Richard Clair Dority
Sergeant
329TH TRANS CO, 159TH TRANS BN, 5TH TRANS CMD, ARMY SPT CMD DANANG, 1ST LOG CMD, USARV Army of the United States Dover-Foxcroft, Maine January 27, 1952 to November 04, 1971 (Incident Date November 03, 1970) RICHARD C DORITY is on the Wall at Panel W2, Line 60 |
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Several years ago, I adopted an MIA whose remains have since been returned home. My first MIA and I had a lot of what I call *fate* connections which can only be described as *meant to be*. I decided to adopt another MIA but wasn't sure if I should just pick one or let one be chosen at random for me. While reading up on the available MIA's I came upon Richard's name and saw that he was from the same town where I was born, but I was still undecided and after several weeks, I decided to just let them pick one for me. Imagine my surprise and joy when I discovered that they chose Richard for me. I considered this a sign, much like the signs that connected my first MIA and myself. I am thinking that just maybe my first MIA had a hand in this and he was telling me that he approved. When I realized that Richard did not have a memorial page here, I wanted to be the one to do the honor of making one for him. I feel that he deserves this honor. We need to never ever forget that there are men and women who went away one day to protect our country but never were able to come home to their families and friends. Richard was a brother to his sister, son to his parents, friend to his friends. He was somebody to somebody and he always will be. He was my neighbor, when I didn't even know. Now he is my adoptee and until he comes home, he will have a place of honor on his own web site and within my heart.
Cathy Keating |
A Note from The Virtual WallThe 329th Transportation Company (Heavy Boat) was part of the 159th Trans Bn at Qui Nhon and was responsible for most of the coastal missions performed by the 5th Transportation Command between Chu Lai and Dong Ha. The Company's equippage included Landing Craft, Utility, commonly known as LCUs, which were used for lighterage purposes as well as coastal deliveries of heavy and/or bulky cargo. LCU-1563, the boat involved in this incident, was not small - a 501-Class LCU, it was 115' long with a 30' beam. It also had a cargo bay that was open to the weather, but the 501s had proven themselves seaworthy over their 25 years of service. LCU-1563 (in Army markings, "LCU-63") departed Danang on 02 Nov 1970 enroute to the Army port at Hue, Tan My, with eleven men aboard. Although the worst of Typhoon Patsy hadn't yet hit the coast, the weather was bad and the seas rough - bad enough to swamp and sink two RVN gunboats a bit further south on the same day LCU-63 departed Danang. At about 10 AM the following day LCU-63 was sighted capsized and driven ashore on the beach several miles south of Tan My. Initial search efforts failed to locate any of the crewmen, but on 06 Nov one body - that of PFC Billy H. Peeples - was found near Cu Lao Island (sometimes misspelled "Cu Loi"), which is about 20 miles off-shore east of Chu Lai and a very considerable distance south of where the wreckage was found. Although PFC Peoples was wearing a life vest, autopsy results proved he had died of drowning. Salvage efforts failed to move the wreckage either closer to or further away from the shoreline, forcing US and Australian divers to work in heavy rain and pounding surf while they searched the vessel's interior compartments - but to no avail. The US Naval Forces Vietnam Command History for November 1970 contains this entry: "At 1300H on 3 November U.S. Army Support Command YFU-63 was found aground and overturned about two and a half miles southeast of the CG 12 base (YD 875 300). There was no sign of any survivors, and it was concluded that the eleven crewmembers had been lost at sea. Efforts to salvage the craft, coordinated by COMNAVSUPFAC [Danang], continued without success until 21 November when it was decided that any further attempts would be fruitless. The poor weather made the operation extremely difficult throughout and at 1900H on 19 November, the ARVN security group stationed on the beach at the site took some small arms fire from an unknown number of VC ..." On conclusion of the search and rescue effort PFC Peoples was known to be dead and the other ten crewmen were classed as missing. At the first annual review, the Army board concluded they had been lost at sea and their status was changed to "Died while Missing; Drowned; Body not recovered" with an effective date of death of 04 Nov 1971, a year and a day after the incident. The eleven crewmen were
Seven years later, on 16 March 1977, the remains of SGT Perry C. Kitchens were repatriated. The remaining nine men have not been recovered. The POW Network's biographies on the ten missing men claim "There are several descrepancies in the case of LCU-63 which should be noted." Their points are
Those interested in the LCU-63 accident should review the information at http://134.198.33.115/lcu-63.htm - particularly with respect to weather conditions, the investigation board's conclusions, and the diver's recollections of salvage operations. |
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