1 Jun 2004 My good friend. Great smile, great wit and WHAT A VOICE!!! Sang "Tears on My Pillow" as well as Little Anthony himself. Christmas 1966 we put on a skit that "roasted" our Officers/Pilots, having some fun with their flight and combat mannerisms ... but Vern's gift of song and love for his buddies is what those of us who heard and knew him will always remember. I crewed with HOLLY many times ... he was a great soldier, a great guy and I still miss him! From a soldier friend, Mike O'Donnell mikeod@realmatrix.com

 

13 Nov 2006 His was a voice that will always be in my memories. In late March or early April 67 someone thought we would get hit at LZ Dog and we took all the aircraft back to An Khe for the night. About 9:30 that night Vernice was invited to the Officers Club to sing. He did a few then sang a Robert Frost poem, "Last night I had the strangest dream." There were numerous combat tested personnel there from WO1 to LTC. When Vernice finished there was not a dry eye in the place. He touched many lives and lives on in our hearts. It is an honor to have served with him. From an "A" Troop Pilot, Jim Haslitt jhaslitt@petersfinancial.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 18 April 1967 a UH-1C gunship (tail number 66-15048) was shot down while making a rocket run on a VC position in the An Loa. The Huey crashed and burned, killing the five men aboard: MAJ Thomas D. Mendenhall, Phoenix, AZ, Troop CO, pilot, A/1/9 CPT Patrick L. Haley, La Salle, IL (Dist Svc Cross), pilot, A/1/9 SP4 Ronald D. Bruce, West Alexandria, OH, crew chief, A/1/9 SP4 Vernice Hollingsworth, Boynton Beach, FL, gunner, A/1/9 1LT Robert J. Crabbe, Ann Arbor, MI, Artillery Observer, unit unknown Captain Haley received the Distinguished Service Cross for an earlier action (02 October 1966) in which he landed under heavy fire to pick up a wounded US soldier. His Citation is available on the 1st Cav Medic site.

Contact Us

© Copyright 1997-2019 www.VirtualWall.org, Ltd ®(TM)

Last update 08/15/2019.