25 Dec 2000 I didn't know Heinz was in the Marine Corps; I didn't know he was in Nam. I thought he was in college, safe, far away from that godforsaken place. I found out all this information when I saw his name on the casualty list in Stars n' Stripes. Killed on his first day in country. God bless him and all the others. I always remember his kindness to the new kid at Pearl River High School. I was the new kid. I came back; he didn't, but he'll always be in my heart. Semper Fidelis, Heinz From a friend, John Fahey johnrule62@aol.com

 

26 Nov 2004 Lt. Ahlmeyer is not forgotten. I wear his name on a KIA bracelet. I was flying as a door gunner in a CH-46A on May 10th, 1967. My aircraft was not involved in the attempted rescue that day but the CH-46A that was, was from my squadron. We all lost a lot of good men that day. It has been many years since that day, and many memories are still very vivid, thankfully many are not. I just wish the whole thing had ended on a better note. I miss all my brothers at arms and pray for them every day. Semper Fi H. C. "Chip" Schumm SVN 1966-67 mrhoneydo333@aol.com

 

18 Mar 2005 The remains of Heinz Ahlmeyer were repatriated in February, 2005. From a grateful American. E-mail address is not available.

 

09 Jan 2006 I did not know Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr, but I wish I had. Rather, I learned about him as a student athlete while attending New Paltz. He is an inspiration to me and so many others. For those who hoped to keep his name alive with the athletic award given in his name, I must tell you that you have done just that. In 2003, I recieved the Heinz Ahlmeyer award as a swimmer for New Paltz. I had many accomplishments to be proud of in my career, but that was the greatest honor for me. I think about him often and try to live up to his name. I hope I make him proud. From a New Paltz Alumni, Mark Otto 6400 Saunders Street, Apt 4H, Rego Park, NY 11374 gchs1@aol.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 9 May 1967 seven members of "A" Company, 3rd Recon, were assigned a reconnaissance patrol ("Recon Team Breaker") with the mission of gathering intelligence information on suspected enemy infiltration routes near Khe Sanh. Although platoon commander 2nd Lt Heinz Ahlmeyer was among the seven, RT Breaker actually was led by Sergeant James N. Tycz. The team consisted of 2nd Lt Heinz Ahlmeyer, platoon commander, Alpha 3rd Recon Sgt James N. Tycz, platoon sergeant and team leader LCpl Samuel A. Sharp, assistant team leader HM3 Malcolm T. Miller, Corpsman LCpl Clarence R. Carlson Pfc Carl Friery Pfc Steven Lopez RT Breaker was air-lifted onto a ridgeline just south of the DMZ and overlooking a known infiltration route from Laos. As the team began to move they encountered a number of well-constructed but unmanned enemy bunkers, finds reported by radio to the mission monitor at Khe Sanh. The patrol was directed to leave the area and establish a night defensive position on high ground, which they did. Shortly after midnight an NVA force of 30 to 50 men literally tripped over the Marines, forcing an engagement. Within a short time, three Marines and the team's Corpsman were dead, one was wounded and unconscious, and two were wounded but functional. Pfc Lopez, an 18-year-old on his third recon patrol, took over the task of radio operator and artillery observer, calling in supporting fires. Several attempts were made during the night to extract the patrol, but enemy gunfire was so heavy that helicopters could not land (one, CH-46A BuNo 151923, made it to a 20-foot hover, where it was riddled with 23 hits, killing the pilot and wounding all other crewmen). At sunrise, fixed wing air was brought in and additional attempts were made to get a helicopter into the defensive position. Finally, toward noon, a UH-1 from VMO-3 was able to sneak in while other rotary and fixed wing aircraft suppressed the enemy. While the UH-1 was able to pick up the three surviving team members, it was not possible to retrieve the bodies of those who had died: 2nd Lt Heinz Ahlmeyer, Pearl River, NY Sgt James N. Tycz, Milwaukee, WI (Navy Cross) LCpl Samuel A. Sharp, San Jose, CA HM3 Malcolm T. Miller, Tampa, FL In addition to Sergeant Tycz' Navy Cross, three men were awarded the Silver Star: Captain Paul T. Looney, HMM-164, pilot, CH-46A BuNo 151923, posthumous Major Charles A. Reynolds, VMO-3 pilot who made the pick-up LCpl Clarence A. Carlson, RT Breaker The commanding officer of Alpha 3rd Recon, Captain Albert B. Crosby, was interviewed on 13 May 1967; a tape of the interview is available on the Internet. Although Joint Task Force personnel have surveyed the location, finding fragments of American equipment, the bodies of the four men have not yet been recovered. Note: The remains of the four men from RT BREAKER were repatriated on 27 May 2003. Identification of the remains was announced on 24 Feb 2005. 2nd Lt Ahlmeyer was graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz, where he was a stand-out intercollegiate soccer player. In 1967, following 2nd Lt Ahlmeyer's death, SUNY New Paltz established the Heinz Ahlmeyer Award, given to a "student athlete whose dedication, perseverance, and service beyond self has been an inspiration to both his/her teammates and fellow students." Lt Ahlmeyer was the subject of an article in the Winter 2001 issue of the New Paltz Athletics Alumni Newsletter - the photo is taken from that article.

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