USMC/COMBAT HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION - KIA DATABASE
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Brothers Killed in Action in USMC Helicopters or while assigned to USMC Helicopter Squadrons in Vietnam



690708   HML-167     Vietnam

Incident Date 690708 HML-167 UH-1E 152420+ Hostile Fire, Crash

[CREW]
Anderson, William Olin Cpl Gunner HML-167 MAG-16 690708 (vvm 21W:079)

ANDERSON WILLIAM OLIN: 569745153: USMC : CPL : E4 : 3051 : 20 : PACOIMA : CA : 19690708 : hostile, crash, land : Gunner : body recovered : Quang Nam : 03 : 19480917 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 21W : 079

MAG-16 Command Chronologies for July 1969:

"HOSTILE: 082300H Jul69. 19 1/2 miles south west of Da Nang, Quang Nam Province, Crew of UH-1E on recon extraction received intense automatic weapons fire on gun-run and crashed. ALLEN received abrasions left hand and both lower legs. GIAMBRONE suffered laceration of scalp and lip. CARR received fracture of tibia, laceration of scalp and blunt trauma to abdomen. ANDERSON was killed."

Comment on Incident:
Mission Flight Crew:
MAJ CARR, J. R. 066781/7563 HML-167/MAG-16/1stMAW Pilot
1stLt ALLEN, R. J. 0100010/7563 HML-167/MAG-16/1stMAW Co-Pilot
LCpl GIAMBRONE, J. M. 2253645/6319 HML-167/MAG-16/1stMAW Crew-Chief
Cpl ANDERSON, W. O. 2235301/3051 HML-167/MAG-16/1stMAW Gunner

Submitted by John Lane, researcher,

Personal Narrative:
My name is Santos Delgado Jr. and I was there when Cpl. Anderson was killed in action. The main reason I'm writing is because its been 36 years and the memory is still haunting me. Cpl. Anderson and I arrived in Vietnam the same day. We were racing to see who would get the most Air Medals.
That particular day it was my turn to fly that mission, but Olin wanted to take the flight because he needed the flight in order to get an Air Medal.

He begged me to let him go and take my aircraft. This is not normal, but the pilots approved and he took that flight. It has been on my conscience all these years and I need some kind of relief. I would like to write to his family if any.

I'm still taking counseling. These kind of wounds are rare but hurtful. I know there's nothing I can do but it will be a relief that his family knows what he did. Please e-mail me if you need to talk to me.


Submitted by Santos Delgado Jr., friend
USMC/COMBAT HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION