This Military Service Page was created/owned by
GySgt David R. Marcussen
to remember
Marine Cpl Paul James Allen.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Rochester
Last Address Rochester
Casualty Date Apr 11, 1968
Cause Non Hostile- Died Other Causes
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Quang Tri (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Oakwood Cemetery - Rochester, Minnesota
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase IV Campaign (1968)/Operation Pegasus / Lam Son 207
From Month/Year
April / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Description Apr 1 – 15 1968, This was an overland relief expedition (Operation Pegasus) was launched by a combined Marine–Army/South Vietnamese task force that eventually broke through to the Marines at Khe Sanh. 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions, 26th Marines and ARVN 2nd Division.
3rd Bn, 1st Marines was relocated to the Ca Lu combat base and assigned responsibility for securing the middle portion of Highway 9 running from Khe Sanh to the coast.
This operation featured 17 U.S. and four ARVN airborne battalions to relieve the siege of the Khe Sanh Combat Base. Virtually the entire 1st Air Cav Div was committed along with five Marine battalions, mostly from the 26th Marines. The bulk of the NVA units had already departed the Khe Sanh area. The operation consisted for combat assaults to take the high ground on both sides of route 9 and systematically reopening the road. The forces discovered several caches of NVA supplies, hundreds of enemy corpses, and a "pockmarked, burnt, and ruined" landscape "like the surface of the moon." The companion ARVN operation was named LAM SON 207. Casualties: U.S. 92 KIA, 667 WIA, 5 MIA; ARVN 33 KIA, 187 WIA; enemy 1,044 KIA and 9 POWs.
American commanders considered the defense of Khe Sanh a success, but shortly after the siege was lifted the new American commander in Vietnam, Gen. Creighton Abrams, decided to dismantle the base rather than risk similar battles in the future. Historians have observed that the Battle of Khe Sanh may have successfully distracted American and GVN attention from the buildup of Viet Cong forces in the south prior to the early 1968 Tet Offensive. Even at the height of the Tet Offensive, General Westmoreland maintained that the true intentions of the offensive was to distract forces from Khe Sanh.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
April / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
People You Remember [CREW] Allen, Paul James Cpl Crew Chief VMO-6 MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:018) DeMarco, Michael Gregory LCpl Gunner VMO-6 MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:020) Gannon, Eugene Richard Capt Pilot HMM-163 MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:022) Graten, Frederick Dunham Cpl Crew Chief HMM-163 MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:022) Holden II, John Parker 2ndLt Co-Pilot HMM-163 MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:023) McMillan, Bruce Francis Capt Pilot VMO-6 MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:024) Nixon, John Arleigh Cpl Gunner HMM-163 MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:024) Riede, Ronald Edgar 1stLt Co-Pilot VMO-6 MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:025)
Memories Incident Date 680411 HMM-163 UH-34D 145804+ and VMO-6 UH-1E 154968+ Mid-air Collision
[PASSENGERS] Addice, Frank Paul HN Corpsman-Pass Corpsmen MAG-36 680411 (vvm 49E:018) Belcher, Robert Winslow Cpl Passenger H&SCo/3/26 3rdMarDiv 680411 (vvm 49E:019) Davidson, Dennis Robert PFC Passenger A/3rdTankBn 3rdMarDiv 680411 (vvm 49E:020) Erwin, Richard Eugene PFC Passenger H&SCo/3/26 3rdMarDiv 680411 (vvm 49E:021) Finley, Charles Richard PFC Passenger M/3/26 3rdMarDiv 680411 (vvm 49E:021) ADDICE FRANK PAUL : B135050 : USNR : HN : E3 : HN : 19 : WANAQUE : NJ : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Passenger ? Corpsman : body recovered : Quang Tri : 01 : 19480913 : Cauc : RomanCatholic/single : 49E : 018 : UH-34D 145804 ALLEN PAUL JAMES : 2163180 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 6319 : 21 : ROCHESTER : MN : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : CrewChief VMO-6 : body recovered : Quang Tri :02 : 19461112 : Cauc : single : 49E : 018 : UH-1E 154968 BELCHER ROBERT WINSLOW : 2182203 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 2847 : 22 : WINTHROP : MA : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Tri :02 : 19451111 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 49E : 019 : UH-34D 145804 DAVIDSON DENNIS ROBERT : 1911231 : USMC : PFC : E2 : 1811 : 25 : DAYTON : OH : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Tri :06 : 19430302 : Crew : single : 49E : 020 : UH-34D 145804
DEMARCO MICHAEL GREGORY : 2241387 : USMC : LCPL : E3 : 6319 : 21 : ALBANY : NY : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Gunner VMO-6 : body recovered : Quang Tri :02 : 19470304 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 49E : 020 : UH-1E 154968 ERWIN RICHARD EUGENE : 2335819 : USMC : PFC : E2 : 2531 : 20 : DALLAS : TX : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Tri :00 : 19480322 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 49E : 021 : UH-34D 145804 FINLEY CHARLES RICHARD : 2364862 : USMC : PFC : E2 : 0311 : 19 : CAPE GIRARDEAU : MO : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Passenger : body recovered :Quang Tri :00 : 19481202 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 49E : 021 : UH-34D 145804 GANNON EUGENE RICHARD : 092047 : USMCR : CAPT : O3 : 7561 H-34 : 24 : NEW YORK : NY : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : AircraftCommander : body recovered : Quang Tri :06 : 19440102 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/married : 49E : 022 : UH-34D 145804 GRATEN FREDERICK DUNHAM : 2153541 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 6332 : 20 : MEDFORD : OR : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Tri :02 : 19470919 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 49E : 022 : UH-34D 145804 HOLDEN JOHN PARKER II : 0103484 : USMCR : 2ndLT : O1 : 7561 H-34 : 24 : PHILADELPHIA : PA : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Copilot : body recovered : Quang Tri : 02 : 19431110 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 49E : 023 : UH-34D 145804 MCMILLAN BRUCE FRANCIS : 082238 : USMC : CAPT : O3 : 7563 : 30 : WALNUT CREEK : CA : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Pilot VMO-6 : body recovered : Quang Tri :12 : 19370815 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 49E : 024 : UH-1E 154968 NIXON JOHN ARLEIGH : 2156034 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 6320 : 21 : ARLINGTON : VA : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Tri :02 : 19460706 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 49E : 024 : UH-34D 145804 RIEDE RONALD EDGAR : 094202 : USMCR : 1stLT : O2 : 7563 : 24 : ST LOUIS : MO : 19680411 : Air Loss Crash Land : Copilot VMO-6 : body recovered : Quang Tri :04 : 19440105 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 49E : 025 : UH-1E 154968
VMO-6 Squadron Command Chronology - April 1968: 11 April 1968. While returning from Khe Sanh after launching to cover an emergency medevac mission by Highboy 6-1, Seaworthy 4-5 and Highboy 6-1 collided in mid-air. The UH-34 was torn apart and the UH-1E was consumed by fire. A total of 12 people were killed, including the four crewmembers of Seaworthy 4-5. Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Association
VMO-6 After Mission Report - 11 April 1968: Operation PEGASUS - Mission #53A in support of III MAF - 2 UH-1E's (WB-12 and WB-6) assigned medevac chase - Crew of second a/c [not involved in midair] was ALEXANDER (pilot), TENNES (copilot), HOLDERNESS (crew chief) and PATTO (gunner) - - midair occured at SE corner of Cam Lo Settlement - report signed by H. Tennes (copilot of wing aircraft)
NOTE: Crash site was YD1458 [from Recovery Mission 54A of 11 April 1968]
