DENTON, MANUEL REYES
Name: Manuel Reyes Denton Rank/Branch: E4/US Navy Unit: First Marine Air Wing, Fleet Marine Force Pacific Date of Birth: 18 June 1941 (Sam Antonio TX) Home City of Record: Kerrville TX Date of Loss: 08 October 1963 Country of Loss: South Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 160207N 1073440E (YC758744) Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered Category: 3 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH34D Refno: 0019 Other Personnel In Incident: Luther E. Ritchey (missing) (see 2003 update)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 2003 -- see source below.
REMARKS: ACFT CRASH AFT AIR COLLISION - J
SYNOPSIS: In 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated and Lyndon Johnson took the office of the President of the United States. Few Americans had more than a passing knowledge of Vietnam, yet in February, a U.S. Senate panel reported that annual American aid to South Vietnam totaled $400 million. By the end of the year 16,300 Americans were on station there "on dangerous assignment." During this year, the war in Vietnam captured U.S. media attention when Buddhists staged demonstrations, revolts and self-immolations during that summer.
Lance Corporal Luther E. Ritchey, Jr. was attached to HMM 361, Marine Air Group 16. Hospital Corpsman Third Class Manuel Reyes Denton was a crewman assigned to the First Marine Air Wing, Fleet Marine Force Pacific. On October 8, 1963, the two were crewmen aboard a Marine UH34D helicopter conducting a search mission for a downed friendly aircraft.
Denton and Ritchey's aircraft crashed some 43 miles west of Da Nang, South Vietnam in a mountainous jungle terrain, in what was then hostile territory. The exact cause of the accident is unknown (according to the Navy), although Joint Casualty Resolution Center had some evidence that an air collision occurred prior to the aircraft crashing.
Denton and Ritchey were initially placed in a casualty status of Missing and later changed to Reported Dead. Since their remains were never recovered, they are listed among the unaccounted for servicemen from the Vietnam war.
Denton and Ritchey are among nearly 2500 Americans still missing from the Vietnam war. Nearly 10,000 reports have been received regarding these men since war's end which have convinced many authorities that hundreds are still alive. Whether Denton and Ritchey are among them is unknown, but as long as even one man remains alive in enemy hands, we have failed as a nation.
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Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 22:39:51 -0500 From: Jerry Ostapowicz <jostapwicz@comcast.net> USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Subject: Info on RITCHEY, Luther E
INCIDENT DATE 631008 HMM-361 UH-34D 148781+ and HMM-361 UH-34D 148759+
[CREW - UH-34D 148781+] Whitehead Jr., Charles F WO1 AircraftCommander HMM-361 631008 Richardson, Arthur "Bud" Gene 1stLT Copilot HMM-361 631008 Skoviak, Ronald Frank CPL CrewChief HMM-361 631008 Davidson, Donald Frederick LCPL SARCrew HMM-361 631008 Tuthill, Charles Preston CPL CombatPhotographer SubUnit2/MABS-16/MAG-16/1stMAW 631008 Rice, Claude HN(USN) SARCorpsman 631008
[CREW - UH-34D 148759+] Harris, William Thomas CAPT AircraftCommander HMM-361 631008 Lessig, Daniel Kepner 1stLT Copilot HMM-361 631008 Jameson, Larry Duane SGT CrewChief HMM-361 631008 Farrell, Bruce Charles, LT(USN) SARFltSurgeon HMM-361 631008 Ritchey Jr., Luther Edmond LCPL SARCrew HMM-361 631008 Denton, Manuel Reyes HM3(USN) SARCorpsman HMM-361 631008
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DAVIDSON DONALD FREDERICK : 1928576 : USMCR : LCPL : E3 : 6481 : 21 : SHREVEPORT : LA : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :02 : 19420910 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 01E : 029
DENTON MANUEL REYES : 5287032 : USNR :HM3 : E4 : HM3 : 22 : KERRVILLE : TX : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew - Corpsman: body NOT recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :04 : 19410618 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 01E : 029
FARRELL BRUCE CHARLES : 663304 : USN : LT : O3 : 2105 (FltSurgeon): 28 : SAN FRANCISCO : CA : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew - FltSurgeon : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :06 : 19350627 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 01E : 030
HARRIS WILLIAM THOMAS : 065229 : USMC : CAPT : O3 : 7335 : 30 : MESQUITE : TX : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : AircraftCommander : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :10 : 19330612 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 01E : 030
JAMESON LARRY DUANE : 1299735 : USMCR : SGT : E5 : 6481 : 29 : CANTRIL : IA : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :10 : 19340804 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 01E : 030
LESSIG DANIEL KEPNER : 080903 : USMC : 1stLT : O2 : 7335 : 26 : WEST READING : PA : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :03 : 19370625 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 01E : 029
