In Loving Memory ... 1LT. Gerald Francis Kinsman.
*** First Lieutenant Kinsman was a member of Detachment B-43, 5th Special Forces Group. On January 15, 1971, he was accompanying a platoon down Hill 282 northwest of Chi Lang, South Vietnam 2 miles from the Cambodian border, when they came under automatic weapons fire. First Lieutenant Kinsman was killed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in your family and those who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
GERALD FRANCIS KINSMAN - Army - 1LT - O2
Age: 25
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Jun 12, 1945
From: FOXBORO, MA
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Robert John Kinsman, Born 1924 and Died 1964 with burial at Brookdale Cemetery, and Mother, Marie I. Kinsman, Born Oct. 2, 1922, of Foxboro/Marshfield/Ocean Bluff/Plymouth, MASS and Died April 30, 2011 in Plymouth,Mass. Burial, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, Brookdale Cemetery. He has NO children.
* Possible Relatives: Kathleen M Kinsman, Susan M Kinsman, Robert J. Kinsman.
***** Bob Keller - Vietnam Buddy, Rex GA
Jerry was a friend of mine who I met after returning from my assignment at an A site in I Corps in June 1970. He was assigned as the chief of the civilian work force. After the American Special Forces were pulled out of I Corps, he was reassigned to IV Corps. A patrol he was on was ambushed in Jan 1971. The ambush was very horrific and 98% of its members were killed. All the Cambodians were killed and only 2 Americans escaped, one of whom was captured and later executed. Jerry was a good friend and a brave soldier. Rest in Peace my Brother.
May 18, 2007
1LT - O2 - Army - Reserve - Special Forces
His tour began on Jan 15, 1971
Casualty was on Jan 15, 1971
In , SOUTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, GROUND CASUALTY
GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE
Body was not recovered
Panel 05W - Line 45
Other Personnel In Incident: James A. Harwood (missing)
In January 1971, Major Leary, Special Forces Detachment B-43 commander; and Capt. Harry Purdy, company commander; were the senior officers assigned to Detachment B-43. The detachment's mission was to train and advise the Khmer Reconnaissance Platoon, 2nd Company, 1st (later the 6th) Cambodian Mobile Operations Battalion. The detachment was stationed at the Chi Lang Special Forces Camp, Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam. Other members of the Detachment B-43 included 1st Lt. James F. Kinsman, Lt. James J. McCarty, then Sgt. James A. Harwood and Sgt. Stamper.
Chi Lang Special Forces Camp was situated in a dangerous, highly contested border area just south of the South Vietnamese/Cambodian border, South Vietnam. The situation worsened due to the serious friction between Detachment B-43 members and the Vietnamese CIDG troops who were also stationed at the Special Forces camp. The Americans made no secret of the fact they felt the Khmer troops were superior to the ARVN border rangers, whom the Americans considered to be no more than hoods and thieves. The Vietnamese commanding officer, Major Hoa, countered by refusing to punish any Vietnamese caught stealing from the Americans.
On 15 January 1971, 1st Lt. Kinsman, the tactics instructor, Lt. McCarty and Sgt. Harwood escorted their Khmer company's 24-man reconnaissance platoon during the battalion-in-training field exercise on Nui Ta Bec Mountain.
After completing the field exercise, and while waiting for the 8th Khmer Infantry Battalion to arrive onsite to replace them in the field, the reconnaissance platoon began moving through the thick bamboo on the west side of the mountain. Sgt. Harwood accompanied the lead element, 1st Lt. Kinsman was located in the middle, and 1st Lt. McCarty was in the rear of the platoon's formation. As the inexperienced troops moved about their duties and without warning, the platoon came under VC automatic weapons fire.
Sgt. Harwood immediately dropped to the ground and radioed 1st Lt. McCarty stating that he "was crawling toward the pointman, could not see anything and was receiving direct fire from the front." Shortly thereafter all contact with James Harwood was lost. When radio contact could not be reestablished, James McCarty shouted to Sgt. Harwood, but received no response from him.
In the initial burst of gunfire, 1st Lt. McCarty's radioman was wounded in the leg. He frantically radioed Sgt. Stamper, who was located with another platoon at the base of the mountain, informing him of the platoon's dire situation. Major Leary, the detachment commander, monitored the training exercise while flying overhead in a Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft. From his vantage point, he observed the firefight commence and heard the radio traffic between the troops on the ground. He immediately relayed the reconnaissance platoon's request for assistance to Major Hoa at Chi Lang.
