Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 65-09866
The Army purchased this helicopter 0566
Total flight hours at this point: 00000847
Date: 01/08/1968
Incident number: 68010873.KIA
Unit: 173 AHC
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
for Air/land Assault , Hot Area.
While on Landing Zone this helicopter was Landing at 0005 feet and 000 knots.
South Vietnam
Helicopter took 9 hits from:
Explosive Weapon; Non-Artillery launched or static weapons containing explosive charges. (ROCKET, 7.62MM)
The helicopter was hit in the Left Side causing Fragmentation Damage.
Systems damaged were: FLT CONTROLS, PERSONNEL, STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL SYS, FUEL SYS
The effectiveness of the armor protecting the personnel was unknown or not reported.
Casualties = 06 WIA . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis
Center Helicopter database. Also: OPERA, LNNF, CRAFX, FM232, DYNAL (Operations Report.
Lindenmuth New Format Data Base. Crash Facts Message. )
Summary: While landing in an LZ during an Eagle Flight, this Huey was shot down. The gunner, Gary Wetzel, would earn the Medal of Honor.
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
AC WO1 ARTMAN TIMOTHY HAROLD KIA
CP CPT WF DISMUKES
CE SP4 JARVIS
G PFC WETZEL GARY RES
War Story:
During an Eagle Flight, this aircraft was in the fourth position for the first element into an LZ and was hit by automatic weapons fire. At about 50 feet from touchdown an RPG blew out the left front of the aircraft knocking out CPT Dismukes and mortally wounding the AC, WO Artman. PFC Wetzel, the gunner, and SP4 Jarvis, the CE, were thrown from the aircraft when it crashed. When they returned to try to help the pilots, another RPG hit the aircraft wounding Wetzel. They did get the pilots out of the wreck but WO Artman died from his wounds.
On January 8, 1968 we were doing Eagle flights supporting the 9th Infantry Division. ( I don't remember the unit) We were
sitting on the ground at a place called the French Fort eating C's when we got the order to crank 'em up. We loaded up the slicks and flew to the LZ.
As we were about 1 minute out of the LZ, and flying in a heavy right formation we received orders to go in heavy left. Gary Wetzel's ship, piloted by WO Timothy Artman switched places with mine. He ended up the trail ship on the left and my ship piloted by a Japanese CWO was the trail ship on the right. I had taken sporadic fire before but was totally unprepared for the amount of fire we received flying into the LZ. I saw so many big orange fireballs flying through the air as we flew into the LZ that I really had no idea what was going on. I knew that we were in big trouble because there was a lot of excited radio traffic flying in. I could not fire as I was on the inside of the formation and ended up being an observer. As we came into the LZ Gary's ship was hit in the AC's door with an RPG about 4 feet off the deck. They went in immediately and as soon as they hit I saw two more explosions inside the ship and troops came flying out. As we sat down to insert our troops, I said to my AC "I have my aid bag, I'm gonna go help." The AC replied "If you step on foot outside this ship I'll shoot your ass. You're here to protect this ship.
We flew out of the LZ leaving two ships in the LZ and another, carrying Jimmy Banicki, was hit flying out and set down somewhere outside the LZ.
The rest is, as they say, history. Tim Artman was critically wounded and died in the LZ later that night. Gary was awarded the DFC the next day in the hospital and subsequently was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
We figured out later that the Artillery and air strikes had prepped the wrong side of the river and left for us a horseshoe shaped ambush with 3..50 caliber machine guns, more RPG's than we could count, and shitloads of small arms fire. I didn't see Gary for 18 years. In July of 1986 I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago for the Welcome home parade and weekend and finally had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Gary. I had felt and still feel guilty that I didn't just grab my aid bag and run to help him, but Gary said to me "The AC was right and you did as you
should have."
Doc/Bac Si' Don Reynolds, Sep 97.
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
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