To: BUDS81 [at] aol.com ; Carl Yuill ; Eugenio Crescini ; Erasmo "Doc"Riojas ; Fred Schempp ; Gary Powel ; Jeff Moran ; John Edson ; John Schmidt ; Markley H. Boyer ; PAUL D WNEK ; Ray Fritz ; Rich Black ; Robinson, Joseph G. ; Sgtsteprt [at] aol.com ; TERRA FLYNN ; Tip Ammen ; Tom Blais ; Tony Rossi ; Udt21frogman [at] aol.com ; WMyers6694 [at} aol.com Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 7:39 AM
Subject:  Bob Thomas MOH
From: fmilcusguns [at] aol.com [mailto:fmilcusguns [at] aol.com] 

Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 5:46 PM

 To: rmuzslay [at] sterlingcreditcorp.com 

Subject: Bob Thoms MOH

The following is the account of the Battle in which PO 2 R.J. Thomas saved many wounded people and killed at least 35 enemy combat troops. Using only a 45 with 85 rounds at his disposal. He was put in for the Medal of Honor by the US Army. More later. 

Seawolf Detachment Three Seawolf Door Gunner Bill Rutledge 

Battle at Ha Tien 23 March 1969, Da Dung Mountain Area 

Other articles with limited information have been written about these two difficult days in the lives of these brave pilots and gunners from Detachment Three. As other articles I have written, I write this to add to our history and to pay tribute to those that fought these horrific battles, those killed in action and the survivors. In other articles, details and participants were left out that need to be recognized for their heroism and participation in these missions. I have collected much of20this missing history and using o fficial documents, written first hand accounts, citations and phone conversations wi th individuals on scene, have for the most part been able to reconstruct part, if not most of what occurred on these missions. I have not been able to contact everyone involved and apologize if some details are missing and personnel not noted but I have done the best I could with limited information. Maybe the whole story will never be known. 

Until May 1970 when President Nixon legalized incursions into Cambodia, there were to be no crossing of the border. Although there had been several large operations along and over the border, one being operation SEALORDS, many other covert missions had been executed in which the Seawolves were involved with no after action report or one reflecting the action being flown this side of the border. It was hard at times to distinguish which side of the border you were on. The Cambodians 20 would let enemy unit s openly operate and stage from the Cambodian side. They would make raids into Vietnam and escape back 20 across the border, knowing we would not follow and attack. On many occasions they were in for a SURPRISE! 

Ha Tien 23 March 1969, Approximately 10 AM. I don’t have all the details on this mission, but it went as follows. The Navy light fire team of two heavily armed Gunships from HA(L)3, Detachment Three, staging from Ha Tien on the Northwest coast of Vietnam near the Cambodian border. They went on a scouting/strike mission to locate a local Warlord in the Da Dung Mountains area. The Warlord had been coming off the Mountains, pillaging, plundering and killing residents of the local villages, and having his troops attack military outposts. He would then retreat back into the mountains, and using his 4 inch Mortar, rain down havoc on the villages and any pursuing troops. With this intel the Det 3 Gunships went out. =2 0 =2 0 

The situation on Det 3 with three FTLs20(Fire Team Leader) at the time was 48 hrs on 24 off and alternating the FTL after each strike. On the first mission the lead bird was manned by: 


LTJG Randy Miller, Fire team Leader (FTL). LCDR Keyes (Copilot), Petty Officer Mike Schafernocker (Gunner/Crew Chief) Petty Officer Dan Riordon (Gunner) 

The trail gunship was manned by: LTJG Dick Barr, Attack Helicopter Aircraft Commander (AHAC), LTJG Pawlowski (Copilot), Petty Officer Rick Abbott (50 Cal.Gunner/ Crew Chief) Petty Officer Howard Meute (Gunner) Navy SEAL, Petty Officer Seco nd Class Robert Thomas (Recon/Observer). 

The area where the strike was to be put in was very near Ha Tien=2 0and consisted of rice paddies leading up to two mountains, the Nui Sa Ti and Nui Di Yung. Nui Dai Yung was the target where the Warlord operated from. As LTJG Miller rolled his fire team in, he started taking heavy fire from both mountains and the surrounding area. LCDR Keyes and both gunners commenced firing on the enemy positions. Miller’s Gunship was armed with 14 rockets with proximity fuses. The enemy fire was so heavy that when the fourth rocket was launched it was exploded by the intense enemy fire just in front of his aircraft. Not being able to fire any more rockets for fear of one being exploded immediately after launching, he broke off the attack to save the bird and his crew and returned the fire team to Ha Tien. There they fixed a problem with a rocket pod, rearmed with PD rockets, refueled and went out again. 

