THE WALL OF FACES

Specialist Five William David Eltringham, Served with Company D, 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 11th Aviation Group, 1st Cavalry Division, United States Army Vietnam.

Remembering you tomorrow and every day.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrance from your brother (?) Thomas is poignant. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us….

We can never truly repay the debt we owe our fallen heroes. Rest in peace
SP5. Eltringham, I salute your brave souls.

SP5 William D. Eltringham served in a ground support role with D Company, 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion. D Company was a relatively small helicopter gunship unit which flew heavily armed A, B, & C model UH-1 helicopters. They provided armed aerial escort for troop transport helicopters during the insertion of infantry units along with aerial attack capabilities related to those actions. D Company gunships also flew escort for medical air evacuation from active engagement areas. And on occasion, the unit flew insertions of reconnaissance teams behind known enemy positions, including flights into extremely rugged, mountainous areas in countries adjoining Vietnam. On February 5, 1968, the 227th was in the process of relocating northward from a mid-country base at An Khe to a remote location named LZ Evans (later Camp Evans). LZ Evans was located about halfway between the ancient capital city of Hue and Quang Tri City, just below the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Vietnam. "Eltringle," as Eltringham was known to other flight crew personnel, moved north with the unit in a truck convoy and spent the night at an Army facility adjacent to a Marine Corps installation at Red Beach Base Area near Da Nang in Quang Nam Province, RVN. There he was turned over to a 227th helicopter crew which would fly him the rest of the way to LZ Evans the following morning. That evening, the crew was advised to remain with their helicopter overnight due to a threat of an enemy assault and possible penetration of the base perimeter. Eltringham spent the night with crew. At 1:04 AM on February 6th, enemy mortar rounds began falling on the airfield. One hit a helicopter parked 100 away, the aircraft erupting in a huge, roaring fireball. The next round hit directly behind their helicopter, mortally wounding Eltringham. His body was pulled into the helicopter, and at dawn a jeep with a stretcher arrived to take him to Graves Registration. Later, it was learned that the round that took Eltrinham's life penetrated the PSP (steel landing mat), leaving a crater about 18" deep and a yard wide. Eltringham died after being struck by a large section of shrapnel from the round which landed only 8 to 10 feet away from where he lay on a cot. The helicopter he was sleeping by was unrepairable and never flew again. So riddled with shrapnel, it was not even allowed to be parts salvage. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Warren Traweek (August 2013)]