One
of the earliest
helicopters employed
in Southeast Asia, and
the primary Marine
Corps helicopter used
during the early years
of the war, was the
Sikorsky UH34D
Seahorse. This
aircraft was already
quite old when they
arrived in the battle
zone. However, both
the US and South
Vietnamese military
found them to be
extremely effective
throughout the war.
Lt.
Col. Frankie E.
Allgood was a member
of the 9th Marine
Amphibious Brigade. He
had been badly wounded
when he was struck by
a piece of shrapnel in
his temple during a
combat operation. He
was being transported
to the hospital at
DaNang, Quang Nam
Province, South
Vietnam for medical
treatment.
On
26 March 1968, three
Marines, including
Frankie Allgood, were
being medically
evacuated by
helicopter by an over
water flight path.
Cpl. Larry E. Green, crew chief; and LCpl.
Earnest C. Kerr, door
gunner; were assigned
to the aircrew of the
CH34D Seahorse
helicopter that was
conducting this
medivac mission. The
helicopter's crew was
from HMM-363, MAG-36,
1st Marine Air Wing.
The
following were also
wounded Marine
passengers onboard the
Seahorse:
LCpl.
Richard Evancho,
Marine Air Base
Squadron 36, Marine
Air Group 36, 1st
Marine Air Wing
Cpl.
Glenn W. Mowrey,
Headquarters &
Supply Company, FLSG-A,
Force Logistic
Command
As
the aircraft flew
toward its
destination, it
encountered adverse
weather and crashed
into the South China
Sea. Just before the
aircraft crashed into
the water, the pilot
made an emergency
Mayday call outlining
their emergency and
giving their position,
which was
approximately 5 miles
northeast of Mui Chon
Dong and the
coastline, 22 miles
north of DaNang and 26
miles east-southeast
of Hue/Phu Bai
Airfield.
Search
and recovery (SAR)
operations were
launched immediately
and rescue helicopters
were on site within
minutes of the loss.
SAR personnel were
able to locate and
rescue the pilot and
co-pilot assigned to
this flight. However,
they were unable to
find any trace of Lt.
Col. Allgood, Cpl.
Green, Cpl. Mowrey,
LCpl. Kerr and LCpl.
Evancho.
The
US Navy believed the
five men were trapped
inside the helicopter
when it rolled over on
its side and sank to
the bottom of the
South China Sea. At
the time the formal
search operation was
terminated, Frankie
Allgood, Glenn Mowrey,
Larry Green, Richard
Evancho and Ernest
Kerr were listed
Killed in Action/Body
Not Recovered.
Under
the circumstances, it
is highly unlikely the
remains of the men
killed in this tragic
loss at sea can ever
be found without a
massive underwater
salvage/recovery
operation being
undertaken. Each man
has a right to have
his remains returned
to his family, friends
and country if at all
humanly possible.
However, in this
helicopter loss, that
will probably never
happen. Above all
else, each man has the
right not to be
forgotten by the
nation for which he
gave his life.
For
other Americans who
remain unaccounted for
in Southeast Asia,
their fate could be
quite different. Since
the end of the Vietnam
War well over 21,000
reports of American
prisoners, missing and
otherwise unaccounted
for have been received
by our government.
Many of these reports
document LIVE American
Prisoners of War
remaining captive
throughout Southeast
Asia TODAY.
American
servicemen in Vietnam
were called upon to
fight in many
dangerous
circumstances, and
they were prepared to
be wounded, killed or
captured. It probably
never occurred to them
that they could be
abandoned by the
country they so
proudly served.
Incidental Information
