30 May 2005 Dick Bohlscheid was my friend from the second grade in 1945 until his death in 1967. He graduated from Pocatello High school in 1955 and the University of Idaho in 1959, then went immediately into the Marine Corps as a helicopter pilot. He was on his second tour in Viet Nam when the CH-46 he was flying suffered a catastrophic structural failure and destroyed itself in flight. All fourteen men died. I believe this was 12 miles NW of Dong Ha where he was inserting troops into the jungle. From a friend, Nick Pool E-mail address is not available.

 

24 Apr 2007 I have worn Captain Bohlscheid's MIA bracelet for 20 years. I feel honored and blessed to wear my bracelet every day. God Bless Captain Bohlscheid and his family. Angie Twitchell 90 B North 100 West, Jerome, Idaho 83338 angie_twitchell@yahoo.com

 

Notes from The Virtual Wall On 11 June 1967 a reconnaissance team from the 3rd Force Recon Company was scheduled for insertion into position on the southern border of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) four kilometers north of Hill 208 and 900 meters west of Hill 174, both well known NVA positions. The insertion force consisted of two CH-46As from HMM-265 and two UH-1E gunships from VMO-2. The lead CH-46A (BuNo 150270) carried four crewmen and seven men of the recon team: From HMM-265: Capt Curtis R. Bohlscheid, Pocatello, ID, pilot Major John S. Oldham, Tinnie, NM, copilot LCpl Jose J. Gonzalez, El Paso, TX Pfc Thomas M. Hanratty, Beulah, CO From 3rd Force Recon Company: Cpl Jim E. Moshier, Bakersfield, CA LCpl Dennis R. Christie, Imperial Beach, CA LCpl John J. Foley, Plainfield, NJ LCpl Michael W. Havranek, Missoula, MT LCpl James W. Kooi, Fruitport, MI Pfc Charles D. Chomel, Columbus, IN Pfc James E. Widener, Churchville, NY Hank Trimble, pilot of one of the VMO-2 gunship escorts, recalls that three insertion attempts were made. The first and second attempts were aborted due to enemy activity and fire in the intended landing zones, but the third LZ was clear. As the CH-46 approached the LZ it "transitioned to landing speed, in almost slow motion his nose rose, then rose more sharply, then climbed toward the vertical. Then the aircraft rolled inverted, split S, and dived down and exploded." Trimble's recollection is that there was no evident enemy action and that the likely cause was mechanical failure. The crash was not survivable. The enemy presence in the area prohibited recovery of the bodies at the time, and as of 15 May 2004 their remains have not been repatriated. Notes The POW Network page contains the statement that "Machinegunmen had been waiting for the opportune time to fire on the aircraft. Portions of the rear blades were seen to separate from the aircraft and a radio transmission was received from the aircraft indicating that it had been hit." and the Task Force Omega page states that "Capt. Bohlscheid radioed that they had been hit by machinegun fire". No source is given for these statements, which contradict Trimble's recollection that there was no observed enemy fire or radio call stating that the aircraft had been hit. Additional information is available on the Pop-A-Smoke site

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