27 Oct 1997 Remembering a flight school classmate James Patrick Casey Jim and I were among a group of young men who went to boot camp together as Company B-4-1 at Fort Polk, then Army helicopter flight school at Fort Wolters and Fort Rucker. Jim Schueckler flewhuey@frontiernet.net A story about our flight school class Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network

 

8 Jun 2004 I well remember that night. Jim was flying the last-light visual reconnaissance around Camp Enari, I was outside my hooch after dinner. Major McKenna, the DivArty Aviation officer, approached and told us that the Oasis was receiving fire and we needed to get the bird up. I ran down to the hangar and as I went to get an aircrft Jim landed an said he would take the mission. I told him he should go and eat but he insisted and took off to find where the fire was coming from. I hung around the hangar for a while and soon Camp Enari came under fire. I launched with my observer and headed out to find where our fire was coming from. We had not been airborne too long when we were told to return to base because of weather, I had not found anything so I started back. Jim said he was in the middle of a fire mission and would return as soon as he was done. As I approched Enari it was completely socked in by rain, so I diverted to Camp Hollaway. I was able to skirt the weather and land at Hollaway safely. After the weather passed I returned to Enari, as I contacted the tower they asked if I had seen any other aircraft, I had not. After landing I learned that Jim's aircraft was missing. We found him the nxt morning between Enari and Hollaway. I often wonder what might have been had I taken that first mission. From a friend, Denny Doyle maddad30@earthlink.net

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 18 May 1969 Camp Enari came under a 122mm rocket attack for the second night in a row. Several helicopters were scrambled to locate and prosecute the launching site(s). OH-6A tail number 67-16557 carried three men and intended to return to Camp Enari after directing artillery fire on the launch sites, but deteriorating weather and darkness caused the pilot to divert to Camp Holloway. The OH-6 crashed enroute Holloway, killing the pilot and artillery observer and seriously injuring the crew chief, who died 6 days afterwards. The crew consisted of 1LT Steven R. Huffstutler, Mentone, CA, HSB, 2/9th Artillery, observer WO James P. Casey, Watertown, MA, HHB, Division Arty, pilot SP4 James M. Davenport, Port Clinton, OH, HHB, Division Arty, died 24 May 1969 A second aircraft, AH-1G 67-15778 of B Company, 4th Avn Bn, also crashed while attempting to return to Camp Enari, killing the two men aboard: CWO Gregory G. Beck, Fullerton, CA, pilot SP5 James T. Cofer, Covington, GA, crew chief

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