By
early 1967, the Bell UH1
Iroquois was already the
standard Army assault
helicopter, and was used
in nearly every
"in-country"
mission. Better known by
its nickname
"Huey," the
troop carriers were
referred to as
"slicks" and the
gunships were called
"Hogs." It
proved itself to be a
sturdy, versatile aircraft
which was called on to
carry out a wide variety
of missions including
search and rescue, close
air support, insertion and
extraction, fire support,
and resupply to name a
few. It usually carried a
crew of four.
MACV-SOG,
or Military Assistance
Command Vietnam Studies
and Observation Group, was
a joint service high
command unconventional
warfare task force engaged
in highly classified
operations throughout
Southeast Asia. The 5th
Special Forces channeled
personnel into MACV-SOG
(though it was not a
Special Forces group)
through Special Operations
Augmentation (SOA), which
provided their
"cover" while
under secret orders to
MACV-SOG. These teams
performed deep penetration
missions of strategic
reconnaissance and
interdiction that were
called, depending on the
time frame, "Shining
Brass" or
"Prairie Fire"
missions.
Then
Capt. Frederick Krupa was
a platoon leader assigned
to Company A, Task Force 2
Advisory Element, US Army
Special Forces. On 27
April 1971, Capt. Krupa
was commanding a special
commando unit (SCU) that
was to conduct a
company-sized raid against
communist forces on the
South Vietnamese/Cambodian
border. The company was
being inserted by a flight
of UH1H helicopters.
The
LZ was located in forested
mountains approximately 1
mile east of the South
Vietnamese/Cambodian
border, the same distance
west of a primary
north-south road that
paralleled the border, and
38 miles south-southwest
of the tri-border area
where Vietnam, Laos and
Cambodia join. It was also
19 miles northwest of Plei
Djereng, 42 miles
southwest of Dak To and 43
miles west-southwest of
Kontum City, Kontum
Province, South Vietnam.
The
Huey helicopters
approached the designated
landing zone (LZ) without
detecting any sign of
enemy activity in the
area. As the aircraft
hovered 3 feet above the
ground, Capt. Krupa
prepared to be the first
man to depart the Huey. As
he did so, hostile forces
opened fire on the
helicopters, from
concealed positions.
Others onboard the
aircraft observed Capt.
Krupa as he was struck in
the chest by an AK47 round
and then began to fall
forward toward the Huey's
open door.
The
SCU Company A commander,
Ayom, grabbed Capt.
Krupa's right shoulder
stopping his fall. Seconds
later, Ayom was struck in
the hand forcing him to
let go of the wounded
American. As soon as Ayom
let go of Fred Krupa, he
fell 3 feet to the ground.
The Huey was forced away
from the LZ under intense
ground fire before any
action could be taken to
recover him. The last
American to see Fred Krupa
was the Huey's crewchief,
SP4 Melvin C. Lew. At that
time he was lying next to
a log sprawled out on his
back, not moving and not
making a sound. Whether
Capt. Krupa was
unconscious or dead is
unknown.
Moments
later, the pilot began to
pull away from the LZ
unaware that Fred Krupa
had fallen from the
aircraft. When advised of
the incident, he attempted
to radio for help, but was
unsuccessful because his
radio had also been
destroyed by enemy small
arms fire.
Air
strikes were immediately
put in all around the
landing zone to drive the
communists away from Fred
Krupa's position. A search
and rescue (SAR) mission
was initiated, however,
due to the heavy enemy
activity, no rescue
attempt was possible. At
the time the SAR mission
was recalled, Fred Krupa
was immediately declared
Missing in Action.
For
every insertion like this
one that was detected and
stopped, dozens of others
safely slipped past NVA
lines to strike a wide
range of targets and
collect vital information.
The number of MACV-SOG
missions conducted with
Special Forces
reconnaissance teams into
Laos and Cambodia was 452
in 1969. It was the most
sustained American
campaign of raiding,
sabotage and
intelligence-gathering
waged on foreign soil in
US military history. MACV-SOG's teams earned a
global reputation as one
of the most combat
effective deep-penetration
forces ever raised.
Capt.
Krupa was a seasoned
soldier who was well
trained, very experienced
in covert operations and
very capable of surviving
under adverse conditions.
Further, because of the
circumstances of his loss,
there is no doubt that the
enemy knows where he is,
either alive or dead. If
dead, he has a right to
have his remains returned
to his family, friends and
country. And if alive, his
fate like that of 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.
Military
men in Vietnam were called
upon to fly and 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
From: kathy krupa
[kathyk007@hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 5:53 PM
To:
mikeblades01@earthlink.com
Subject: Maj. Frederick Krupa
"Fritzie" was my uncle, although I never got a chance to meet him. I am
only 21 years old andd desperatly seeking answers. If anyone knows him,
please contact me at
kathyk007@hotmail.com
