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B

CHARLES "CHUCK" E.G. BAIRD
MAJ USA Ret.
DAT: 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.

WORLEY G. BAST
31 Oct. 1928�22 June 2010

SGT Bast served as the Operations NCO from 11-68 until 11-69.
He passed away at his home in Quakertown, Pa and is survived by his wife Delores.

From : Jack Interstein

SSG Bast was a very positive influence to a 19 year old kid in the army for less than 6months and just newly arrived at the 281st. He was always a very upbeat person no matter what the problem and kept operations personnel under control and doing the job with a light hand. I had spoken to him about two years ago, trying to get him to come to a reunion. He sounded his old cheery self. I think I sent him a 281st cap at the time. Family matters at the time prevented him from attending. Will try to contact family and give a belated thank you for his service and let him know he not forgotten by his comrades.

JINT

THOMAS J. "JIMMY" BARRAGAN
DAT 13 October 2008
Maintenance 10/68 - 10/69

On 13 October 2008 Jimmy Barragan passed away in the Pittsburgh PA Veterans Hospital after a long and hard fought battle with cancer.  When Jimmy entered the army he was placed on restricted duty due to a hearing loss which did not allow him to serve in a position that would subject him to loud noises.  Jimmy�s first assignment out of school was to the 281^st AHC where he served as a sheet metal technician from 10-68 until 10-68. So much for a loud noise restriction. Jimmy was a strong supporter of the Intruder Association and he took an active part in the annual reunions and the scholarship fund.  Jimmy�s remains were interred at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, PA.   He is survived by his sister Dolores Reiman.

ROLAND S. BATO 
Date of Death: 14 Dec 2001

 SSAN: 566-72-0018, Date of Birth: 27 Feb 1944,  Last Known Residence: 91761 San Bernardino, Ontario, CA Certificate Issued: California

WILLIAM BENNET "BILL" BAUER
DAT 10 July 2008
Operations Officer
8/69 � 4/70

Bauer, COL William Bennet, USA (Ret.), died unexpectedly at his home on Thursday morning, July 10th 2008. The son of a World War II veteran and Naval Aviator, Bill was born the first of five children at San Diego, CA in 1945. During the course of his father's career in the Navy, the family lived in Guam, Hawaii, and multiple locations throughout the United States.

A retired Army colonel with 27 years of service, Bill entered the army as a private in 1966 during the Vietnam War. Commissioned as an infantry officer in 1967, he served 18 months as a helicopter pilot, platoon leader, and air mission commander in Vietnam. He later served twice on assignments in Europe during the Cold War, and he culminated his career at the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command at Ft. Monroe, Virginia. Like his childhood, Bill's Army career sent him, his wife, and two boys to locations throughout the United States and Europe.

Bill is survived by his wife of 36 years, Joan; his son, Major John Bauer and wife, Hilary; his son, Captain Brian Bauer and wife, Lindsey. A graveside service with military honors was held on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, in Arlington National Cemetery.

RICHARD BAKER
2 February 1950 - October 1973

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.

GILLES D. BELANGER
DAT 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

SGT DAVID BITLE
Wolf Pack PLT SGT
DAT 27 September 2000

Served as a Gunner, Crew Chief and Platoon Sergeant of the Wolf Pack from 1965 �1968. 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
19 September 1968 -  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 chi ef 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:

• MAJ Frank Owen Bonnarens, HHC, 1 Field Force, pilot
• SP5 Lloyd Earle Greene, Jr, 201st Avn Co, 17th CAG, crew chief
• MAJ Joseph Adrian Bishop, 201st Avn Co, 17th CAG, passenger
• MAJ Benjamin C. Hartman, Jr, HHC, 17th CAG, passenger
  

CPT JAMES "JIM" BROWN
8 February 1999 - 25 November 1946

Jim served as the platoon leader of the Wolf Pack 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.

ALAN P. BOTSFORD
 Alan passed away on 15 Oct 2009 Alan served in the 281^st and his last known Address was Bradenton, FL 34204

SSG MAHLON E. BUCKALEW
08 Feb 1931 - 16 Oct 1978

SSG Buckalew was the Wolf Pack Plt SGT during 1965 - 1966
Last Address: 76574 Taylor, Williamson County, TX

    

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 
From: Irene Kelly
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 that's 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

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 
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 
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

THOMAS P. (TOM) BUCKLEY
DAT April 2011
Wolf Pack Pilot 1965/66

Tom deployed to Viet Nam with the 281^st Assault Helicopter Company in 1965 and served as an armed helicopter pilot His Obituary follows:

Tom Buckley, 69, of Silver City, N.M. peacefully passed away of natural causes on April 11th in the Smoky Mountains National Park while pursuing his lifelong dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail. By his own assertion, Tom led a full and vibrant life. He served in the US Army for 26 years, including two tours of duty in Vietnam and one in Korea. He was distinguished for heroic service as a helicopter pilot with the Bronze Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. He further served as an Army Comptroller, earning a Master's Degree in Business Administration and CPA while on active duty. He retired as a Lt. Colonel and began a second career as an owner of a multistate distribution company in Houston, TX for 20 years.

