KIA INCIDENT: 19690510 HMM-262 Vietnam

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

19690510HMM-262 Vietnam

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Incident Date 19690510 HMM-262 CH-46D 152560+ - Power loss, Crash

[CREW]
Wheeler, Kennith Wayne Cpl Crew Chief HMM-262 PROVMAG-39 1969-05-10 (vvm 25W:045)
Gibson, Peter Cpl Gunner HMM-262 PROVMAG-39 1969-05-10 (vvm 25W:039)
[PASSENGERS]
Giordano, Daniel J. PFC Passenger 2/B/1/9 3dMarDiv 1969-05-18 (vvm 24W:041)
Mrosewske, Roy James PFC Passenger B/1/9 3rdMarDiv 1969-05-10 (vvm 25W:040)
Mannerow, Paul David LCpl Passenger B/1/9 3rdMarDiv 1969-05-10 (vvm 25W:040)
Larkins, Virgil Lee LCpl Passenger B/1/9 3rdMarDiv 1969-05-10 (vvm 25W:040)
Broussard, Gerald Gene PFC Passenger B/1/9 3rdMarDiv 1969-05-10 (vvm 25W:036)

GIORDANO, D J : PFC : USMC : HI NELLA : NJ : 19490802 : 19 : hostile, crash, land : Passenger : died of wounds 19690518 : Quang Tri : Caucasian : Roman Catholic : single : 24W : 41 : died of wounds received in helicopter incident dated 19690510
WHEELER KENNITH WAYNE : 2303494 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 6320 : 23 : BROWNWOOD : TX : 19690510 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Tri :02 : 19451220 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 25W : 045 : SILVER STAR 10MAY69
MROSEWSKE ROY JAMES : 2518469 : USMC : PFC : E2 : 0311 : 20 : MOUNT CLEMENS : MI : 19690510 : hostile, crash, land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Tri :00 : 19481107 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 25W : 040
MANNEROW PAUL DAVID : 2420443 : USMC : LCPL : E3 : 0311 : 19 : HARPER WOODS : MI : 19690510 : hostile, crash, land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Tri :01 : 19490810 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 25W : 040
LARKINS VIRGIL LEE : 2382585 : USMC : LCPL : E3 : 0311 : 18 : INDIANAPOLIS : IN : 19690510 : hostile, crash, land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Tri :01 : 19500802 : Negro : Protestant/single : 25W : 040
GIBSON PETER : 2366795 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 2811 : 19 : ORLANDO : FL : 19690510 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Tri :01 : 19490827 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 25W : 039 : SILVER STAR 10MAY69
BROUSSARD GERALD GENE : 2488557 : USMC : PFC : E2 : 0331 : 19 : DUSON : LA : 19690510 : hostile, crash, land : Passenger : body recovered : the Quang Tri :00 : 19500411 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 25W : 036

HMM-262 Command Chronology - May 1969

10 May 1969 - HMM-262 launched an 8 A/C assault lifting troops of 1/9 into LZ Erskine located at YD162106. Small arms fire was received by one of the A/C while in the zone during the first wave, yet no hits were taken. On the second wave, 93-8 while approaching the zone had a power loss, fell short of the zone, crashed and burned. The pilot, copilot and one gunnerMajor Whitfield, 1/Lt P J Traube and LCpl J W Stewart, received minor injuries. However, the crew chief and the second gunner, Copl Wheeler and Cpl Gibson (H&MS-39) reeived fatal injuries together with three of the troops aboard the A/C.

The lift was continued without incident by the other 7 A/C.

Submitted by: N/A, 20030826

Personal Narrative

There's a posting on www.thewall-usa.com:
woody postle wwpostle@dmv.com 204 old flint circle, dover,de 19904
dj was my squadmate
dj was on a chopper that crashed on FSB erskine, the crash was 5/10/69.
he was medevaced to a hospital ship and then to japan. he died of burns on
5/18/69. the operation was APACHE SNOW. dj was in bravo 1/9 2nd plt.usmc.

Submitted by: Woody Postle, squad mate, 20070818

Official Information

Pfc Giordano served with Bravo 1/9 Marines. He is coded as A2-B-6, died 18 May 1969 - but I have no incident date for him.

