Pacific Stars and Stripes information
for 37 ARRS

For date 680524


37 ARRS was a US Air Force unit
Primary service involved, US Air Force
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Kham Duc
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "3 GIs Plucked From Under Enemy Noses." Da Nang (IO)- A paper SOS, an eagle-eyed Air Force forward air controller, pinpoint air strikes, and the boldness of the Jolly Green Giants saved the last three Americans from the Special Forces camp at Kham Duc. The three soldiers had been cut off from the base four days earlier when the entire camp was evacuated in the face of intense enemy attack. Isolated about one mile northeast of the base airstrip, the wounded soldiers were members of a patrol that had forged out into the mountains. An Air Force FAC flying near the Special Forces camp spotted a four-foot high SOS on the side of a mountain. He reported the sighting and within minutes the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Sq. went into action. Three A1H Skyraiders from the 6th Air Commando Sq. were scrambled in support of two HH3E "Jolly Green Giant" helicopters and the rescue crews headed south from Da Nang. Other aircraft - primarily Marine A4s - were pounding enemy troops in the area to set up the rescue. Air Force MAJ Richard Ives took over as the on-scene commander in his Skyraider while fellow pilots, MAJ John T. Gaffney and CPT Richard L. Russell acted as helicopter escort and wingman. Ives began directing strikes by four Marine A4s and four Skyraiders in the area. He made several low passes over the area in an attempt to locate the survivors and pinpoint enemy firepower. There had been sightings of enemy .37mm and .50 caliber gun emplacements in the area. "I made a low pass in an attempt to identify the men on the ground," Ives said. "I could see that they had their shirts off and were waving." After about an hour of air strikes, the decision was made to bring the first helicopter in for the save. Gaffney led the helicopter to the recovery area, firing ahead of the chopper. "We could tell roughly where the men were by the air strikes going in. We had a good vantage point from our orbit at 8,000 feet," said MAJ Billy J. Wingfield. "We then saw the SOS made out of the paper and started toward the two men on the ground. They were on a sheer slant of the mountain the high trees surrounded them." "That's when we saw the other man," co-pilot CPT Harry W. Hagen said. "He was down on the mountainside near a stream and was trying to get back up to the other men. It was only about 50 meters, but he ran and then just seemed to collapse from exhaustion." The pararescueman, SGT Martin E. Roepstorff, and the flight engineer, SSG Elmer I. Holden, lowered about 200 feet of cable so the two men could be hoisted up the rescue collar. It took about six minutes to get them into the chopper. "At the precise moment of pick-up, the Jolly Green and the escort aircraft received intense ground fire," Gaffney said. MAJ Dale Oderman and CPT Ronald G. Spray started searching for the third man in the other copter. "We descended to about 200 feet and started looking for the soldier. It took us about four minutes to find him because we had to be right over him to see him, "Oderman said. When the Jolly Green reported the man had been sighted the Skyraiders made a pass and dropped their remaining ordnance, setting up a smoke wall for the recovery. "He was sitting up on the ground waving," said the pararescueman, SGT Angus C. McDougall." "We had to put the forest penetrator right in his lap and we did it the first time. It took us about six minutes to get him up, but it seemed like and eternity with all that fire around us." "We got him in and he asked about his buddies. We told him we had them and he said that he was the last one," said the flight engineer, SSG John Enriquez.
Comments: SSG Enriquez, John; 37 ARRS FE; ; SGT McDougall, Angus C.; 37 ARRS PR; ; MAJ Wingfield, Billy J.; 37 ARRS pilot; ; CPT Hagen, Harry W.; 37 ARRS pilot; ; SGT Roepstorff, Martin E.; 37 ARRS PR; ; SSG Holden, Elmer I.; 37 ARRS FE; ;

The source for this information was 6805pss.avn supplied by Les Hines


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023