Contributed by Pat Dougan. Pat was flying one of the Rat Pack gun ships and dedicates this page to all that served on November 27, 1968
Original Art Work By Joe Kline
Image copyright Joe Kline
Picture concept by owner Pat Dougan
The crew of the burning aircraft are:
Aircraft Commander:
Pilot:
Crew Chief:
Door Gunner:
CW2 Bob Trezona (WIA)
1LT Thomas A. Pienta (WIA)
Specialist James G. Brady (KIA)
Steve Toppi (WIA)
Aircraft was a UH-1H # 67-17784.
Aircraft had a total of 110 hours on it when destroyed
Other crew members who gave their life on this day :
WO1 Allen Eugune Duneman (KIA)
1LT. August Karl Ritzau (KIA)
SGT. Jerome Dee Chandler (KIA)
SP5 Dave DeWitt Creel (KIA)
SP4 Fredrick Harry Frazer (KIA
All of our thanks and blessings to our brothers, the Grunts who served with us and gave their lives or limbs on this day. I am very sorry we do not have a list of their names.
| Flight positions and crews for insertion. Formation was heavy left echelon. |
|||||
| Aircraft No. | Chalk | Aircraft Commander | Pilot | Crew Chief | Gunner |
| 67-17767 | C&C | Jim Gaffney | Dave (Doc) Brown | ||
| Lead | Tom Tesmar | Alan Wise | |||
| 67-17555 | 2 | Peter Davis | Mike Sharp | ||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | Allen Duneman (KIA) | August Ritzau (KIA) | |||
| 66-16574 | 6 | Ron Timberlake | Bruce Eckerson | John R. Longoria | Greg Nelson |
| 7 ? | Frank Cozart | John Jewett | Anthony J. Kohler | ||
| 8 ? | Jack Flukinger | Robert “Bob” Bess | |||
| 9 | Borrowed Pilot | ? | |||
| 67-17784 | Trail | Bob Trezona (WIA) | Thomas A. Pienta (WIA) | James G. Brady (KIA) | Steve Toppi (WIA) |
| 66-00641 | Rat Pack |
(1) Jim Souders (2) Ronnie Hopkins |
Pat Dougan | John Broome | Raymond T. Jimison |
| Rat Pack |
Asa Vest | Jim Ray | |||
Please let me know where the following names fit into the formation above.
| Vince Tortolano | Tem Moore | Al Barret | Larry Lagasse |
| Jim Rhode | Dave Brown | Dick Parthemueller | Barry Zimmerman |
| Bill Vanderwege | Mark Padilla |
For a chilling story about this picture written by Pilot Thomas A. Pienta read: Trial by Fire
| Please let me know if you flew on this day and I don’t have your name. If you can remember, please let me know which crew you were with, ship number, chalk and crew position you were in. |