THE WALL OF FACES

we grew up cousins and we shall never forget the day we got the call of your helicopter being shot down. They never found you Jimmy, but you have never been forgotten by your family and friends. Many years have past and as new generations begin, many are being given your name as a Rembrandt to carry on your name. You were loved by all and you still are.

Cousin Alice Krantz Hinderliter

we grew up cousins and we shall never forget the day we got the call of your helicopter being shot down. They never found you Jimmy, but you have never been forgotten by your family and friends. Many years have past and as new generations begin, many are being given your name as a Rembrandt to carry on your name. You were loved by all and you still are.

Cousin Alice Krantz Hinderliter

On December 22, 1969, aircraft commander WO John H. Hunsicker, pilot WO Donald D. Burris Jr., crew chief SP5 Timothy A. Purser, and door gunner SP4 James E. Kennedy were the crew of a UH-1C helicopter (serial #66-00587) on a combat support mission when it developed mechanical problems and crashed landed. Official records differ as to the location of the crash. U.S. Army casualty and Joint Casualty Resolution Center records indicate that the crash was in Cambodia, yet Defense Department, State Department and other records indicate that the crash occurred near the border of Attopeu and Saravane Provinces in Laos, some 30-35 miles north of the closest point in Cambodia. Coordinates 152029N 1972941E are that location. The locality of YA678975, however, is undoubtedly Cambodia. It is possible that their combat support mission was in Cambodia, and the subsequent rescue flight took a circular northwesterly course around the mountains in northern Cambodia along the Laos border, circled back east towards Dak To (its destination). Some records pinpoint the actual location of loss at the beginning of the flight, while others record it during flight. Regardless, when the aircraft landed, Burris, Purser and Hunsicker had survived the crash, but they could not locate the door gunner, James Kennedy. WO Hunsicker and WO Burris escaped through the left cargo door uninjured. They found the crew chief Purser, who had also scrambled free of the wreckage. He had a broken arm. A search of the general area around the crashed helicopter revealed no trace of SP4 Kennedy, and he was not trapped in the wreckage. As door gunner, and at a position on the side of the main cargo area of the aircraft positioned at an open door, Kennedy may have decided to bail out of the descending aircraft. He may also have fallen, although this is unlikely since the gunners were generally strapped in to the frame of the helicopter. Minutes after the helicopter crashed, a recovery helicopter arrived in the area and lowered ropes with McGuire rigs attached through the dense jungle to the downed men. The survivors were not trained in the proper use of this equipment, and SP5 Purser fell out of his rig a few feet off the ground. WO Burris and WO Hunsicker remained in their rigs and were lifted out, and the helicopter started toward Dak To, with the two rescued men still on the ropes. Five minutes into the flight, Burris lost his grip on the rope and fell from an altitude of from 2500 to 3000 feet. The rescue helicopter continued to the nearest landing area. A search and rescue team was inserted into the crash site area and recovered Purser. The team searched widely for SP4 Kennedy, but found no trace of him, and concluded their search on December 25. No search was made for Burris because of the lack of positive information to pinpoint his loss site and the hostile threat in the area. [Narrative taken from pownetwork.org; image from wikipedia.org]

I never knew you personally but, we lived in the same neighborhood while growing up. Pine Dell. You were on Turnersville Rd. while I lived a couple of streets away on Country Club Rd. I was a year ahead of you at ORHS and you probably knew my brother better than me. I can remember when all the boys played baseball back when the Joey Green Field was unnamed. The fathers, including yours, were the coaches. Knowing that you are still MIA does upset me & I'm sure plenty of others who knew you. I keep hoping that someday you will be found & they send you home where you belong.

Dear SSGT James Edward Kennedy, 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