HONORED ON PANEL 3E, LINE 122 OF THE WALL
KIRK IRWIN RILEY
WALL NAME
KIRK I RILEY
PANEL / LINE
3E/122
DATE OF BIRTH
CASUALTY PROVINCE
DATE OF CASUALTY
HOME OF RECORD
COUNTY OF RECORD
STATE
BRANCH OF SERVICE
RANK
REMEMBRANCES
LEFT FOR KIRK IRWIN RILEY
POSTED ON 9.1.2023
POSTED BY: john fabris
honoring you....
There is a place
Not far from here
Where spirits walk
And heroes live
And honor still resides.
It is a wall
With names inscribed
Of those who served
When they were asked...
The brothers of my youth.
I go there still
To walk and think
About my life,
And what I've done since
And things that might have been.
There is a debt
I can't repay
Too many lives were spent.
And one man's life cannot suffice
To make their deaths worthwhile.
But there is hope
In the memory
Of those we leave behind
Who know the price that freedom brings
Who can carry on in kind.
I send you now
To touch a name
So the vision can be passed
Remember there is honor still
It is for you to see it lasts.
They are not dead
And have a wish
As all old soldiers do
The reflection you see before you now
Is their wish to live in you.
Not far from here
Where spirits walk
And heroes live
And honor still resides.
It is a wall
With names inscribed
Of those who served
When they were asked...
The brothers of my youth.
I go there still
To walk and think
About my life,
And what I've done since
And things that might have been.
There is a debt
I can't repay
Too many lives were spent.
And one man's life cannot suffice
To make their deaths worthwhile.
But there is hope
In the memory
Of those we leave behind
Who know the price that freedom brings
Who can carry on in kind.
I send you now
To touch a name
So the vision can be passed
Remember there is honor still
It is for you to see it lasts.
They are not dead
And have a wish
As all old soldiers do
The reflection you see before you now
Is their wish to live in you.
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POSTED ON 6.20.2023
POSTED BY: Alyssa
Your Granddaughter
Kirk is my grandfather. I never got to meet him because he died while my grandma was pregnant with my mom. But I look a lot like him. I truly wish I was able to meet such a brave and remarkable man. I think about him a lot. I hope to meet you one day, Captain Kirk.
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POSTED ON 9.1.2021
POSTED BY: Lucy Micik
Thank You
Dear Cap. Kirk Riley, Thank you for your service as an HMH Helicopter Pilot. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. The 20th anniversary of 9/11 is soon, and still very sad. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.
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POSTED ON 5.24.2020
POSTED BY: Corporal G.
I remember
POSTED ON 2.13.2017
POSTED BY: [email protected]
Final Mission of CAPT Kirk I. Riley
On December 3, 1965, a flight of six UH-34D's from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 (HMM 364) were carrying a full complement of ARVN troops whose destination was an outpost known as Hiep Duc, just west of Tam Ky. The entire area was noted for being a very “hot spot.” CAPT Kirk I. Riley and his crew were the lead aircraft, #148762. The following is a personal account by Ken Gross of the loss of Riley’s aircraft: “We tried to go in as high as possible, though we were limited by somewhat low ceilings, which may have placed us approximately 2000 feet above ground level. The flight was in normal cruise when the Viet Cong fired on us with time delay fused mortars. Unfortunately, CAPT Riley's aircraft received a direct hit in the belly, where the fuel tanks were located, and they never stood a chance. CAPT Riley tried desperately to get the aircraft on the ground, but it was burning so fiercely he appeared to lose control and the aircraft rolled inverted and crashed. No one survived.” The lost crew included Aircraft Commander Riley, co-pilot 1LT Stanley G. Johnson, crew chief CPL Robert H. White, and gunner CPL Warren L. Dempsey. In addition to the four crewmembers, there were nine ARVN troops aboard the aircraft. Neither the bodies nor the aircraft were recovered. (Narrative by Kenneth L. Gross, Maj. USMCR, Ret.) [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and popasmoke.com]
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