THE WALL OF FACES

I only knew Warrant Officer Ronnie Beals a short time because I had only arrived in the unit a short time before he was killed and he had gone on R&R shortly after I arrived. I had only been assigned as a Crew Chief and was recovering from a wound received Christmas night.

As a Crew Chief, one gets to know the pilots. You learn who is a good pilot and who is a bad pilot. You also remember these pilots for the same reason. If you have a pilot that you do not remember name, perhaps they were were not bad enough or good enough to make a mark in your mind. Although, I do not remember flying with Ronnie, memories of a good pilot stick in my mind because of other crew members.

I can not tell you how much it pleases me to know Ronnie's son. Although I have never met Paul Beals, I feel I know him.

On December 29, 1967 this aircraft from C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery, Aerial Rocket Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division was on a combat mission to provide close air support in the Quang Nam Province (I Corps) when it hit by small arms fire and crashed into the Ky Lam River, 7 kilometers S-SW of Dien Ban. There were no survivors. The crew on board consisted of aircraft commander WO1 Ronnie H. Beals, pilot WO1 Larry R. Doyle, and gunners CPL Clifton Henson and PFC Lupe P. Lopez. [Taken from vhpa.org]

Doing the best I can here Pop. We will fly together soon. Paul

Ronnie is buried at Austin Cemetery in Kitty Hawk, NC.

We were classmates at Fort Rucker 11 July 66 - 11 April 67. You are probably up there still wondering whether if it was worth it or not. It doesn't matter; you were called and you went - You are a Hero!

Grant Bobbitt, (CW2) 254th Med Det (HA), C Co 159 Aviation Battalion 101st Airbornee Division, Air Mobile, RVN.