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Specialist-4 Richard Sanders

“Chopper Down” Rescue Service in Vietnam

by Richard D. L. Fulton

Helicopters played a major role in the Vietnam War, notably in support of ground operations and in airlifting combat casualties, but this placed many of them at the risk of taking enemy fire themselves.

Richard Sanders, Sabillasville, was born in 1947 in the Waynesboro Hospital, the son of parents Lester and Hilda Sanders of Sabillasville. His father, Lestor, worked as a pipe cutter in a pipe factory, according to the 1950 United States Federal Census, while his mother was listed as a housewife.

Sanders attended Thurmont High School, graduating in 1965, and attended Penn State Mont Alto, graduating in 1968 with an “accelerated” associate degree in engineering technology.

The course was “accelerated” as the result of Sanders having been serving in the Pennsylvania Army Reserve since 1966 with the 357th Transportation Company based in Hagerstown. Facing activation with his unit as the Vietnam War continued to drag on, Penn State Mont Alto staff and professors accelerated the final courses and final exams needed to satisfy the requirements of earning the associate degree.

Following the May 1968 activation of the 357th Transportation Company, Sanders, as a helicopter crew chief, and the 357th Transportation Company (classified as Aircraft Maintenance Direct Support) were assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia for advance training before being shipped overseas to Vietnam. The advance elements of the 357th arrived at Bien Hoa Air Base on September 27, 1968 followed by the main body on October 11.

The 357th Transportation Company was assigned to the 520th Transportation Battalion, with a portion of the 357th designated as the 20th Transportation Company, which was then based at Cu Chi. Sanders was then with the 20th Transportation Company because of the re-designation. The primary helicopter of the transportation units was the “Huey.”

As to the duties of Sanders and the 20th Transportation Company, they were to repair battle-damaged helicopters and render them serviceable. 

He said repair work restoring downed helicopters was accomplished by the men in shifts, but if one or more of the workers was making substantive progress on one of the wrecks, they might not cease work on the craft until it was fully functional again.

“If you started working on one (damaged helicopter), you worked on it until it could get back into the air again,” Sanders said.

It would seem that such a job would not entail much of a risk, but the base had come under attack several times. In February 1969, a small force of the Viet Cong attacked Cu Chi and damaged and destroyed 11 aircraft, according to transportation.army.mil. The base was again attacked on August 15, resulting in the 20th Transportation Company having sustained a number of wounded.

Another of Sanders’ duties was to serve on recovery helicopters as needed to bring back downed choppers, which often entailed flying into active combat zones, Sanders explained, noting, “Everyone took turns flying (on recovery missions).”

Sanders said the recovery operations included utilizing heavy-lift helicopters, such as the dual-propellered Boeing CH-47 Chinook and the CH54 “flying cranes” (for jobs too big for the Chinooks to handle).  Recovery of a downed aircraft usually included strapping the damaged craft to the recovery helicopter and air-lifting the wreck back to the base of operations for repairs (if the helicopter was salvageable).

Encounters with the enemy were not uncommon. Sanders said when the enemy began shooting at the rescue helicopters, the crew just quickly adopted a “spray and pray” strategy:  “We just opened fire and shot the hell back.”

However, Sanders was seriously wounded when a Vietcong round made a direct hit on a recovery helicopter in which he was riding. The rescue helicopter had just been rigged to a downed helicopter and was about to lift it when the round had struck.

Sanders said he didn’t know if he was hit by shrapnel or metal fragments from his helicopter, “but I caught it right in the (buttocks)…”  He said the injury “looked like a checkerboard” on his behind. He was transported back to the States for hospitalization, and then released, thereby ending his career in the Army.

By the end of the war, Sanders had received the Purple Heart for his wounding, along with the unit citations awarded to all the members of the 357th Transportation Company, including the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, and the Army Commendation Medal.

Sanders went on to work for Landis Tool Company (Waynesboro) for 55 years, having retired in 2020. Upon his return to the States, he had also earned two master’s degrees while in England (while employed by Landis Tool).

Richard Sanders in Vietnam.

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Dana French

45 Years in the Navy

by Richard D. L. Fulton

Note: Priscilla Rall contributed various materials for the purpose of writing this article.

Dana French of Frederick County served aboard and/or commanded several Navy vessels over the course of the 45 years he served in the United States Navy, from 1955 through 1990.

Raised in Newburyport, Massachusetts, French decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the Navy at age 17. After French signed on with the Navy, he qualified to attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS), in Bainbridge, Maryland.

French attended the academy as a sailor, and then graduated in 1961 as an ensign. He chose to pursue a career in the naval surface (non-submersible ship) service, as opposed to air or submarine services.

His first shipboard assignment came a month after he graduated, when he was assigned to the destroyer U.S.S. Coontz, which was then sent along with ships accompanying the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ranger to the Middle East for two seven-month deployments.  French served as the assistant 1st lieutenant in charge of the deck force, then became gunnery assistant at the end of the deployment.

French was then ordered as an executive officer in 1963 to report to the wooden minesweeper U.S.S. Whippoorwill during the Korean war. The minesweepers were wooden while metal alloys were employed wherever necessary—then to keep from triggering magnetic mines. The ships were responsible for cleaning mines from harbors for use by United States’ forces.

