THE WALL OF FACES

Dear WO Jon Stokkerman, Thank you for your service as an Utility/Observation Helicopter Pilot with the 1st Cavalry. The 63rd anniversary of the start of your tour is soon. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Memorial Day is soon, and we honor you. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

It was 51 years ago that we got the news Jon had gone down in SaDec. Jeff Hoshko & I (both B Troop Scout Pilots) were then patients on the Officer’s ward at Camp Zama Army Hospital, Japan, both having been evac’d in October’69. We didn’t get that news until about a week after the crash. It affected us both greatly. Jon was a great guy...fun to be with and work with. I got to be his wing man on a couple of occasions...he taught me quite a lot regarding Scout tactics & survival. Miss you Jon.

My name is Leonard Ganz and I was an Army advisor in Sa Dec in 1969. My team got the call about Jon's crash and I was sent to coordinate what I was told would be a rescue, that turned out to be a recovery. All 3 crew were secured in the helo as it sank into the Mekong River. I needed a knife to cut them out. HM3 LE Wood assisted me. 2 November 1969 ranks as one of the worst days of my life. My condolences to all who knew and loved Jon.
Leonard Ganz
Long Beach, CA
[email protected]

Jon was a beautiful boy and would have been a great man!

On November 2, 1969, a U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A (tail number 67-16230) from B Troop, 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, suffered mechanical problems during a section flight to Chi Long, RVN. The pilot, WO1 Jon W. Stokkerman, radioed the lead of the section that his aircraft was vibrating severely and that he was going to attempt to land at Sa Dec Helipad, a forward combat base in Sa Dec Province. This was the last radio call made by WO1 Stokkerman. A witness on the ground at Sa Dec said that he observed the aircraft circling with its landing lights on, as if looking for a place to land. He stated that flames were coming out of the rear of the aircraft. The witness said the engine quit and the flames stopped, and then he lost sight of the aircraft as it went into the trees. The helicopter hit the top of a tree approximately 60 feet high and fell to the ground, striking a hootch, and coming to rest in approximately 8 feet of water. The impact of the aircraft with the concrete floor of the hootch caused all crew members to lose their helmets. They were found still strapped in their seats. All three crewmen suffered fatal injuries in the crash. They included pilot Stokkerman, observer PFC Johnny Williams, and crew chief SP4 Keith F. Saunders. U.S. Navy Swiftboats PCFs 37, 59, and 102 responded to the report of the downed helicopter near Sa Dec. They proceeded to search the area with PCF 102 locating the helicopter partially submerged at the water’s edge. The PCFs stood by to assist in the removal of the bodies and to provide security for the ordnance on board the aircraft. PCF 59 remained on the scene until relieved by U.S. Army personnel. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, vhpa.org, and swiftboats.net]