Name: CPT Gerald W. Plunkett
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 09/13/1968 while performing the duty of Aircraft Commander.
Age at death: 24.4
Date of Birth: 04/25/1944
Home City: Memphis, TN
Service: SC branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: A/1 AVN 1 INF
Major organization: 1st Infantry Division
Flight class: 67-16
Service: SC branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 44W-053
Short Summary: Hit by .51 cal with 1 Inf Div CG, CSM & 2 staff on board while checking report of downed A/C, main rotor separated w/ WO1 Manzanares
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 67-17552
Service number: O5333392
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 1981 = 19 Rotary Wing Aviator (Unit Commander)
Primary cause: .51 Caliber
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: weapons
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: aircraft commander
Started Tour: 11/02/1967
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
Length of service: 03
Location: Binh Long Province III Corps.
Military grid coordinates of event: ZU779067
Additional information about this casualty:
Changed unit to A from B/1 AVN 1 INF based on Ken Davis. GBR May 2006.
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Hostile - killed
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Methodist (Evangelical United Brethren)
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 05/01/2006
This information is available on CD-ROM.
Additional information is available on KIAs at http://www.coffeltdatabase.org
Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.
KIA statistics
Return to the Helicopter Pilot KIA name list
Return to the KIA panel date index
Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association