Marine Corps 1st Lt. Stanley Johnson comes home

Bobo sends us a link to DPAA which reports that Marine Corps 1st Lt. Stanley Johnson is on his way home after his earthly remains were identified dating from an aircraft crash in December, 1965;

On Dec. 3, 1965, Johnson was the co-pilot of an UH-34D helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, tasked to insert Army of the Republic of Viet Nam troops into South Vietnam. Johnson’s aircraft, with three other Americans and nine Vietnamese soldiers onboard, was hit by enemy fire. At 100 to 200 feet above the ground with the entire cargo compartment in flames, the helicopter lost one of its main rotor blades, and crashed approximately 30 kilometers west of Tam Ky Town. Everyone onboard the aircraft was killed in the crash.

From the Virtual Wall;

Another pilot in the flight recalls what happened:

“We tried to go in as high as possible, though we were limited by somewhat low ceilings, which may have placed us approximately 2000 feet above ground level. The flight was in normal cruise when we reached the vicinity of UTM grid coordinates BY031273 where the Viet Cong fired on us with time delay fused mortars. Unfortunately Capt. Riley’s aircraft received a direct hit in the belly, where the fuel tanks were located, and they never stood a chance. Capt. Riley tried desperately to get the aircraft on the ground, but it was burning so fiercely he appeared to lose control and the aircraft rolled inverted and crashed. No one survived”
Kenneth L. Gross, Major USMC (Ret)

All thirteen men aboard died in the crash:

Capt Kirk Irwin Riley, pilot;
1st Lt Stanley Garwood Johnson, copilot;
Cpl Warren Leigh Dempsey, gunner;
Cpl Robert Henry White, crew chief; and
nine unknown South Vietnamese soldiers.

The remains of Captain Kirk, Corporal Dempsey, and Corporal White were recovered and identified, but the remains of 1st Lt Johnson could not be individually identified and he still is carried as “Body not Recovered”.