Pacific Stars and Stripes information
for HMM-363

For date 680211


HMM-363 was a US Marine Corps unit
Primary service involved, US Marine Corps
Quang Nam Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Da Nang
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "No Time To Wait For Cap." Da Nang (OSI) - "If you find my cap and lighter, bring them back to me, will you?" The request from 1st Lt. Frank C. Wickersham III was passed to maintenance crews sent to recover his UH-34D helicopter which had been shot down. Wickersham had been flying copilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Sq. 363 on a medevac mission. When an emergency mission was called into the "Lucky Red Lion" ready room he scrambled with his crew and headed south toward An Hoa. "We took two rounds in the engine compartment," Wickersham said. "We lost power and couldn't take off." As the pilot and co-pilot were securing the helicopter and shutting down power, another round crashed through the plexiglass and clipped Wickersham's chin. "I got out of there as fast as I could and I guess during the rapid exit, I left my cap and lighter behind," he said. Two hours later, the crew was picked up by another medevac chopper.
Comments: 1LT Wickersham, Frank C. III; pilot; ;

The source for this information was 6802pss.avn & paper source documents supplied by Les Hines


Additional information is available on CD-ROM.

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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023