13 Apr 2002 Jeff and I were roomates for a while in the Class of WORWAC 68-517. After graduation in November of 1968, the last time I saw him was in San Francisco that December on our way to Vietnam. Jeff was killed on my birthday. I didn't learn of this until I visited the memorial at Fort Rucker, Alabama, some 30 years later. I heard that he had survived the crash, after being shot down, but the Vietcong or NVA got to him before he could be rescued. He was a friend and a good pilot. Being a bit of a rebel only added to his life. Richard Sturtevant 240 AHC Bearcat 1969 Grayhound 18 1800 Old Orchard Rd, Free Union, Va 22940 richardhs@earthlink.net

 

07 June 2002 I too, was a classmate of Jeff's in flight school. Although we were not close friends we were, and forever will be, comrades. I was very saddened to hear of Jeff's loss. I remain so to this day. All of us who served in Vietnam carry the memory of our lost comrades in our hearts. We will forever do so. Jeff, like so many others, gave his last full measure of devotion to this country. Today, more than at any time since his loss, the people of this country are recognizing the sacrifice that men like Jeff made. Hopefully, we have learned once again the meaning of personal sacrifice and devotion to duty. Jeff, and all the others who perished in Vietnam, understood these things. Warren Willis 187th AHC Crusader 20 werewillis@aol.com

 

10 Mar 2003 Jeffrey, tomorrow (3/11) is the day you were born many years ago (1949). Your friends and brothers of the 129th AHC will be thinking of you and remembering times spent together. Join our other friends and brothers with you and toast those of us left behind. We know you are at peace. We will never forget. Never. From a friend of the 129th AHC, gentlyj@aol.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 13 May 1969 three UH-1H helicopters of the 129th Assault Helicopter Company were assigned in support of an RoK troop insertion in Binh Dinh Province. The assault was directed at an NVA position atop a hill, and the insertion point was down-slope. The first two aircraft safely dropped their troops, but the third UH-1 (tail number 67-17399) hit a land mine on touchdown. Although the UH-1 managed to get airborne after the explosion it crashed upslope. Nine RoK troops and four Americans were aboard: WO1 Kenneth Eugene Witmer, pilot WO1 Jeffrey Charles Stowe, copilot SP4 John Henry Ralph Brooks, crew chief SP4 Paul Edward Goonan, door gunner Reports of what occurred next come from two sources: the other UH-1 crews and from three surviving Korean troops who evaded the NVA and linked up with Allied forces on 14 May. From these reports, it appears that at least one Korean trooper and SP4 Goonan died in the crash. Two other Koreans and one American were sighted running downhill from the crash site. The two pilots escaped the wreckage and moved up-slope where they were killed by small arms fire. The bodies of WO Witmer, WO Stowe, and SP4 Goonan were recovered on 14 May. Brooks and the two Koreans who moved downhill were never found. As mentioned, three Korean troopers evaded and rejoined friendly forces. Of the 13 men aboard, 3 survived; 3 were missing in action; and 7 were killed in action. SP4 Brooks has not been repatriated. From the VHPA database and other sources

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