In the wake of the Tonkin Gulf incident (which technically triggered the Vietnam War), the minesweepers were sent on a “secret mission” to the Tonkin Gulf to screen a harbor for mines, rocks, and debris that would prevent the proposed port from being used.

In 1965 French was ordered to the U.S.S. Koka, an auxiliary ocean tug as Commander (the first such rank assigned to his academy class).

French said one of the more interesting incidents was when his ship was ordered to tow a “floating bomb” out to sea where it could be detonated to test how far around the world the detonation could be detected via deep sea sound channels. The “floating bomb” actually was a “Liberty” ship, made of concrete.

French was tasked with towing it, along with a second tug, to a desired location for detonation, which “seemed like a simple idea, except the weather turned bad. The weather really turned awful.” As the vessels approached to drop-point, the tow lines gave way, and the “floating bomb” was then loose. French was able to recapture the “Liberty” ship and begin towing it, but the scientists present decided to blow up the ship where they had it, rather than risk further issues trying to tow it to the original designated location.

During 1968, French was again heading back to Vietnam for seven months, this time in command of the guided missile destroyer U.S.S. Robison. He and the Robison became part of an operation deemed “Giant Slingshot,” a plan to ambush Vietcong attempting to cross two parallel rivers, using the cover of night, leading from Cambodia into Vietnam. 

The Robison and other Navy ships under French’s command, joined by several riverine combat ships, were concealed during the day until nightfall, and then to rush the two river crossings and take out as many enemy combatants as they could, then fall back before Vietcong artillery could get a fix on their ships’ locations.

French was subsequently assigned as a weapons officer on the guided missile cruiser U.S.S Leahy in 1970, when the ship was sent off with its sister ship and an aircraft carrier to Gibraltar and then Jordan to counter a Russian move in that area, resulting in a stand-off and the retreat of the Russian ships.

After his services at sea, French had also subsequently developed a number of programs addressing officer leadership and enlisted men and organizational effectiveness. After his retirement from the services, he began a career as a self-employed organization development consultant and trainer, based in Frederick.

For additional information regarding Dana French, visit elementalimpactsolutions.com/dana-french-bio.

Our Neighborhood Veterans

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Sergeant Kenneth Lionel Krom

by Jim Houck, Jr.

Author’s Note: I originally wrote this article about Kenny Krom in July of 2012. I interviewed his mother, Betty; his brother, Ronnie; and high school friends, Gary Valentine and Gerry Orndorff. I am sorry to report that Kenny’s mother, and brother, Ronnie (they were the last of the immediate family), and Gary and Gerry have all passed on in these past seven years. I think the folks that missed the article when it was first published should have a chance to read about the first local casualty of the Vietnam War, who graduated from Emmitsburg High School.

The following are “Precious Memories” from Kenneth’s family about his life before the Vietnam War.

 

Mrs. Betty Krom — Ken’s Mother

Mrs. Krom is eighty-eight years of age and totally independent. She still drives to church on Sunday, does her own grocery shopping, and goes to the pharmacy for her medicine. She also mows her lawn—and she has a very large lawn. Mrs. Krom recently had back surgery and still uses a walker to get around. She said as long as she can get on the tractor seat, she can mow. She resides in Walkersville, but said she misses living in Emmitsburg.

Mrs. Krom said that when Ken was born on August 8, 1947, at Annie M. Warner Hospital in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the hospital was the size of a large two-story house. She said Ken was a very good baby, and she had no problems raising him. He had a normal childhood, playing with his friends and going to school. He was a person who would do anything for you. He did well in school and tried to be the best at whatever endeavor he chose—whether it be scholastic, shop class, or sports. Mrs. Krom said Ken had one brother, Ronnie, who was two years older than him, and aside from the usual sibling rivalry, Ken looked up to Ronnie. Ronnie had a bread route while he was in high school, and when Ronnie had to give it up, Ken took it over.

Ken’s first vehicle was a black Corvair van that he used to deliver bread after school. She said he would pick up the bread at Smith’s Bakery in Ladiesburg, Maryland, and deliver it house-to-house to his customers. She said he also worked for Lawrence Basler, doing farm work while in high school.

Ken graduated from Emmitsburg High School with the class of 1965. Mrs. Krom said that he then went to work for a construction company, helping to build the brick plant at Rocky Ridge. After wrecking his black Corvair van, he bought an old brown panel truck to drive to work. His next job was with Moore Business Forms in Thurmont, where he saved enough money to buy a blue 1966 Chevelle convertible that was his pride and joy. He really took care of that car. He worked at Moore’s until he was drafted. He was engaged to Marie Devilbiss, but never made it back to marry her.

During our interview, Mrs. Krom was getting tired and having a hard time talking about what happened to Ken in Vietnam. I knew recalling a tragedy that happened almost forty years ago may take a toll on her, so I thanked her for talking with me and promised I would return the pictures she loaned me.

Ronald Krom — Kenny’s Brother

Ron was in the U.S. Army, stationed in Japan, where he was part of a military police unit. His tour of duty was almost over when Kenny was drafted.