The CIDG Commander claimed all of his units were "busy" and no response was possible.
As the battle continued, 1st Lt. McCarty moved forward toward 1st Lt. Kinsman's position. Through the clumps of bamboo he momentarily saw James McCarty standing in an open area directing the Khmer soldiers into better firing positions.
When he reached Gerald Kinsman's position, James McCarty found him lying on his back in the small clearing. 1st Lt. Kinsman had sustained a gunshot wound in the stomach just to the side of the navel with an exit wound in the back. Lt. McCarty also noted he was lying in a large pool of blood.
While James McCarty immediately began ministering to the severely wounded Lieutenant, enemy gunfire struck his weapon destroying it and scattering the pieces everywhere. Seconds later another enemy round struck and wounded 1st Lt. McCarty. As the firefight raged around him, James McCarty tried to drag the unconscious Lieutenant to safety.
Unfortunately, enemy troops moved forward and as they approached the wounded Americans' position, James McCarty was forced to leave Gerald Kinsman where he lay and hide in a nearby thicket to escape detection.
Meanwhile, after being rebuffed by Major Hoa, Major Leary transmitted an emergency call to another battalion assigned to the 9th ARVN Division.
Unfortunately by the time they reached the embattled troops, the firefight was over and the VC retreated into their sanctuary across the border.
The survivors regrouped, called in medivac aircraft for their wounded and dead, took a head-count and determined that Gerald Kinsman and James Harwood were missing.
1st Lt. McCarty reported that during the firefight he never saw Sgt. Harwood and that when last seen, 1st Lt. Kinsman was unconscious with communist troops approaching his location.
The newly arrived ARVN troops initiated a ground search and rescue (SAR) operation in and around Nui Ta Bec Mountain for the two missing American advisors. At the same time, American aircraft were called in to conduct an aerial visual search of the area.
Neither the aerial or ground search discovered any trace of Sgt. Harwood, 1st Lt. Kinsman, or of freshly dug graves in and around the ambush site, or along the enemy's withdrawal path.
At the time the formal search operation was terminated, James Harwood was listed Missing in Action.
At the same time Gerald Kinsman was classified Killed/Body Not Recovered because of the severe wound he was known to have sustained.
********************************************
In August 1974, a Vietnamese refugee reported the following information to the US government, which he received second hand from another Vietnamese: "The enemy (Viet Cong) ambushed a Government of Vietnam team, killed one American and captured one American - one officer and one NCO - in that vicinity. The live American was ordered to pull the body of the dead American into the forest. There the American was ordered to dig a hole and bury his friend. As soon as he finished his work, a VC cadre stood beside him and fired at his head with a K .54 pistol. The two bodies were rushed into the hole, and it was filled with earth." The source also assumed that the gravesite might have been in a valley, but could not provide details of its location. There is no way to determine the validity of this second hand, hearsay report, and the fate of the two Americans remains unknown. Likewise, US intelligence had no way to determine if this report actually correlated to the loss of 1st Lt. Kinsman and Sgt. Harwood, or to any other American casualties.
******************************
.
*** First Lieutenant Kinsman was a member of Detachment B-43, 5th Special Forces Group. On January 15, 1971, he was accompanying a platoon down Hill 282 northwest of Chi Lang, South Vietnam 2 miles from the Cambodian border, when they came under automatic weapons fire. First Lieutenant Kinsman was killed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in your family and those who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
GERALD FRANCIS KINSMAN - Army - 1LT - O2
Age: 25
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Jun 12, 1945
From: FOXBORO, MA
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Robert John Kinsman, Born 1924 and Died 1964 with burial at Brookdale Cemetery, and Mother, Marie I. Kinsman, Born Oct. 2, 1922, of Foxboro/Marshfield/Ocean Bluff/Plymouth, MASS and Died April 30, 2011 in Plymouth,Mass. Burial, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, Brookdale Cemetery. He has NO children.
* Possible Relatives: Kathleen M Kinsman, Susan M Kinsman, Robert J. Kinsman.
