Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-23G tail number 64-15303
The Army purchased this helicopter 1065
Total flight hours at this point: 00001488
Date: 11/21/1968
Incident number: 68112121.KIA
Unit: HHC 198 LIB 23 INF
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was an Unknown mission
While at Base Camp this helicopter was on Take-Off at 0000 feet and 000 knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: AT951764 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 49QAT951764)
Helicopter took 1 hits from:
Explosive Weapon; Non-Artillery launched or static weapons containing explosive charges. (ROCKET)
Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL
Casualties = 01 WIA, 02 KIA . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis
Center Helicopter database. Also: OPERA, LNNF, CRAFX, CASRP (Operations Report. Lindenmuth
New Format Data Base. Crash Facts Message. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P WO1 ORTEGO GERALD M KIA
CE SGT STANLEY JOE HARRY KIA
G SP4 DEMOTT TERRY A WIA
War Story:
I was a door gunner on an OH-23s and Hueys in the Americal Division, 198th Lt. Inf. Brigade Aviation Section in 1968-69. Didn't see it listed and wondered if it was actually an authorized unit or something thrown together for the brigade commanders use. My OH-23 was hit by a 122mm rocket on the pad of Red Beach Marine Artillery in Danang, killing my Pilot Mr. Ortego and Crewchief Joe Stanley 11/68.
I was the sole survivor. My location standing outside the ship next to the engine having a smoke while we were waiting for our Marine Forward Observer to show up saved my life. I only got shrapnel that passed under the ship. I returned to duty about a month later, but after another month of flying I was hospitalized again and it was discovered to have gangrene in the marrow of my leg from shrapnel that had penetrated the bone. Almost lost the leg but didn't and was shipped to Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning about a month before DEROS. (I was a Grunt in the 198th Inf. for six months before I got the door gunner gig.)
From: Terry A DeMott,
This record was last updated on 01/26/2022
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Date posted on this site:
11/13/2023
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