THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. We should be forever thankful for the sacrifices of you and so many others to ensure the freedoms we so often take for granted.

Never forgotten.

HOOAH

Dear Lt Norman Loeffler, Thank you for your service as a Field Medical Assistant. Thank you for the lives you saved. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It is another spring, but like none other. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

I have thought about Norman for over 50 years. He was a perfectionist, which was difficult in a combat infantry unit. He stood out, and was respected by everyone who he provided equipment and medical aid supplies when they were desperately needed. His tenacity while procuring items that were in short supply, probably saved the lives of many. He was tough, and some considered him too tough at times, but that is how he got the job done. After he left our company, we really appreciated his honest, tough work ethic, and drive for excellence. I am so sorry I didn’t respond before his parents passed away, but my wish is that a relative of his will come across this note.

On November 30, 1967, a U.S. Air Force C-7B (#62-4175) from the 458th Tactical Airlift Squadron (TAS), 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing (TAW) at Cam Ranh Air Base, hit a mountain about 5 miles south of Qui Nhon after a bad weather missed approach. On the initial approach to Qui Nhon, the pilot was advised that the weather at the airfield had fallen below safety minimal. He replied that he would to proceed to Nha Trang where the weather conditions were better. Enroute to Nha Trang the aircraft hit a mountain at 1,850 feet. The presence of low clouds and rain had reduced visibility to about two miles. It took search and rescue teams five days to locate the crash site in the dense jungle. Twenty-six people were killed in the crash. The four lost crewmen included MAJ Thomas D. Moore Jr., MAJ William J. Clark III, SSGT Arturo Delgado-Marin, and SSGT Stanley J. Yurewicz. Two Air Force passengers and 18 U.S. Army personnel, including two U.S. civilians, were also killed in the accident. Five of passengers were medical personnel. They had been temporarily assigned to a Pleiku hospital and were returning to Qui Nhon. They included CAPT Eleanor G. Alexander, 1LT Jerome E. Olmsted, 1LT Hedwig D. Orlowski, 1LT Kenneth R. Shoemaker, and SP5 Phillip A. Ogas. Other lost personnel included SSGT Edward O. Bilsie, SP4 Bobby G. Brown, A1C Daryl L. Davis, PFC William R. Godwin, SGT William E. Groves, SGT Whyley E. Josh, SFC Bobby D. Likens, 1LT Norman F. Loeffler Jr., SSGT Jose L. Miranda-Ortiz, SSGT Clarence L. Palmer, CPL Jack Rogers, SP4 Lawrence D. Snyder, SGT Teddy Waxman, PFC Libert J. Weldon Jr., and PFC Edward J. Williamson. [Taken from forest-lawn.com, coffeltdatabase.org, and findagrave.com]