred and I went through Armor Officer Basic Course and Flight School together. Then to Vietnam together. When Fred was left on the ground for dead, I became alarmed. Later, I was appointed President/Chairman of the MIA board for Fred. I collected many witness accounts and still have a copy of the report. COL (ret) James H. Thomas, 3 July 1997. Loss Coordinates: 164413N 1064814E Other Personnel In Incident: James J. Powers (rescued) SYNOPSIS: At 1600 hours on April 7, 1968, 1Lt. McMurray was the pilot of an OH-13S helicopter, tail number 63-9084, with one observer/door gunner, Sgt. James J. Powers. The aircraft departed the 1st Air Cavalry Division base at Landing Zone Stud with an AH-1G armed helicopter escort for a reconnaissance mission in the support of an operation. 1Lt. McMurray was flying low-level when he reported seeing several recently repaired weapons positions and freshly used trails. 1Lt. McMurray marked the location with a smoke grenade to allow the AH-1G to identify and fire rockets on the target. He also reported sighting NVA soldiers, whom he engaged. The escort helicopter continued to place suppressive fire in the area, and transmitted a request for a rifle platoon which was launched and was over the area in about 15 minutes. During the fighting, 1Lt. McMurray's aircraft received enemy fire, began burning in flight, and crashed. Sgt. Powers was subsequently rescued, but 1Lt. McMurray was not.

Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Hostile - died while missing
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Methodist (Evangelical United Brethren)
Burial information: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, VA (IMO)
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: officer
This record was last updated on 08/02/1997

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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023