Douglas Lee O'Neill

The database page for Douglas Lee O'Neill

30 Oct 2006 I wear his MIA bracelet. rayboz89@yahoo.com

04 Nov 2006 I am a proud bracelet wearer. Thanks to CWO O'Neill and to all veterans alive and dead for the sacrifices you made for our country! God Bless you all! Chad Tate chadleetate72@comcast.net

30 Dec 2006 Doug O'Neill is a friend and many people besides me miss him and want him to show up one day on 40th Street. I pray for your crew too. From a friend, Jim Meehan New York State thirty2points@yahoo.com

28 Jun 2007 One of the 'Dirty Dozen', Avn Detatchment, Marble Mountain, DaNang Sir, You are not forgotten...... I remember you, Sir, as a fellow unit member, having served with and flown with you. I remember you, Sir, but only as a ghostly shadow these long years later, and the others, too, in my dreams of that day. I remember you, Sir, and the others, as we often continue to fly the coast, past Hi-Van and Lo-Van, enroute to Quang Tri on that fateful morning, in my dreams. I remember you, Sir, as you try to dodge as screams of 'SAM..SAM..SAM' fill the intercom, with the missile flashing through the low cloud layer, in my dreams. I forgot you, Sir, for a while, after you didn't return that day. But I remember you, Sir, in my dreams. I remember you, Sir, but I shouldn't. I was supposed to be with you on that flight, that day! I remember you, Sir! I CAN'T forget! Doc From a unit member. E-mail address is not available. From The Virtual Wall: There is no known evidence that UH-1H 68-16330 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. In fact, since the wreckage has never been located there is no evidence that it was shot down at all rather than being an operational loss.

18 Jan 2008 I met Doug at Dallas-Fort Worth airport on our way to Fort Wolters and shared some great memories in flight school and back at home. We would hang out in Bayonne or where I lived in Staten Island during Christmas leave and on leave after flight school and waiting to cross the pond. I had the pleasure of meeting his brother, sister and parents. I wear his bracelet proudly and think of him often. From a friend from flight school, CW4 Gary Amatrudo "Purple Hats" gary.amatrudo@us.army.mil

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 03 April 1972 UH-1H tail number 68-16330 from the 37th Signal Battalion departed Marble Mountain Airfield at Danang for a combat support mission to Quang Tri City. At 0945 the pilot called Hue Radar, reported that he was VFR on top of a cloud layer, thought he was in the vicinity of Quang Tri City, and requested radar vectors. The Hua controllers could not locate the aircraft on radar and when radio contact was lost at 1010 the aircraft simply disappeared. Although the area between Highway 1 and the coast was searched the wreckage was never found. Four men were aboard the aircraft at the time; they were classed as missing in action until the Secretary of the Army approved finding of death for them on the dates shown below: CWO Douglas L. O'Neill, Bayonne, NJ (01/08/1979) CWO Larry A. Zich, Lincoln, NE (11/30/1979) SFC Allen D. Christensen, Flandreau, SD (01/08/1979) SSG Edward W. Williams, Clearwater, FL (10/30/1978) This loss frequently is confused with the search and rescue efforts then underway for the crew of EB-66C tail number 54-0466 ("BAT 21") which had been shot down the day before - but there is no connection between the two incidents. The four men have not been recovered.

Top of Page www.VirtualWall.org Back to To alpha index O NJ State Index . Panel 02W 37TH SIG BN Index Contact Us

With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 30 Oct 2006
Last updated 08/10/2009