Ron remembers Kenny as an almost-always positive, fun-loving boy. They grew up in a loving, close-knit family. He and Kenny fished a lot and played along the Monocacy River, which ran very close to where they lived. A lot of their childhood was spent swimming and fishing. They would dip for suckers at Stony Branch. The nearest neighbor lived about a mile away, and they would go to their farm to play. The kids would find eggs in the hay loft, where the bantam chickens laid them. They would have egg fights, and Ron said they would really sting when they were hit in the face. He recalled that being boys and being brothers, Ron and Kenny would get into scraps, and Kenny—even though he was younger and smaller—was a tough kid to handle. He said that Kenny would win some, but even if Ron won, he lost, because he would be in trouble for picking the fight and have to cut weeds for two or three days as punishment. Kenny loved driving tractors. Any job having to do with a tractor, he would always want to drive the tractor. He would haul sawdust from Smith’s Sawmill in an old cart that was ready to fall apart. Ron can remember himself, Ken, and the neighbors playing baseball in his Uncle Jim’s field and using cow patties as bases. Ron said that they both also played baseball for the Rocky Ridge Progressive 4-H team. They played their games mostly at Thurmont Middle School and West Frederick Junior High School.

Ron said Kenny never did any homework for school, but always managed to pass his school tests and pass from grade to grade without difficulty. He had plenty of energy and loved to play school sports, and also liked weightlifting. Ron said that after his grandfather passed away, he and Kenny would take their grandfather’s car down in the meadow and pop wheelies.

Ron and Kenny had lots of fun together, but the time was far too short. He said that the last time he talked to Kenny was in South Carolina in April of 1968. He was at home in Walkersville when the call came from the U.S. Army about Kenny being a casualty. He said that his whole family was in shock. Kenny’s body was sent to a funeral home in Thurmont. There was to be no viewing of the body, but their father, Guy Krom, insisted on the viewing since he wanted to see for himself that it was, indeed, Kenny. The funeral director tried to talk Guy out of it to no avail, and Ron accompanied Guy when he went to view Kenny. Ron said his father was never the same after the viewing. He lost his father in 1983 to cancer.

Gary Valentine — Local Businessman, Neighbor, Classmate and Friend of Kenny

Gary remembers Kenny as quite a character. He was funny, intelligent, and a very giving person. He said Kenny liked the Three Stooges and frequently would do his Curly impersonation, which he would do perfectly. Gary said he was fun to be with, and Kenny spent a lot of time at Gary’s father’s (Richard Valentine) farm. They lived about a mile apart and spent so much of their time along the Monocacy River, fishing and swimming, that they became known as the “river rats.” They played, but they also had daily chores to get done before playtime. Gary and Kenny were in the graduating class of 1965. The last time Gary remembers seeing Kenny was at the drive-in movies in Bridgeport, Maryland. Gary joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Japan.

Gary found out about Kenny when he called home and his dad told him Kenny got killed. Gary said, “It kind of let the wind out of my sails.”

He said he never got hooked up with him overseas. Gary was there and used to do a lot of island hopping and would go in-country (that was what Vietnam was known as to the vets), taking fruit and vegetables in and filled aluminum boxes out. He said that was known as the quiet ride. Gary was in Japan when Kenny was killed. Thank you, Gary, for the memories.

 

Gerry Orndorff — Classmate and Friend of Kenny

Gerry remembers Kenny as a kid who was always fun to be with. After Kenny got his driver’s license and took over Ron’s bread route, Gerry used to ride along and help with the deliveries. They did a lot of fishing and gigging at night and got a lot of fish and frogs. They practically lived at the river when they were young. They didn’t have any money to do anything, and even if they did have the money, there was nothing to do in the rural area, so their river excursions were very pleasurable.

When Rocky Ridge had a festival, Gerry said they would get a quarter from Dad to buy a bottle of pop. He said he was with Kenny when the transmission from Kenny’s van dropped on his trigger finger. After that, he could not bend it. Gerry thought that would keep Kenny from being drafted, but the Army said he could use another finger to pull the trigger. According to Gerry, Kenny also had a trick knee that would give out when he was playing ball, and sometimes, just walking. Kenny passed the Army physical exam, despite his problems. Kenny was proud to be in the U.S. Army and was determined to make the best of it. Gerry was devastated when he got the word of Kenny’s death. Thank you, Gerry, for talking to me.

 

I talked to several friends and classmates of Kenny, and it seems they all basically have similar memories and feelings about him. I am proud to have had the opportunity to talk to the family and friends of the kid who went to Emmitsburg High School, graduated with the class of 1965, grew up and was drafted into the U.S. Army, became Sergeant Kenneth Lionel Krom, and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Kenny Krom, a hometown boy, became a true hero in every sense of the word forty-four years ago.

 

Army of the United States

A Co, 3rd, 22nd Infantry, 25th INF Div, USARV

Combat Infantry Badge, National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal and Purple Heart

D.O.B.: August 2, 1947

D.O.D.: August 18, 1968

Place of death: Tay Province, South Vietnam

The only graduate of Emmitsburg High School to lose his life in the Vietnam War.