When he retired to Silver City in 2006, he served as a stalwart volunteer in the local community. A quietly committed member of many community organization boards, he brought experience and energy to the Grant County Concert Series, the AARP Tax-aide program, the Grant County Pilot Association, the Senior Services Board, and the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP). Tom was a true master dabbler, language aficionado, and skilled handyman who was not afraid to jump on the roof to install a solar water heating system. As a life-long learner, he had widely varied interests including classical and gospel music, reading, flying, and dancing. He loved to travel, especially adventuring off the beaten path from Patagonia to the Arctic Circle, Europe to the Pacific Rim. And he loved to hike. He so valued the camaraderie and community on the trails, especially his buddies with whom he bushwhacked through the trails of Southern New Mexico and the "families" he hiked with for 235 miles along the Appalachian Trail.

Tom is survived by his loving wife, Mary Ann Buckley of Silver City, mother Louise, Brother David and his wife Pat, daughters Susan, Ellie and her partner Shelley, Kay and her husband Brian, Bonnie and her husband Joe, stepchildren Susy and Andy and his wife Shaira, and grandchildren Justin, Emily, and Andie. Donations can be made in his memory to the Grant County Community Concert Association P.O. Box 2722, Silver City, NM 88062 or the Continental Divide Alliance, 1200 Arapahoe Street, Golden CO, 80401.

TRIBUTES

From Ms. Tom Buckley

I cannot express how much these comments mean to me and Tom's daughters. It links all of us with a part of him that really formed his future life and none of us participated in. He did not talk a lot about his time in VN, but I knew bits and pieces, never really pushing the topic with him. However I did know of his poker savvy. 

Tom really had a great spirit of adventure and I always felt that his desire to hike the Appalachian Trail was his need for another adventure challenge. While life in New Mexico was very good and he remained very active, I always thought there was a void in his spirit and  that the AT help fill  that.  He had a real zeal for life and was always upbeat and positive. Each day with him was very special.

If you have the opportunity, please convey my appreciation for all those who took time to write their memories. This email really did bring me moments of peace and great pride during this very difficult period.

Thank you
Mary Ann 

From: Lynn Coleman
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2011

I knew Tom very well. We were in the same Helicopter Q Course at Rucker in 1965 and joined the 281st at Benning in January 66. He was originally a Bandit pilot and was flying with Maj Garrett when they were shot down on Black Sunday in August of 66. He came over to the Wolf Pack after we left Tay Ninh and was with us at Khe San and was flying with me the day we lost Sulander's ship.

After we rotated back to the US we were together at Hunter for two years. After Hunter he went to Korea and I lost track of him. I made contact with him in the either 2003 or 2004 but he was not interested in renewing his ties with the 281st He said tht he had some real problems with flash backs and didn't want to get involved. I lost contact with him again after he moved to New Mexico.

I was really shocked when I got Gary's phone call reporting his death. Lynn

From: Fred Phillips
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2011

I knew Tom Buckley well.

He was the best poker player in the 281st. Whenever we were out on a Delta operation, a couple of majors and several other officers had a serious game that ran whenever we weren't flying. Tom crushed it. Some months, his winnings would double or triple his pay.

He arrived in-country sometime in '66 and saw first serious combat in August, on Black Sunday, near Song Be. Tom and Ron Gaddis were flying the recovery slick when Ray Oksa and Curt Garrett got shot down while trying to pick up a Delta team that found itself in the middle of an NVA Battalion. Tom landed in the extremely confined LZ, picked up the crew and then hovered, backwards, into one corner of the LZ to get a long enough takeoff run to clear the trees. He did all that under fire from multiple automatic weapons, at a range of 50-100 meters. Magnificent.

When I went home couple of months later, he took my spot in the Wolfpack.

We've lost a really good guy and a great aviator.

Fred Phillips
Wolfpack 32

SP4 JAMES L. BYERS
May 1977 - 3 March 1947

246-80-5405, RA 53524779
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.