Elkinton, James Z.

James “Duke” Elkinton is a member of the Super Sabre Society and the Daedalians. He flew the F-100 and the H-3. As an H-3 pilot Duke was involved in the rescue of Al Mosiello. This account is from the Task Force Omega website:

On 30 June 1970, Capt. William S. “Bill” Sanders, pilot; and SFC Albert E. “Al” Mosiello, airborne observer/controller; comprised the crew of an OV10A (aircraft #3807), call sign “Nail 44,” that was conducting a visual reconnaissance mission in support of MACV-SOG, Command and Control North (CCN). The aircrew was flying at a lower than normal altitude searching for possible landing zones (LZs) for an upcoming Prairie Fire mission.

Because of the special and unique requirements, the 7th Air Force had granted Prairie Fire FACs special clearance to fly below the standard minimum flight altitude of 1,500 feet established for all aircraft operating in this region. The clearance was granted because of the frequent need to take hand-held 35mm photographs of checkpoints, LZs and other areas of interest.

As the Bronco pulled up through 1,500 feet above ground level, the NVA opened fire with anti-aircraft artillery (AAA). A 37mm AAA shell struck the Bronco in its left side adjacent to the pilot’s position. Not seeing any response from Capt. Sanders, SFC Mosiello tried to gain control of the aircraft as it nosed over, but the stick only shuddered in his hand. When Al Mosiello realized the Bronco was no longer airworthy, he ejected from the crippled aircraft. Once his parachute deployed, he was under canopy for only 4 to 10 seconds before reaching the ground. In his debriefing statement, SFC Mosiello reported he believed the AAA fire that damaged the Bronco killed Capt. Sanders. Further, he did not see the pilot eject or another parachute deploy.

The crash site was located in rugged mountains that were heavily forested with dense undergrowth approximately 500 meters southeast of the village of Ban Klou, 3 miles west of the Lao/South Vietnamese border and 12 miles south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separated North and South Vietnam. It was also 23 miles northwest of Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, 27 miles due east of Binh Tram 34 – a way station located along Highway 19 and 21 miles northeast of the major NVA controlled city of Tchepone, Savannakhet Province, Laos.

A second Prairie Fire FAC who was also operating in the vicinity heard SFC Mosiello’s emergency beeper. The FAC pilot made radio contact with the downed observer, then notified the airborne command and control aircraft (ABCCC), call sign “Hillsboro,” of the situation. At the same time, the 56th Special Operations Wing (SOW) headquarters was also informed of the Bronco’s loss and a HH53C search and rescue (SAR) helicopter from the 40th Air Rescue/Recovery Squadron (ARRS), Udorn Airfield, Thailand was immediately dispatched to the area of loss.

Capt. Leroy C. Schaneberg, pilot; Major John W. Goeglein, co-pilot; SSgt. Marvin E. Bell, flight engineer; SSgt. Michael F. Dean, pararescueman; and MSgt. Paul L. Jenkins, pararescueman; comprised the crew of the rescue helicopter (aircraft #8283), call sign “Jolly Green.” As the aircraft hovered at an altitude of approximately 150 feet above SFC Mosiello’s position, an NVA soldier fired a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) into the rotor head of the helicopter. As the rotor assembly separated from the fuselage, it rolled over and crashed in a fireball on the ground. No emergency beepers were heard emanating from the helicopter’s crash site. The rescue aircraft’s wreckage was located roughly 1 mile north of the Bronco’s crash site, and Al Mosiello was located on the ground between the two crash sites.

Lt. Col. Bill Shelton relayed a message through the onsite FAC to SFC Mosiello that he should prepare to escape and evade toward South Vietnam. At the same time, he was considering calling a halt to the rescue operation due to the late hour and approaching darkness, Col. Sam Crosby, the 56th SOW commander, called on the telephone. He reported that the 37th ARRS stationed at DaNang was prepared to launch an H3 rescue helicopter for another recovery attempt and asked if he wanted a flight of A1E aircraft to be armed with tear gas for fire suppression. Major Shelton said yes, and the mission was launched.

Major James Z. Elkinton, pilot; Capt. Dale R. Clark, co-pilot; SSgt. John C. Alcorn, flight engineer; and SSgt. Jules C. Smith, pararescueman; comprised the crew of the H3. Once all aircraft arrived in the area of loss, the A1E’s laid down a protective screen of tear gas between the downed observer and the NVA. The H3 helicopter hovered over Al Mosiello and dropped a penetrator with SSgt. Smith on it through the dense jungle. The PJ secured SFC Mosiello and himself to the penetrator and the two men were lifted out of the jungle, then flown back to DaNang.

Source: For the full story DEAN, MICHAEL FRANK Compiled by Task Force Omega Inc