THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrance from Carol is touching and reflects the anguish experienced by so many who lost loved ones in this war. . As long as you are remembered you will always be with us….

Dear Sp5 Allen Gomes,
Thank you for your service as a Food Service Specialist with the 1st Cavalry. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It has been too long, and it's about time for us all to acknowledge the sacrifices of those like you who answered our nation's call. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

I was just 5 years old when my cousin, Allen Edward Gomes, began serving in the US Army and although I only have vague memories of him, I'll never forget his funeral in Honolulu just 20 short months later or how his sudden loss affected everyone in the family.
I'm grateful that the ultimate sacrifices he and 58,271 other American men and women made during the Vietnam War continue to pay for so many privileges and blessings I often take for granted.
This month, I've learned so much about how Allen and 23 other incredibly brave, young men were all tragically killed on October 3, 1968 in a single unfortunate moment in what had become the deadliest year of the War.
Engraved in black granite, their names are memorialized and linked forever, and like the irreversible tragedy they shared 50 years ago, the writing on the Wall cannot be simply erased. Yet, counted alongside the names of so many others, theirs might be easily overlooked or unacknowledged, as people quietly pass them by.
It matters to me to say that their brief lives still mean something.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of their passing, I humbly send my Aloha and appreciation to the families of these 24 men who served with honor, lived with purpose and whose names are now inscribed on my heart, where they will always be remembered.

THOMAS E ALDERSON
WAYNE P BUNDY
DONALD G CLEAVER
DAWSON CLEMENTS
JAMES K CONNOR
RONALD L CONROY
LARRY LEE COSTLEY
DONALD J CRAMER Jr
DAVID J DELL’ANGELO
DAVID A DISRUD
• ALLEN E GOMES
DALE G GRANGER
JOE J HIBBLER
THOMAS E JOHNSON
JOHN W LUCIER
DAVID B PERREAULT
JERRY LEE PIERCE Jr
DENNIS D REESE
RALPH SCHIAVONE
MICHAEL D SEE
ROBERT D TOMLINSON
CHARLES J WALLACE
DENNIS A WIRT
WILLIAM R YOUNG


Thank You for your Service,

Sam K. Pokini
October 2018

On October 3, 1968, a USAF C-7A Caribou (#63-9753) cargo aircraft from the 537th Tactical Airlift Squadron, 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing, 7th Air Force, based at Phu Cat, collided with an U.S. Army CH-47A Chinook helicopter (#66-19041) of the 228th Combat Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, near Camp Evans in Thua Thien Province, RVN. The USAF C7-A departed Camp Evans airfield from runway 36. His last radio transmission after receiving tower clearance was "rolling". This aircraft was observed to make a climbing right hand turn before reaching the end of the runway. The CH-47 helicopter had departed LZ Nancy only a few minutes before. It was proceeding south along highway QL-1, on a heading of 170 degrees, in a shallow descent. The aircraft was on a scheduled daily passenger and mail shuttle. It was estimated that the CH-47 was cruising at approximately 95 to 100 knots. The C7-A with climb power would have been at about 105 knots. The two aircraft converged at an altitude of approximately 1100 feet. The cockpit section of the C7-A contacted the rear rotor of the helicopter. The C7-A had started a right bank, probably a last-minute attempt to avoid the collision. When the two aircraft collided, at least one of the helicopter rear rotor blades sliced through the cockpit section of the airplane, killing both pilots instantly and destroying all engine controls. At the same time, one of the rotor blades or debris from the cockpit struck the left propeller of the C7-A. One of the blades was severed from the propeller, and passed through both sides of the fuselage of the airplane. The left propeller then separated from the engine and fell to the ground. The C7-A made a steep descending right turn and struck the ground. The aircraft disintegrated, all personnel aboard perished, and there was no fire. The CH-47, at the moment of the collision, lost all of its rear main rotor blades. Neither rotor system could provide any thrust, and the helicopter became a free-falling body. The fuselage tumbled to earth and landed on its top left side. It exploded on impact. Two persons fell out of the helicopter as it tumbled through the air. They were fatally injured on contact with the ground. Those remaining in the helicopter died in the crash. The lost Caribou crew included pilot CAPT Wayne P. Bundy, co-pilot 1LT Ralph Schiavone, flight engineer SSGT James K. Connor, and crewman SSGT Donald G. Cleaver. Its nine U.S. Army passengers comprised SP4 Donald J. Cramer Jr., SGT David J. Dellangelo, SP5 David A. Disrud, SP5 Allen E. Gomes, SP5 Dale G. Granger, SP5 David B. Perreault, PFC Robert D. Tomilson, SP4 Dennis A. Wirt, and PFC Joe Hibbler Jr. Some of the passengers on the Caribou were near the end of their tour of Vietnam and were heading back to the United States. The lost Chinook crew included aircraft commander CW2 Thomas E. Johnson, co-pilot WO1 Ronald L. Conroy, crew chief SP5 Jerry L. Pierce Jr., gunner SP4 Dennis D. Reese, and flight engineer SP4 Larry L. Costley. Its passengers were CPT Thomas E. Alderson, SFC Dawson Clements, SSGT William R. Young, PFC John W. Lucier, SSGT Charles J. Wallace, and SP4 Michael D. See. Many soldiers at Camp Evans were having dinner in the mess hall when this crash happened. Several were sent over to help search for bodies. This was the worst of several airspace control incidents during the war. It was reported that the air traffic controller was court-martialed for clearing both aircraft at the same time. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, vhpa.org, and c-7acaribou.com]

Dear SP5 Allen Edward Gomes, sir

As an American, I would like to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice 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. May he also allow my father to find you and shake your hand now to say thank you; for America, and for those who love you.

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

Curt Carter