This Military Service Page was created/owned by
A3C Michael S. Bell (Unit Historian)
to remember
Alho, Antonio Lopez, Sgt.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Naugatuck, CT
Last Address Nha Trang AB
Casualty Date Mar 26, 1969
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Khanh Hoa (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Saint James Cemetery - Naugatuck, Connecticut
On 26 March 1969 a UH-1 (tail number 63-13158) of the 20th SOS went down. While hostile fire was the suspected cause, the only certainties are that the aircraft was flying at about 4,000 feet when a severe vibration began. The pilot began an auto-rotation to earth, but control was lost during the descent. The main rotor came apart, severing the tail boom. The aircraft crashed and burned near Duc My, SVN, 12 minutes north of Nha Trang, SVN. Eight men died in the crash.
According to Jim Henthorn, who has compiled a history of USAF helicopter losses, there was one survivor - a Sergeant Joslyn.
The location of his remains is unknown.
Comments/Citation:
Other than the simple things from his younger life such as being a Boy Scout, being a Ham operator and member of the highschool Portuguese Club, he was an avid collector of rocks and fossils.
He was trained at Lowry AFB in weapons mechanics, apparently, and became a gunner with the 20th SOS at Nha Trang.
He received a DFC, and 3 clusters to his Air Medal.
Source: 612: Biographies of the 612 Connecticut Men who Died in Vietnam, compiled by students at Captain Nathan Hale Middle School, Coventry, CT, 2002. Their research was done through interviews, internet research, etc. Contribution to the Teach Vietnam Teachers Project, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Washington, D.C. (source: Skip Kimbrow)
