QUICK RALPH RICHARD JR

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Name: WO1 Ralph Richard Quick, Jr.
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 03/27/1970 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 23.0
Date of Birth: 03/28/1947
Home City: Gerald, MO
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: HHB 108 ART GRP
Major organization: other
Flight class: 69-33
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 12W-049
Short Summary: Aero-scout mission with an arty spotter. Hit by .51 cal pulling out from a BDA. Talked on survival radio. NVA used Ralph as bait. memo
Aircraft: OH-58 tail number 68-16785
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 100B = Utility/Observation Helicopter Pilot
Primary cause: Hostile Fire
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: small arms fire
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: pilot
Started Tour: 12/06/1969
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
Length of service: 01
Location: Quang Tri Province I Corps.

Additional information about this casualty:
On March 27th Ralph, with a passnger (a Lt. Col. from one of the 155SP batallions) went out along the mountains south of dong Ha. He went single ship (as no one else liked flying aero-scout missions, and I had left for the Griffins by then), and in a triple canopy was working an NVA bunker complex, as a arty spotter with the Lt. Col. calling the fire mission. I am sure that Ralph not only volunteered for the mission, but probably ensured the Lt. Col. that they could handle it as a 'single-ship mission.' What happen next is from what Ralph was able to tell us - after he was shot down: Ralph said that he had been working the bunker line for about 20 minutes when a 51 opened up on them as they were pulling out of a BDA pass. He said that they never had a chance to evade the fire. Ralph said this over his survival radio as he laid hung up in a tree while we tried to get him out. the 58 had crashed into the heavy triple canopy and was a total loss. The LTC was killed by 51 fire (this according to ralph) and probably never knew what happened. The NVA were using Ralph for bait - and though they didn't kill him right away, they prevented any sort of rescue attempt for over three hours. Because there was no area where we could get a Huey down near his location, we couldn't get any of the 2/17 CAV Blues to the site until the next day. By then, Ralph was dead. The NVA used him as bait for hours until night fall. I not only listened to this operation, I talked to Ralph while flying over him. He was the only pilot the unit lost during the War. He was young, and very brave, and I am sure if he could have flown for a regular CAV type unit - he would have been an excellent scout pilot. But he needed to finish at least 9 months 'In country' before our CO [COL (P) Roscoe Cartwright] would let anyone extend. As a side note one of the 2/17 CAV pilots asked what he was doing out there single ship flying scouts! and his reply was "Sneaky does it all of the time." this statement is something that I live with all of the time - maybe I was just too agressive and after I left he carried that aggressiveness - though without a wing man. "Sneaky" White - 1993

Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Hostile - killed
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Baptist - other groups
Burial information: NEW FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH, GERALD, MO
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 08/28/2000

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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023