operation BEAU CHARGER information
for SLF-A
HMM-263
For date 670518
SLF-A was a US Marine Corps unit
HMM-263 was a US Marine Corps unit
Primary service involved, US Marine Corps
Operation BEAU CHARGER
South Vietnam
Location, Ben Hai River
Description: In this operation SLF Alpha supported operation HICKORY's eastern area along the DMZ. D-day included an air assault onto LZ Goose by 15 UH-34s from HMM-263. For security reasons there was prior air reconnaissance or LZ prep. Flying lead LTC Kirby made a low-level, maximum speed approach to the zone and was ripped by machine gun fire. The rest of his crew was wounded and his radios were shot out plus one of the five infantry man on board was killed. The wounded gunner returned fire and saved everyone as Kirby took off. Only after he was back onboard the USS Okinawa could he tell everyone how bad things were. They moved the rest of the assault to LZ Owl, some 800 meters away and an amphibious force landed on Green Beach. By noon they linked up on LZ Goose and continued to battle the NVA into the evening.
Comments: LTC Kirby, Edward K.; CO HMM-263; ;
The source for this information was USMC H 67 P 159; Rise & Fall P:176
Rise & Fall = The Rise and Fall of an American Army: U.S. Ground Forces in Vietnam, 1963 - 1973 by Shelby Stanton.
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org
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Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023