"They left their childhood on every acre..."

The Battle for LZ Loon occurred on June 4,5, and 6, 1968.  

The three days are the centerpiece of my soon to be released book, Loon - A Marine Story. 

www.amazon.com/Loon-Marine-Story-Jack-Mclean/dp/0345510151

Among the horrific events of those days was the crash of a helicopter that was attempting to evacuate members of our Company.  Most on board were killed, several survived, and four have been missing for over forty years.  As described in the Department of Defense press release below, the four have finally been recovered and identified. 

 

News Release 

Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (Public Affairs) 

Washington, DC 20301-2900 

Phone: (703) 699-1169 

IMMEDIATE RELEASE                     

 Nov. 5, 2008 

 

MARINES MISSING FROM 

VIETNAM WAR ARE IDENTIFIED 

 

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of four U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors. 

They are Lance Cpl. Kurt E. La Plant, of Lenexa, Kan., and Lance Cpl. Luis F. Palacios, of Los Angeles, Calif.  Remains that could not be individually identified are included in a group.  Among the group remains are Lance Cpl. Ralph L. Harper, of Indianapolis, Ind., and Pfc. Jose R. Sanchez, of Brooklyn, N.Y.  All men were U.S. Marine Corps. Palacios will be buried Friday in Bellflower, Calif., and the other Marines will be buried as a group in the Spring in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. 

 

On June 6, 1968, these men were aboard a CH-46A Sea Knight helicopter that was attempting an emergency extraction of elements of the 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment, 3rd Marine Division then engaged against hostile forces in the mountains southwest of Khe Sanh, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. 

 The helicopter was struck by enemy ground fire and crashed, killing 12 of the 23 crewmen and passengers on board.  All but four of the men who died were subsequently recovered and identified.  

 

Between 1993 and 2005, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident in Quang Tri Province, interviewed witnesses and surveyed the crash site three times.  The team found a U.S. military boot fragment and wreckage consistent with that of a CH-46 helicopter.  In 2006, a team began excavating the site and recovered human remains and non-biological material evidence including La Plant’s identification tag.  While at the site, a Vietnamese citizen turned over to the team human remains the he claimed to have found amid the wreckage.  In 2007, another team completed the excavation and recovered additional human remains, life support material and aircraft wreckage. 

 

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.   

 

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1420. 

 

As I write this, Cpl Luis F. Palacios is being buried at Forest Lawn Cypress in Los Angeles. 

These are actual photographs of  LZ Loon. The one on the left is looking down at the crash site.

There has been wide national press this week related to the of recovery including a piece on page A29 of today's NY Times.  

Following is an excerpt from Loon - A Marine Story describing the moment of the crash. 

Within minutes, a CH-46 helicopter and a protecting Huey gunship appeared on the horizon and banked toward LZ Loon across the ravine.  We were ordered to lay down as much fire as we could in that direction, but to avoid the LZ where Sgt. Brazier’s former squad and the 81mm mortar squad were mustering for evacuation.  The CH-46 banked in quickly and hovered just above the ground while the 13 Marines quickly climbed in. 

We kept up our covering fire, at once relieved and wistful to see them getting evacuated and filled with hope that perhaps we would be next.  At least we knew that we had someone's attention in the rear. 

Our eyes were fixated on the chopper as it lifted and banked, but it didn’t seem able to gain altitude.  We began to cheer for it.

“Come on, get up, get up, get UP.”

 But it was not able to elevate. 

It had been shot. 

It was going down.             

Having reached the edge of the far side of the hill, we watched in horror as the mortally wounded helicopter hit the tree tops, began to roll, and then disappeared from sight.  Seconds later the explosion came.  There was smoke and then there was silence.  

Thank you Kurt.

Thank you Luis.

Thank you Ralph.

Thank you Jose.

Semper Fidelis.  May you rest in peace.

You have been wrapped deep in our collective hearts for over 40 years.  

Thank you for visiting.

Jack