BACK
|
POW RESCUE “I still have four men on the ground, the VC are trying to take them prisoner or kill them; God, can somebody help them.” |
|
……US Army CH 47 pilot, near My Lai, Vietnam, August 19, 1967. |
On August 19, 1967, at about sixteen hundred hours over the coast of Vietnam one mile north of the mouth of the Song Tra Khuc River, a US Army CH47 helicopter was transporting a load of USO members when it was suddenly hit by enemy fire.
The aircraft was apparently so severely damaged that the pilot decided it was necessary to land immediately to check the damage and assure that it was safe to continue the flight. Unfortunately he chose a spot on a beach near the village complex of My Lai at map coordinates BS743796. Upon landing the pilot ordered his crew chief to examine the exterior of the aircraft.
|
|
| CH-47 "Chinook" - This is a helicopter of the type that left four passengers and crewmen stranded on the beach under enemy attack. Photo: Courtesy William Kilpatrick |
The crew chief deplaned, accompanied by Army Staff Sergeant Lawrence Allen and two other soldiers with their personal weapons to provide security around the aircraft while the crew chief checked the aircraft. The three soldiers set up a defensive position between the aircraft and the inland portion of the beach.
Just as they were getting into their defensive position a grenade suddenly exploded close to the cockpit of the CH-47. The men immediately attempted to return to the helicopter but the pilot lifted off before they could board, leaving the four men stranded on the beach. Now alone on the beach, they were the attacked at close range by Viet Cong gunfire and grenades. They took cover behind a sand dune and returned the enemy fire, but they soon ran out of ammunition.
Overhead, the pilot of the CH 47 broadcast a desperate radio call on guard, the emergency frequency, as he watched the enemy attacking the four Americans. The CH-47 pilot's call was received by several aircraft and ground based radio operators who quickly spread the alarm through the command and control network.
One of those who heard the call directly was Captain Stephen Pless. He airborne in a single UH1E gunship flying to cover a medevac mission in the area of operations of the Republic of Korea Marines. He realized that he was close enough to reach the reported position of the men in just a few minutes of flight so he obtained permission to divert from his original mission and he turned toward My Lai. The events that followed are well described in the Medal of Honor Citation, the MOH Recommendation Letter, and the eye witness statements of the mission participants. You may read these at the links:
| POW RESCUE
AT MY LAI BEACH WITNESS STATEMENTS - Read the actual statements submitted by Stephen Pless and each of the mission witnesses at the links below. |
|
Surviving Rescued US Army Soldier
|