THE WALL OF FACES

If I should die, and leave you here awhile, be not like others, sore undone, who keep long vigils by the silent dust, and weep...for MY sake, turn again to life, and smile...Nerving thy heart, and tremblig hand to do something to comfort other hearts than thine...Complete these dear, unfinished tasks of mine...and I, perchance, may therein comfort you.

Although we never met personally, I want to thank you Thomas Anthony Carter, for your courageous and valiant service, faithful contribution, and your most holy sacrifice given to this great country of ours!

Your Spirit is alive--and strong, therefore Sir, you shall never be forgotten, nor has your death been in vain!

Again, thank you Captain T.A. Carter, for a job well done!

REST IN ETERNAL PEACE MY MARINE FRIEND

At about 1040 hours on 14 November 1967,

Captain Milton George Kelsey - Pilot

1st Lieutenant Thomas Anthony Carter - Co-Pilot

Corporal Ronald Joseph Phelps - Crew Chief,

lifted off from VMO-3s mat at Phu Bai in

BUNO 153757, designated SCARFACE 1 - 0.


At 1145, they picked up

Major General Bruno Arthur Hochmuth

Commanding General, 3rd Marine Division,

his military aide-de-camp

Major Robert Andrew Crabtree,

and liaison

Major Nguyen Ngoc Chuong,

to visit ARVN

Brigadier General Ngo Quang Truong

in Hue.


The aircraft departed from the hospital pad at

Hue Citadel at 1145, enroute to Dong Ha

and was chased by an HMM-364 UH-34,

piloted by Captain J.A. Chauncey.


At 1150 the aircraft was flying northwest over

Highway 1 at about 1500 feet.


At YD672266, Captain Chauncey saw the

aircraft's nose yaw to the right twice and at the

same instant the aft engine section exploded in

an orange fireball.


The fuselage separated from the rotor and the

aircraft fell in pieces.


The fuselage landed inverted in a flooded rice

paddy; the tail cone a short distance away.


A Sparrowhawk was immediately dispatched,

as well as an aircraft recovery team from VMO-3.


Burning fuel on the surface of the rice paddy

hampered recovery, however, there was no

evidence of explosion in the fuselage.


The bodies were returned to Phu Bai and

pronounced by Lieutenant John Parrish;

all are believed to have been killed on impact.


Immediately after the crash, and in the years

since, a great many rumors circulated concerning

the cause, ranging from enemy ground fire, to

ARVN artillery fire, to United States friendly fire,

and even sabotage.


Major General Hochmuth was the first and only

Marine Corps general officer to die in Vietnam,

and there was a great deal of pressure to list

his death as combat related.


Moreover, this was VMO-3s largest loss of life

in Vietnam and it was difficult to accept that

these flyers could have died in anything but combat.


In fact, the aircraft suffered a tail rotor gear box

failure and the official findings on the incident,

submitted by Brigadier General Robert Keller

in November 1967, stated, " there is no

evidence to indicate this mishap was caused either

by hostile action or inadvertent friendly fire."

CAPTAIN

THOMAS ANTHONY CARTER

- pilot -


****************************************************************


please see the REMEMBRANCE for


MAJOR GENERAL

BRUNO ARTHUR HOCHMUTH


COMMANDING GENERAL

3rd MARINE DIVISION


**********************************************************************


YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN
NOR SHALL YOU EVER BE


**********************************************************************


please see the REMEMBRANCES for


CAPTAIN

MILTON GEORGE KELSEY

- pilot -


----------------------------------------


CORPORAL

RONALD JOSEPH PHELPS

- crewchief -