My brother, SSGT Gregory R. Benton, MIA Vietnam

[beddoe]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mary Benton <powmay2369@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 05:57
Subject: My brother, SSGT Gregory R. Benton, Missing in Action in Vietnam
To: webmaster@popasmoke.com

Since May 23, 1969, when my brother was reported MIA, I have been searching for answers and trying to find information that will help bring his remains home.

My brother was with Delta Co., l/9, 3rd Mar Div. On May 23, 1969, while his squad was on patrol, 2nd squad was ambushed which resulted in two dead Marines and one wounded. A medevac chopper from Mag-39 picked up the casualties that day. I am trying to find out who I can contact to get details of that flight. There is a discrepancy in the company time-line compared with the Command chronology and the After Action Report reference where my brother was reported MIA. It is extremely important for me to find out the time the medevac chopper arrived to pick up the dead and wounded.
I am working closely with an analyst from the Pentagon POW/MIA office on my brother's case and am trying to correlate a body to my brother that was found on a mountain around the time my brother went missing. Two Lao farmers found a body around the time my brother went missing but the body is approximately 1 kilo from the coordinates in the company investigation.
I believe the soldier the farmers found is my brother and so does analysts from the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The names of some of the crew members on that date who were on that medevac chopper are:
. Sgt. Charles E. Smith, USMC 2085417
. PFC Thomas E. Gentry 2273668
. LCpl Boesman, crew chief
The statement mentioned that it was in the Coconut Candy call sign which was 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.

I am now a 100% disabled veteran after joining the Army in 1976 to help find out what happened to my brother. For the past 40 years I have been the only one my brother has to help bring him home. I will never give up until I bring his remains back to Arlington and give him a place of honor and respect to rest in peace.

I would appreciate any help you may be able to give me.

Thank you from a proud sister of a Marine.
Mary Benton <powmay2369@gmail.com>

[Larry Zok]

Does the AAR state the "Call Sign" of the medevac bird??? Or any of the gunships?

[hma1369]

The squadron was HMM-262. I found the After-Acton Report online. ET-13 was the medevac bird and ET-6 was chase. Takeoff was 0705 and final landing was 1355. The crew of ET-13 is listed as White (pilot), Stackhouse (co-pilot), Boersma (crewchief), Gentry (gunner), Smith CE (gunner), HM1 Hillhouse (other). The ET-6 crew was Wiley (pilot), 1Lt Nelson (copilot), Wright (crewchief), Fitzgerald (gunner), and Healing (gunner).

The narrative summary says "Less than normal med evac."

[powmay2369]

Does the AAR state the "Call Sign" of the medevac bird??? Or any of the gunships?

Thank you for your message. The call sign that Sgt. Charles E. Smith referenced in his statement was "Coconut Candy". In his statement he also states that the two KIA's were picked up by the ramp and the WIA was on the right side of the cabin by the hell hole and the corpsman was sitting on the crew's box. The only other men in the plane were the crew chief and one other gunner besides him. He said they dropped the KIA's off at C Medical Battalion at Vandegrift Combat Base. He didn't say anything about seeing my brother standing by a tree that was right by the two KIA's. I desperately need to know if any of the crew members remember seeing my brother who was supposedly throwing up and then sat down at the base of the tree. The final sighting of my brother in the statements was at 1500 hours. There were over 50 Marines in the LZ area and no one saw a sick Marine get up and wander off??? I spent 16 years in the Army and then went into law enforcement so I could learn more about investigations. I know this whole investigation is a lie to cover up something. All I want to do is bring what is left of my brother home. He was my baby brother and such a good person. He loved the Marine Corps and fought to become a Marine. Now I am going to fight to get him home.

I appreciate your help. If anyone can help...please let me know.

Semper Fi Marine,

Mary Benton

[hma1369]

HMM-262 AAR for this incident

[lmh22553]

All,

I wore a POW MIA bracelet with Gregory Benton's name on it in jr high and high school; it broke twice and was replaced twice. Through the years, I have often wondered what happened to him. I hope that Mary has learned more and will update.

Thank you for your message. The call sign that Sgt. Charles E. Smith referenced in his statement was "Coconut Candy". In his statement he also states that the two KIA's were picked up by the ramp and the WIA was on the right side of the cabin by the hell hole and the corpsman was sitting on the crew's box. The only other men in the plane were the crew chief and one other gunner besides him. He said they dropped the KIA's off at C Medical Battalion at Vandegrift Combat Base. He didn't say anything about seeing my brother standing by a tree that was right by the two KIA's. I desperately need to know if any of the crew members remember seeing my brother who was supposedly throwing up and then sat down at the base of the tree. The final sighting of my brother in the statements was at 1500 hours. There were over 50 Marines in the LZ area and no one saw a sick Marine get up and wander off??? I spent 16 years in the Army and then went into law enforcement so I could learn more about investigations. I know this whole investigation is a lie to cover up something. All I want to do is bring what is left of my brother home. He was my baby brother and such a good person. He loved the Marine Corps and fought to become a Marine. Now I am going to fight to get him home.

I appreciate your help. If anyone can help...please let me know.

Semper Fi Marine,

Mary Benton

[John Ace Hunt]

Ms. Mary Benton, thank you for keeping the search going for your Brother. I was Crew Chief in HMM-265 EP-14, and did Fly in operation Herkirmer Mountian. The after action report from what I can make out shows a 24th, and the operation Herkimer Mountain. I flew our Mission number 502, on the 24th of May,'69 at cordinates YD050675 for 1 mission that day. The mission number was not a med-evac I do not believe. It could have been an insert, or extraction, as I have forgotten what the 502 mission was. There was enemy activity there as stated, but your Brother was not wounded, and there was reported close to 50 Marines there. He could have helped load the Body of the KIA, and WIA men on board since it was reported a Marine was sick at his stomach against a tree. he could have been captured, but with so many Marines there why has not any one of them reported seeing a Marine nausiated against a tree that day? Imh2253, I do believe the bracelet should have been a MIA bracelet, and not a POW bracelet. Its not known if he was captured or not, or reported as a capture. If he fell back, he could have been captured, but only the men there knows that. I am sorry for your loss, and do hope DNA can be used to help find if the remains found are your Brothers or not. I hope you can one day find closure for your Brother. S/F.