THE WALL OF FACES

Dear CWO Robert F Daley, sir

As an American, I would like to thank you for your service and for the ultimate sacrifice that you made on behalf of our wonderful country. The youth of today could gain much by learning of heroes such as yourself, men and women whose courage and heart can never be questioned.

May God allow you to read this, and may He allow me to someday shake your hand when I get to Heaven to personally thank you. And please know that men and women like you have stepped forward to defend our country yet again, showing the same love for country and their fellow Americans that you did- you would be proud.

With respect, and the best salute that a civilian can muster for you.

Curt Carter

CWO Robert F. Daley

Recounted by Tom Runkle, CE A317 69-70 RVN: I was a crew chief in the Lift Plt. of A317 ACR. I flew approx. 9 months as such. In reviewing the records of some incidents I find what I believe may be an error in the record of the aircraft AH-1G, tail #67-15584. The record claims this accident happened quite later in the day of the incident. When this AC crashed I was flying as crew chief on the C&C ship. The Cobra went into the ground just below us and to the left of my AC. As I was flying left seat (crew chief) I saw everything. First I remember this as happening early in the morning. We did have overcast sky as it did eventually rain just after the crash. Our regular Lift flight took off to pickup troops (I believe ARVN) and top off fuel for a planned insertion. We as C&C ship flew to the proposed LZ with the Cobra in this incident. We had no other aircraft along with us at that time to my recollection. The Cobra was low level and we were high. When the Cobra struck the ground my pilot called the Mayday and we went down into the flooded overgrown rice paddy to search for survivors. My pilot got out first with only his sidearm for a weapon. The copilot stayed with the chopper. I then got out and accompanied the pilot armed with my 45 pistol. I located the remains of 1 body still strapped in part of the seat and laying underwater. My gunner, Nilo Balatbat (a Filipino) came out about that time leaving only the copilot in our chopper which was still running. The second body was found also now. The reason I feel the record is not correct is because we were out there alone for some time. I don't recall any air cover from any of our choppers. Had there been a hunter-killer team we would have had a Loach on station then. It wasn't till after some time that the rest of our flight got out to us. The Loach(s) were first along with more Cobras. The Lift Plt. came out and dropped off our own aero-rifle Plt. to secure the crash scene. I know for a fact we had no air or ground cover up to that point. It did start to rain while we were on the ground wading in and around the crash site. I believe the fuel bladders had ruptured spilling JP-4 in the flooded paddy but there was no fire on impact. One of the Lift Plt. choppers brought out the body bags and they were loaded and placed on my chopper for return to graves registration at Di An. By the time we got back to their landing pad it was pouring and my chopper was low on fuel so I was ordered to stay with the body bags while they flew my chopper to POL and refueled. I had to wait at the pad with the 2 bags for the GR personnel to come and unlock the building because as I remember it they were at breakfast chow yet. This is also why I say the incident happened early in the day. Eventually 2 men showed up and we loaded the bags on gurneys and took them inside. I was standing there when they unzipped both bags. I was given dry clothes by the 2 GR people and a jeep came to pick me up and take me back to the company area. In the meantime my chopper was refueled and parked in the revetment and I believe the pilot then had to go to GR to ID the bodies himself. In the report it places this incident later in the day but I recall this as being early since the GR men were at breakfast if I'm correct. It also claims that the Cobra was part of a hunter-killer team. There was no hunter-killer team from what I recall. It was just the Cobra and us, the C&C ship. The other aircraft and troops did not arrive till a short time later. That I also remember as fact because I was extremely afraid of being down on the ground without cover and armed only with a 45 not knowing who or what brought the Cobra down to begin with. The area itself was vacated and there were clumps of vegetation and trees here and there along the old rice dikes. This could have provided ample cover for enemy troops. The rice paddy itself looked as if it was well overgrown and had not been cultivated or cared for quite some time. At the time I also submitted an official written report as to what I had seen for the accident record. This may be on file somewhere yet. I was there on the scene and I did know both pilots of this Cobra through Unit and flight line affiliation. [Taken from vhpa.org]

Hey "Buffalo" Bob still miss you- you did a great job, your brother "Wild" Bill- 10/1/05

I never met my Great-Uncle Bobby, but my grandfather has told me about him; he says that I have a lot of Bobby's qualities,and I've heard that he was a pretty good guy (which is nice for me). I wish I had been able to meet him, but his memory lives on in my family.