04 Nov 2005 Bruce Kane. I served as well as you in Vietnam in 1968. I knew you and your family from High School, and your sister and I were good friends. May you rest in peace, my brother. If I should die in a combat zone, Box me up and sent me home, Fold my hands across my chest, And tell my mom I did my best. Semper Fi A friend from Deer Park, NY, Rogers Alexandre Cpl USMC 37 Dancingridge Road, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 parris_island67@yahoo.com

 

09 Nov 2005 From my Watchfires '99... And last I told Bruce Kane, whose MIA bracelet has resided in my shadow box for more years then I can remember, that even though I never got to meet him, he will always be remembered. Semper fidelis... From a fellow Marine, Sal Latina 27 Covered Bridge Drive, Hawley, Pa. 18428 disbo@ptd.net

 

Notes from The Virtual Wall Four men of Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 367 went down when their UH-1E (BuNo 155339) was hit by enemy fire in the vicinity of the SVN/Laotian border northwest of the Rockpile: Major Thomas B. Hill, pilot 1stLt Ronald James Janousek, copilot Cpl Bruce Edward Kane, gunner LCpl John O. Dean, crew chief Major Hill was flight lead for several helicopters conducting an emergency extraction mission in Laos. The aircraft was making an approach to a 3,400 foot ridge when it received intense automatic weapons fire. With the engine failing, the pilot commenced autorotation for a valley floor. Passing thru about 1500 feet, a severe explosion occurred and the cabin and cockpit were immediately engulfed in flames. Major Hill headed the aircraft for a pool in a mountain river, landing in water estimated to be twelve feet deep with a current so swift that the aircraft was immediately pulled backwards and rolled inverted in the water. Major Hill exited the aircraft and made it ashore. Cpl Kane had jumped from the aircraft just prior to water impact and made it ashore. However, as Hill came to surface the first time, he saw Cpl Kane re-enter the water to assist the remaining crew members. Major Hill and LCpl Dean were rescued by a "Kingbee" H-34 piloted by Captain Dai Uy Ahn (VNAF 219 Squadron). Captain Ahn air taxied 100 yards in an attempt to recover of the bodies of the apparently dead crewmembers but was forced from the area by enemy small arms fire. The HMM-367 SCARFACE web site has two pages on this incident, including photographs taken from an accompanying AH-1G COBRA which show 155339 going down in flames - see their "Janousek Down" and "Janousek/Kane" pages. From VHPA and USMC Vietnam Helicopter Association data

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