OV-10
INCIDENT
EDITOR’s NOTE: Many of you have probably read the lead-in H-43 Discription
on the Web Site Home Page. If not, here is a short blurb about the fastest
rescue in the Vietnam War.
Surprisingly,
the record for the fastest save of the war is held by a HH43F assigned to the
37ARRS, 41 ARRW DaNang AB. "Pedro 61"
flown by Lieutenants Bill Latham and his co-pilot James Moulton. On
Back in June, I received the following
email and photos related to the above mentioned mission:
I recently came across your rescue web
page when I was looking for information about DaNang
Airbase
Here goes; I was assigned as member of Peacemaker 4, M-60 gunner on the crew served weapons
teams. We were part of the airbase defense of the 6498th Security Police Squadron, we always
worked dusk till dawn or round the clock if conditions warranted due to alert
level, attacks etc as we were the primary heavy weapons section and response
for the base.
To make a long story short, my crew and
I were getting off that morning and I was told that the Flight Commander wanted
me to immediately report to JDOC or Ops Command. When I got there I was met by
my buddy Charlie McCrady (he was assigned to
Battleaxe or Central Security Control), who told me we were volunteering
for an assignment, he didn’t know what, but we were "volunteered". A
short while later an LtCol arrives along with the SPS
Commander and our Flt Leader SMSGT Snipes. We are taken into a back office
and the LtCol stated that they need a crash site
secured so EOD can go in destroy the aircraft’s
weapons systems (nose gun and rocket pods I believe). After hearing this I said something like “Sir
if you give me a half hour I will get my team back and geared up and we will be
good to go”. I'm thinking that the last ground troops (196 Light Infantry Battalion)
are long gone and we are it. The LtCol said “Son you
two guys are it” and we should not even be sending you out and should be using
ARVN or something to that affect but they are busy up North. Now this is the same
time the NVA is up at Quang Tri and
With little fan fare Charlie and I
pick up extra ammo, smoke, canteens etc and we pile in to the duce and half.
Now we figure we are going in on a Huey with the EOD
team
and the aircraft crew. Turns out we pull into the Pedro area and we are going out on the Huskie (we called it the egg beater, sorry guys but
that’s what we called it). We get briefed by the helicopter crew
that we are only going out about 15-20 clicks and we will sweep the area
and then they will land/insert us and depart returning for the USAF and VNAF
EOD teams.
On the first trip in, it’s Me, Charlie, an enlisted
Aircrew member, the Pilot and Copilot. I’m not sure if these are the same guys
you mention, making the rescue that day or not? Anyway, we take off and 
quickly arrive
at the Crash Site. We are communicating thru the headsets and I ask the pilot
to make several sweeps of a wood line about 200 yards
from the crash site. This is the mostly likely spot for snipers or an ambush. After
several passes of the village and wood line with no
ground fire, the Pilot is circling trying to locate a good spot to put us
down and decides on an area about 100 yards from the village. About the time he
is making an approach to land, the Copilot and the enlisted crew member are on
the headset talking about an old guy waving and jumping up and down going
crazy. The pilot pulls off and moves closer to the crash site with a small
rise with just enough dry ground for us to jump out. Before we bail out we
tell him we will set up away from the village and keep the bird between us
and the village, but also watch the wood line off to our
left.
Off they go and here is Charlie and I
waiting for the return of Pedro with the EOD units. Now,
the entire village has turned out to watch these two guys making a home out of
a paddy dike and we are thinking that any minute the shooting will start.
Fortunately the hour for them to get back went fairly fast and uneventful.
Later after the EOD teams destroyed the weapons and
any other parts deemed critical we find out from the enlisted crewman
on the Pedro team that
the VNAF EOD Sergeant told him why the old man was
going crazy on the first insertion. It seems like we had picked an old
minefield to land in and he was waving us off...... Sure glad he was a
friendly. Anyway, I just thought you guys would like to hear another story about
your crews and that downed plane.
I will be seeing Charlie at the end of
this month after 30+ years and can't wait to tell him about this little bit of
history that we were a part of. By the way the Lt.Col. that told us we were not to talk about this
incident; “I sure hope this has been long enough”? I have some pictures
from the flight and the crash site that you may like to see. Who knows maybe
some of that crew from that day, may visit your site? Take Care. PS never did
find out why the OV 10 went down????
Sincerely; SGt. John "Dutch" Cassidy
Peacemaker # 4 6498 SPS
Heavy Weapons Section M-706
DaNang 1972