Chief Warrant Officer-3
George Thomas Condrey III
64-14172
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George Thomas (Tommy) Condrey, III was
born in Atlanta, Georgia on February 12,
1944. He grew up in the Atlanta area and was a very
active young man from an early age, participating in Sports, Boy Scouts and fishing with his
Father and Grandfather, George Thomas Condrey
Tom with his father fishing and as a Boy Scout
Tommy Graduated from No
rth Fulton High
School in 1962 where
he was the Cadet
Commander of the Army Jr. ROTC program, was a member of
Following graduation Tommy was married to Jo Ann King in the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Tommy and Jo Ann were active in the Covenant Presbyterian Church where Tommy participated in the church's youth activities and sang in the choir.
In early July Tommy left his new bride and his family for the trip to South Vietnam where on July 13, 1967 he joined the 281st Assault Helicopter Company. His initial assignment was with the Bandit Platoon in support of the 5th Special Forces and Project Delta, where he became a highly skilled and respected Aircraft Commander. Tommy was a natural leader and was held in high esteem by his fellow crew members and his superiors. He earned the respect of all, and was a friend to all.
Tommy then decided to
join the Wolf Pack and fly gun ships. It w
as in this assignment that on May
8, 1968, Tommy and his crew were assigned the mission of supporting
the recovery of a Special Forces Long Range Reconnaissance Team (LRRP)
that was engaged in a fire fight with a large hostile force and as such
were in danger of being captured. When Tommy and his crew arrived on the
scene their gunship immediately came under intense enemy fire. As the
pickup helicopter approached the Landing zone Tommy and his crew flew
close fire support placing suppressive fire on the hostile forces and at
the same time by placing the themselves between the lightly armed
pickup helicopter and the hostile force they were able to draw the ground
fire away from the pickup helicopter . Although drawing heavy fire from
the hostile forces on the ground Tommy and his crew continued to provide
cover for the pickup helicopters until their own helicopter gun ship was
hit by a barrage of enemy fire that caused it to explode in mid-air and
crash on the bank of the Buong River. The violent midair explosion of the aircraft indicated that it had
been hit by a rocket type explosive projectile.
Shortly after the incident, recovery personnel landed in the vicinity of the crash, but were unable to find any signs of life. On 12 May a ground patrol located the remains of 4 individuals in the vicinity of the crash site. However, due to heavy enemy activity the remains could not be recovered.
WO1 George Thomas Condrey III, was one of four men lost when UH-1C 64-14172 was shot down. Condrey, James Dayton, the aircraft commander, Daniel Jurecko, crew chief, and Robert Jenne, gunner, were all highly respected members of the 281st AHC and they shall always be remembered. (To visit the other crew members remembrance sites click on their name)
For service to his country and his actions in combat Chief Warrant Officer 3, George Thomas Condrey,III was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) The Air Medal W/16 oak leaf clusters, the Purple Heart (Posthumously) and various US and Vietnamese Service awards.
Remembrances from Tommy's fellow members of the 281st. Flight:
Tommy will always have a special
place in my heart. I had just been shot down the day before with Dan
Digenova and Don Creed and then Tommy went out the next day with Dayton
and both were killed. It hit us all hard. That was a bad week for all of
us in the Ashau.
Joe Anderson,
Wolf Pack 33
Gentlemen,
With all the pictures of Condrey being shown and his Remembrance site now up I feel a little more on Condrey is warranted. Tom was my primary AC (67-68) and pretty much taught me how to "really fly" that slick. The guy was sharp and had a sense of humor and at the end of the day wherever he sat others gathered. He was at home as much with the guns as with the slicks and did the stories ever fly when he got both of them together.
Condrey holds a little known 281st record and was given a "plaque" for his achievement of such. The avionics guys gave Tom a plaque for saving them the trouble of replacing all the radios in the aircraft that he was shot down in. After being shot down behind enemy lines Tom emptied his 45 into the radio compartment from approximately 6 feet away and managed to miss every single one. With the exception of one bullet, every one of his shots went in-between the radios. The one bullet that did hit a radio just wedged in front of the case in the deep dent it had made. Didn't say he could shoot, just fly the heck out of that thing.
Tom had a keen sense of self-preservation matched by few in the 281st. He had a set of black pajamas made to his size and wore them to bed each night whenever he was in the field. He also had a big radio that would pick up "Hanoi Hanna" and he would listen to her for the latest news, even the arrival of the "famed" 281st to their newest Delta site. He told me not to worry about being attacked until Hanna was through because Charlie liked listening to her too. Tom's view of things was that the security at some of the bases we were stationed at was down right shabby. If the place was going to be overrun those black pajamas just might be the thing to get him to the tree line without getting shot if it finally came down to that.
When we heard of his death I went to his room, I wanted something of his to remember him by. An officer was already there taking care of things and packing things away. I asked him if there was something of his I could keep and was given Tom's beloved popcorn cooker because it had not been packed yet. I still have it to this day and with me it will stay until I die. When my son is ready he will be told the story behind that old popcorn cooker that use to fill the barracks with it's aroma.
A "lucky" shot got Tom. That's something even Tom couldn't cover. Every December 15th (shot down day), every Memorial Day, and every Veterans Day his memory has been with me and for all these years he has been remembered. There was much more to Tom and I tried to do him justice, as best I could, in the stories section of the 281st. How lucky I was to have him as my AC.
"Galkie" John Galkiewicz
Typical re
collections
of Tommy are contained in the stories written by John Galkiewicz, who joined the 281st as
a new pilot and was assigned to fly with Tommy's crew. John recalls
that Tommy not only took him under his wing and gave him the tools and
confidence to develop into a skilled aircraft
commander, but of equal importance, he became a friend.
John's stories about his experiences in the 281st AHC
contain several references to the leadership and guidance that Tommy
provided him, and others, during his tour of duty with the unit.
John's stories can be seen at:
John Galkiewicz
John can also be reached
at: 115 Nevils St., PO Box 20 ,
Harrogate, TN 37752-0020,
Tel: 423-869-8138 (FAX same)
or by
e-mail at:
galkiej@yahoo.c
Remembrance by a college classmate
This remembrance was assembled by Jack Mayhew, with help from Tommy's sister, Mary Ellen Nabors
His parents, Mrs. Betty Johnson Condrey and Mr. George Thomas Condrey, Jr. have both passed away. His Mother died 1993 and his father in 1996. If you have questions, comment or materials that you
A MAN IS NOT DEAD UNTIL HE IS FORGOTTEN
ONCE AN
INTRUDER....ALWAYS AN INTRUDER
