02 Jan 2004 NEVER FORGOTTEN WO Rodney K. Arnold, SFC James H. Brooks , and SP6 James T. Conway, all assigned to Headquarters Company, 15th Medical Battalion, were lost when their UH-1H (tail number 68-16429) crashed during a post-maintenance test flight. I served with James Conway when I was a flying crewchief for UH-1H tail number 68-16429 in the Medevac Platoon and he was working in the Maintenance Platoon for 15th Medical Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Divison. In April, 1970 I was hospitalized after being bitten by a rat at Quan Loi where my helicopter was stationed to make emergency pickups. While I was in the hospital, the Medevac Helicopter on which I was the assigned crewchief crashed during a maintenance flight check, killing all aboard including James and SFC Brooks and WO Arnold. I remember James Conway was married with 2 kids and one on the way. It was his second tour in Vietnam. He thought being in helicopter maintenance was safer than flying medevac missions like me. He had done his first tour flying as a crewchief. He loved his family and the only thing he wanted was to return to them. But as fate would have it, I survived the war and he didn't, dying in the helicopter I should have been in. I will always be eternally grateful to James for doing his duty. He made the ulitmate sacrifice. I will never forget him.

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