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Les Howard Paschall was born on September 3, 1947 in
Nashville, Tennessee. At the age of two, his parents Billy Howard and
Mary Paschall moved to Chicago, Illinois where his sister Lindy was born
in 1950. In 1952 Les’s father returned to Nashville, leaving Les to live
with his mother and sister until he enlisted in the Army.
 Young
Les
As a young man Les attended Prosser
Vocational High School where he was an excellent
 student, consistently on
the dean’s list. His younger sister, Lindy, recalls that he was such a
good student that she was able to get by on his name. Les was the captain
of the football team and earned a letter in baseball, basketball, hockey
and track.
Following high school he attended Wright Junior College majoring in
physical education, with a goal
Les & Kim, 1965 Senior Prom
of becoming a teacher and a coach. Les was
known to his family and friends as a competitive, but fun loving
individual
who worked hard and played hard. He was a natural leader with
a great sense of humor. His summers were spent fishing with his
Grandfather and enjoying his many friends. Lindy recalls that Les was not
only popular in school but he was always in the company of one or more
good-looking girls.
In early 1966 Les decided to join the army and become an
airborne soldier. He left his mother, sister, in Chicago and went into
the army. Following the completion of basic training his dream came true
as he was assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia for Jump School. While in
Jump School he wrote his mother the following letter:
June
7, 1966
Dear Mom & Lin & Pudge
Mom
today is Tuesday and I got 2 letters from Ollie and one from you and
Gram. It sure was nice and I’m glad you guys are feeling good. Mom I know
Ollie is great and she really likes me and am I ever glad. Mom I’m sorry
but I told you I signed up to go to Vietnam, and I’m going whether I like
it or not. But I want to Mom. If I go that’s just one less chance that
Tommy or any other of our family will have to go. And also I’ll be helping
to stop whatever they’re trying to do in Vietnam. Mom you keep writing
hear, because I might not get to come home before I go over there. I’ll
try my best to write more soon but right now I’d like to catch up on my
sleep. Mom am I ever in good shape, I can run for 45 minutes straight or
4 or 5 miles without even getting winded. I can’t wait until I’m home
before I go over there. We’ll celebrate my birthday, your birthday, and
Christmas all in how many days I have home. Mom I love you and Lindy very
much and I miss you all so bad. Tell Ollie to write and you guys keep
writing too. It feels good to get letters. I love yas.
Write me.
Les
PVT LES PASCHALL
Les completed jump school and, with the
silver wings of a paratrooper proudly displayed on his chest, went home to
Chicago on his way to Vietnam.
When he arrived in
country he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division as an infantry
rifleman. With the 101st, Les was twice wounded and twice decorate d
for bravery. On June 28, 1967
he was awarded the Purple Heart and on July 7, 1967 he was awarded the
Army Commendation Medal with V Device for valor.
The
citation read:
“For
heroism in conjunction with military operations against a hostile force,
Pvt. Paschall distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on
May 15, 1967, in the Republic of Vietnam. While on a search and destroy
mission the reconnaissance platoon was brought under intense enemy fire.
Pvt. Paschall, armed with a machine gun and disregarding his own safety,
remained in position and continued to provide suppressing fire for his
withdrawing comrades while being the main target for concentrated enemy
fire. With his fellow troops safely in the trench, he started to withdraw,
firing as he pulled back. Upon reaching the trench he spotted an enemy
soldier attempting to hurl a satchel charge into the trench.
Unhesitating, Pvt. Paschall stood up and fired a burst of machinegun fire
at the enemy soldier, killing him instantly and causing the satchel charge
to explode harmlessly . Pvt. Paschall’s devotion to duty and personal
courage were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military
service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United
States Army.”
Les and his close friend Mike McKenzie decided to remain in Vietnam for a
second tour and were given a choice of assignments following a 30-day
leave to the states. During Les's leave He and Kim made plans to get
married but decided to wait until he had completed his second tour. In
early November of 1967, he returned to Vietnam and at their request
Les and Mike was
assigned to an assault helicopter company. Both joined the 281st Assault
Helicopter Company on the 8th of November, 1967, and were assigned to the
 Bandit Platoon as door gunners. Almost immediately the 281st moved to Kontum in support of Project Delta, a 5th Special Forces Long Range
Reconnaissance Unit. In Kontum the 281st and Project Delta were located
in an abandoned school campus on the western edge of the city and flew
southwest daily to an abandoned air strip located close to the Laos and
Mike in 2003
Cambodia borders. From the forward operating base, the 281st provided
combat aviation support to the elements of Project Delta as part of
Operation Sultan. During the early days of the operation Mike
was several wounded and evacuated to the states where he spent several
years in physical rehabilitation.
