THE WALL OF FACES

I have not forgotten you. I chair the Adoption Committee for The National League of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia. We will always remember the 1,889 Americans still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia and the thousands of others that lost their lives. We will not stop our efforts until all of you are home where you belong.

We need to reach the next generation so that they will carry on when our generation is no longer able. To do so, we are attempting to locate photographs of all the missing. If you are reading this remembrance and have a photo and/or memory of this missing American that you would like to share for our project, please contact me at:

Candace Lokey
PO Box 206
Freeport, PA 16229
[email protected]

If you are not familiar with our organization, please visit our web site at :

www.pow-miafamilies.org

The following was copied from the popasmoke.com website with permission. It appears that my earlier submission for Petty Officer Bossman was in error.


Comments on Incident:
Capt. Phillip A. Ducat was a helicopter pilot assigned to HMM-161, Marine Air Group 16. On September 26, 1966, Ducat was assigned a medical evacuation mission in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. His copilot was 1Lt. Dean W. Reiter of the same Marine helicopter squadron and Hospital Corpsman Third Class Peter Robert Bossman, a U.S. Navy Corpsman. (NOTE: According to Navy records, Bossman was assigned to HMM-161, MAG-16.) When the helicopter was approximately 22 miles west of Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, the aircraft was hit by ground fire, burst into flames and exploded prior to impact with the ground. The crew aboard was killed, and the intense fire of the crash consumed all remains. Three of the crew of the UH-34 were listed as killed, body not recovered. They perished and cannot be recovered. Submitted by John Lane.

Comments on Incident:
The H-34 was not hit by the NVA but by our own artillery from Camp Carroll. According to Marion Sturkey’s book “Bonnie-Sue,” on page 173 and 174, it was the only documented instance that a Marine helicopter in flight was knocked out of the air by our artillery. In addition, they had made a pick up of one or two WIA’s. I guess this guy or guys are listed MIA. Submitted by Bennie C. Phillips, VMO-2 crew-chief on medevac escort gunship.

Comments on Incident:
We were the chase aircraft. The H-34 had just picked up a WIA or two. I know they had been down in the zone . They had come out of the zone and were climbing for altitude and called for a SAV-A-PLANE [a request to the artillery command center for clearance away from artillery fans] and they got one. Well they didn’t get the right one because that is about the time they took the hit. We were about 75 yards behind them. They were hit in the pilots crew station. The rotor head went one way and the H-34 went straight down (on fire like a flare). Submitted by Bennie Phillips, VMO-2 crew-chief on medevac escort gunship.

Comments on Incident:
The parents of Lt Dean Reiter did not have any information regarding the incident other than an initial MIA report from the USMC after the incident. For many years, they “held hope” that their son would return. In 1998, Mr. Reiter contacted the USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Assoc regarding his son. Through our research, contacts, and eye-witness reports of the condition of the aircraft after the incident, it was confirmed to Mr. Reiter’s satisfaction that his son had in fact died in the incident; that there was no chance that anyone could have survived the incident and resulting incineration. LT Reiter’s official files were registered as KIA, but the family was not properly notified. An examination of all personnel files involved in the incident indicates final registration as KIA. Submitted by A.H. Barbour, Association Historian, 1998.

Comments on Incident:
Phil [DUCAT], Herb Kennedy and I were TAD from HMM-164 (H-46's} and volunteered to go to HMM-161 to fly H-34's on operation Hastings. HMM-161 was short of H-34 aircraft commanders and we had been 34 aircraft commanders. Shortly before Phil's accident I was sent Forward Air Controlling with the 3rd. Battalion, 7th. Marines on Operation Prairie, which was the follow-up to Hastings and in the same area. 3/7 was protecting a bridge in the area that Phil's helo crashed. We found many engine parts of Phil's helo and we found one of his boots xxxxxxxxx . I knew it was his boot because of the way he kept them spit shined and the way he laced them with parachute cord. Submitted by Larry D. Robinson, HMM-164, friend, TDY roommate at HMM-161.

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Peter Robert Bossman, USN, was
assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 363, Marine
Aircraft Group 13, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine
Force, Pacific. On September 25, 1966, the helicopter to which he
was assigned was sent on a medical evacuation mission.
Approximately 11 miles west of Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province,
Republic of Vietnam, his aircraft was hit by enemy ground fire,
burst into flames, and exploded prior to impact with the ground.
Petty Officer Bossman was killed and his remains were not
recovered.

Petty Officer Bossman was listed as Killed In Action/Body Not
Recovered.

MIA

Rest in Peace "Doc"

John Bruneel, HMCM USN (Ret)



"I'm the One Called "Doc…"


I shall not walk in your footsteps,
but I will walk by your side.
I shall not walk in your image,
I've earned my own title of pride.
We've answered the call together,
on sea and foreign land.
When the cry for help was given,
I've been there right at hand.
Whether I am on the ocean
or in the jungle wearing greens,
Giving aid to my fellow man,
be it Sailors or Marines.
So the next time you see a corpsman
and you thing of calling him "squid",
Think of the job he's doing
as those before him did.
And if you ever have to go out there
and you life is on the block,
Look at the one right next to you…
I'm the one called "Doc".


Harry D. Penny, Jr. HMC(AC)USN
Copyright 1975

"Permission to reprint granted
by the author/copyright owner".
(Permission for poem & graphic)


The below was copied from the P.O.W. Network-Biographies of POW/MIA's

Capt. Phillip A. Ducat was a helicopter pilot assigned to HHM 161,
Marine Air Group 16. On Sepember 26, 1966, Ducat was assigned a medical
evacuation mission in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. His co-pilot was
1Lt. Dean W. Reiter of the same Marine helicopter company and Hospital
Corpsman Third Class Peter Robert Bossman, a U.S. Navy Corpsman. (NOTE:
According to Navy records, Bossman was assigned to HHM 161, MAG 16.)

When the helicopter was approximately 22 miles west of Dong Ha, Quang Tri
Province, South Vietnam, the aircraft was hit by enemy ground fire, burst
into flames and exploded prior to impact with the ground. The crew aboard
was killed, and the intense fire of the crash consumed all remains.

The crew of the UH34 was was listed as killed, body not recovered.