CHARLES (Chuck) E.G. BAIRD
Major USA Ret.
DOD: Jan 1995
Served as a CWO-2 with the 6th Platoon and the 281st in 1965-66. Major
Baird was flying for a coal mining company in the PA area when he was killed in
a helicopter accident, described as follows; “On January 18, 1995, about 1805 Eastern Standard Time, an Agusta A109C,
N1WD, owned by Leffler Transportation Company and piloted by Charles E. Baird,
was destroyed when it impacted in an open field near the Deck Airport, Jackson
Township, Pennsylvania. The pilot and both company employee passengers were
fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an
instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight
conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.”
Major Baird was living in the vicinity of Harrisburg, PA. at the time of his
death.
ROLAND S. BATO
SSAN: 566-72-0018, Date of Birth: 27 Feb 1944, Date
of Death: 14 Dec 2001
Last Known Residence: 91761 San Bernardino, Ontario, CA
Certificate Issued: California
RICHARD BAKER
SAN: 459-88-4565, Date of Birth: 02 Feb 1950, Date of Death: Oct 1973, SSAN Issued: Texas.
Bandit CE 69/70 Richard was killed in motorcycle accident in route to Ft Bragg,
CA on Henry Harpster’s bike. Richard had borrowed Harpster’s bike to
visit Paul Swol and during the trip he crashed head on into a van.
EUGENE H. BAXLEY
Date of death:
3 June or 3 July 2002 Reported by Don Creed
Svc Plt, 66 - 67, 34734 View Drive, Yucaipa, CA 92399, Tel: 909-797-4540
GILLES D.
BELANGER
DOD: 23 March 1995
A C/E with the Wolf Pack, Gilles died in Holyoke, MA of various illnesses
related to his military service. He is survived by his wife, Annette Belanger of
Holyoke, MA
JOHN L. BILYEU
SSAN: 494-56-9679, Date of Birth: 15 May 1950, Date of Death: 16 Mar 1998,
Issued:
Missouri. John Served in the 281st AHC from July of
1970 until Nov. 1970.
My father was John L. Bilyeu.
Please let me know if you knew him and any other info on him would be great.
He joined the army in Dec 1969 and left for Vietnam right after AIT. His
first unit there was the 281st and then he moved on to the 135th AHC. He
stayed in the Army for 20 years and retired as an E-7. I think he enjoyed
it. He was married 3 times his last wife being from Germany. still living
in Ozark MO he had 4 children 3 girls and 1 Boy. He was always very
devilish. tall and thin. long neck. we always called him a red neck
because his neck never tanned. only turned red....He died March 16,1998
Thank you, Heather (Bilyeu) Cooper,
hooper@apecgas.com
SGT DAVID BITLE
Wolf Pack Plt Sgt

Served as a Gunner, Crew Chief and Platoon Sergeant of the Wolf Pack from
1965 –1968. DOD: 27 September 2000
Sgt. Bitle was living in Hawaii at the time of his death. He is buried at the
National Memorial Cemetery, Punchbowl, Hawaii. Please visit the Wolf Pack Web
site for a memorial and pictures of SGT. Dave Bitle. Dave-Wolf
Pack
JOHN BOLAS
John Died in September of 1983 as a result of cancer.
he served in the 1st platoon (Rat pack) of the 281st AHC
FRANK
OWEN BONNARENS
485-34-1638, ASN 07361,
DOD: 19 September 1968, DOB: 11 February 1932
Major Bonnarens came to the 281st as part of an infusion program and served as the second Platoon Leader of the 145th Aviation Platoon for approximately two month before returning to the states in 1966. He was a 14-year army veteran from Browning, MO serving his second tour in Vietnam at the time of his death, which was the result of a non-hostile aircraft accident (OH-6 # 67-16015).
