Recon Marines

POW/MIA

Part 2 of 4

POW/MIA

Part 3

GYSGT Di Reyes Ibanez

Thank You to FGraver Finding Family for the following information regarding GYSGT Ibanez:

Gunnery Sergeant Ibanez was living in San Diego, CA when he entered the service and was a member of Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division.

On the night of June 5, 1967, he was on patrol in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, when he was declared missing.

His remains were never recovered.

His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

PFC Charles Dennis Chomel

On 11 June 1967, 1LT Curtis Bohlscheid was the pilot of a CH46A helicopter inserting a seven-man Marine Force Recon team into a predesignated area 11.5 nautical miles northwest of Dong Ha, South Vietnam -- right on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). A total of four aircraft were involved in the mission, two CH46's and two UH1E helicopter gunships. Bohlscheid flew the lead aircraft. His crew included MAJ John S. Oldham, LCPL Jose J. Gonzales (crew chief), and PFC Thomas M. Hanratty (crew chief). Members of the 3rd Recon Company, 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division who were being inserted were CPL Jim E. Moshier, LCPL Dennis R. Christie, LCPL John J. Foley III, LCPL Michael W. Havranek, LCPL James W. Kooi, PFC Charles D. Chomel, and PFC James E. Widener. The flight departed Dong Ha at about 11:15 a.m. and proceeded to the insertion location. The gunships made low strafing runs over the landing zone to clear booby traps and to locate any enemy troops in the area. No enemy fire was received and no activity was observed. The lead aircraft then began its approach to the landing zone. At an estimated altitude of 400-600 feet, the helicopter was observed to climb erratically, similar to an aircraft commencing a loop. Machinegun men had been waiting for the opportune time to fire on the aircraft. Portions of the rear blades were seen to separate from the aircraft and a radio transmission was received from the aircraft indicating that it had been hit. The helicopter became inverted and continued out of control until it was seen to crash by a stream in a steep ravine. Subsequent efforts by ground units to reach the crash area failed due to a heavy bunker complex surrounding the site. The ground units inspected the site from within 500 meters through binoculars and observed no survivors. All eleven personnel aboard the helicopter were therefore classified Killed In Action, Body Not Recovered. Other USMC records indicate that the helicopter also burst into flames just prior to impacting the ground. Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POWMIA families, published sources, interviews.

LCpl Dennis Ray Christie

On June 11, 1967, a CH-46 Sea Knight (bureau number 150270) took off as lead helicopter in a flight of four (one other CH-46 and two UH-1 Iroquois) on an insertion mission to land a patrol of Marines in hostile territory north of Cam Lo, Quang Tri Province. Twelve miles west of Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province, the CH-46 took enemy small arms fire while at low altitude, causing it to crash and burn. Personnel in other helicopters in the flight believed that there could have been no survivors. Searchers repeatedly attempted to reach the crash site over the next two weeks but enemy forces prevented them from doing so until June 30, when they found no evidence of survivors and no remains. 

Lance Corporal Dennis Ray Christie, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California, served with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. He was aboard the CH-46 when it crashed on June 11, 1967, and he was lost with the aircraft. His remains could not be recovered at the time of loss, and later searches failed to locate his remains. Today, Lance Corporal Christie is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.

LCpl JOHN JOSEPH FOLEY III

On June 11, 1967, a CH-46 Sea Knight (bureau number 150270) took off as lead helicopter in a flight of four (one other CH-46 and two UH-1 Iroquois) on an insertion mission to land a patrol of Marines in hostile territory north of Cam Lo, Quang Tri Province. Twelve miles west of Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province, the CH-46 took enemy small arms fire while at low altitude, causing it to crash and burn. Personnel in other helicopters in the flight believed that there could have been no survivors. Searchers repeatedly attempted to reach the crash site over the next two weeks but enemy forces prevented them from doing so until June 30, when they found no evidence of survivors and no remains. 

