CHASE RAYMOND HOWARD JR

Narrative

 I'm Rex E. Tompkins I was the crew chief on 594 on 10 Nov. 67. The crew for that day was Mr. Hewitt- AC, Mr Chase- Peter Pilot, Sp5 Tompkins- CE. Sp4 Wilcox- Gunner. We had been working for FOB II for a few days and where on stand-by at DakTo at this time. We had been released by FOB II duties and told to work a mission for the 4th ID. Mr. Bud Brown was the lead ship that day in our two ship team. After take off we head to the AO south of DakTo runway and Brigade Hq. The CA was being put in and came under fire by a large caliber gun ( I have been told it was a 37mm or a 22mm) we rolled in under the CA to engage the gun. Mr. Hewitt call out he had it and engage with the rockets. The next thing I know we started spinning and are on fire as we spin. I'm forced out of the aircraft by the G-forces and I'm handing on to my gun bungee cord, I start hitting the trees and it goes blank till the next thing I know I'm at the aircraft trying to get in. I know someone is still in it as I can hear someone screaming but I just can't get in due to the fire and the rounds starting to burn off the screaming stops. I start looking around and see my gunner working his way down the hill. I get to him and he said he is going down the hill to get help. He works his way down to a bomb crater and puts out his flight jacket orange side out. One of are slicks comes in and pulls him out on a 100ft rope, and I think I better get down to the bomb crater and get pulled out to. That is what I did. A dust off came in and put someone on the ground and found Mr. Hewitt and pulled him out. They could not fine Mr. Chase at that time. On 10 Nov. 67 Mr. Hewitt getting ready for his R&R after that he would come back and clear post and go state side. It my have been his last day flying before going on R&R, it should not have been his last day as it turned out. Mr. Chase was one of, if not the youngest pilots to die in combat in Vietnam. This was a very sad day for the families of Mr.Hewitt and Mr. Chase and brotherhood that is the 119th AHC Rex E. Tompkins CROC 594 Chase and Hewitt's aircraft was flying slightly below, crossing in front of the 1st platoon as we were bring additional members of 173rd airborne in on a hilltop (875?). Observed ground fire strike the aircraft. Called and told him he was on fire and to get the aircraft on the ground. Aircraft continued a left turn, tail boom separated, and the aircraft spun three times and slammed into the ground. There was an immediate large explosion and fire. After completing the troop insertion, I was given permission to return to the crash site to look for survivors. I was covered by the one remaining gunship, but due to ground fire, we could only get as close as the other side of a low ridge. Within a matter of minutes a crew member, (door gunner?) popped into the open waving the orange inside of his flight jacket. We dropped a rope with a loop in it and pulled him out. We flew him to an open area and got him into our aircraft. He told us he and the other crew member had been thrown clear on impact, but were both seriously injured by secondary explosions trying to extract the pilots. He also told us one pilot was killed on impact, but one had been alive. We notified dustoff, who in turn flew in, put a crew member on the ground and recovered the other crew member and one very badly burned pilot who died four days later. Three or four days later, I inserted and extracted a graves registration team into the crash site. I asked the team afterward if they recovered any remains from the pile of metal and ashes. They told me they recovered some bone fragments and teeth, but nothing more. from John A. Carrigan, 119 AHC, Jun 67-68, 717-790-9409, 2 July 2000.