At about the same time a UH-1H (tail number 66-16323) departed Ban Me Thout City Airfield enroute Dong Ba Thin, 82 miles to the southeast. This aircraft also paralleled highway 21, but remained on the south side. The pilot of the UH-1H, a Lt Williams, reported sighting the OH-6A aircraft at 1700 hours, approximately 18 miles east of Ban Me Thout at a position north of highway 21 and flying in a southeasterly direction at approximately the same altitude as Williams' UH-1H. The OH-6A was closing on Lt Williams' aircraft and crossed highway 21 from left to right passing two miles to Williams' front. After a suitable separation was obtained between the two aircraft, the OH-6A was no longer observed by Lt Williams. The OH-6A aircraft was again observed by Lt Williams approximately three minutes later; it had reversed its original course and was now approaching Lt Williams' aircraft, head-on at a lower altitude and descending at an approximate angle of 30 degrees. The OH-6A aircraft was observed by SP Bowen, crew chief of Lt Williams' aircraft, to continue its descent all the way to the ground, where an explosion occurred shortly after impact.
Four men died in the crash:
CPT JAMES
(Jim) BROWN
DOD: 8 February 1999,
DOB: 25 November 1946
Jim served as the platoon leader of the Wolfpack during 69-70. Jim and
Bob George were very close friends in the 281st and remained so throughout their
lives after Vietnam. Jim died of lung cancer attributed to Agent Orange, as did
Bob George exactly nine days after Jim’s death. He was living at 32937,
Satellite Beach, Bevard, FL, at the time of his death.
SSG MAHLON E. BUCKALEW

SSAN: 144-24-5208 Born:
Flight;
Mahlon Buckalew was a door gunner with the 6th Airlift Platoon "Fangs" in 65 and
66. When the 281st was formed, he was the Wolf Pack's first Platoon Sergeant and
the guy who taught the fresh-off-the-boat gunners and crew chiefs how to handle
an M-60.
In May 66, Sergeant Buck single-handedly saved his crew, including me, in a nasty
and quick firefight north of Tay Ninh. For that he was the first Intruder, and
the first member of the 10th CAB, to be awarded the Silver Star.
His son found his name on our website and I've just received a couple of emails
from his kids, which I'm pleased to pass along to all of you.
Fred Phillips
Subj: Mahlon Buckalew
Date: 10/16/2002 6:08:49 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From:
To: FredPhillips@aol.com
Hi Fred. Hope this email finds you in good health. My name is Irene Kelly (Buckalew)
I'am the daughter of SGT. Mahlon Buckalew. My father died on October 16, 1978.
I was 15 years old when he passed. He died of cancer. I miss him very much.
He was a wonderful man. My brother "Sonny" happened to come across a website,
he was looking for information on our father and was truly shocked when he saw
your story. He has our father's silver star and purple heart and flag. He
instantly called me and told me about your story, he was so happy and kind of
scared, he was afraid to email you, and i told him that he should send you some
information. I would like to send you some pictures of my dad if thats okay
with you.
I was 5 years old when I met my father. He married my mother Ruth in Taylor,
Texas. Together they had 5 children. Edward Allen Buckalew born in 1961 and
died in 1989, Frances Irene Buckalew born in August 1963, Diane Marie Buckalew
born in Oct 1970, Mahlon Ray (Sonny) Buckalew born in July 1968 and Dell Wayne
Buckalew born in Jan 1972. My father had a scar on his right side of his face,
just below his nose and on top of his upper lip, he told us kids that he was in
an accident when he was little, he sustained a laceration while on a sled. I
guess he did not want to tell us about his war injuries. He never really talked
about the war, we were still young kids when he died. My mother does share some
stories that he had told her. I would give anything to just be able to have had
more time with him. He was ill for atleast 5 years before he died and he fought
so hard to stay alive. He retired in 1968 and died 10 years
later. If you have
any stories to share with me, I would really appreciate anything you
can send.
If you would like some pictures, please let me know.
Thank you,
Irene Kelly
PO Box 641
Granger, TX 76530
From: Mahlon68
To: Fred Phillips
Hello Mr.Phillips,
My name is Mahlon Buckalew jr.It was nice to know that someone remembered my
father from the war.If you want to get in contact with me here is my e-mail
address. mahlon68@aol.com
Subj: mahlon buckalew
Date: 10/21/2002 12:40:24 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: diane_buck@hotmail.com
To: FredPhillips@aol.com
Hi Fred, my name is Diane Buckalew my brother Sonny called me up and told me
about dad and the stories. I was so happy that someone remembered him. I went
directly to the website. Thank you. I was a little girl when dad passed away I
was only 7 yrs. old but I remember when dad would come home from work I would
run to him and jump on his lap. I loved him so much and miss him dearly. My
sister Irene was also excited and the rest of the family. We were in Taylor
yesterday at moms they were going to gather dads pictures from the military.