On this strike LTJG Barr became FTL with his crew and LTJG Miller the cover bird. Arriving back on target and rolling in again under the heaviest fire every seen by the fire team, LTJG Barr launched several rockets with all other weapons firing. 

His gunship took a disabling enemy hit and Barr called to Miller he was hit and going down. Miller followed the lead bird around and again Barr radioed he was hit, meaning he personally had taken a hit in the foot. Autorotating to the ground from around 500 feet, his bird hit hard within firing range of both mountains. The trail bird saw Petty Officer Thomas, the Navy SEAL, thrown a distance from the crashed lead bird. Smoke was seen coming from the wreck and no one was seen moving. 

Miller made a decision to land and let Petty Officer Riordan out of the gunship to help the crew of the downed bird. Then, Miller went airborne again, positioning his bird between the mountains and the downed crew to take the fire off of them. Now, with Schaf e rnocker as his lone Gunner and LCDR Keyes using the four M-60 external flex guns, he made pass after pass, radioing May Day for assistance. 

Immediately after exiting the20aircraft, Petty Officer Riordan was wounded in the leg, but continued on and pulled Petty Officer Rick Abbott and LTJG Barr from the wreck. Navy SEAL Thomas worked his way back to Barr who was lying on the ground. To protect the injured Barr from the enemy fire, Thomas layed across Barr’s body and grabbed the only weapon available, Barr’s 45 pistol. He then took under fire the enemy, who were coming across a dike. LTJG Barr relates that Petty Officer Thomas was hitting an enemy with virtually every round.

 During this ground action, LTJG Miller made contact with two Army helos from the 175th Assault Helicopter Company who were inbound. Miller saw the advancing enemy and made a pass from behind the wreck, shooting rockets over the downed bird into them, as Shafernocker and Keyes continue firing. Miller continued makin g more rocket runs. The first Army helo on scene was 20immediately shot up trying to make the rescue. 

The pilot was hit, and left the area trailing fuel. The SEAL Team from Ha Tien had made their way on the ground to the battle zone, and along with LTJG Miller and his only gunner Schafernocker, they placed fire on the advancing enemy. This allowed the second Army helo with Copilot Kent Graham aboard to make an attempt at the rescue.

 This rescue slick was also hit numerous times, with the pilot being hit in the face and hand. With the wounded pilot, the Army bird went in again, landed and made the evacuation of the surviving downed Seawolves and Navy SEAL. As they were loaded up, Petty Officer Thomas’s injured back gave out. He saw an enemy soldier as he fell to the ground, turned over and in one motion, blew him away with one shot at 15 yards. 

During the rescue LTJG Miller kept his gunship positioned between the rescue bird and the enemy, taking the fire off of them. Dust Off arrived and took the wounded to Third S urg Hospital in Binh Thuy. The SEALS remained on the=2 0gr ound to recover the Seawolf KIAs. LTJG Miller returned to Ha Tien with his shot up bird. 

The enemy fire around the downed Seawolf was described as the same as a hard20rain hitting a dusty field leaving thousands of marks in the dust. A short time later, fast movers (Jets) arrived and unloaded rockets and napalm on the area. The downed Seawolf gunship was destroyed in place. 

Army rescue Copilot Kent Graham commented, “The most striking part of the rescue was the way the Seawolf cover bird (LTJG Miller and his crew) stayed with his downed comrades.

 What we did was SOP, anyone would have done the same thing. The Seawolf Wingman (LTJG Miller) was the real hero. I have no doubt that he would have continued making attacks until he ran out of fuel. 

This is one of the most important lessons of my life, no matter what happens, NEVER let your comrades down. Thanks, Seawolves” . 

20 

Results of this battle: 

One Seawolf gunship shot down/destroyed 

One Seawolf gunship shot up, destroyed in place 

=2 0 

Two Army Slicks from the 175th AHC shot up 

LTJG Pawloski KIA 

AN Meute 
20 

KIA 

20 

LTJG Barr WIA 

Navy SEAL Roberts WIA 

20 

PO Riordan WIA 

PO Abbott WIA 

20 

2 Army Pilots WIA 


Webmasters NOTE:         Bob Thomas RD2 (SEAL) was recommended for the MOH biy the U.S. Army, but the "desk-jockey" politicians downgraded it to a Navy Cross.  There is hope that this can be reversed in the year 2009.