THE WALL OF FACES

PVT Timothy J. Carolan was a flight-qualified aircraft mechanic serving with the 281st Assault Helicopter Company, 10th Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, U.S. Army Republic of Vietnam. During 1969, the 281st Assault Helicopter Company was located at Nha Trang Air Base in Khanh Hoa Province, RVN. The 281st provided aviation support for Project Delta, reconnaissance missions conducted by Military Assist Command, Vietnam (MACV) to collect operational intelligence in remote areas of South Vietnam. Carolan, apart from keeping 281st ships flight-ready, was assigned regular duty providing security on the perimeters of the base. At midnight on June 18, 1969, he was in a guard tower when the Walking Guard found him slumped over in a chair expired. Postmortem studies conducted by the Army determined Carolan died from “acute drug intoxication.” In a message conveyed through a casualty report to his parents in Chicago, IL, the Army assured them that they would omit these findings in the official death certificate. Carolan was 19 years old. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org]

Image courtesy of Redbird Research LLC, Saint Charles, MO.

We were reckless and carefree in our youth.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrance from Mary Jo Kauffman is moving and harkens back to a time of our innocence. May you rest in eternal peace.

PVT Timothy J. Carolan was a flight-qualified Aircraft Maintenance Apprentice serving with the 281st Assault Helicopter Company. On the evening of June 18, 1969, Carolan was manning a perimeter guard tower in Khanh Hoa Province, RVN, as part of his assigned duty when, at approximately 3 AM, he failed to respond to the call of the walking guard. The guard checked his status and found him unconscious. Attempts by the officer of the day to revive him failed. He was transported to the 5th Special Forces Medical facility, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The investigation into his death ruled out foul play or enemy action and was inconclusive as to the cause of death. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and 281st.com]