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Charlie Horse History Forward
Jim had been Steve Pecks cubical room-mate and best friend. It was only nine days since Peck was killed. Now Ross is shot down, wounded, and the participant in a hide and seek effort with NVA regulars all around him and the five-man squad of Blues.
Monitoring the ongoing situation while in a Cobra en route to the site from Quang Tri with AC CPT Bob Barthelmess, MAJ Wolfe ordered a halt to the piecemeal inserts and directed the emphasis to focus on the gun cover for the troopers on the ground. He then contacted 1/5th’s Operations and BG Hill quickly ordered the 71st AHC from the 14th CAB (the Rattlers and Firebirds) to affect the extraction of the Charlie Horse living and dead. This 101st asset performed a Combat Assault onto the crash site, losing two Hueys in the LZ, deployed 101st Infantry and relieved the Charlie Horse Blues, recovered all the living and assisted in collecting the dead. Without their assistance, Charlie Horse would have been hard pressed to execute that effort in its depleted condition. While it may be difficult at such a time to be told that internal Troop assets were inadequate to extract our own Troopers and recover our own dead, the timely application of the 71st AHC with 101st Infantry was necessary.
For their courage and bravery in that mission, all the AC’s that participated from the 71st AHC received Distinguished Flying Crosses. [NOTE:SGT Beckwith’s status is BNR. We need more details from the Recovery team.]
Charlie Horse closed that chapter with Purple Hearts for WIA CWO Jim Ross, and the KIA CPT Coker, SGT Beckwith, SGT Bauer, SPC Neal and PFC Walters.
With the end of March approaching, the ARVN incursion into Laos had run its course. American helicopter support had performed magnificently, and the losses of crews and aircraft reflected the willingness of the US Army to face any challenge, especially the air crews. Record numbers of aircraft had been lost and untold acts of bravery were yet to be written.
With the ARVN still streaming out of Laos, some of the American units were departing for their home locations in the south. The Charlie Horse Lift Platoon performed extractions of ARVN soldiers as they exited Laos all along the border. Extractions were risky, but these men could not be left to fend for themselves as many were without weapons, food or water. Many were wounded, and all were demoralized.
Personal Recollections of CPT Tom Ford:
In their haste to escape the NVA, the ARVN had retreated in disorder and in a disorganized manner. At the border crossing on QL-9, two American soldiers were killed helping direct the retreat. I don’t know how they died, but their presence was discovered when the NVA laid their bodies on the elevated roadway just south of the border crossing. I believe it was a “Barky” OV-10 Air Force FAC that spotted them nearly in the shadow of Co Roc.
The 1/5 Mech knew they had been missing for several days and Charlie Horse was made aware of them when BG Hill ordered the remains to be recovered. We were lead to believe that one of them was a Major but the truth of that is not certain. One of them had been run over by a tank. The Troop had been tasked with this recovery during a very bad stretch of weather with low clouds and heavy rain, keeping helicopters out of the western AO.
We considered the situation a trap with the NVA having clear fields of fire on both sides of that road with all the underbrush having been cleared by Army Engineers at the start of the Incursion. Given the lure of the body recovery history by US Forces, we believed that the NVA could have been using these KIA as bait for a shoot down effort during the recovery attempt. I received the order to perform the extract during a briefing in the 1/5 TOC from the S-3 relayed through MAJ Wolfe. With two or three days to ponder the mission, I would do the extract as there was no way I could lay that off on one of my ACs. Weather cleared and with a volunteer crew and accompanied by a Scout and a half dozen Cobra Guns, we headed west. I can’t recall who was riding with me that day. I was pretty confident we’d at least be shot down. It was the only time that entire year that I left a note on my bed to be read in the event the worst occurred.
Arriving on site, the Scout made a fast pass over the last known location and reported that the remains had been removed. For all the years since, I remained unsure if they had been removed or if the Scout had just made that call to spare the possible unpleasant results. I have been torn between being thankful we were relieved of the task, but at the same time I wished the Troop could have recovered the remains for the sake of their families. At the Regiment’s Memorial Dedication in 2017, I recounted that story plus my belief that Wayne Forbes was the scout that day and my regret that I’ve never been able to ask him. Brian Roth looked me in the eyes across the table and told me that he was the Scout that day and the remains were indeed gone. Some folks experience what is called a “new lease on life” and I’m one of those few. Thanks Brian.
21 Apr 1971
Many of us witnessed a very tragic event. The Air Force OV-10 unit, 504th TASG, 20th TASS, had worked hand in glove with the Charlie Horse teams since the Troop’s arrival in Quang Tri. The “Barky” FAC crews had fought weather and the NVA to direct air assets onto sites beyond the capability of the Charlie Horse Cobra Guns and out of range of the artillery at Camp Carroll.
Mid-April was scheduled to be a change of command of this unit and a going away party for the departing Commander, MAJ Elsey Wood was held on 20 April. An excellent commander, he had brought the FAC unit through LS 719. They had provided fantastic support for not only the ARVNs in Laos but the American forces remaining on the Vietnam side. The comment was made at the going away celebration that both MAJ Wood and the incoming Commander, MAJ Herbert Miller, would be departing for Danang the next morning to take MAJ Wood to the departure facility. Additionally, they would make a pass down the active on their way out to say, “goodbye.”
At the designated time, the OV-10 with both Majors on board made a low pass down the active, executed a ‘victory roll’ and impacted the ground past the departure end of the runway. Both men died. CPT Ken Gingras and CWO Russ Whipple were coming out of the mess hall and they rushed over to the now burning wreckage while ordnance was cooking off, CPT Gingras was able to retrieve one of the pilots from the burning aircraft but unfortunately the pilot had expired in the wreck.
Personal Recollections of CPT Ford
I was in re-fuel standing next to my UH-1 after the first mission of the morning and watched the OV-10 roll out for departure and stood in disbelief at what occurred on the farewell pass. Damn shame and a crushing loss.
The losses of the OH-58 Kiowa scout helicopter saw the demand exceed the inventory needed to replace the Troops losses. This required the transition into the OH-6, much to the joy of the Scout Platoon members. The Kiowa had certain flight characteristics that were not favorable to the requirements in a close combat situation, especially a downwind escape from enemy fire. The famous survivability of the “Loach” would be tested quickly in the increasingly hostile AO.
3 May 1971
Our newly appointed Scout Platoon Commander, CPT Derrell Burnside was killed by small arms fire while on a Recon east of Khe Sanh in OH-58 #68-16782 at grid XD935512. The Scout AC, CPT Marty Gronborg, piloted the LOH to a successful landing where the Huey chase evacuated the two Captains plus the wounded CE SP4 Duffy to the 18th Surg in Quang Tri. Derrell had recently joined Charlie Horse from the Aviation Platoon of HHC 1/5th Mech.