More detail on this person: Alan North of
Oceanside California passed away this past
wednesday. He flew UH1's and was married to my
cousin. I was wondering if anyone could tell me
which unit he served with in Vietnam. He was
severely injured in a crash or shoot-down and
trapped in his burning chopper; his crew-chief or
co-pilot went back and got him out or he would
have burned to death. He meant a lot to me and I
hope someone could help me find information on his
unit(s) or his crash. Any help would be greatly
appreciated. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
03/10/2024
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Mr.North was a great guy, one of those folks that
never said an unkind word to anyone. When he
came to Ohio after earning his wings at Fort
Rucker he held me on his lap at a musical
performance so I could see my sister play. I must
have been in Kindergarten at the time. Then he
went off to Vietnam and was terribly wounded. My
cousin went to Brooke Burn Hospital and shared his
sufferings every step of the way; she was devoted
to Mr. North. She wrote very detailed and no holds
barred letters home to us, detailing the
excruciating healing process; I will never forget
them. The next time I saw him he walked with a
walker and had burn scars all over him; it was
heartbreaking, but he never complained. He
continued to need surgeries and medical care for
the rest of his life, finally dying due to bladder
cancer. He is survived by his wife Nancy and two
daughters. In awhile I will write to my cousin and
see if she has any record of his unit; I would
love to know where he served in Vietnam. I have
made it a point during my life to read all I can
about the Vietnam War and have had many
Vietnam vets influence my life. They appreciate
the fact that someone actually knows where I Corps
was or Quang Tri provence. It is the least I can
do as a way of saying thanks for what you guys did
over there. God Bless you and all of your members;
I, for one, will never forget the sacrafices you
made.
From: John W. Howard