THE WALL OF FACES

I have never had the privilege of meeting you, but I purchased an MIA bracelet with your information on it over twenty seven years ago. I still have your bracelet and I think you often. God Bless you and thank you for your service!!!

On 11 June 1967, 1LT Curtis Bohlscheid was the pilot of a CH46A helicopter inserting a seven-man Marine Force Recon team into a predesignated area 11.5 nautical miles northwest of Dong Ha, South Vietnam -- right on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). A total of four aircraft were involved in the mission, two CH46's and two UH1E helicopter gunships. Bohlscheid flew the lead aircraft. His crew included MAJ John S. Oldham, LCPL Jose J. Gonzales (crew chief), and PFC Thomas M. Hanratty (crew chief). Members of the 3rd Recon Company, 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division who were being inserted were CPL Jim E. Moshier, LCPL Dennis R. Christie, LCPL John J. Foley III, LCPL Michael W. Havranek, LCPL James W. Kooi, PFC Charles D. Chomel, and PFC James E. Widener. The flight departed Dong Ha at about 11:15 a.m. and proceeded to the insertion location. The gunships made low strafing runs over the landing zone to clear booby traps and to locate any enemy troops in the area. No enemy fire was received and no activity was observed. The lead aircraft then began its approach to the landing zone. At an estimated altitude of 400-600 feet, the helicopter was observed to climb erratically, similar to an aircraft commencing a loop. Machinegun men had been waiting for the opportune time to fire on the aircraft. Portions of the rear blades were seen to separate from the aircraft and a radio transmission was received from the aircraft indicating that it had been hit. The helicopter became inverted and continued out of control until it was seen to crash by a stream in a steep ravine. Subsequent efforts by ground units to reach the crash area failed due to a heavy bunker complex surrounding the site. The ground units inspected the site from within 500 meters through binoculars and observed no survivors. All eleven personnel aboard the helicopter were therefore classified Killed In Action, Body Not Recovered. Other USMC records indicate that the helicopter also burst into flames just prior to impacting the ground. Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POWMIA families, published sources, interviews. [Taken from vhpa.org]

CAPTAIN
CURTIS RICHARD BOHLSCHEID
PILOT
AGE 30

MAJOR
JOHN SANDERS OLDHAM
CO-PILOT
AGE 33

LANCE CORPORAL
JOSE JESUS GONZALEZ
CREWMEMBER
AGE 22

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS
THOMAS MICHAEL HANRATTY
CREWMEMBER
AGE 20


who were attached to


HMM 265

MARINE AIR GROUP 16


PRIVATE FIRST CLASS
CHARLES DENNIS CHOMEL
AGE 19

LANCE CORPORAL
DENNIS RAY CHRISTIE
AGE 20

LANCE CORPORAL
JOHN JOSEPH FOLEY III
AGE 20

LANCE CORPORAL
MICHAEL WILLIAM HAVRANEK
AGE 19

LANCE CORPORAL
JAMES WILLARD KOOI
AGE 18

CORPORAL
JIM EDWIN MOSHIER
AGE 23

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS
JAMES EDWARD WIDENER
AGE 18


all of whom served with


3RD RECONNAISSANCE COMPANY

3RD RECONNAISSANCE BATTALION

3RD MARINE DIVISION



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



ON 6 JUNE 1967

CAPTAIN BOHLSCHEID WAS THE PILOT OF A

CH46A HELICOPTER INSERTING A SEVEN-MAN USMC

FORCE RECONNAISSANCE TEAM INTO A PREDESIGNATED

AREA 11.5 NAUTICAL MILES NORTHWEST OF DONG HA,

SOUTH VIETNAM, RIGHT ON THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE.

A TOTAL OF FOUR AIRCRAFT WERE INVOLVED IN THIS

MISSION, TWO CH46 AND TWO UH1E GUNSHIPS.

THE FLIGHT DEPARTED DONG HA AT ABOUT 1115 HRS

AND PROCEEDED TO THE INSERTION LOCATION.

THE TWO GUNSHIPS MADE LOW STRAFING RUNS OVER

THE LANDING ZONE TO CLEAR BOOBY TRAPS AND TO

LOCATE ANY ENEMY TROOPS IN THE AREA, HOWEVER,

NO ENEMY FIRE WAS RECEIVED AND NO ENEMY ACTIVITY

WAS NOTED OR OBSERVED.

THE LEAD HELICOPTER THEN BEGAN ITS APPROACH

TO THE LANDING ZONE BUT AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE

OF BETWEEN 400 TO 600 FEET THE AIRCRAFT WAS

OBSERVED TO CLIMB ERRATICALLY, IN A SIMILAR

WAY TO AN AIRCRAFT COMMENCING A LOOP.

MACHINE GUN MEN HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THE

OPPORTUNE TIME TO FIRE ON THE HELICOPTERS.

PORTIONS OF THE TAIL ROTOR WERE SEEN TO SEPARATE

FROM THE HELICOPTER AND RADIO TRANSMISSIONS

RECEIVED THAT INDICATED THEY HAD BEEN HIT AND

WERE GOING TO TRY TO SET DOWN AWAY FROM THE

ACTION BUT AT THIS POINT THE HELICOPTER BECAME

INVERTED AND CONTINUED OUT OF CONTROL UNTIL

IT WAS SEEN TO CRASH BY A STREAM IN A STEEP RAVINE.

SUBSEQUENT EFFORTS BY GROUND UNITS TO REACH

THE CRASH SITE FAILED DUE TO A HEAVY BUNKER

COMPLEX SURROUNDING THE SITE. NEARBY GROUND UNITS

INSPECTED THE SITE FROM WITHIN 500 METERS

THROUGH BINOCULARS AND OBSERVED NO SURVIVORS.

FOR THE ELEVEN CREWMEN ONBOARD THE CH46A THIS

DAY THEIR DEATHS SEEMED A CERTAINTY AND THEY

WERE THEREFORE CLASSIFIED AS BEING

KILLED IN ACTION / BODIES NOT RECOVERED





~~~ SEMPER FIDELIS ~~~





YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

NOR SHALL YOU EVER BE





Sunday 14 February 1999

Although we never met personally, I want to thank you Jose Jesus Gonzalez, for your courageous and valiant service to this great country of ours!

Your Spirit is alive--and strong, therefeore Marine, you shall never be forgotten!

Again, thank you LCPL Gonzalez, for a job well done!

MAYBE ONE DAY SOON.....UNTIL THEN.....HEAVENLY PEACE MY MARINE FRIEND