TUNNEY MICHAEL JOSEPH

Narrative

The official USMC history in a chapter titled SHUFLY Moves North states that the most serious incident recorded during the early operations in I Corps ironically resulted from mechanical failure rather than VC fire. It occurred when a search and rescue helicopter crashed and burned on a hillside 15 miles southeast of Tam Ky while covering a 20-plane helilift of 2d ARVN Division elements. This helicopter carried several mechanics and Navy medical personnel and was equipped with a hoist. Unable to land near the downed aircraft because of the thick jungle, other helicopters landed troops at the base of the hill with instructions to proceed to the crash site on foot. When the Vietnamese soldiers reached the downed aircraft after cutting their way through dense vegetation, they found the copilot, crew chief, and five other members of the task unit dead. The pilot, 1LT William T. Sinnott, who was injured seriously, was hoisted through the trees and evacuated by an HUS which came to the rescue. The five Marines killed in the crash were 1LT Tunnery, SGT Hamilton, SGT Pendell, CPL Anderson, LCPL Valentin. Two Navy personnel, LT Griffin, a doctor, and Hospitalman Norton were also dead. These were the first deaths suffered by Marine Task Unit 79.5 since deploying to Vietnam.