Laos laos laos.....
I try not to think about that place. I don't like Laos.
The NVA tank assault on the West Hill of Ben Het was launched from Laos on March 3, 1969, from the South side of hill 990. They drove straight towards the West Hill of Ben Het, but we stopped them.
We had 2 US tankers KIA on the West Hill of Ben Het that night. A day or 2 later the SF camp N of us sent a company of Montagnard reinforcements and lost one SF NCO . I remember his face but not his name.. A coupla days after that the Pleiku SF Mike Force was inserted and we lost SF LT Sievers and SF MSG Daniels. They were KIA while leading an assault on the S side of 990. Before it was over that day, every man on the Ben Het A Team was wounded. We had 2 SF medics on the team but they were wounded so a surgeon was flown in to treat us and the wounded Montagnards in the field.
In Oct 71, my bro-in-law USAF FAC, LT Robert (Bobby) Ryan was KIA in Laos while inserting air strikes in support of an SF recon team. By then I was an A Team CDR in Berlin, but flew back to Massachusetts to attend the funeral and hand my sister Bobby's coffin flag.
I also did this for my sister and my extended family - It can be found via google.
Bob Ryan was awarded the PH and DFC.
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From Jim Franklin 19 Apr 2010:
30 Oct 71 -Robert E Ryan, 1LT, FAC Pilot, 20th TASS, KIA RR. On 30 Oct 71, LT Ryan took off from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base at 0020 hrs local Thailand time with SSG Robert T Aston of TFIAE (Covey Rider). Their mission was a visual reconnaissance over Laos. While returning , he crashed near Savannakhet, Laos. SSG Ashton was critically injured with multiple broken bones, internal injuries and possible head injuries. At 0521hrs Lt Ryan advised moonbeam, the Airborne Command Post, that one of his engines was out and the other was running rough. At 0525hrs he advised Moonbeam that his other engine had quit and that it appeared that he was going to land short of the runway. He was wearing a parachute, however, by the time he realized that he would not make it to the runway, he had descended below the minimum altitude for bailout. The aircraft crashed approximately 0530hrs one mile short of the runway. It was determined Lt Ryan died instantly as a result of the crash. We have no way of knowing whether the aircraft was shot down by hostile fire or not. However, it is believed to be the case as he was flying over an extremely hostile area. SSG Ashton did not recall any details of the crash and he was at the Medical Holding Detachment as of 22 November 1971. (MEMO: After the aircraft was recovered, it was determined the fuel tanks had been hit with small arms, resulting in fuel loss) Source: DFC Citation and letters from Commander 20TASS submitted by Major Mike Linnane, US Army Special Forces, Mike is the brother-in-law of Lt Ryan. Major Linnane fought during the attack on Ben Het and was the recipient of the Bronze Star w/V device |
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