Name: CPT Robert Dean Farrington
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 12/11/1969 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 25.1
Date of Birth: 11/19/1944
Home City: Kansas City, MO
Service: EN branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: F/8 CAV, 23 INF
Major organization: Americal Division
Flight class: 69-22
Service: EN branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 15W-048
Short Summary: Shot in neck with small arms fire while acting as observer on a VR mission. Pilot Don Bentley was wounded. Crew chief unhurt.
Aircraft: OH-6A tail number 68-17295
Call sign: BLUE GHOST 3
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 61204
Primary cause: Hostile Fire
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: small arms fire
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: pilot
Started Tour: 09/07/1969
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
Length of service: 03
Location: Quang Tin Province I Corps.
Additional information about this casualty:
Here is my firsthand update on the circumstances surrounding the death of Robert Dean Farrington (12/11/69) Bob was flying in an OH-6A on a VR mission as the observer/copilot with CPT Don Bentley (Blue Ghost Red) and a crew chief/gunner whose name I can't dredge up. While they were checking out a trail that showed recent use, the LOH came under heavy fire. Bob was struck in the neck by small arms fire during the first salvo and died almost instantly. Don was hit in the shoulder but managed to fly the A/C clear of the area before setting it down in a clearing. MAJ Charles Ivey, the F/8 Troop Commander, and I were overhead in a Huey when all this happened; we quickly landed and recovered Bob's body, Don and the crew chief. Don recovered from his wound and was back flying within a couple weeks. In the grand scheme of things, all this amounted to not much more than a
footnote to the history of our involvement in Vietnam and another name etched on the Wall. However, on another level it typified the great day-in-day-out courage shown and supreme sacrifices made by literally scores of Army aviators, many of whose deeds went unnoticed except by those who were there to see them firsthand--and marvel at what they were privileged to witness. Bob was a good friend and a fine Army aviator. May he rest in peace.
Dave Owen, Blue Ghost White, F/8 Cav, 9/69-9/70
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Hostile - killed
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Presbyterian
Burial information: GREENWOOD CEMETERY, GREENWOOD, MO
The following information secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: officer
This record was last updated on 06/06/1996
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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