16 Aug 2007 REMEMBERED by a high school friend, Sid Keller skeller@ida.net

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 01 Jul 1968 the 178th Assault Support Helicopter Comapny was tasked with picking up troops from a location in the field. The 178's CH-47s were accompanied by UH-1 gunships, which patrolled around the pick-up zone to protect the larger and more vulnerable CH-47s. As CH-47 tail number 67-18457 was descending toward the PU zone it collided with UH-1C tail number 66-00740. The CH-47's forward rotor hit the UH-1's tail rotor area, severing the Huey's tail boom and destroying the CH-47's rotor blades. Both aircraft fell to the ground, the Huey in a semi-controlled rotation and the CH-47 in a nose-down attitude. Although the UH-1's four crewmen survived with injuries, the five crewmen in the CH-47 were killed in the crash and subsequent fire. They were 1LT William B. Eoff, Oklahoma City, OK; WO Geddes C. Boyter, Spartanburg, SC; SP4 Richard F. Burnham, Decatur, GA; SP4 Morris E. Ostrander, Gordon, NE; and SP4 Robert L. Puls, Phoenix, AZ.

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