WO JAMES DOYLE EISENHOUR

 

30 Dec 2001 I do not fear an army of lions, if they are led by a lamb. I do fear an army of sheep, if they are led by a lion. Alexander the Great On 18 August 1968, the 240th Assault Helicopter Company lost three men to hostile action: WO1 James Doyle Eisenhour; WO1 Alvis Ray Faverty, Jr.; and SP4 Martin John Begosh. James Doyle Eisenhour was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's highest award for valor in combat. A memorial from his brother, Mark A. Eisenhour ltlike49@aol.com 6 March 1969 General Orders #13 1. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS. By direction of the President, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved 25 July 1963, the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action is awarded, posthumously, to: Warrant Officer James D. Eisenhour W3160336, United States Army who distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action while flying as an aircraft commander of a UH-1H helicopter against hostile forces near Hiep Hoa, Republic of Vietnam, on 18 August 1968, in an attempt to rescue a member of a long range reconnaissance patrol who was reported fallen from the extraction helicopter. Three other aircraft had attempted the rescue operation at the expense of two killed and six wounded. Warrant Officer Eisenhour, realizing that survival chances were small, nevertheless volunteered to take his aircraft and crew into the hotly contested landing zone to attempt the rescue. While hovering in the landing zone looking for the lost man, Warrant Officer Eisenhour's aircraft sustained multiple hits from numerous automatic weapons positions. Warrant Officer Eisenhour was fatally wounded. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his own safety, and profound concern for a fellow soldier, he attempted to rescue this individual at the cost of his own life. Warrant Officer Eisenhour's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity are in the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country. WO Eisenhour, wife Kathy, and daughter Tara.

 

Notes from The Virtual Wall Warrant Officer Eisenhour and Warrant Officer Faverty were not in the same aircraft, and it isn't certain if SP4 Begosh was in the same aircraft as either of the two pilots - but Flaverty and Begosh are the two men mentioned in WO Eisenhour's Citation. Available records do not show that the 240th AHC actually lost an aircraft on 18 August, but rather that the three men died as a result of gunshot wounds sustained while in flight. Thus the official database record which classes WO Eisenhour as having died in an "Air Loss, Crash - Land - Helicopter" is misleading. The VHPA database contains the following information: "Faverty's aircraft extracted the F/51st Inf LRRPs and the radios were shot out. After pulling the team out, the C&C [helicopter] saw someone on the ground with a full NVA field pack and thought this was another American still on the ground. Eisenhour was working in the area on a DCS mission and volunteered to pull this person out. This aircraft was shot up and flew to an abandoned strip. Begosh, a Crew Chief on one of these ships, Faverty, and Eisehour died from wounds received in this event." The photographs were provided to the 240th AHC by Mark Eisenhour and appear on Warrant Officer Eisenhour's 240th AHC memorial page. They have been extracted from that site for use on this memorial page.

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