THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. It remains my fervent hope you will be returned home after the passage of so many years.

Much clearer and B/W photo of James C Becker

DEAR LIEUTENANT BECKER,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A PILOT- ROTARY WING AVIATION UNIT COMMANDER. I READ YOU ARE STILL MIA.
PLEASE COME HOME!
THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IS OVER, AND IT IS A NEW YEAR, WHICH MAKES IT FAR TOO LONG FOR YOU TO HAVE BEEN GONE. WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU HAVE DONE, AND YOUR SACRIFICE. WATCH OVER THE U.S.A., IT STILL NEEDS YOUR COURAGE.. GOD BLESS YOU. MAY THE SAINTS AND ANGELS BE AT YOUR SIDE. REST IN PEACE.

I wore it for years and still would be wearing it, but it broke beyond repair. I left it at the Vietnam memorial in Pensacola FL. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice, for your service.

My father was a helicopter pilot for the Army. He was a tank commander in Korea as well. I hope you and he are swapping flying stories in heaven.

God bless you sir, and keep you, always.

On August 15, 1970, pilot 1LT James C. Becker, aircraft commander CW2 Raymond W. Anderson, crew chief SP4 Michael D. Crist, and door gunner SP4 Peter A. Schmidt were flying a UH-1H helicopter (tail number 69-15375) on a reconnaissance team extraction mission in Laos. Because of the difficult terrain in the area of the planned extraction, the recon team was to be lifted out by ladder. The helicopter hovered 50 feet over the pickup zone and dropped the ladder from the right side of the aircraft. Five of the team members climbed onto the ladder, and the helicopter began to lift off. At about 100 feet the aircraft began to receive small arms fire and crashed. The five team members were stripped off the ladder by the trees as the helicopter descended. After the crash, CW2 Anderson checked the two crewmen on the right side of the aircraft, noticing that 1LT Becker was upright in his seat, however, it seemed that he had hit his head into the overhead instrument panel in the force of the impact. Becker's helmet was gone, and there was blood on the floor. CW2 Anderson stated that Becker did not appear to be breathing. Anderson then unsuccessfully attempted to free Schmidt from the right gunnel. He noted no blood on Schmidt, but stated that Schmidt did not appear to be breathing. SP4 Crist checked SP4 Schmidt and noticed that he was breathing, and in short gasps, and was losing a great deal of blood. Crist had dislocated hiscollarbone, so was unable to free Schmidt from the wreckage. Crist and Anderson returned to the pickup zone and were extracted. No attempts were made to return and recover Becker and Schmidt because of the location and hostile forces in the area. Although no other personnel are listed as missing from this incident, the fate of the team members on the ladder remains unknown. They were either recovered (dead or alive), or were indigenous personnel (and would not be listed on U.S. casualty lists). [Narrative taken from pownetwork.org; image from wikipedia.org]