Army Reporter information
for 228 AHB 1 CAV

For date 681005


228 AHB 1 CAV was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Thua Thien Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Hue
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Flight engineer earns Silver Star" dated 5 Oct 1968. SSG Leonard Demaray, a FE with the 228th AHB received the Silver Star medal here. He earned the medal for holding off a superior number of enemy troops after his ship was shot down. "We were about a mile north of Hue when we got a report that enemy AA guns were hitting our ships. We went out to silence them." Demaray, recalled. "We made three passes," he explained, "and each time we were hit." On the third pass, the ship's transmission was damaged, forcing the helicopter to land. Once on the ground the ship came under heavier fire. The intense barrage took its toll, as three crewmembers, including Demaray, were wounded. By this time another gunship landed to pick up the men. "We tried to make it to the rescue ship, but the enemy fire was too hot. We had to turn back to our ship," he recalled. It was then that SSG Demaray went into action. Clutching one of the ship .50 caliber machineguns, he unleashed a volley of suppressive fire that enabled the other men to reach the rescue helicopter. For a full half hour, he alone held off dozens of enemy troops. The NVA did not even try to overrun him. "They would have had to come across a rice paddy." explained the flight engineer. "It would have cost them." Once again the rescue craft landed. With a wounded leg and the VC popping bullets at him, the crewman hobbled to the ship. "I wasn't even feeling the pain in my leg," he remembers, "all I was worried about was getting out all right." SSG Demaray did get out all right and thanks to him, so did the other crewmembers. As it turned out, he got out just in time. Minutes after his rescue, enemy recoilless rifles destroyed what was left of the downed Chinook.
Comments: SSG Demaray, Leonard; 228 AHB 1 CAV FE; ;

The source for this information was 6810AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023