Early in the morning of Thursday, December
21, 1967, the 281st units relocated to the forward site and went about the
business of refueling, rearming and extracting the recon teams. At
approximately 12:45 the 281st aircraft had completed the morning missions
and Les and the crew chief had completed their post checks and were
relaxing until it was again time for takeoff. Les was sitting in the back
of the aircraft along with the crewmembers from other aircraft when a
fully armed UH1 gun ship from the 189th AHC, 52nd Aviation Battalion,
landed and hovered to the refueling site. After taking on a full load of
fuel the young gunship pilot turned the fully loaded aircraft 180 degrees
and started hovering back along the line of 281st aircraft to the take off
point. At about the same time the 281st Operations Officer was starting
a UH1 for the purpose of making an administrative run. The189th pilot did
not stop his aircraft and the 281st pilot could not shut down the UH1 in
time. The rotating blades of both aircraft struck each other resulting in
the destruction of both aircraft and damage to several others. Sections
of the blades from both UH1s became flying projectiles and a small piece
of one of the blades struck Les.
The Special Forces medics rushed to the site
and immediately examined Les who had a small puncture wound in his side
but was not bleeding. Within a few minutes Les, four other slightly
injured individuals and the medics, were placed onboard a UH1 for the
20-minute trip to the field hospital in Pleiku. In less than 45 minutes
from the time he was wounded, Les was in the hands of the doctors at the
71st Evacuation Hospital in Pleiku. The 281st continued the mission for
the remainder of the day which included inserting an element of the ARVN
Special Forces Rangers in a montagnard village which resulted in the
rescue of the elderly village chief who had been left behind when the
other members of the village were captured and taken away by North Vietnam
Soldiers. The day’s activities ended at about 8PM and we immediately flew
to the hospital to check on Les. At the Hospital we were given the sad
news that he had died a few hours after his arrival.
On Saturday, December 23, 1967, the members
of the 281st Assault Helicopter Company and Project Delta gathered in the
mess tent at Kontum for a memorial service to a fallen comrade. For his
service with the 281st Assault Helicopter Company, Les was posthumously
awarded the Air Medal and the Bronze Star.
On the day of his death Les was twenty
years, three months and eighteen days old. He is survived by his sister
Lindy of Chicago. His mother passed away on December 21, 1981, and his
father died in 1996. Les Howard Paschall is remembered on the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial on Panel 32E, Line 39.
B52 (PROJECT DELTA) AFTER ACTION REPORT,
OPERATION SULTAN 670934
21
Dec: Recon Teams 1 and 2 and Road Runner Team 104 extracted w/o incident
from RZ's GIDDA, CARTHAGE, and JERICHO, respectively. DTG: 211300H Dec Air
Relay A/C made a safe emergency landing at Launch Site after losing oil
pressure.
DTG: 211245H Dec, 2 UH1D A/C from 281st AHC and 1 UH1C A/C from 189th AHC
were involved in an accident at the Launch Site. Results were one UH1D and
one UH1C damaged beyond repair, one UH1D severely damaged; 3 personnel
from 281st AHC and 1from 189th AHC MED EVAC to 71st Evac Hospital PLEIKU
for injuries. SSG STEDMAN, Senior Advisor to Recon Team 7, injured and
returned to FOB. Recon Team 7's scheduled infiltration for last light was
canceled.
DTG: 211500H Dec, 1st Rngr K Co reported the tunnel, sighted by Delta FAC,
was blocked 10 to 12 feet inside by bomb explosions from Arclight strike.
No other entrances could be located.
DTG: 211520H Dec through DTG: 211615H Dec, MAJ SANDSTROM and CPT BAUMAN
from IFFORCE V G Plans and Operations visited FOB to discuss Project
Delta's plans and requirements for a stand down and future operations.
DTG: 211630H Dec, received message stating that SP/4 PASCHALL, 281st
AHC crewmember, had died of injuries received in helicopter accident on 20
December.