Lance Corporal Joseph John Foley III, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from New Jersey, was a member of 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. He was a passenger aboard the CH-46 when it crashed on June 11, 1967, and was killed in the incident. His remains could not be located or identified following the incident. Today, Lance Corporal Foley is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.

John died on the date of his 20th birthday

LCpl MICHAEL WILLIAM HAVRANEKI

On June 11, 1967, a CH-46 Sea Knight (bureau number 150270) took off as lead helicopter in a flight of four (one other CH-46 and two UH-1 Iroquois) on an insertion mission to land a patrol of Marines in hostile territory north of Cam Lo, Quang Tri Province. Twelve miles west of Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province, the CH-46 took enemy small arms fire while at low altitude, causing it to crash and burn. Personnel in other helicopters in the flight believed that there could have been no survivors. Searchers repeatedly attempted to reach the crash site over the next two weeks but enemy forces prevented them from doing so until June 30, when they found no evidence of survivors and no remains. 

Lance Corporal Michael William Havranek, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Montana, served with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. He was aboard the CH-46 when it crashed, and attempts to locate and recover his remains following the incident have been unsuccessful. Today, Lance Corporal Havranek is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.

Saint Mary Cemetery
Also known as New Saint Mary Cemetery, Saint Mary Cemetery Annex

Missoula, Missoula County, Montana, USA

LCpl JAMES WILLARD KOOI

The Mission
On 11 June 1967 a reconnaissance team from the 3rd Force Recon Company was scheduled for insertion into position on the southern border of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) four kilometers north of Hill 208 and 900 meters west of Hill 174, both well known NVA positions.The insertion force consisted of two CH-46As from HMM-265 and two UH-1E gunships from VMO-2. The lead CH-46A (BuNo 150270) carried four crewmen and seven men of the recon team:

HMM-265:Major John S. Oldham, Tinnie, NM, pilot
Capt Curtis R. Bohlscheid, Pocatello, ID, copilot
LCpl Jose J. Gonzalez, El Paso, TX, gunner
Pfc Thomas M. Hanratty, Beulah, CO, crew chief


3rd Force Recon Co:Cpl Jim E. Moshier, Bakersfield, CA
LCpl Dennis R. Christie, Imperial Beach, CA
LCpl John J. Foley, Plainfield, NJ
LCpl Michael W. Havranek, Missoula, MT
LCpl James W. Kooi, Fruitport, MI
Pfc Charles D. Chomel, Columbus, IN
Pfc James E. Widener, Churchville, NY
Hank Trimble, pilot of one of the VMO-2 gunship escorts, recalls that three insertion attempts were made. The first and second attempts were aborted due to enemy activity and fire in the intended landing zones, but the third LZ was clear. As the CH-46 approached the LZ it"transitioned to landing speed, in almost slow motion his nose rose, then rose more sharply, then climbed toward the vertical. Then the aircraft rolled inverted, split S, and dived down and exploded."
Trimble's recollection is that there was no evident enemy action and that the likely cause was mechanical failure.The crash was not survivable. The enemy presence in the area prohibited recovery of the bodies at the time, and as of 30 May 2002 their remains have not been repatriated.

From the
USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Association

On June 11, 1967, a CH-46 Sea Knight (bureau number 150270) took off as lead helicopter in a flight of four (one other CH-46 and two UH-1 Iroquois) on an insertion mission to land a patrol of Marines in hostile territory north of Cam Lo, Quang Tri Province. Twelve miles west of Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province, the CH-46 took enemy small arms fire while at low altitude, causing it to crash and burn. Personnel in other helicopters in the flight believed that there could have been no survivors. Searchers repeatedly attempted to reach the crash site over the next two weeks but enemy forces prevented them from doing so until June 30, when they found no evidence of survivors and no remains. 