The 1/9 Marines Command Chronology for May 1969 discusses their operations around FSB ERSKINE in the Da Krong River valley west-northwest of the northern end of the A Shau Valley. It addresses the loss of CH-46 BuNo 152560 on 10 May with 6 KIA and 6 WIA - http://www.popasmoke.com/kia/incidents.php?incident_id=211. VHPA agrees with 6 KIA but says there were 8 WIA.

There is no further mention of helo incidents until 17 May when the crash of an Army CH-47 is reported. The CmdChron notes that a platoon leader from Bravo 1/9 was injured in that incident but makes no mention of other injuries or deaths. Per VHPA database that aircraft was CH-47C tail number 67-18540 from Alpha 159th Avn Bn; it was a non-combat loss, while Giordano is a hostile loss.

The 21 May 1969 DoD news release reports his death from wounds but does not give date of injury.

There's a posting on thewall-usa.com:
woody postle wwpostle@dmv.com 204 old flint circle, dover,de 19904
"dj was my squadmate
dj was on a chopper that crashed on FSB erskine, the crash was 5/10/69.
he was medevaced to a hospital ship and then to japan. he died of burns on
5/18/69. the operation was APACHE SNOW. dj was in bravo 1/9 2nd plt.usmc."

It makes sense that Giordano was injured in the 10 May incident involving CH-46 BuNo 152560 but neither the 1/9 or HMM-262 CmdChrons contain a list of the 1/9 men injured.

Submitted by: Ken Davis, Researcher, The Virtual Wall, 20070818

Personal Recollection

I was going through my Vietnam memorabilia tonight, 1 Dec 2009, and I came across a diary that I had kept in RVN and had forgotten about it. There were several piastres I had saved on a particular page and I opened it and read what I had written on that date. It mentioned that Gibson had been killed in a 46 crash on the side of a mountain.

This was particularly sad for me then as it is now. Pete and I served together on the QTCB Base Defense Unit for the air station sector. We both were Cpl's of the guard. Pete and I spent may hours talking about home and whatever young Marines talked about while we were on the bunker line or in the guard bunker. I can remember him today as if it was just yesterday that we last spoke. He was a Comm Marine by MOS. I recall that he expressed a desire to fly as a gunner with one of the 46 squadrons, but did not realize that he went through with it until the day he was killed, as I had returned to VMO-6 from my TAD with base defense. I recall others telling me that after the crash, Pete succumbed to the fire and smoke while selflessly attempting to rescue other Marines by pushing them through the fractured fuselage as the A.C was laying on its side burning.

I must apologize for this late entry as I had erased many things from my memory. Pete's death pained me so much and for so long that I remembered only that he died so that others may live and his name was lost until today and even now my eyes are filling with tears. You were never forgotten Peter and never will be. Your memory lays in the heart of this Marine that you served with. Semper Fidelis.

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Submitted by: Tom Constantine, Cpl Peter Gibson PMAG 39 QTCB Base Defense Platoon, 20091201

I am updating my email address. Somewhere I have paper work listing the rest of my squad that was on the chopper and were WIA. I will find it and list them. When we loaded that morning I was the last fire team loaded, as the ramp was started to rise it stopped and my fire team was pulled off and Gerry Broussards gun team was put on so a gun would be on the ground sooner. I often wonder if Gerry died in my place.

Submitted by: Woody Postle, squadmate, 20190315

Personal Narrative

There was another Marine who died from his injuries in that helicopter that is not mentioned. His name is Daniel J Giordano from New Jersey. He was medevaced out and we learned a few days later that he had died from his wounds.

Submitted by: Source unknown and unverified, In B 1/9 and there at the time, 20070726

Personal Recollection

For many years I have been gathering information leading up to Roy's untimely death. Both of us went through advance infantry training together at Camp Pendleton early in 1969. We arrived in country around the middle of April, so his time in country was very short.
A few days before his death, while I was with D 1/4/3, our paths crossed and was heart broken to hear the news of his passing. I still think of Roy remembering his positive attitude and smiling face.

Submitted by: Tom Puskarich, went though training with Roy Mrosewske, 20140121