08 Nov 2005 1stLt Powell was a Bombardier/Navigator attached to VMA(AW)-533, A-6A Intruders at Nam Phong, Thailand, in May 1972. While flying right seat on an orientation flight in an Air Force A-37 bomber from the 8th SOS, the aircraft took a .50 caliber round through the floor and right seat. 1stLt Powell was killed in action on June 12, 1972. SSgt John F. McNamee 27 Nov 2005 Sam was assigned to H&MS-12, MAG 12, because all of the Bombardier/Navigator slots were full in VMA(AW)-533. MAG-12 was deployed to Bien Hoa Viet Nam. Sam was an A-6A B/N, but assigned to H&MS-12 which was not assigned aircraft. He volunteered for combat flights with other squadrons to get his flight time. From a friend, John McNamee 04 Dec 2005 Correction to my 8 Nov 2005 message for Sam, VMA(AW)-533 was in Iwakuni, Japan in May of '72 not Nam Phong, Thailand. The night of June 12 1972 the group duty officer in Iwakuni, Japan received the message of Sam's death and notified the VMA(AW)-533 C.O. That same night VMA(AW)-533 received orders to Nam Phong, Thailand for combat in Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia. Although Sam was not with us in Nam Phong, he was there in spirit and helped us complete our mission. From a friend, John McNamee mcnameejfm@aol.com

 

17 May 2007 My name is Capt John "GiddyUp" Bunch. I was a friend and Escort Officer, at the order of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, for 1/Lt Sam Powell. My assignment was very difficult. Meet Sam at Treasure Island, Ca and fly him home to Tulsa. My orders were specific for a closed casket. There is not a day thoughts of Sam don't cross my mind. He would have been very proud of Operation Open Arms. I am the Founder of www.operationopenarms.com From Escort Officer and personal friend of Lt Sam Powell, Capt John "Giddyup" Bunch captgiddyup@netzero.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall 1stLt Powell was permanently assigned to H&MS-12, Marine Air Group 12, and his death is reported in the MAG-12 Command Chronology for June 1972: "12 June: MAG-12 suffered one KIA. Lt Samuel POWELL, a B/N, was killed while flying in the right seat on an A-37 on a strike mission." Although his casualty record indicates he was killed in a crash, that's misleading: the A-37 did not go down. The Air Force unit involved was the 8th Special Operations Squadron, which was assigned to Bien Hoa Air Base from 15 Jan to 01 Oct 1972 in response to the NVA build-up prior to the 1972 "Easter Offensive".

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