www.SwampFox199thRAC.com

DELTA BIRD DOG REUNION OCT 13-16 2011 SAN ANTONIO

see the Reunion Page

  SP4 - E4 - Army - Regular
1st AVN BDE

Length of service 1 years
His tour began on Jul 2, 1967
Casualty was on Jan 31, 1968
In VINH LONG, SOUTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, GROUND CASUALTY
MULTIPLE FRAGMENTATION WOUNDS
Body was recovered
 
Panel 36E - Line 13
 

www.thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=21904

 SP/4 HATADA, FRED K.M.

KIA, awarded Silver Star

Fred Hatada was the first member of the 199th RAC to loose his life in support of the combat mission in the Republic of Viet Nam.

  At approximately 0310 hours on the morning of 31 January 1968, the Viet Cong initiated a coordinated mortar and ground attack against Vinh Long Airfield , Republic of Viet Nam.   As the intensity of incoming mortar rounds diminished, personnel of the 199th Aviation Company (Light) began moving to their assigned defensive positions of the west end of the Vinh Long runway, protect the unit's aircraft, and to repel any enemy ground attack from that end of the airfield.

Even as the lead elements of the company defensive force reached the transient revetments, a fire fight was in progress between the VC and the night crew/augmented company guard which were the first elements to take the enemy under fire in the company's defensive area.  It was during this initial fire fight that SP4 Fred K. M. Hatada's courageous actions resulted in his being mortally wounded and SP5 Kenneth H. Erickson receiving his wounds which required medical evacuation.  SP4 Hatada was a flight operations specialist and SP5 Erickson a crew chief. 

When the first personnel to arrive from the company billets area (Major John S. Jacob, company commander; SFC Dwight C. Clark, the unit first sergeant; Captain Richard M. Pribnow, second platoon commander; and Warrant Officer Richard W. Shoup; later joined by Captain Robert S. Jones, Jr., company executive officer; Captain Charles Baker, general support platoon commander; Captain Daniel P. Aldridge, unit maintenance officer; and aircraft mechanics, cooks, clerks, supply and maintenance support personnel), reached the second revetment east of the general support hangar, they recovered the body of SP4 Hatada and administered aid to the wounded.