Name: CW2 Vann Dwain Sherrill
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 10/23/1965 while performing the duty of Aircraft Commander.
Age at death: 31.2
Date of Birth: 08/21/1934
Home City: Thomasville, NC
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: 118 AML
Major organization: other
Flight class: 63-3W
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 02E-133
Short Summary: At Duc Hoa
Aircraft: UH-1D tail number 64-13702
Service number: W3151163
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 062B = Helicopter Pilot, Utility and Light Cargo Single Rotor
Primary cause: Hostile Fire
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: small arms fire
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: co-pilot
Started Tour: 04/10/1965
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
Length of service: 10
Location: Unknown Province
Additional information about this casualty:
On October 23, 1965, a U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D (tail number 64-13702) from the 118th Aviation Company (AML, later designated the 118th Assault Helicopter Company) was on a medical evacuation mission when it came under hostile small arms fire as it entered the pick-up zone. A single rifle shot entered the cockpit through the left doorpost, striking pilot CWO Vann D. Sherrill (who was flying from the left seat) in the neck. CWO Sherrill lost control of the aircraft after being struck, but the co-pilot was able to regain control of the helicopter and continue flight. A medic on board applied a compress bandage in an attempt to stop the bleeding as the co-pilot pulled one-hundred-percent power racing to a medical facility in Saigon. An ambulance, medics, and a doctor were waiting on the landing pad when the aircraft arrived. The doctor immediately checked CWO Sherrill for life signs, but it was too late. Later, escorted by a company honor guard, as was routine early in the war, CWO Sherrill's body was flown to Tan Son Nhut Air Base where it was shipped home. [Taken from the book American Warrior by J.C. Bahnsen Jr.]
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Hostile - killed
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Reformed
Burial information: HOLLY HILL MEMORIAL PARK, THOMASVILLE, NC
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: warrant officer
This record was last updated on 07/14/2015
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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