KIA INCIDENT: 19680321 VMO-2 Vietnam

Brothers (& Sisters) Killed in Action in USMC Helicopters or while assigned to USMC Helicopter or Tiltrotor Squadrons

19680321VMO-2 Vietnam

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Incident Date 19680321 VMO-2 UH-1E 152429+ - Hostile Fire, Crash

[CREW]
Romero, Ronald James Cpl Crew Chief VMO-2 MAG-16 1968-03-21 (vvm 45E:051)
Lakey, George Leo Capt (PP) Pilot VMO-2 MAG-16 1968-03-21 (vvm 45E:048)

ROMERO RONALD JAMES : 2172521 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 6319 : 22 : YOUNGSVILLE : LA : 19680321 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Da Nang) :02 : 19460206 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 45E : 051
LAKEY GEORGE LEO : 092698 : USMCR : CAPT : posthumous promotion : O2 : 7563 : 24 : SPRINGFIELD : MO : 19680321 : hostile, crash, land : Pilot : body recovered : Quang Nam (Da Nang) :04 : 19430801 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 45E : 048

From VMO-2 Squadron Command Chronology

From VMO-2 Squadron Command Chronology:
On March 21st, a single Hostage aircraft while in support of Operation Worth was shot down while lifting from a zone in a hot area. The pilot and crew chief died in the resulting crash. This was a very saddening day for VMO-2. [Two passengers survived]

Submitted by: N/A, 20030818

MAG-16 Command Chronology – 21 Mar 1968


One VMO-2 UH-1E was destroyed by enemy mortar fire at coordinates AT855663. The aircraft had just lifted from the zone when three mortar rounds struck the zone. The pilot [George Lakey] and the crew chief [Ron Romero] died as a result of the crash.

Submitted by: N/A, 20030818

George was flying the Regimental CO and Sgt Maj to visit troops in contact on Charlie Ridge west of Da Nang. Drop off was made in a clearing several hundred meters down ridgeline of where Marines were. Huey was hit by what I suspect was RPG as he was lifting off the ridgeline. I arrived on scene about 5-10 minutes later. Huey was on the side of ridge and burning badly.

Made numerous low passes but nobody could have survived that crash. I thought everyone was dead but during the passes I spotted the Regimental CO and Sgt Maj up on the ridgeline all alone. Eventually picked them up. They had minor injuries from the Huey explosion.

Submitted by: Duke Lind, VMO-2 UH-1E pilot, first on scene, 20030818

George was a great friend to me. He was a simple and wonderful fellow from Missouri and had a great gift for making friends. Contrary to what the info says above, he was not single. He was married to a beautiful woman who George told me wanted a divorce while he was in Vietnam, which was driving him crazy. He begged me to communicate with her and tell her not go through with her plans. He knew I liked to write and thought I could convince her to stay with him, plus I knew her a little. I worked on the damn letter for two days trying to say what was needed in a way that she might listen, begging her to at least wait until he got home and to give him a little hope. I finally posted the letter and told George to try and focus on the horror show we were in. He was killed the next day. I give this incident a chapter in my book, Glory´s Child, Dear George. It´s not a pretty story. I think about George and wonder what would have become of his life. I can picture him at the county feed store telling his stories in his direct and innocent way. Some say a mortar round brought him down, but the first guy in his squadron who flew the over the burning wreck says it was an RPG into the cockpit on liftoff. As I cynically wrote in the last line of the chapter, But try as he might, he could not stop thinking how well things had worked out for Linette. Of course LInette is a fictitious name used to protect the guilty. This post is probably unacceptable to print and I apologize if it does not meet the spirit of this incredibly wonderful effort of the Pop A Smoke organization. War is a complicated business. All honor to George.

Submitted by: Paul H Ellis, friend, fellow Marine, 20200129