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LCpl Ashley Roberts
to remember
Marine Maj William John Walker.
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UH-1E CRASHED DURING FIRING RUN 3 KM SOUTHEAST OF HILL 65 (22 KM SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF DANANG) 20APR68, UTM grid reference is AT905555, UH-1E 152436.
Major John Walker was the co-pilot of a UH-1E (#152436) was on 20 April 1968, two VMO-2 gunships and one HML-167 gunship launched a search and destroy mission in the [Operation] Foster area. During a gun run, the HML-167 aircraft crashed, killing all aboard. The VMO-2 gunships provided cover in the crash area, and other gunships were launched to provide suppressive fire in the area. The lost crew members included aircraft commander 1LT Joseph A. Cestare, pilot MAJ William J. Walker, crew chief CPL Warren C. Parsons, and gunner SGT Joseph A. Zutterman Jr. Search and rescue units were unable to recover their remains and all were listed Killed In Action - Body Not Recovered.
This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii as well as one in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California.
Cheryl DiFiore Daughter of his friend My father, Hal DiFiore, flew with Bill Walker. During the war there was a shortage of pilots, so the pilots were cross-trained. Bill and Hal were flying jets, so they had to choose between helicopters and fixed-wings for their second aircraft. Bill chose the former. My father chose the latter (C-130's) because he said that helicopters were widow-makers. In April 1968, both my father and Bill were in Viet Nam flying for different squadrons. I can remember the day my mother found out that Bill was killed. I was 11 years old and my mother fell apart after the phone call. I thought that something had happened to my father, but quickly realized it was Bill. My father died in 1991 of Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia. It has now been proven to be a direct link to Agent Orange. My father carried 100's of barrels of the stuff on his cargo plane on a weekly basis. At the time, he didn't know that Agent Orange would also create a lot of widows. I hope they are finally both flying in peace. Friday, October 17, 2003.
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase IV Campaign (1968)
From Month/Year
April / 1968
To Month/Year
August / 1968
Description This campaign was from 2 April to 30 June 1968. During this period friendly forces conducted a number of battalion-size attritional operations against the enemy.
Operations PEGASUS-Lam Son 207 relieved the Khe Sanh Combat Base on 5 April and thereby opened Route 9 for the first time since August 1967. This operation not only severely restricted the North Vietnamese Army's use of western Quang Tri Province but also inflicted casualties on the remnants of two North Vietnamese divisions withdrawing from the area. This success was followed by a singular allied spoiling operation in the A Shau Valley, Operation DELAWARE-Lam Son. These two operations prevented the enemy from further attacking I Corps Tactical Zone population centers and forced him to shift his pressure to the III Corps Tactical Zone.
During the period 5-12 May 1968 the Viet Cong launched an offensive with Saigon as the primary objective. Friendly forces defended the city with great determination. Consequently Saigon was never in danger of being overrun. Small Viet Cong units that did manage to get into the outskirts were fragmented and driven out with great loss of enemy life. By the end of June 1968 friendly forces had decisively blunted the enemy's attacks, inflicted very heavy casualties, and hindered his ability to attack urban areas throughout the Republic of Vietnam. The enemy was forced to withdraw to his sanctuaries.
The strength of the U.S. Army in Vietnam reach a peak of nearly 360,000 men during this period.