DTG: 211705H Dec, 2nd and final lift of 1st Abn Rngr Co extracted from
RZ GALILEE w/o incident. Recon Teams 4 and 9 infiltrated RZ's TASHAN and
SARAN w/o incident.
52
(PROJECT DELTA) AFTER ACTION REPORT, OPERATION SULTAN 6709163
ANNEX C
(Aviation Support) (281st AHC) to After Action Report 967
1.
GENERAL: Aviation support was provided to Detachment B52 (Project Delta),
5th Special Forces Group (Abn) on "Operation Sultan" during the period 30
November 1967 to 25 December 1967 by the entire assets of the 281st
Assault Helicopter Company. These assets consisted of officers and
enlisted men of the 281st AHC, 483d Transportation Detachment and the
499th Signal Detachment located at three operational bases; and eleven
(11) UH1D and 4 armed UH1C helicopters. The breakdown of personnel is as
follows:
a.
Personnel at the Forward Operating Base (Kontum)
(1) Officers 12
(2) Warrant Officers 39
(3) Enlisted Men 75
b.
Personnel at the Forward Maintenance Base (Pleiku)
(1) Officers 1
(2) Warrant Officers 1
(3) Enlisted Men 45
c.
Personnel at rear containment area (Nha Trang)
(1) Officers 2
(2) Warrant Officers 6
(3) Enlisted Men 80
2. Unit Totals
a.
Total flying hours 1614.3
(1) UH1C 478.8
(2) UH1D 1135.5 Ý
b.
Total night flying hours 124.2
c. Total tasks flown 1252
d. Total sorties flown 3237
e. Total number of passengers flown 5204
f. Weight of cargo flown 79.1
g. Number of aircraft hit by enemy fire 6
h. Number of aircraft lost due to enemy fire 2
i. Number of aircraft turned in due to enemy fire 0
j. Number of downed aircraft recovered 1
3.
Casualties
a. KIA 0
b. WIA 3
c. MIA 0
d. Injured as result of aircraft being shot down 3
4.
Support Totals
a. Total reconnaissance teams supported 14
b. Total Road Runner teams supported 17
c. Total Ranger Companies supported 5
d. Total Ranger Battalions supported 1
e. Total CIDG units supported 2
f. Total Mobile Strike Force supported 1
g. Total Nung Platoon supported 1
h. Total medical evacuation missions 24
5.
Ammunition expended
a. 7.62mm 317,950
b. 2.75 in rockets 963
c. 40mm grenades 1,380
d. 5.56mm 0
6. Enemy casualties
a. KBA (Confirmed) 3
b. KBA (Estimated) 20
c. WBA (Confirmed) 1
d. WBA (Estimated) 42
7. Structures destroyed
a. Automatic weapons positions 4
b. Bunkers 8
c. Sampans 2
Acknowledged:
JONES, MAJ
OFFICIAL:
s/Baker
BAKER
Recollections by:
Jack Mayhew
Intruder 6, 1967-68
In early 1967 I assumed Command of the 281st
Assault Helicopter Company with one thought in mind. Support the ground
troops in a manner that exceeds their expectations while keeping every
member of the 281st AHC safe. I was well into my tour when one Sp/4 Les
Paschall was assigned to the unit as a door gunner. I recall meeting him
and talking with Bob Moberg, the unit executive officer, about him. We
were both amazed that he had chosen to extend for a second tour after
being wounded twice in the 101st and that he had chosen to become a door
gunner, which ranked right at the top of the high risk jobs in Vietnam.
However, this was not uncommon as several of our door gunners had been
reassigned to us after being wounded the second time in a line unit, but
none were on their second concurrent tour. Les quickly fit into the unit
and was assigned to a Bandit Platoon crew in support of Project Delta.
His first mission with us was the Kontum mission in which we were housed
on the edge of the city in an abandoned school facility, and flew our
missions out of a forward site located close to the border of both Laos
and Cambodia. For the most part the missions leading up to December 21
were routine, which for the 281st was dangerous beyond most people’s
expectations.