Thank you so much for remembering my dad, it made my day. Take care and god
bless you and your family.
Diane Buckalew
2404 Dowd Ln.
Austin, Tx 78728
512-252-8460
diane_buck@hotmail.com
Subj: Re: Mahlon Buckalew
Date: 10/19/2002 7:21:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: irenek@totalaccess.net
To: FredPhillips@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Thanks for replying Fred. Sonny still thinks he's dreaming. Like I mentioned
earlier, we were young when our father passed and we really never got to know
him as well as we would have liked to. I do know one thing, he loved the water.
He would load up us kids and the neighbor kids after a hard day at work and take
us to Jonah River to swim. I do remember him telling me some stories when he was
ill, he would reminisce and I vaguely remember him telling me about a young man
that died in his arms, and I remember the sad face he had when sharing this with
me. I know he had nightmares, he would on occasions wake us, and he would
never have a recollection of his dreams/nightmares the following day.
Dad was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas and met my mother (Ruth) in Taylor, TX.
They married and settled in Taylor. TX. Dad was born in New Egypt, NJ. His
father Delmas passed in 1968 and his mother passed in 1976. Dad had two
brothers and one sister. We met his brother "Shorty", we have never met our
other uncle or aunt. Sonny and I have recently been doing ancestry research,
and we have located our 3rd and 4th cousins. It's amazing what the internet can
do these days. We are working on planning a trip to NJ to visit our fathers
birthplace. We will be gathering some pictures and letters tomorrow, we will
scan them and send them to you via e-mail. If you have any pictures, I would
really love to see them.
I do know that father joined the service at the age of 17 - and retired at the
age of 37. He was taken at an early age. Our mother never remarried.
I remember when I was 7 years old, it was late and my mother was just getting
home from working a late shift, it was around 11pm - and we were sleeping and
dad was asleep as well. As my mother approached the front door, she saw a man
trying to break into our house through one of the bedroom windows, which was my
bedroom window. She started to scream, my father awoke and the man ran down the
hill. My mother called the policewhen she saw my father grab his rifle and
chase the man. The robber to be ran down the hill into some woods and dad was
running with his pajamas barely hanging on, I remember us kids laughing at the
site of dad and his PJ's. When the police arrived, we asked them if they were
going into the woods to help, the policemen stated that father would take care
of it himself. As the police were telling us that father would take care of it,
we heard 2 gunshots. Within a matter of minutes, my father appeared and told
the policemen to "call for an ambulance - I just shot him in the ass". The
policemen were afraid of my father, why we did not know. To make a long story
short, my father crippled the man that tried to break into our home. Years
later, we would see the man walking with an aid of a cane.
We have so many stories to share. We have so many good memories of dad, and we
know that he loved us.
Anyway, its getting late and I hope to hear from you soon. Sonny and I will be
sending you those pictures.
Take Care.
Irene
From: <FredPhillips@aol.com>
Subject: Mahlon Buckalew
Hello Irene and Sonny,
I was delighted to receive your emails. I knew your father well. We flew more
than 100 missions together, including perhaps a dozen that involved firefights.
On one of those, he saved our entire crew.
But before I tell you about that day, here are a few other thoughts and
memories, in no particular order ...
Your dad was the Sergeant in charge of the enlisted door gunners on the armed
helicopters we flew. The average gunner was about 19 years old, somewhat crazy
and definitely hard to handle. More than a few of those guys were psychotic. But
every one of them would follow Sergeant Buck anywhere, anytime, without
hesitation. In 30 years in the Army, I never knew another NCO that had as much
respect from his soldiers.
Occasionally, I used to joke that what I most disliked about Vietnam was the
fact that I couldn't get up and go out for donuts. One morning, while we were on
a combat operation, miles from nowhere and living in tents in the woods,
Sergeant Buckalew brought me a dozen donuts, still hot and fresh from the oven.
