CH-3E/65-15691/27 June 69

It was aircraft CH-3E 65-15691, Knife 22 I was on when we were shot down at Lima Site 108 (Moung Soui) on the Plain of Jars on 27 June, 1969. Myself, Major Henery, Major Mattos and TSgt. Hernand "Willie" Wilson were on it that day.

An interesting thing happened when we left NKP that morning. We were about 30 to 40 minutes out of NKP and we got a main transmission chip light. We made a precautionary landing at Udorn and I checked out the MGB chip detector. All I could find was one (1) tiny chip on the detector, so we decided to go ahead and join up at Lima Site #20 with the rest of the 21st SOS birds.

We sat idle at Lima Site #20 waiting for the official word to go ahead and take them out of there.

We were evacuating some Thai Mercenaries out of Moung Soui when the North Vietnamese came across the PDJ to capture the base. We had picked up the Mercenaries and were about 20 feet off of the ground when we took ground fire. I got the little Gomer out of the left side with my M-60 who shot at us and then down we went.

Willy and I got everyone (including the Thai Mercenaries) off the bird. I then organized the Mercenaries around the chopper and began to return fire to the tree line where the first guy had shot at us.

We were able to fend off the bad guys and were picked up by an Air America H-34 and flown back to Lima Site #20.

For some reason, someone decided I deserved a Silver Star and they gave it to me. (James (J.D.) Adams)

(Picture courtesy of J D Adams, Lt. to Rt. Maj Mattos, TSgt. Hernand "Willie" Wilson, SSgt. J. D. Adams, Maj Henery)

(Thanks to Lew Taylor, the helicopter behind the guys in the picture is CH-3E 66-13293/Talley-ho Soul Seranade, previously was Susie Wong)

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