.......HMM-262 Combat Helicopter Assn.

HOFFMAN TERRY ALAN : 2316108 : USMCR : CPL : E4 : 6320 : 23 : DANVILLE : IN : 19680819 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body NOT recovered : Quang Tri :01 : 19450203 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 48W : 056

HUTCHISON JOHN WILLIAM : 2167975 : USMCR : CPL : E4 : 6381 : 22 : PRESHO : SD : 19680819 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Tri :02 : 19450918 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 48W : 056

MILES PATRICK CHARLES : 2352212 : USMCR : CPL : E4 : 6381 : 20 : SAGINAW : MI : 19680819 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Tri :01 : 19471004 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 47W : 001

The crew of 152566 consisted of Capt Rocky Darger, Aircraft Commander; 1Lt Ken Bradley,CoPilot; CPL Terry Hoffman, Crewchief; CPL John Hutchison, Gunner; and CPL Patrick Miles, Gunner. They were the number two aircraft in a flight of 23 aircraft assigned the mission of extracting a battalion which had been inserted in a combat assault north of Gio Lin the day before. The battalion had come under heavy artillery fire from guns in North Vietnam. The decision was made to extract the unit. Capt. Darger was initially assigned as Flight Leader, but relinquished command of the flight to Major Harvey Britt who had participated in the insert, which Darger had not. The plan was to approach the LZ at approximately 100 feet to provide some cover from the artillery fire by using the low hills which parallel the river in the DMZ. As the lead aircraft approached the landing zone he was shot down; all crew members survived.

Darger assumed command and dispatched the remainder of the flight to Dong Ha while proceeding to attempted to rescue the downed crew. Approaching again at a low altitude 152566 received a direct hit from a heavy artillery round and crashed. The two pilots were ejected from the aircraft and survived, while the crew in the cabin were killed. The aircraft was consumed by fire. The pilots were rescued by a Marine Recon Team. 1Lt Ken Bradley was seriously injured and had to be medevaced to the U. S.. Capt. Darger received multiple injuries, but was returned to a flight status in three weeks. Two of the bodies of the crewmen were recovered at the time, but the remains of Cpl. Hoffman could not be found, and he was presumed to have been consumed by the flames.