***** Bob Keller - Vietnam Buddy, Rex GA
Jerry was a friend of mine who I met after returning from my assignment at an A site in I Corps in June 1970. He was assigned as the chief of the civilian work force. After the American Special Forces were pulled out of I Corps, he was reassigned to IV Corps. A patrol he was on was ambushed in Jan 1971. The ambush was very horrific and 98% of its members were killed. All the Cambodians were killed and only 2 Americans escaped, one of whom was captured and later executed. Jerry was a good friend and a brave soldier. Rest in Peace my Brother.
May 18, 2007
1LT - O2 - Army - Reserve - Special Forces
His tour began on Jan 15, 1971
Casualty was on Jan 15, 1971
In , SOUTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, GROUND CASUALTY
GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE
Body was not recovered
Panel 05W - Line 45
Other Personnel In Incident: James A. Harwood (missing)
In January 1971, Major Leary, Special Forces Detachment B-43 commander; and Capt. Harry Purdy, company commander; were the senior officers assigned to Detachment B-43. The detachment's mission was to train and advise the Khmer Reconnaissance Platoon, 2nd Company, 1st (later the 6th) Cambodian Mobile Operations Battalion. The detachment was stationed at the Chi Lang Special Forces Camp, Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam. Other members of the Detachment B-43 included 1st Lt. James F. Kinsman, Lt. James J. McCarty, then Sgt. James A. Harwood and Sgt. Stamper.
Chi Lang Special Forces Camp was situated in a dangerous, highly contested border area just south of the South Vietnamese/Cambodian border, South Vietnam. The situation worsened due to the serious friction between Detachment B-43 members and the Vietnamese CIDG troops who were also stationed at the Special Forces camp. The Americans made no secret of the fact they felt the Khmer troops were superior to the ARVN border rangers, whom the Americans considered to be no more than hoods and thieves. The Vietnamese commanding officer, Major Hoa, countered by refusing to punish any Vietnamese caught stealing from the Americans.
On 15 January 1971, 1st Lt. Kinsman, the tactics instructor, Lt. McCarty and Sgt. Harwood escorted their Khmer company's 24-man reconnaissance platoon during the battalion-in-training field exercise on Nui Ta Bec Mountain.
After completing the field exercise, and while waiting for the 8th Khmer Infantry Battalion to arrive onsite to replace them in the field, the reconnaissance platoon began moving through the thick bamboo on the west side of the mountain. Sgt. Harwood accompanied the lead element, 1st Lt. Kinsman was located in the middle, and 1st Lt. McCarty was in the rear of the platoon's formation. As the inexperienced troops moved about their duties and without warning, the platoon came under VC automatic weapons fire.
Sgt. Harwood immediately dropped to the ground and radioed 1st Lt. McCarty stating that he "was crawling toward the pointman, could not see anything and was receiving direct fire from the front." Shortly thereafter all contact with James Harwood was lost. When radio contact could not be reestablished, James McCarty shouted to Sgt. Harwood, but received no response from him.
In the initial burst of gunfire, 1st Lt. McCarty's radioman was wounded in the leg. He frantically radioed Sgt. Stamper, who was located with another platoon at the base of the mountain, informing him of the platoon's dire situation. Major Leary, the detachment commander, monitored the training exercise while flying overhead in a Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft. From his vantage point, he observed the firefight commence and heard the radio traffic between the troops on the ground. He immediately relayed the reconnaissance platoon's request for assistance to Major Hoa at Chi Lang.
The CIDG Commander claimed all of his units were "busy" and no response was possible.
As the battle continued, 1st Lt. McCarty moved forward toward 1st Lt. Kinsman's position. Through the clumps of bamboo he momentarily saw James McCarty standing in an open area directing the Khmer soldiers into better firing positions.
When he reached Gerald Kinsman's position, James McCarty found him lying on his back in the small clearing. 1st Lt. Kinsman had sustained a gunshot wound in the stomach just to the side of the navel with an exit wound in the back. Lt. McCarty also noted he was lying in a large pool of blood.
While James McCarty immediately began ministering to the severely wounded Lieutenant, enemy gunfire struck his weapon destroying it and scattering the pieces everywhere. Seconds later another enemy round struck and wounded 1st Lt. McCarty. As the firefight raged around him, James McCarty tried to drag the unconscious Lieutenant to safety.