He wouldn't say where, or how, he got them.
You mentioned that he had a Purple Heart. I'm almost certain he received it for
wounds suffered in Korea, including the scar on his face.
Your father's Silver Star made the front page of the Stars and Stripes, the
armed forces newspaper. It was the first awarded to a member fo the 281st
Assault Helicopter Company or the 10th Combat Aviation Battalion. That unit,
with a few thousand soldiers, had been in Vietnam for more than a year. Silver
Stars, and higher decorations, were truly rare.
On Sergeant Buck's last night in Vietnam, he stopped by my hooch. We downed a
couple of beers and he tried to thank me for writing the recommendation that got
him the Silver Star, but I didn't need that. I tried to thank him for saving my
life, but he wouldn't listen. Finally, we just polished off a few more beers and
enjoyed each other's company. That was the last time I saw him. For the last 36
years, there has not been one single day when he hasn't crossed my mind. I miss
him.
Here's what happened, on just one of the missions he flew:
I was the pilot of our Huey gunship. The co-pilot was Ed Carty, who was killed
in a training accident about a year later. The crew chief (and left-side door
gunner) was a new guy flying his first mission, named Long. Lately, we've tried
to find him but haven't yet succeeded. Your father was the right-side door
gunner.
Our mission was reconnaissance in an area called War Zone C, which was heavily
wooded and had no friendlies, but lots of bad guys. When we spotted a dirt road
through the trees with fresh tire tracks, I stupidly decided to fly down the
middle of it to try and find somebody to shoot. At an altitude of about 50 feet,
we came around a corner and there, about 100 yards in front of us, was a guy in
black pajamas with an AK-47. He started shooting, and we were on top of him
before anybody could return the fire. Something knocked my left arm off of the
controls, and I remember thinking that we had just taken a hit through the
cockpit. At about the same time, I saw muzzle flashes from man automatic weapon
in a foxhole on the right side of the road, maybe 75 feet away, which stopped
after a burst from Sergeant Buck's machine gun.
I began a turn to put some trees between us and the bad guy on the road, but the
stick jumped out of my hand and the we rolled inverted. The aircraft's hydraulic
system (like the power steering system on your car) had been hit and had failed.
At that point, we were out of control and upside down, 50 feet above the ground.
Your father had been standing on the skid, outside the helicopter. Suddenly, the
shooting stopped.
I don't know how Ed Carty and I got the aircraft back under control, but we
managed somehow. I looked back to see if everybody was OK, just in time to see
your dad scramble back into the aircraft. He said he shot the bad guy after we
had "turned left." I looked back and saw the dude who shot us, lying dead on the
road. Mahlon Buckalew had just saved our lives.
Sergeant Buck was a stunning human being, and that's a fact. Recently, one of
his underlings, Bill Perren, said of him: "He was a hell of a warrior." He will
not be forgotten.
Maybe, we hope, some of his children will attend our next reunion. Any pictures
you might have will be most appreciated.
But for your father's breathtaking skill and courage, I wouldn't be here.
Fred Phillips
BOBBY D. BUMBALOUGH
SSAN: 412-74-0712, Date of Birth: 15 Oct 1944, Date of
Death: 02 May 1990 SSN Issued in Tennessee. Last possible
address: 211 3rd Avenue N, Baxter, TN 38544
SGT DAVID A. BUTCHER
SSAN: 232-32-8865, Date of Birth: 07 Jul 1928, Date of Death: 13 Feb
1998. Last residence: 33549 Lutz, Hillsborough, FL. SSAN Issued:
West Virginia or North Carolina
David served in the 281st. AHC as a Maintenance NCO
SP4 JAMES
L. BYERS
246-80-5405, RA 53524779
DOD: May 1977, DOB: 3 March 1947
Came to 281st 28 Dec 67 from the 61st Avn Co. Departed 281st 10 Aug 68,
went to the 192nd Avn Co for the remainder of his tour under the Infusion
Program. James was living at 27261 High Point, Guilford, NC at the time of his
death.