On the morning of December 21, 1967, we flew
several extraction missions from the forward airstrip and I was flying in
the last aircraft to land around noon. I recall walking along the line of
281st aircraft stopping to talk to the crews as I went along. When I
passed Les’s ship he was sitting in the back reading a comic book that I’m
sure was passed from crewmember to crewmember. I vividly recall stopping
to kid him about his reading material and thinking that; you could take
the boy out of the states, but not the states out of the boy. A few
minutes later the Delta Commander, Maj. Chuck Allen and I were in the
operations tent going over the final details for the remainder of the day,
when the there was a sudden explosion that sounded like we were receiving
incoming rocket or mortar fire. We quickly realized that the point of
impact had been in the vicinity of the flight line and we ran to the scene
to find that two UH-1s had overlapped blades and in so doing had destroyed
each other and damaged several others. At first glance it did not appear
that anyone had been seriously injured by the flying blade parts, then I
saw Les lying beside one of the damaged UH-1s. The Special Forces medics,
who were highly trained and skilled NCOs, that were respectfully referred
to as doctor, rushed to him and immediately examined him. Les was alert
and responsive to the medics who found a small puncture wound in his side
but no bleeding. As soon as we saw what had occurred, an aircraft was
started, the medics quickly loaded Les and they were on their way to the
field hospital at Pleiku within a few minutes of the incident. The
aircraft and the medics returned with everyone except Les and they
reported that he was stable and did not appear to be in danger.
UH-1D that LES was sitting in when the
accident occurred (NOTE: Remains of comic book on the floor)
Picture taken by WO John Galkiewicz
We started sorting out the mess on the
airstrip and trying to determine what had happened. A fully armed gun
ship that we referred to as a “Hog Frog” from the 189th AHC, 52nd
Aviation Battalion, Pleiku, was flying in support of the 4th Infantry
Division in the vicinity of our site, when the pilot determined that we
were the closest fuel site, and elected to land at our strip for fuel. I
recall seeing him land and hover to the fuel site as I walked toward the
operations tent. To reach the fuel site he had to hover along the line of
281st aircraft which in itself was a task, especially in a heavily loaded
underpowered gun ship. While he was refueling the 281st Operations Officer
and his crew were starting their aircraft for a mission flight. The gun
ship pilot completed refueling and in place of taking off to the east he
elected to hover along the line of 281st aircraft to a takeoff spot on the
west end of the strip. The 281st crews who observed his actions stated
that he was having difficulty hovering and was “bouncing” the UH-1's skids
to keep it moving. The 281st crew saw him coming toward them but were
unable to do more than shut down the engine and try to slow down the blade
rotation. It became clear that he did not see them and was not going to
stop, so they abandoned their aircraft. The turning blades overlapped and
struck each other destroying both aircraft and sending flying metal pieces
into several other aircraft, to include the one Les and other crew members
were sitting in. (The call sigh of the 189th Gunship was
Avenger 697 and it was totally destroyed. AC of 697 was WO Ginac, Pilot
was WO1 Engle, crew chief was Sp4 Tipton, and gunner was PFC Nelson. The
only injuries sustained by crew was head lacerations received by Sp4
Tipton.)
The accident was the result of a young pilot trying to do his
duty in a rush, and he and his crew failed to observe what was happening
around them. The gun ship was, as was the case most of the time,
overloaded to the point that it was barely controllable at a hover,
especially in the hot climate of the highlands of Vietnam. Responsibility
for the accident rested clearly on the shoulders of the young Warrant
Officer who was the Aircraft Commander and his Co-Pilot who was also a
young Warrant Officer. The crew of the gunship were all concentrating on
controlling the movement of the aircraft and in so doing failed to see
that they were moving into the space of another UH-1 that was preparing
for takeoff. Contrary to rumors that surrounded the accident, the only
individuals involved were the two Warrant Officers from the 189th AHC,
their crew, and the 281st crew that was preparing for takeoff. (The
accident was investigated by the 52nd Aviation Battalion and the
investigating officer’s findings were along the same lines as I have
stated.)
When we completed the missions for the day,
I went directly to the field hospital to visit with Les. I arrived there
at about 8 PM fully expecting him to be resting and preparing to return to
the 281st within a few days. When I entered the hospital I asked to see
him and was told by the doctor on duty that he had died a few hours after
being admitted. The doctor sensed my surprise and took me into his office
where he explained that the metal fragment had punctured his liver and
that he had died before they could operate on him. We identified his body
and I left the hospital in a state of unbelievable shock. Thus ended the
life of a fine young man who not only was a war hero, but was truly loved
and respected by his family and fellow soldiers. Les was the only member
of the 281st that we lost on my watch, but he was one too many. I shall
always carry with me the mental image of seeing him sitting in the back of
the aircraft reading a comic book and smiling.
