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and he recalls that it felt as though it tumbled end over end before coming to a stop
down the hill from the pickup point. The crew exited the aircraft and at about the
same time it burst into flames. At that point the only injury was to a member of the
recon team who was hit by a skid when the helicopter initially lost power. Gary
recalls that the injured member of the recon team was the first to be evacuated
from the site.

Captain Moberg directed the crew to move back to the original pickup location and
set the recovery plan in to effect. He then returned to the base camp for fuel and
while refueling he was informed that a USAF CH-53 rescue helicopter was in route
to the site to recover the crew and the recon team. At this point a Wolfpack gun
platoon section, under the command of Captain Fred Mentzer had refueled and was
on site to provide fire support for the recovery operation. The USAF CH 53 arrived
on site and begin recovering the injured individual and at least one other member
of the recon team. Following their recovery WO Omdahl placed his three crew
members on the hoist for pickup while he remained on the ground. As the pickup of
the 281st crew got under way the pilot of the CH 53 reported that he was taking
fire and almost immediately thereafter reported that he had an engine fire light.
Distracted by these events he maneuvered the aircraft away from the pick up point
with the cable holding the 281st crew extended and in so doing the three crew
members struck a tree, causing the hoist to swing and lag behind the rescue
helicopter. The Ch-53 continued in flight and the cable holding the crew was
severed dropping the 281st crew to the ground.

Captain Mentzer marked the crew's location and a 281st recovery aircraft
approached and hovered over the site allowing MSGT Joe Singh of Project Delta to
jump into the area to assist the downed crew members. The remaining members of
the Project Delta recon team rushed to the location and reported that all three crew
members were dead. The 281st recovered their fellow crew members and the
remaining members of the recon team without incident.

On 0700 hours on August 8, 1967 the members of the 281st AHC gathered at the
Chapel of The Green Berets to remember Michael and his fallen comrades.

Section III 147