Unfortunately, enemy troops moved forward and as they approached the wounded Americans' position, James McCarty was forced to leave Gerald Kinsman where he lay and hide in a nearby thicket to escape detection.
Meanwhile, after being rebuffed by Major Hoa, Major Leary transmitted an emergency call to another battalion assigned to the 9th ARVN Division.
Unfortunately by the time they reached the embattled troops, the firefight was over and the VC retreated into their sanctuary across the border.
The survivors regrouped, called in medivac aircraft for their wounded and dead, took a head-count and determined that Gerald Kinsman and James Harwood were missing.
1st Lt. McCarty reported that during the firefight he never saw Sgt. Harwood and that when last seen, 1st Lt. Kinsman was unconscious with communist troops approaching his location.
The newly arrived ARVN troops initiated a ground search and rescue (SAR) operation in and around Nui Ta Bec Mountain for the two missing American advisors. At the same time, American aircraft were called in to conduct an aerial visual search of the area.
Neither the aerial or ground search discovered any trace of Sgt. Harwood, 1st Lt. Kinsman, or of freshly dug graves in and around the ambush site, or along the enemy's withdrawal path.
At the time the formal search operation was terminated, James Harwood was listed Missing in Action.
At the same time Gerald Kinsman was classified Killed/Body Not Recovered because of the severe wound he was known to have sustained.
********************************************
In August 1974, a Vietnamese refugee reported the following information to the US government, which he received second hand from another Vietnamese: "The enemy (Viet Cong) ambushed a Government of Vietnam team, killed one American and captured one American - one officer and one NCO - in that vicinity. The live American was ordered to pull the body of the dead American into the forest. There the American was ordered to dig a hole and bury his friend. As soon as he finished his work, a VC cadre stood beside him and fired at his head with a K .54 pistol. The two bodies were rushed into the hole, and it was filled with earth." The source also assumed that the gravesite might have been in a valley, but could not provide details of its location. There is no way to determine the validity of this second hand, hearsay report, and the fate of the two Americans remains unknown. Likewise, US intelligence had no way to determine if this report actually correlated to the loss of 1st Lt. Kinsman and Sgt. Harwood, or to any other American casualties.
******************************
.
In Loving Memory ... 1LT. Gerald Francis Kinsman.
*** First Lieutenant Kinsman was a member of Detachment B-43, 5th Special Forces Group. On January 15, 1971, he was accompanying a platoon down Hill 282 northwest of Chi Lang, South Vietnam 2 miles from the Cambodian border, when they came under automatic weapons fire. First Lieutenant Kinsman was killed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in your family and those who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
GERALD FRANCIS KINSMAN - Army - 1LT - O2
Age: 25
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Jun 12, 1945
From: FOXBORO, MA
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Robert John Kinsman, Born 1924 and Died 1964 with burial at Brookdale Cemetery, and Mother, Marie I. Kinsman, Born Oct. 2, 1922, of Foxboro/Marshfield/Ocean Bluff/Plymouth, MASS and Died April 30, 2011 in Plymouth,Mass. Burial, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, Brookdale Cemetery. He has NO children.
* Possible Relatives: Kathleen M Kinsman, Susan M Kinsman, Robert J. Kinsman.
***** Bob Keller - Vietnam Buddy, Rex GA
Jerry was a friend of mine who I met after returning from my assignment at an A site in I Corps in June 1970. He was assigned as the chief of the civilian work force. After the American Special Forces were pulled out of I Corps, he was reassigned to IV Corps. A patrol he was on was ambushed in Jan 1971. The ambush was very horrific and 98% of its members were killed. All the Cambodians were killed and only 2 Americans escaped, one of whom was captured and later executed. Jerry was a good friend and a brave soldier. Rest in Peace my Brother.
May 18, 2007
1LT - O2 - Army - Reserve - Special Forces
His tour began on Jan 15, 1971
Casualty was on Jan 15, 1971
In , SOUTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, GROUND CASUALTY
GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE
Body was not recovered
Panel 05W - Line 45
Other Personnel In Incident: James A. Harwood (missing)
In January 1971, Major Leary, Special Forces Detachment B-43 commander; and Capt. Harry Purdy, company commander; were the senior officers assigned to Detachment B-43. The detachment's mission was to train and advise the Khmer Reconnaissance Platoon, 2nd Company, 1st (later the 6th) Cambodian Mobile Operations Battalion. The detachment was stationed at the Chi Lang Special Forces Camp, Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam. Other members of the Detachment B-43 included 1st Lt. James F. Kinsman, Lt. James J. McCarty, then Sgt. James A. Harwood and Sgt. Stamper.