COL John W. (Jack) Mayhew,
USA Ret.
Intruder 6 (1967-1968)
2021 Huntwood Drive
Gambrills, MD 21054
jmayhew@huntwood.net
410-451-4087
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Les Pachall, a remembrance by WO John Galkiewicz, 281st
AHC Aviator
There is a
saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”. When Sp4 Les
Paschall
died on December  21,
1967 it could just as easily have been me. His death was a
waste for he died needlessly as a result of someone’s
carelessness and he was on his second tour too. A few years
back I found his sister and gave her a call and she was very
much interested in getting the facts from someone who was
there. That part of his death was laid to rest.
I had been in the 281st just over a month and we
were working Delta out of a very tiny airstrip by a village
south west of Kontum called either Poly Klang or Play Zur Rang (
that's not the correct spelling but that's what they translate
to in English). The airstrip was pretty much east to west and
about as wide as a two-lane road. All the ships were lined up
on the south side of the strip facing east and our tents were
set up at the SE end of the strip. The fuel dump was in a small
dug out area on the north side of the strip. Because things
were so tight, and for safety sake, we were only taking off and
landing to the east.
Once the teams were put in, all we had to do was wait and
that made for some pretty long days. I found myself bored so I
went down to my ship to try to find something interesting to
do. The ship was about 10 or so down and about 4 down from the
fuel area. When I got to it I found several crew chiefs and
gunners sitting around telling stories. I was invited in and
took them up on it. Since the seats were taken I sat on the
floor between the two pilot seats. Paschall was also on the
floor, to my right, with his back up against the side post.
The ship immediately in front of ours had cranked and was
waiting for takeoff clearance. Just prior to this a gunship
from another company, which was engaged in a hot skirmish and
gotten low on fuel landed for fuel, fueled up, and supposedly
was told to take off to the east. In their haste to get back to
the battle they began a take off to the west instead. There was
no room for that with the ship in front of us cranked and both
ships meshed blades. Pieces of blades flew all over the place.
I immediately noticed white honey comb floating in the air
amongst us. Everybody started exiting the ship to my left.
Paschall grabbed my hand and pulled me out then laid down next
to the skid but would not let go of my hand.
I then looked up and saw that both ships had come apart and
were in pieces just mere feet from me. I focused my attention
on what was left of our ship, the one that had just run up, and
saw that it's transmission had torn lose from it's rear mounts
and was now tilted forward. One blade was shattered but the
other was still somewhat in tact and both were still turning. I
saw the AC get out of his seat but he apparently was in a daze.
He started walking forward and was just about to walk into the
still turning blades when, at the very last second, the crew
chief, badly bloodied from the transmission coming out on top of
him, grabbed the AC and pulled him back pointing at the blades.
There is no doubt that the AC’s head would have been cut off had
it not been for that crew chief's quick thinking.
I then noticed that Paschall wasn't letting go of my hand
and looked down at him still lying there next to the skid. I
asked him if he was OK and he said nothing. I noticed he had a
very strange look on his face. All the other guys had run to
the downed ships to help. I asked him again if he was all right
and again he said nothing but this time he began to shake a
little. I knew something was wrong so I pried his hand loose
and unbuttoned his shirt. In his side was a hole the size of a
quarter that looked like it went in 6 or 8 inches. There was
not a drop of blood in it. A piece of rotor blade had come
through the post he was leaning against and had gone clean
through him.
By this time people were running around all over the place
so I pulled one of them aside and told them about Paschall and
to let the medics know. I then went to the ship behind ours and
cranked it for the medivac to Pleiku. A few minutes later the
crew for that ship took over and flew all the injured to the
main hospital at Pleiku. There was no wasted time at all
getting the injured out of there.
Les died about 3 hours later from a lacerated liver. I
believe our pilots and the crew member that the transmission
came out on came back a day or two later. I never heard of what
happened to the pilots that caused the accident. Life can be
taken so quickly, its a shame that Paschall’s had to go in such
a senseless manner. And I was sitting right next to him.
Les is more than just a number, Les was one of us and we
don't forget.
Les was "adopted" by Jack Mayhew of
the 281st AHC Association, who completed his Book of
Remembrance.
A MAN IS NOT DEAD
UNTIL HE IS FORGOTTEN
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