CAPT - O3 - Army - Reserve
1st AVN BDE

His tour began on Dec 14, 1971
Casualty was on Dec 14, 1971
In , SOUTH VIETNAM
Non-Hostile, died missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
 
Panel 02W - Line 88

www.thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=40203

Swamp Fox 33/Long Trip 041

Perkins U21 crash, “The Wall”

The Wall :

http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=40203

CECIL CARRINGTON PERKINS JR

  CAPT - O3 - Army - Reserve
1st AVN BDE

His tour began on Dec 14, 1971
Casualty was on Dec 14, 1971
In , SOUTH VIETNAM
Non-Hostile, died missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
 
Panel 02W - Line 88

www.virtualwall.org/dh/HollingerGN01a.htm

 www.roseandearl.com/POW_MIA.html

Name:Otha Lee Perry      Rank/Branch: CWO - W2/US Army
Unit: Combat Assault Company, 165th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade
Date of Birth: 11 May 1941 (Memphis, TN)       Home City of Record: Detroit, MI
Date of Loss: 14 December 1971
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water       Loss Coordinates: 151835N 1081635E (BU090050)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5 -- Category unrelated to degree of enemy knowledge.
A. Individuals whose remains have been determined to be nonrecoverable as
outlined in Department of the Army Technical Manual 10-286, January 1964, section 39.

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: U21A       Reference no: 1783

Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U. S.
Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families,
published sources, interviews. Updated by the P. O. W. NETWORK in 1998.

Other Personnel in Incident: Dwight A. Bremmer; Floyd D. Caldwell; Gregg N. Hollinger; Cecil C. Perkins Jr.; John G. Boyanowski (all missing).

REMARKS: R/R CONT (Radio/Radar Contact) LOST - SEARCH NEG - J

SYNOPSIS: On 14 December 1971, CW2 Otha L. Perry, pilot; Capt. Cecil C. Perkins, co-pilot; LtCol. John Boyanowski, Capt. Gregg N. Hollinger, SP4 Dwight A. Bremmer and SSgt. Floyd D. Caldwell, passengers; were aboard a U21A aircraft (Tail #18041), call sign "Long Trip 041", which was lost while flying an administrative mission from Phu Bai to Da Nang, South Vietnam.

During the flight, about 15 miles northeast of Da Nang (Area Map below), the aircraft experienced an inflight emergency. The pilot reported that he had lost his number 2 engine, and had a fire. Within minutes after the emergency, both radio and radar contact was lost. The aircraft was never seen or heard from again.

Search aircraft proceeded to the last known location of Long Trip 041, but inclement weather and poor visibility curtailed the search. Extensive searches were conducted for the next three days, but no trace of the aircraft or personnel was ever found. The personnel aboard the aircraft were declared dead, bodies not recoverable.

Sixty days of case study was conducted before declaring these men dead. Early along in the war, pilots and crew members had been declared dead because circumstances seemed to dictate that was the case. Later, however, some of these "dead" pilots turned up in POW camps in North Vietnam, causing a serious effort to commence NOT to declare a man dead if there was a reasonable chance (with or without evidence) that he survived.

It is pretty clear that Long Trip ditched. What is not clear from public record, however, is that the crew died. With no proof of death, no proof of life, their families are suspended in tortured uncertainty. Jessie Edwards, mother of Otha Lee Perry says, "He told me if anything happened not to give up looking for him. . . no matter how long it's been, I cannot. "

Perry had been a former Green Beret who was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg. He had received 15 major decorations for Vietnam Service, and had served in both South Korea and the Dominican Republic. Like the families of all the crew of Long Trip 041, Jessie Edwards will never give up hope.

Many authorities have examined the thousands of reports relating to Americans still missing in Southeast Asia, and have come away with the conviction that hundreds are still captive in communist prisons there.

It would be kindest to hope that the crew of Long Trip 041 died on December 14, 1971. If they didn't, what must they be enduring

Hello Doc, that was an interesting story. I have been in that area as a Longtrips once or twice in 1968.

 It would seem unusual for a guy to report in to the unit and go flying the same day. The aircraft did not require two pilots so if he was multi engine qualified he could have been logging time as co-pilot without a checkout.

 I would be suspect concerning some of the information in these postings. In the process of collecting and posting  information things get mixed up. The pilot's unit was listed as assault helicopter company in one listing but not in another. The aircraft was assigned to the Command Airplane Company and I feel certain the pilot and co-pilot were also. I did find CWO Perry listed in the VHPA directory as KIA so he did at one time fly helicopters in Nam.

Don

 I have orders showing 1LT Cecil C. Perkins Jr. appointed as Unit Supply Officer effective 18 May 68 and also orders showing him receiving the Bronze Star Medal as a Captain for service from April 1968 - April 1969. I remember him as the supply officer however since I spent almost all of my time in Go Cong my contact was limited. Hope this helps.

Jerry Faust

Swampfox 19