Chi Lang Special Forces Camp was situated in a dangerous, highly contested border area just south of the South Vietnamese/Cambodian border, South Vietnam. The situation worsened due to the serious friction between Detachment B-43 members and the Vietnamese CIDG troops who were also stationed at the Special Forces camp. The Americans made no secret of the fact they felt the Khmer troops were superior to the ARVN border rangers, whom the Americans considered to be no more than hoods and thieves. The Vietnamese commanding officer, Major Hoa, countered by refusing to punish any Vietnamese caught stealing from the Americans.
On 15 January 1971, 1st Lt. Kinsman, the tactics instructor, Lt. McCarty and Sgt. Harwood escorted their Khmer company's 24-man reconnaissance platoon during the battalion-in-training field exercise on Nui Ta Bec Mountain.
After completing the field exercise, and while waiting for the 8th Khmer Infantry Battalion to arrive onsite to replace them in the field, the reconnaissance platoon began moving through the thick bamboo on the west side of the mountain. Sgt. Harwood accompanied the lead element, 1st Lt. Kinsman was located in the middle, and 1st Lt. McCarty was in the rear of the platoon's formation. As the inexperienced troops moved about their duties and without warning, the platoon came under VC automatic weapons fire.
Sgt. Harwood immediately dropped to the ground and radioed 1st Lt. McCarty stating that he "was crawling toward the pointman, could not see anything and was receiving direct fire from the front." Shortly thereafter all contact with James Harwood was lost. When radio contact could not be reestablished, James McCarty shouted to Sgt. Harwood, but received no response from him.
In the initial burst of gunfire, 1st Lt. McCarty's radioman was wounded in the leg. He frantically radioed Sgt. Stamper, who was located with another platoon at the base of the mountain, informing him of the platoon's dire situation. Major Leary, the detachment commander, monitored the training exercise while flying overhead in a Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft. From his vantage point, he observed the firefight commence and heard the radio traffic between the troops on the ground. He immediately relayed the reconnaissance platoon's request for assistance to Major Hoa at Chi Lang.
The CIDG Commander claimed all of his units were "busy" and no response was possible.
As the battle continued, 1st Lt. McCarty moved forward toward 1st Lt. Kinsman's position. Through the clumps of bamboo he momentarily saw James McCarty standing in an open area directing the Khmer soldiers into better firing positions.
When he reached Gerald Kinsman's position, James McCarty found him lying on his back in the small clearing. 1st Lt. Kinsman had sustained a gunshot wound in the stomach just to the side of the navel with an exit wound in the back. Lt. McCarty also noted he was lying in a large pool of blood.
While James McCarty immediately began ministering to the severely wounded Lieutenant, enemy gunfire struck his weapon destroying it and scattering the pieces everywhere. Seconds later another enemy round struck and wounded 1st Lt. McCarty. As the firefight raged around him, James McCarty tried to drag the unconscious Lieutenant to safety.
Unfortunately, enemy troops moved forward and as they approached the wounded Americans' position, James McCarty was forced to leave Gerald Kinsman where he lay and hide in a nearby thicket to escape detection.
Meanwhile, after being rebuffed by Major Hoa, Major Leary transmitted an emergency call to another battalion assigned to the 9th ARVN Division.
Unfortunately by the time they reached the embattled troops, the firefight was over and the VC retreated into their sanctuary across the border.
The survivors regrouped, called in medivac aircraft for their wounded and dead, took a head-count and determined that Gerald Kinsman and James Harwood were missing.
1st Lt. McCarty reported that during the firefight he never saw Sgt. Harwood and that when last seen, 1st Lt. Kinsman was unconscious with communist troops approaching his location.
The newly arrived ARVN troops initiated a ground search and rescue (SAR) operation in and around Nui Ta Bec Mountain for the two missing American advisors. At the same time, American aircraft were called in to conduct an aerial visual search of the area.
Neither the aerial or ground search discovered any trace of Sgt. Harwood, 1st Lt. Kinsman, or of freshly dug graves in and around the ambush site, or along the enemy's withdrawal path.