Lance Corporal James Willard Kooi, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Michigan, served with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. He was aboard the CH-46 when it crashed and burned on June 11, 1967, and his remains could not be immediately recovered. Later searches failed to locate his remains. Today, Lance Corporal Kooi is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.

HM3 MICHAEL BARRY JUDD

On February 27, 2013, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Hospital Corpsman Third Class Michael Barry Judd, missing from the Vietnam War. Hospital Corpsman Judd entered the U.S. Navy from Ohio and was attached to Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. On June 30, 1967, he was a passenger aboard a CH-46 Sea Knight (bureau number unknown) on a mission to insert Marines into hostile territory in Thua Thien Province, Vietnam. The Sea Knight was downed by enemy fire as it approached the landing zone, and HM3 Judd was killed in the crash. His remains could not be recovered at the time due to heavy enemy presence in the area. In 2012, a joint U.S./Vietnamese search team excavated the Sea Knight's crash site, recovering human remains, and modern forensic techniques identified HM3 Judd from among the recovered remains. Hospital Corpsman Judd is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Michael Barry Judd was born to Cherry and Jim Judd, both artists. She was born in England, emigrating to Ontario, Canada in the 1930's. There, Cherry attended art school and met her first husband, Jim Judd. They moved to Cleveland, Ohio, after having son, John Christopher (Chris) in Norfolk Virginia and later Michael, who was born in Cleveland.

Michael's mother worked at Higbee Company's Display department where she met her second husband, Joseph Thomas Dottore. They had a daughter, Cathy Dottore. Cherry worked as an executive assistant at St. Luke's Hospital in Cleveland until retiring in 1989.

When Michael was 11 years old, his brother moved to Colorado to live with his father and stepmother Sally. Michael stayed in Cleveland, graduating from John Adams High School in 1964 and entering the service shortly thereafter.

He served at Marine hospital facilities in California and Virginia before leaving for Vietnam in 1966.

He spent nearly a year serving with the Third Marine Division in Vietnam, and was killed less than two months before he was due to return home. His brother Chris was also serving in the Navy and due for duty aboard the Patrick Henry nuclear submarine.

On June 30, 1967, Captain John A House was flying 11 members of a Reconnaissance Patrol into a Landing Zone, and received heavy small arms, automatic weapons, and anti-aircraft fire from ridgelines and treelines near the LZ. The helicopter was hit and burst into flames. He aborted the landing, but with the craft severly damaged.

He was able to fly a short distance with the chopper on fire but was finally forced to make a crash landing in tall jungle canopy on a hillside approximately 1000 meters away. According to Lieutenant Colonel William R. Beeler (U.S. Marine Corps, July 1, 1967 letter to Jack's parents), the co-pilot (Ted Pittman) managed to escape along with the two enlisted crew members and four of an eight man reconnaissance team.

Prior to being rescued, two of the lesser injured reconnaissance team members returned to the scene of the crash and verified the crash scene. Jack's parents were contacted by the co-pilot and he told them that Jack was not injured from fire or the crash, but tree branches stopped his exit from the helicopter and just before he was able to get free, the helicopter exploded.

Five men were not recovered from that downed helicopter. The five missing men were:
Capt John Alexander House, II, Aircraft Commander, HMM-265
HM3 Michael Barry Judd, Corpsman, A Co, 3rd Recon Bn
Cpl Glyn Linal Runnels, Jr., A Co, 3rd Recon Bn
LCpl Merlin Raye Allen, A Co, 3rd Recon Bn
LCpl John Dewey Killen, III, A Co, 3rd Recon Bn
One of the survivors, Lance Corporal Dennis Mitchell Perry, A/3 Recon, died on 02 July 1967 of injuries received. One of the other survivors, patrol leader Sergeant Eugene Castaneda, returned to duty and was killed in action on 12 August 1967.

In April 2017, the Department of Defense announced that House, Runnells, and Killen were accounted for. Two additional service members were previously identified from this crash in 2012, Marine Lance Cpl. Merlin R. Allen and Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael B. Judd. Their remains were returned to their families in February 2013 for burial with full military honors.

