The
first Bell AH1G Cobra
helicopter gun ships
arrived in Vietnam on 1
September 1967 and since
it carried both guns and
rockets, it was a major
step forward in the
development of the armed
helicopter. The Cobra
had enough speed to meet
the escort mission
perimeters, tandem
seating, better armor,
and a better weapons
system than any previous
helicopter of its day.
By 1970-1, the Cobra's
armament included the
2.75-inch rocket with a
17-pound warhead, the
very effective 2.75-inch
flachette rocket, and
the SX-35 20mm cannon
which made it a truly
powerful aircraft.
On
22 October 1971, Capt.
Maurice E. Garrett, Jr.,
pilot; and 1st
Lt. Danny A. Cowan,
co-pilot/gunner;
comprised crew of an
AH1G helicopter (serial
#67-15752) conducting an
armed reconnaissance
mission over the rugged
jungle covered mountains
northeast of Khe Sanh
with the intent to seek
out and destroy all
enemy activity found in
their area of operation.
This "Hunter-Killer
team" consisted of
two AH1G Cobras, one
OH6A Loach and one UH1H
Huey helicopters.
The
team departed Quang Tri
Airfield, Quang Tri
Province, South Vietnam
and proceeded to the
west-southwest. Capt.
Garrett, who was the
flight leader,
instructed the other
flight members to hold
their positions on the
eastern side of a
ridgeline while he
continued westward into
an extremely long,
narrow jungle covered
valley running in a
generally east-west
direction to check the
weather conditions that
appeared marginal for
team operations.
Approximately
one minute after
entering the valley,
Capt. Garrett reported
the conditions to be
about 200 feet overcast,
and continued his
weather assessment
flight. Roughly 5
minutes from the time he
was last seen, Maurice
Garrett reported he was
canceling the mission
due to poor weather,
that he was in the
clouds and would return
to Quang Tri Airfield on
instruments. He also
gave instructions for
the rest of the flight
to return to base and to
stay clear of his
intended flight path.
Shortly
after Capt. Garrett's
last transmission, the
Cobra apparently struck
trees and continued for
a short distance before
crashing into the
ground, then violently
exploding. The remaining
flight members were on
site within minutes.
They reported that the
aircraft impacted and
exploded with such force
that the only large
identifiable aircraft
part found was a
vertical fin with part
of the serial number.
Some parts of the
cockpit section were
also found and
identified, but all were
badly burned, smashed
and scattered by the
explosion. The location
of loss was in rugged
mountains approximately
2 miles south of the
valley, 7 miles
east-northeast of Khe
Sanh and 15 miles
southwest of Quang Tri
City.
A
search and rescue (SAR)
team was immediately
dispatched to the crash
site. They were able to
find and recover 1st Lt.
Cowan's remains.
However, they were
unable to find any trace
of Capt. Garrett. The
opinion of the
investigating team
determined that the
explosion was so great
that it disintegrated
the body of Maurice
Garrett. Due to the
intensity of enemy
activity in this area,
no other ground or
aerial searches were
possible. At the time
formal search efforts
were terminated, Maurice
E. Garrett, Jr. was
listed Killed in
Action/Body Not
Recovered.
While
Maurice Garrett's fate
seems in little doubt,
he has the right to have
his remains returned to
his family, friends and
country if at all
possible. If he was
thrown free by the crash
only to be captured by
the Communists his fate,
like that of many other
Americans who remain
unaccounted for in
Southeast Asia, 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 America
Prisoners of War
remaining captive
throughout Southeast
Asia TODAY.
Pilots
and aircrews in Vietnam
were called upon to fly
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
