Information on U.S. Marine Corps helicopter CH-46D tail number 152566
Date: 08/19/1968 MIA-POW file reference number: 1254
Incident number: 68081999.KIA
Unit: HHM-262
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
for Troop Extraction
While on Landing Zone this helicopter was Landing at 0020 feet and 020 knots.
Vietnam unspecified
UTM grid coordinates: YD122772 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48QYD122772)
Helicopter took 1 hits from:
Explosive Weapon; Non-Artillery launched or static weapons containing explosive charges. (ARTY)
The helicopter was hit in the Bottom causing a Fire.
Systems damaged were: MULTIPLE
Casualties = 02 INJ, 03 MIA . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Burned
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Reference Notes. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database.
Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: 1254, NSC,
HMM-262 Website (Naval Safety Center. )
Summary: Received a direct hit from a heavy artillery round while attempting to land and rescue MAJ Harvey Britt's downed crew. Aircraft burned.
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
CE CPL HOFFMAN TERRY ALAN RR
G CPL HUTCHISON JOHN WILLIAM KIA
G CPL MILES PATRICK CHARLES KIA
AC CPT DARGER ROCKY RES
CP 1LT BRADLEY KEN RES
War Story:
The HMM-262 website states that the crew of 152566 consisted of Capt Rocky Darger, Aircraft Commander; 1Lt Ken Bradley, CoPilot; CPL Terry Hoffman, Crewchief; CPL John Hutchison, Gunner; and CPL Patrick Miles, Gunner. They were the number two aircraft in a flight of 23 aircraft assigned the mission of extracting a battalion which had been inserted in a combat assault north of Gio Lin the day before. The battalion had come under heavy artillery fire from guns in North Vietnam. The decision was made to extract the unit. Capt. Darger was initially assigned as Flight Leader, but relinquished command of the flight to Major Harvey Britt who had participated in the insert, which Darger had not. The plan was to approach the LZ at approximately 100 feet to provide some cover from the artillery fire by using the low hills which parallel the river in the DMZ. As the lead aircraft approached the landing zone it was shot down; all crew members survived. Darger assumed command and dispatched the remainder of the flight to Dong Ha while proceeding to attempted to rescue the downed crew. Approaching again at a low altitude 152566 received a direct hit from a heavy artillery round and crashed. The two pilots were ejected from the aircraft and survived, while the crew in the cabin were killed. The aircraft was consumed by fire. The pilots were rescued by a Marine Recon Team. 1Lt Ken Bradley was seriously injured and had to be medevaced to the States. Capt. Darger received multiple injuries, but was returned to a flight status in three weeks. Two of the bodies of the crewmen were recovered at the time, but the remains of Cpl. Hoffman could not be found, and he was presumed to have been consumed by the flames. The above account was compiled from information provided by Capt Darger.
From - Sun Jul 25 1999
I was the Commanding Officer of HMM-262 at Quang Tri in Vietnam beginning in
September 1968. I arrived just before the incident in which Terry Hoffman
lost his life, but did not assume command until a month later. I am
currently the historian of the HMM-262 Vietnam association. The entries
below appear in our home page at
http://www.hmm-262vietnam.org/
His brother Gary L. Hoffman, Florida, is a member of our association, and we
correspond regurlarly.
Albert N. Allen LtCol USMC (Ret)
TERRY ALLAN HOFFMAN - CPL
PANEL 48W ROW 056 - 19-Aug-68
Corporal Terry Allen Hoffman 2316108/6320 USMC was from Danville, Indiana.
He was born on February 3, 1945. He arrived in Vietnam June, 1968. He was 23
years old at the time of his death. He died on August 19, 1968 in Quang Tri
Province. He was a crewmember of CH-46 buno 152566 which crashed on land due
to hostile causes. His body was not recovered until 1994. He was officially
listed as an Missing In Action for 26 years (HMM-262's only MIA). He was
finally interred by his family in 1994. He was not married. His race is
officially listed as Caucasian. His religion was Protestant. He had one
years' service at the time of his death.
The following is a letter from Terry's Commanding officer to the historian
of the HMM-262 Vietnam Association:
"I have been reading your messages with great interest and sometimes
sorrow. In the case of Terry Hoffman, he joined the squadron in March
1968. His body was not recovered from the burning wreckage even though a
rescue team searched the area. He was presumed consumed in the fire. The
other two crewman's remains were recovered. Both pilots were thrown
clear of the wreckage and survived. Rocky Darger was the pilot. It was
sometime in 1991 or early 1992 that human remains and parts of a flight
suit, boots, and a dog tag of Terry Hoffman were turned in to the
Vietnamese government by local farmers. Until then they were afraid to
but they were doing this for humanitarian reasons. Forensic examination
proved the remains were of Terry Hoffman. On July 4, 1994, my wife Doris
and I attended a memorial service for Terry Hoffman in Danville,
Indiana. He was buried with full military honors and the whole town paid
tribute to him. The Marine Corps Reserve provided the honor guard, the
Army provided a horse drawn caisson to carry the remains to the family
cemetery, and the Air Force National Guard provided 4 F-16s in a missing
man formation fly by. It was sad but it was a privilege to be there..."
This record was last updated on 06/01/2000
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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