At the time the formal search operation was terminated, James Harwood was listed Missing in Action.
At the same time Gerald Kinsman was classified Killed/Body Not Recovered because of the severe wound he was known to have sustained.
********************************************
In August 1974, a Vietnamese refugee reported the following information to the US government, which he received second hand from another Vietnamese: "The enemy (Viet Cong) ambushed a Government of Vietnam team, killed one American and captured one American - one officer and one NCO - in that vicinity. The live American was ordered to pull the body of the dead American into the forest. There the American was ordered to dig a hole and bury his friend. As soon as he finished his work, a VC cadre stood beside him and fired at his head with a K .54 pistol. The two bodies were rushed into the hole, and it was filled with earth." The source also assumed that the gravesite might have been in a valley, but could not provide details of its location. There is no way to determine the validity of this second hand, hearsay report, and the fate of the two Americans remains unknown. Likewise, US intelligence had no way to determine if this report actually correlated to the loss of 1st Lt. Kinsman and Sgt. Harwood, or to any other American casualties.
******************************
.
*** First Lieutenant Kinsman was a member of Detachment B-43, 5th Special Forces Group. On January 15, 1971, he was accompanying a platoon down Hill 282 northwest of Chi Lang, South Vietnam 2 miles from the Cambodian border, when they came under automatic weapons fire. First Lieutenant Kinsman was killed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in your family and those who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
GERALD FRANCIS KINSMAN - Army - 1LT - O2
Age: 25
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Jun 12, 1945
From: FOXBORO, MA
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Robert John Kinsman, Born 1924 and Died 1964 with burial at Brookdale Cemetery, and Mother, Marie I. Kinsman, Born Oct. 2, 1922, of Foxboro/Marshfield/Ocean Bluff/Plymouth, MASS and Died April 30, 2011 in Plymouth,Mass. Burial, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, Brookdale Cemetery. He has NO children.
* Possible Relatives: Kathleen M Kinsman, Susan M Kinsman, Robert J. Kinsman.
***** Bob Keller - Vietnam Buddy, Rex GA
Jerry was a friend of mine who I met after returning from my assignment at an A site in I Corps in June 1970. He was assigned as the chief of the civilian work force. After the American Special Forces were pulled out of I Corps, he was reassigned to IV Corps. A patrol he was on was ambushed in Jan 1971. The ambush was very horrific and 98% of its members were killed. All the Cambodians were killed and only 2 Americans escaped, one of whom was captured and later executed. Jerry was a good friend and a brave soldier. Rest in Peace my Brother.
May 18, 2007
1LT - O2 - Army - Reserve - Special Forces
His tour began on Jan 15, 1971
Casualty was on Jan 15, 1971
In , SOUTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, GROUND CASUALTY
GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE
Body was not recovered
Panel 05W - Line 45
Other Personnel In Incident: James A. Harwood (missing)
In January 1971, Major Leary, Special Forces Detachment B-43 commander; and Capt. Harry Purdy, company commander; were the senior officers assigned to Detachment B-43. The detachment's mission was to train and advise the Khmer Reconnaissance Platoon, 2nd Company, 1st (later the 6th) Cambodian Mobile Operations Battalion. The detachment was stationed at the Chi Lang Special Forces Camp, Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam. Other members of the Detachment B-43 included 1st Lt. James F. Kinsman, Lt. James J. McCarty, then Sgt. James A. Harwood and Sgt. Stamper.
Chi Lang Special Forces Camp was situated in a dangerous, highly contested border area just south of the South Vietnamese/Cambodian border, South Vietnam. The situation worsened due to the serious friction between Detachment B-43 members and the Vietnamese CIDG troops who were also stationed at the Special Forces camp. The Americans made no secret of the fact they felt the Khmer troops were superior to the ARVN border rangers, whom the Americans considered to be no more than hoods and thieves. The Vietnamese commanding officer, Major Hoa, countered by refusing to punish any Vietnamese caught stealing from the Americans.
On 15 January 1971, 1st Lt. Kinsman, the tactics instructor, Lt. McCarty and Sgt. Harwood escorted their Khmer company's 24-man reconnaissance platoon during the battalion-in-training field exercise on Nui Ta Bec Mountain.
