Tag: Smokey 2

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Worthington, Richard C. Jr.
Army Chief warrant officer 2

Richard C. Jr. Worthington from Bothell, Washington, King county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, May 6, 1970
Death details:  On May 6, 1970, a UH-1H Iroquois (tail number 68-15663, call sign “Smokey 2”) with a crew of four was part of a flight two helicopters laying a smoke screen on a landing zone near enemy positions in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. During the mission Smokey 2 suffered a mid-air collision with the other helicopter in the flight and crashed. Searchers at the crash site determined that no one could have survived the crash. They found the bodies of two of the crew members, but could not locate the other two.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Richard Charles Worthington Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Washington, served with Company B, 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. He was the pilot of the Iroquois when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Worthington is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Hernandez, Frank
Army Sergeant

Frank Hernandez, age 22, from Fresno, California, Fresno county.

Parents: Christino G. Hernandez

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Roosevel High (1967), Fresno City College

Date of death: Wednesday, May 6, 1970
Death details: On May 6, 1970, a UH-1H Iroquois (tail number 68-15663, call sign “Smokey 2”) with a crew of four was part of a flight two helicopters laying a smoke screen on a landing zone near enemy positions in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. During the mission Smokey 2 suffered a mid-air collision with the other helicopter in the flight and crashed. Searchers at the crash site determined that no one could have survived the crash. They found the bodies of two of the crew members, but could not locate the other two. Specialist 4 Frank Sanchez Hernandez, who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with Company B, 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. He was the door gunner aboard the Iroquois when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Army promoted SP4 Hernandez to the rank of Sergeant (SGT). Today Sergeant Hernandez is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Fresno Been (1970)