Name: CW2 Roy Brown Parsons
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 02/20/1968 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 36.2
Date of Birth: 12/07/1931
Home City: Perkins, OK
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: 339 TC CO
Major organization: other
Flight class: 66-24
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 40E-046
Aircraft: UH-1D tail number 64-13532
Service number: W2216752
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 062B = Helicopter Pilot, Utility and Light Cargo Single Rotor
Primary cause: A/C Accident
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: fire or burns
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: pilot
Started Tour: 03/01/1967
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
Length of service: 06
Location: Phu Yen Province II Corps.
Additional information about this casualty:
I was the first US type on the scene. Since it was late afternoon when the A/C was declared missing and we received a message from the ROK troops in the area that there was a Huey crashed near The Vung Ro Bay Pass (now called Ro Bay). The mission was a daily hash and trash run to battalion HQ in Nha Trang. We asked the ROK troops to verify that all souls on board the A/C were deceased. They came back with the sad news and reported that there had been an A/C fire. I was on the ROK base at the time relaying messages between the ROK and our unit. I then asked the ROK commander to secure the site so we could assemble a team and go in at first light. The company commander asked me to head up the mission to the site. I ferried the graves registration, accident investigation team, etc. to the ROK outpost in the pass where the A/C could be secured. We then traveled by foot path to the site with the ROK providing excellent security. What I found disturbed me greatly because several pax were severly burned but Roy had somehow managed to crawl clear of the fire and expired by a tree. I have had to spend long hours on the phone with Roy's wife because she had been told he was burned beyond recognition which was totally wrong. His funeral was closed casket and she was not able to see him and whether he was burned or not.
Because of feelings for Roy all I will say is that the description of the accident is mostly accurate except and that he was hardly burned.
From: Ray Klett, (USA Retired)
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
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Date posted on this site:
11/13/2023
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Casualty type: Non-hostile - died while missing
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Protestant - no denominational preference
Burial information: SUNSET MEMORIAL GARDENS, STILLWATER, OK
The following information secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: warrant officer
This record was last updated on 01/06/2009