After completing the field exercise, and while waiting for the 8th Khmer Infantry Battalion to arrive onsite to replace them in the field, the reconnaissance platoon began moving through the thick bamboo on the west side of the mountain. Sgt. Harwood accompanied the lead element, 1st Lt. Kinsman was located in the middle, and 1st Lt. McCarty was in the rear of the platoon's formation. As the inexperienced troops moved about their duties and without warning, the platoon came under VC automatic weapons fire.
Sgt. Harwood immediately dropped to the ground and radioed 1st Lt. McCarty stating that he "was crawling toward the pointman, could not see anything and was receiving direct fire from the front." Shortly thereafter all contact with James Harwood was lost. When radio contact could not be reestablished, James McCarty shouted to Sgt. Harwood, but received no response from him.
In the initial burst of gunfire, 1st Lt. McCarty's radioman was wounded in the leg. He frantically radioed Sgt. Stamper, who was located with another platoon at the base of the mountain, informing him of the platoon's dire situation. Major Leary, the detachment commander, monitored the training exercise while flying overhead in a Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft. From his vantage point, he observed the firefight commence and heard the radio traffic between the troops on the ground. He immediately relayed the reconnaissance platoon's request for assistance to Major Hoa at Chi Lang.
The CIDG Commander claimed all of his units were "busy" and no response was possible.
As the battle continued, 1st Lt. McCarty moved forward toward 1st Lt. Kinsman's position. Through the clumps of bamboo he momentarily saw James McCarty standing in an open area directing the Khmer soldiers into better firing positions.
When he reached Gerald Kinsman's position, James McCarty found him lying on his back in the small clearing. 1st Lt. Kinsman had sustained a gunshot wound in the stomach just to the side of the navel with an exit wound in the back. Lt. McCarty also noted he was lying in a large pool of blood.
While James McCarty immediately began ministering to the severely wounded Lieutenant, enemy gunfire struck his weapon destroying it and scattering the pieces everywhere. Seconds later another enemy round struck and wounded 1st Lt. McCarty. As the firefight raged around him, James McCarty tried to drag the unconscious Lieutenant to safety.
Unfortunately, enemy troops moved forward and as they approached the wounded Americans' position, James McCarty was forced to leave Gerald Kinsman where he lay and hide in a nearby thicket to escape detection.
Meanwhile, after being rebuffed by Major Hoa, Major Leary transmitted an emergency call to another battalion assigned to the 9th ARVN Division.
Unfortunately by the time they reached the embattled troops, the firefight was over and the VC retreated into their sanctuary across the border.
The survivors regrouped, called in medivac aircraft for their wounded and dead, took a head-count and determined that Gerald Kinsman and James Harwood were missing.
1st Lt. McCarty reported that during the firefight he never saw Sgt. Harwood and that when last seen, 1st Lt. Kinsman was unconscious with communist troops approaching his location.
The newly arrived ARVN troops initiated a ground search and rescue (SAR) operation in and around Nui Ta Bec Mountain for the two missing American advisors. At the same time, American aircraft were called in to conduct an aerial visual search of the area.
Neither the aerial or ground search discovered any trace of Sgt. Harwood, 1st Lt. Kinsman, or of freshly dug graves in and around the ambush site, or along the enemy's withdrawal path.
At the time the formal search operation was terminated, James Harwood was listed Missing in Action.
At the same time Gerald Kinsman was classified Killed/Body Not Recovered because of the severe wound he was known to have sustained.
********************************************
In August 1974, a Vietnamese refugee reported the following information to the US government, which he received second hand from another Vietnamese: "The enemy (Viet Cong) ambushed a Government of Vietnam team, killed one American and captured one American - one officer and one NCO - in that vicinity. The live American was ordered to pull the body of the dead American into the forest. There the American was ordered to dig a hole and bury his friend. As soon as he finished his work, a VC cadre stood beside him and fired at his head with a K .54 pistol. The two bodies were rushed into the hole, and it was filled with earth." The source also assumed that the gravesite might have been in a valley, but could not provide details of its location. There is no way to determine the validity of this second hand, hearsay report, and the fate of the two Americans remains unknown. Likewise, US intelligence had no way to determine if this report actually correlated to the loss of 1st Lt. Kinsman and Sgt. Harwood, or to any other American casualties.
******************************
.
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