RICE CLAUDE : 5472522 : USNR : HN : E3 : HN : 19 : MARSHALLVILLE : GA : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew - Corpsman : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :01 : 19431029 : Negro : Protestant/single : 01E : 030
RICHARDSON ARTHUR GENE : 084399 : USMC : 1stLT : O2 : 7335 : 24 : ROCHELLE : IL : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :04 : 19390111 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 01E : 030
RITCHEY LUTHER EDMOND JR : 1928239 : USMCR : LCPL : E3 : 6481 : 20 : MANSFIELD : OH : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body NOT recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :02 : 19430127 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 01E : 031
SKOVIAK RONALD FRANK : 1863559 : USMCR : CPL : E4 : 6481 : 22 : WARREN : MI : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :04 : 19410803 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 01E : 031
TUTHILL CHARLES PRESTON : 1883723 : USMCR : CPL : E4 : ----- : 22 : UNIONDALE : NY : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) : 03 : 19410417 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 01E : 031
WHITEHEAD CHARLES F JR : 051318 : USMCR : WO : W1 : 7335 : 37 : MILL VALLEY : CA : 19631008 : hostile, crash, land : AircraftCommander : body recovered : Quang Nam (Danang) :14 : 19251018 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 01E : 031
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on Incident: The two UH-34's that were lost on this date were on a SAR mission for two downed pilots in a VNAF T-28 (one Vietnamese & one US Air Force). According to contemporary news accounts, the nine Marines and three Navy medical personnel killed represented the biggest loss of American lives from a single incident up to that time in the war. Cpl. Charles Tuthill was the NCOIC of the SHUFLY photo lab at the time of his death. Submitted by Dave Hugel, worked in the SHUFLY Photo Lab. Comments on Incident: See Combat Photos Page, At 361 Crash Site, 1963
Comments on Incident: Conclusion of Investigative Report by Maj. Robert V. Reese, HMM-361: "The place of the accident [site of the wreckage] was identified as 240 degrees, 43 miles from Danang, RVN."
"The subject men were killed when their helicopters crashed while on a combat rescue mission in South Vietnam. The actual cause of the crashes could not be determined; it is presumed that the men died as a result of injuries sustained in the crashes. Their deaths are not attributable to the intent, fault, negligence or inefficiency of any person in the naval service."
"About 081930H October 1963, the pilot of the L-19 [Army] lost visual and radio contact with the two helicopters and returned to base. Prior to both aircraft being declared overdue or assumed missing, search operations were initiated. Due to deteriorating weather conditions, the search was discontinued until first light of the next day, 9 October 1963."
"Rescue operations - at first light 9 October 1963, two squadron helicopters accompanied by an O-1B weather reconnaissance aircraft were launched on a search for the missing helicopters. The search aircraft sighted the wreckage ... The first troop carrying helicopter made an approach to the landing zone and was fired at by an enemy automatic weapon, hit, wounding the copilot and killing an RVN trooper in the passenger compartment."
"During one troop lift, the wreckage of the second Marine helicopter ... was found within approximately 500-600 yards from the first crash site in dense jungle growth with no apparent survivors ... Enemy small arms fire continued intermittently throughout the period. At the completion of operations, three Marine pilots had been wounded."
On 10 October 6 bodies from one aircraft and the body of the pilot of the second a/c were recovered. The next day three additional bodies were recovered from the other aircraft. The remains of LCpl Ritchey and HM3 Denton were not recovered (thorough search within a 250 yard radius). "Due to the condition of the wreckage, conclusive evidence existed beyond a reasonable doubt that both were dead and that they had died in the same accident at the same time as the other crew members."
Comments on Incident: Be advised that in an article written by David Kranz of the "Argus Leader" of Sioux Falls SD, it is reported that a Vietnam veteran named Doug Haugstad while on a humanitarian mission in Vietnam was handed a package by a middle aged woman that contained two brittle teeth, and a military dog tag with the name: Ritchey, Luther E. Jr. This woman told him these items came from a helicopter that had crashed during the war. This happened near the village of Tuy Hoa, about 100 miles south of DaNang. The woman told him, "Here, take them back."
These items were eventually sent to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii and they said that tests showed they were almost certainly the remains of Ritchey. This should bring some closure to the family and squadron members who knew LCpl Ritchey. The newspaper item included a picture of Ritchey and a UH34D... Submitted by Roger Lawson, previously of HMM-16