The seven Marines who survived the horrific crash and all testified in their debriefing that if it weren't for the calmness, skill, and training of their pilot and brother Jack House, they wouldn't have made it out alive. Based on their reports, Captain House was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Michael Barry Judd was survived by his mother Cherry Keogh (Smith) Judd Dottore (1918-2015), father James Weston Judd, stepfather Joseph Thomas Dattore, brother Lt. J. C. (Chris) Judd (1941-2015), U.S. Navy, and sister Cathy Dattore.

Burial in Arlington was July 15, 2013. The complete story and photos can be viewed here. Both his mother and brother passed away in 2015 and are buried on a family property in Frederick, Maryland.

'In Memory Of' marker can be found at Highland Park Cemetery, Highland Hills, Cuyahoga County, Ohio

LCpl JOHN DEWEY KILLEN III

On March 9, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Agency (DPAA) announced that the remains of Lance Corporal John Dewey Killen III, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified. Lance Corporal Killen, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Rhode Island, served with Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. On June 30, 1967, he was aboard a CH-46A Sea Knight helicopter as part of a reconnaissance patrol being inserted into enemy territory in Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam. As the Sea Knight approached the landing zone, it was struck by enemy fire, causing the aircraft to catch fire and crash. LCpl Killen and four others were killed in the crash. In 2012, a Joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam recovery team excavated the crash site and located human remains. Modern forensic techniques were eventually able to identify LCpl Killen among the remains recovered. Lance Corporal Killen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

CPL Glyn Linal Runnels Jr.

HMC Michael Louis “Doc” LaPorte

Hospital Corpsman Second Class (HM2) Michael Louis LaPorte entered the U.S. Navy from California and was assigned to the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. On September 5, 1967, he was a medic assigned to a nine-man reconnaissance patrol parachuting out of an aircraft into Happy Valley in the vicinity of grid coordinates ZC 144 664, Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. After exiting the aircraft, the team encountered heavy wind and HM2 LaPorte was last observed by the other team members to be drifting away from them at a much faster rate. HM2 LaPorte did not join his patrol at the landing site, and search and rescue efforts were initiated but were unsuccessful. He remains unaccounted for. After the incident, the Navy promoted HM2 LaPorte to the rank of senior chief hospital corpsman. Today, Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman LaPorte is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.   His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.

Glyn, the son of Glyn L. Runnels Sr. of Birmingham Alabama, the dear nephew of Richard McClendon of Houston Texas, and son of Grace Runnels; enlisted in the US Marine Corps on December 1 1965 in Birmingham AL. In Vietnam he was assigned to and served with Company A, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d MARDIV (Rein) FMF.

On June 30, after lifting off with a Recon Team the CH46-D proceeded its destination in Nam Hoa District in Thua Thien Province, on arriving near Hill 562 the aircraft began to descend for the planned insertion when it was hit by small arms and automatic weapons fire. The fuel tank was hit, and the aircraft exploded crashed and burned on impact, killing five Marines and a US Navy Corpsman who had been on board. The wounded survivors moved to the high ground to escape the fire and were rescued. None of the remains could be found or recovered. Cpl Glyn Runnels was one of the casualties he was killed in action, one of the men who's remains were not recovered.

Casualties:

Merlin Ray Allen * Remains identified Feb 16 2013
John Alexander House
Michael Barry Judd * Remains identified Feb 27 2013
John Dewey Killen III
Dennis Mitchell Perry
Glyn Linal Runnels

* The remains of Cpl Runnels, Lance Cpl John D. Killen III, and Capt. John A House II were recovered and identified in April 2017. The remains of the other two marines who were killed were recovered and identified previously. Interment scheduled for Cpl Runnels is on 27 September, 2018 in Arlington National Cemetery.
Gravesite Details
In Memory Marker - Body Not Recovered