THE WALL OF FACES

Sp4 (Rev.) William Barritt is buried at McLain Chapel Cemetery, Mississippi.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. May you rest in eternal peace.

On August 8, 1970, a U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C (tail number 66-00692) from the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company “Robin Hoods” was participating in an eight-ship lift of troops during a combat assault supporting Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops advised by an American Special Forces team. Approximately four miles west of Bu Dop Airfield in Phuoc Long Province, RVN, the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed in a swampy field with the loss of three crewmen. The aircraft commander survived and was rescued. The lost crew included pilot 1LT Jol N. Smith, crew chief SP4 Sammy P. Rodriguez, and gunner SP4 William E. Barritt. After receiving a Mayday call, one of the lift ships returned and put down near the burning wreckage of 692. Barritt was able to exit the aircraft himself and, although critically injured, was attempting to remove Rodriguez when assisted by the crew of the rescue aircraft. Smith and the other pilot were still pinned in the flaming wreck. The rescue helicopter picked up and hovered close to 692 to keep the flames away from the cockpit. Another helicopter, Robin Hood 3, the Command & Control aircraft for the mission, also landed. A captain, CPT William W. Walker, exited the second rescue helicopter and came over to hold up one of the main blades of the wreck which now began to droop because of the heat, allowing the rescuers to continue the extraction of the pilots. The downed helicopter was raging so hot that the rescue party had to lie down in swampy water to cool off intermittently while trying to remove the downed crew. A moment later, the rocket pod on the downed aircraft exploded, killing CPT Walker. The blast caused the hovering rescue helicopter to almost lose control. It set down and loaded Barritt and Rodriguez and took them to the Medical landing pad at Quan Loi. The second and a third rescue ship brought out the remaining dead and injured. Rodriguez, with 50% burns over his body, succumbed to his injuries later that day along with Smith who was unable to be extracted before the explosion. Barritt died at a field hospital in Long Binh on August 14, 1970, after suffering burns to 35% of his body. CPT Williams was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and vhpa.org]

Specialist Four William Emmett Barritt, Served with the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company, 11th Aviation Battalion, 12th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, United States Army Vietnam.

God Bless You
You answered the call to duty
Rest with the Angels