27 Mar 2006 REMEMBERED by his nephew, Kurt Patrick Stephenson iahawkeye06@aol.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 10 August 1968 D Company, 2/327th Infantry, was working in the A Shau Valley. During the day they lost eight men: SGT Antonio V. Garcia, Kingsville, TX SGT Edward Stewart, Monroe, LA CPL Daniel L. Ault, Mountville, PA CPL Roger Hulsey, Powder Springs, GA CPL Samuel R. James, Carrollton, GA CPL John J. Matarazzi, Lebanon, PA CPL Steven M. Schlosser, Lacon, IL CPL Kurt P. Stephenson, Cedar Rapids, IA The truly tragic aspect was that seven of the dead were victims of "friendly fire": "In August 1968 a Navy A-7D fired two 5-inch aerial rockets into the HQ CP of Company D, 2d Battalion, 327th Infantry (101st Airborne Division), during an operation in the A Shau Valley. Fifty-five casualties [killed and wounded] resulted." From "Amicicide: The Problem of Friendly Fire" Army Command and General Staff College, Dec 1982 Corporal Kurt Stephenson is the only known hostile-fire casualty incurred on 10 August. At this distance it makes little difference where the aircraft came from, but in August 1968 there were only four A-7 squadrons in Vietnam: Attack Squadron 82 and Attack Squadron 86 in USS AMERICA (CVA-66) and Attack Squadron 27 and Attack Squadron 97 in USS CONSTELLATION (CVA-64). CONSTELLATION was operating on a dawn-to-dusk schedule, while AMERICA was on the dusk-to-dawn shift. If the aircraft type is correctly identified in the ACGSC study, it appears that A-7s from VA-27 or VA-97 were involved in the incident. The author of this note was an aviator with VA-85 (A-6 INTRUDER) embarked in USS AMERICA. The carrier's operating schedule in Aug 1968 was determined through reference to his flight log book and notes.

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