Richard Evancho

The database page for Richard Evancho

08 Feb 2002 Richard "Rate" Evancho died in a helicopter crash at sea. Four other Marines died with him - aircrewmen Ernest Kerr, Jr, and Larry Green, and two other passengers onboard with him, Frankie Allgood and Glenn Mowrey. They are all listed between rows 26 - 42 on Panel 46E. A memorial from a High School friend. E-Mail may be forwarded via the Webmaster@VirtualWall.org

A Note from The Virtual Wall The HMM-363 Command Chronology for March 1968 contains the following entry: "26 March 1968: The day was a tragic one for HMM-363. At approximately 0250H [2:50 am] Phu Bai came under a rocket attack. The first of the rockets to hit scored direct hits in the officers' areas. Heavy casualties were received. Among those wounded was LtCol ALLGOOD, the Commanding Officer of HMM-363. The squadron's physician examined him and reported his condition as grave. After the attack had ceased the medevacs were taken to "A" Med and examined, the night medevac crews were called to take those with head wounds to Da Nang for treatment. The section led by Major HARRISON launched with two medevacs aboard the lead aircraft and three in the chase [aircraft]. The weather was poor with a 500 foot ceiling and in an attempt to be clear of all mountains, the flight proceeded south over the water. At 0510H [5:10 am] the chase aircraft flown by Lt STEVENSON lost sight of the lead aircraft and then [lost] radio contact. Major HARRISON reported immediately that his wingman was down at the 090 degree radial Tacan Channel 69 at 30 miles. Major HARRISON, considering the severity of the medevacs' condition and the poor conditions for a search, continued to Da Nang. The SAR aircraft were immediately launched from Da Nang and the pilot Lt STEVENSON and co-pilot Lt RUCK were rescued. The crew, Cpl Larry E. GREEN 2175487 USMC crew chief, L/Cpl Ernest C. KERR 2203528 USMC gunner, the corpsmen HM3 William H. COOK 3919600 USN and HN Wayne J. FIELDING 9999186 USN, then medevacs Cpl Glenn MOWERY 2177279 USMC, LCpl Richard EVANCHO 2279395 USMC, and LtCol Frankie E. ALLGOOD 057335 USMCR the Commanding Officer of HMM-363 were not found. Major HOFFERT arrived from Quang Tri and assumed command." The seven men lost in the crash of UH-34D BuNo 144654 were Aircrew and Corpsmen: HM2 William H. Cook, Kennewick, WA, H&S Co, 3rd Med Bn Cpl Larry E. Green, Mount Morris, MI, HMM-363 HN Wayne J. Fielding, Pittsburgh, PA, C Co, 3rd Med Bn LCpl Ernest C. Kerr, Akron, OH, HMM-363 Medevacs: LtCol Frankie E. Allgood, Fort Scott, KS, HMM-363 Cpl Glenn W. Mowrey, Chillicothe, OH, H&S Co, 3rd Service Bn LCpl Richard Evancho, Freeland, PA, MABS-36 The bodies of HM2 Cook and HN Fielding were subsequently recovered. The remains of the other five men were not found.

The point-of-contact for this memorial is a High School friend. E-Mail may be forwarded via the Webmaster@VirtualWall.org

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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 8 Feb 2002
Last updated 08/19/2007