Name: 1LT Carlos Alberto Pedrosa
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 10/26/1972 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 24.8
Date of Birth: 12/21/1947
Home City: New York, NY
Service: AR branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: H/17 CAV
Major organization: 1st Aviation Brigade
Flight class: 72-16
Service: AR branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 01W-084
Short Summary: Killed during a rocket attack standing near his Huey while Troop was staging at Kontum Airfield.
Aircraft: UH-1H
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 1981 = 19 Rotary Wing Aviator (Unit Commander)
Primary cause: Rocket Attack
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: artillery or mortar
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: pilot
Vehicle ownership: government
Started Tour: 08/14/1972
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
The initial status of this person was: no previous report
Length of service: *
Location: Pleiku Province II Corps.
Military grid coordinates of event: AR788501
Additional information about this casualty:
This is the same story two years later from Vic.
I can't begin the events of today Oct.26 1972 without first telling you about Lt.Carlos Pedrosa. This was the kind of man if he said "how are you doing?" he waited around to get the answer. He always took an interest in everyone. One day that comes to mind with the Lt. was a day a bunch of us gunners and crewchiefs were bored. We were sitting around pulling the tracers apart and lighting them along the flightline to watch them flip through the air. It wasn't long before someone in operations noticed and sent someone to tell us to stop. Who was sitting there with us, no other than the Lt. We were told to stop, he got chewed out.
I was in a routine at the end of everyday - I would first clean the slick, put the ammo away then sit on the floorboard and clean the guns. The Lt. would come by and sometimes read his letters from home to me or just talk. Usually he'd tell me to slow down, that I didn't need to be flying everyday, every mission. I'd just grin and tell him I couldn't help myself. I loved flying too much and was afraid I'd miss out on something. He was like that with everyone. He for sure had to be the most liked guy on base.
On Oct. 26, I was the gunner on one of the chase ships. We had two teams out this day, one on the ground along the flightline at Kontum airfield the other out in the AO. The Lt.'s team was down, ours was on are way out. As always the Lt. stood along the flightline giving everyone the thumbs up. As our ship was going by, he had his thumb up and with his other hand he was telling me to slow down. It was right then the sound of rockets could be heard, everyone was running for cover. The Lt. turned to the nose of his slick to grab his Cav. hat, he reached it the same time the rocket did. Right there in front of me I saw the rocket blow this gentle, beautiful man apart.
Capt. Gerrisher was flying C&C that day yelling over the mike for everyone to get out of there. He wanted everyone to try and find out where the the rockets were coming from. Of course you never could find out, they were always gone by the time you got there.
The Lt. was killed, Larry Neal the crewchief had his whole side full of shrapnel. To this day his arm just hangs there, the gunner received some wounds and the interpreter had a piece of shrapnel hit him right between the eyes. The docs pulled it out and he was OK.
All missions came to an end that day. We went back to Holloway,it was the first time I didn't clean the ship. I put the ammo away, had the guns locked up without cleaning them. I went to my hooch laid on my bunk and I know didn't talk to anyone for several days. I don't remember anyone ever talking about the Lt. after that.
Sgt Ohs was on the team to secure the area, Mike lynch has a picture of the slick sitting on its side right after it happened. It's under Kontum on his website. His crew went in and got the guns and stuff off it after the area was secure. Capt Gerrischer on the C&C bird had picked up the wounded and the Lt. right after it happened.
A few years back I recieved a call from the president of the VVA in NY. They were dedicating a plaque to the Lt. at his old high school in Queens NY. It seems they couldn't find any family or friends that knew him. They went to the wall in Washington and I had signed the book saying I knew him. They needed to know something about him for the dedication, so I told him all I knew. He told me the Lt.came from the poorest area of Queens and as a Spanish man it was cosidered quite an accomplishment to become an officer and a pilot. That's why the dedication. It was a privilege to know him and a tragedy to see him lost.
From: Victor, H Trp, 17th July 2003.
I just read about Carlos' death on 26 OCT 72 at Kontum. The writer said not much was known about him by his unit. Carlos graduated from the ROTC program at West Texas State University. He was a member of Scabbard and Blade and also a valued member of our Rifle Team. I did not know of his death until a few years later when I saw a street on the campus named in his honor. He was KIA while I was in Ranger school, and somehow I missed the news of his death. He was a fine cadet, a good friend, and a true patriot. Rest in Peace, my friend, y vaya con Dios.
From: Howard Denton
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
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Date posted on this site:
11/13/2023
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Casualty type: Hostile - killed
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Roman Catholic
Burial information: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, VA
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 03/15/2012