THE WALL OF FACES

Dear Major Joh Hottell, Thank you for your service as an Airborne Qualified Infantry Unit Commander with the 1st Cavalry. Thank you for graduating from WEST POINT. . Your 49th anniversary just passed, sad. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

The “Friends of Rocky Versace” remember one of Bob Walters' USMA 1964 classmates - a brother Airborne Ranger - Major John Alexander Hottell III, on what would’ve been his 76th birthday - 24 December 2018.

On July 7, 1970, a U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H (tail number 69-15138) from the 11th Aviation Company (General Support), 1st Cavalry Division, was on an administrative flight when it crashed in bad weather in the mountains approximately 25 miles northwest of Bao Loc in Tuyen Duc Province, RVN. Seven U.S. personnel were killed in the incident. They included aircraft commander 1LT William F. Michel, pilot MGN George W. Casey, crew chief SGT Ronald F. Fuller, and gunner SGT William L. Christenson; also lost were passengers MAJ John A. Hottell III, SGM Kenneth W. Cooper, and SGT Vernon K. Smolik Jr. The helicopter was in a flight of two aircraft headed to Cam Ranh Air Base. MGN Casey, flight-qualified and at the controls of 138, intended to visit wounded members of his command convalescing at a medical facility there. After reporting their position 25 miles southwest of Dalat at 9:30 AM, the two helicopters turned through a hole in the clouds from an altitude of approximately 6500 feet. The chase ship, Aircraft 502, saw the ground at about 3500 feet as both helicopters continued descending. The descent was made into a valley with steep ridge lines and a river at the bottom. Aircraft 502 lost visual contact with Aircraft 138, then regained visual contact, then lost it again. Both aircraft went IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) after entering clouds. Aircraft 138 radioed 502 that he was IFR and doing a 180 degree turn and recommended that 502 do the same. This was the last known contact made with Aircraft 138. Aircraft 502 began climbing in order to return to VFR (Visual Flight Rules). Aircraft 502 broke out at 7000 feet, and running low on fuel proceeded the approximately 15 to 20 minutes to Dalat. The lost Aircraft 138 was located two days later on a hillside near the Cambodian border approximately 25 miles northwest of Bao Loc. The crew compartment had been demolished on impact and destroyed in the post-crash fire. Bad weather delayed the recovery of the remains for four days until which time they were recovered and positively identified. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “Flying General, 6 on Missing Huey.” Pacific Stars & Stripes, July 11, 1970]

The “Friends of Rocky Versace” once again remember one of Bob Walters' USMA 1964 classmates - and a brother Airborne Ranger - MAJ John Alexander Hottell III, on what would’ve been his 75th birthday - 24 December 2017.

The “Friends of Rocky Versace” remember one of Bob Walters' USMA 1964 classmates, MAJ John Alexander Hottell III, on what would’ve been his 74th birthday - 24 December 2016.