Information on U.S. Air Force helicopter HH-3E tail number 65-12782
Date: 10/05/1968 MIA-POW file reference number: 1298
Incident number: 68100555.KIA
Unit: 37 ARRS
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Rescue and Recovery mission for Rescue of Persons
While in PickUp Zone this helicopter was at Hover at 0020 feet and 000 knots.
Laos
UTM grid coordinates: YC592700 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PYC592700)
Helicopter took 3 hits from:
Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. (7.62MM)
causing an Explosion.
Systems damaged were: FUEL SYS, PERSONNEL
Casualties = 02 INJ, 02 KIA . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Burned
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Reference Notes. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database.
Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: 1298, 07115, 3
ARRG history ()
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P MAJ WESTER ALBERT DWAYNE BNR
C SGT LAWRENCE GREGORY PAUL BNR
P GRANIER VERNON P RES
PJ CASBEER ERNEST RES
REFNO Synopsis:
SYNOPSIS: Maj. Albert D. Wester was a copilot of an HH3E "Jolly Green" helicopter dispatched on a recovery mission on the border of south Vietnam and Laos on October 5, 1968. The Jolly Green normally carried a crew of four, and could carry up to 30 passengers, but the only other crew member whose name is part of public record is Sgt. Gregory P. Lawrence. At a point about due west of Da Nang in Laos, on the border of Quang Nam Province in south Vietnam and Savannakhet Province in Laos, Maj. Wester's aircraft was hit by hostile fire and crashed. Both Wester and Lawrence sustained fatal injuries from the subsequent crash, fire and explosion. It is assumed that the rest of the crew was rescued.
War Story:
Ernest Casbeer died in the 70's.
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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