Quentin Ripptoe Beecher 1 2 3
- Born: 14 Sep 1942, Terre Haute, Vigo, IN
- Died: 11 Jun 1967, , , , Vietnam at age 24 2
FamilySearch ID: MVP6-G6X.
Noted events in his life were:
1. Evidence: Information about him appears at http://www.taskforceomegainc.org/b013.html.
2. Evidence: Information about him is on http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BeecherQR01a.htm.
3. Military in , , , Vietnam: during the Vietnam War in the US Army, 1st Air Cavalry Division. 2 He was missing in action 11 Jun 1967 and subsequently declared dead on 11 Jun 1973.
On 11 June 1967, a UH-1D (hull number 63-12958) departed Qui Nhon Airfield on an operational mission along the coast south of Qui Nhon. Five men of the 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion (previously the 227th Aviation Battalion) were aboard the aircraft:
CW2 Dean Eddie Clinton, aircraft commander/pilot, C/227th AHB
CW3 Thomas Frederick Riggs, copilot, C/227 AHB
SSG James Raymond Nelson, crew chief, C/227 AHB
SSG Ralph Edward Uhlmansiek, gunner, C/227 AHB
CW3 Quentin Rippetoe Beecher, passenger, B/227 AHB
Beecher, a rated UH-1 pilot, was "hitching a lift" on this flight; he was not a crewman.
They left Qui Nhon at about 1900, planning to remain over or at most slightly seaward of the coastline. Bad weather was encountered en route and the pilot requested assistance from both Tuy Hoa and Qui Nhon radar flight following centers in determining his position. Both Tuy Hoa and Qui Nhon radar control centers had the UH-1 on radar, and both tried to direct the aircraft toward shore. In addition, a SAR aircraft was launched in an effort to intercept Clinton and lead him to safety. Darkness and rain prevented a join-up between the SAR aircraft and the UH-1.
At 2057, Clinton reported that he was out of fuel and would attempt a water landing. At that time, radar placed the aircraft approximately 21 miles east of the coast line, 25 miles northeast of Tuy Hoa and 41 miles southeast of Qui Nhon.
Search and rescue efforts started immediately and continued until 13 June. No trace of the UH-1 or the five men was found. In the absence of proof positive that the men were dead, they were declared Missing in Action, Category 5 (recovery unlikely).
On 5 June 1973 the Secretary of the Army approved a Presumptive Finding of Death for Warrant Officer Quentin Beecher.
4. Newspaper: Anderson Daily Bulletin, 24 Jan 1973, Anderson, Madison, IN. Hoosiers react to cease fire
by The Associated Press.
"We will know the moment of truth soon," said Mrs. Samuel E. Beecher Jr., Terre Haute, whose son has been missing in action since June 11, 1967, Chief Warrant Officer Quentin R. Beecher was an Army helicopter pilot.
"We're dazed," Mrs. Beecher said. "We're so absolutely close to the end of this horrendous business. The vigil has been a nightmare. President Nixon used the word vigil, but it's been more light a nightmare for us."
5. Newspaper: Indianapolis Star: Quentin Beecher Viet Casualty, 7 Jun 1973, Indianapolis, Marion, IN. 4 Quentin Beecher Viet Casualty
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The U.S. Department of Defense yesterday notified a Terre Haute couple that their son, missing in action in South Vietnam for six years, has been presumed dead. Army Chief Warrant Officer Quentin Beecher, then 24, was reported missing in action June 11, 1967, when his helicopter disappeared off the coast of South Vietnam. Beecher, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Beecher Jr., was a 1960 graduate of Culver Military Academy at Culver.
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