UPLINGER, BARTON JOHN
Name: Barton John Uplinger Branch/Rank: United States Marine Corps /O3 Unit: Date of Birth: 02 September 1942 Home City of Record: CAMARILLO CA Date of Loss: 19 February 1968 Country of Loss: North Vietnam/Over Water Loss Coordinates: 0 0 Status (in 1973): Body Recovered Category: 5 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: CH53A Missions: Other Personnel in Incident: Refno:
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action Combat Casualty File. Updated 2003 - with information provided through Alan H. Barbour, Historian, History and Records Division, USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Assoc. www.popasmoke.com
REMARKS: REMAINS RETURNED 02/19/68
CRASH/NON-AIRCREW/3 YRS UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
Remains were buried with group in St. Louis. Kept on lists until 1982.
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INCIDENT DATE 680219 HMH-463 CH-53A 153278+
[CREW] Deetz, Bill Wayne CAPT Pilot HMH-463, MAG-16, 1st MAW, 3rd MAF 680219 Ehnis, Kenneth Paul SGT Crew HMH-463, MAG-16, 1st MAW, 3rd MAF 680219 Johnson III, Benjamin F LCPL Crew HMH-463, MAG-16, 1st MAW, 3rd MAF 680219 Tessier, Lucien Charles CAPT Pilot HMH-463, MAG-16, 1st MAW, 3rd MAF 680219 Torre, Francis San Nicolas SGT Crew HMH-463, MAG-16, 1st MAW, 3rd MAF 680219
[MEDEVAC CREW] Bridges Jr., Robert Jan HM2(USN) Corpsman-Medevac Crew 3rd MEDBN, 3rd MARDIV, 3rd MAF 680219 Mc Cullough, Sylvester TSGT(USAF) Medic-Medevac Crew 680219
[MEDEVAC] Tyner, Robert Emmett PFC(USARMY) Pass-Medevac A/1stBn/12thCav/1stCavDiv 680219
[PASSENGER] Uplinger, Barton John CAPT Pass VMO-6, MAG-36, 1st MAW, 3rd MAF 680219
BRIDGES ROBERT JAN JR: 5485760 : USNR : HM2 : E5 : HM2 : 25 : MITCHELL : SD : 19680219 : Air Loss Crash Sea/medevac crew : died while missing - body recovered : North Vietnam [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 06 : 19430105 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/married : 40E : 018 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : Plot: 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
DEETZ BILL WAYNE : 091814 : USMC : CAPT : O3 : 7564 H-53: 26 : NORTHFIELD : MN : 19680219 : Air Loss Crash Sea : Crew : body recovered : North Vietnam [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 06 : 19411208 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 40E : 019 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
EHNIS KENNETH PAUL : 1993132 : USMC : SGT : E5 : 6321 : 25 : ROMULUS : MI : 19680219 : Air Loss Crash Sea : Crew : body recovered : North Vietnam [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 06 : 19421106 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 40E : 019 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : Plot : 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
JOHNSON BENJAMIN F III : 2185143 : USMC : LCPL : E3 : 6321 : 19 : SAN ANTONIO : TX : 19680219 : Air Loss Crash Sea : Crew : body recovered : North Vietnam [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 02 : 19480821 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 40E : 023 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : Plot : 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
MC CULLOUGH SYLVESTER : 12330670 : USAF : TSGT : E6 : Medical Corps : 35 : NEW YORK : NY : 19680219 : Non-hostile, other causes/Air loss - sea/Helo - medevac crew : died while missing - body later recovered : Offshore - Military Region 1 [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 19330128 : Negro : Baptist : Married : 40E : 026 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : Plot : 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
TESSIER LUCIEN CHARLES : 092299 : USMCR : CAPT : O3 : 7564 H-53: 24 : MANCHESTER : NH : 19680219 : Air Loss Crash Sea : Crew : body recovered : North Vietnam [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 04 : 19431223 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 40E : 032 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : Plot : 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
TORRE FRANCIS SAN NICOLAS : 2127294 : USMC : SGT : E5 : 6341 : 21 : MANGILAO : GU : 19680219 : Air Loss Crash Sea : Crew : body recovered : North Vietnam [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 03 : 19461014 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 40E : 033 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : Plot : 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
TYNER ROBERT EMMETT : 53702312 : USArmy(draftee) : PFC : E3 : 11B10 (Infantry) : 20 : JACKSONVILLE : FL : 19680219 : Non-hostile, other causes/Air loss - land/Helo - pass : died while missing - body recovered : South Vietnam [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 19470804 : Cauc : Baptist : Single : 40E : 033 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : Plot : 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
UPLINGER BARTON JOHN : 093496 : USMCR : CAPT : O3 : 7563 : 25 : CAMARILLO : CA : 19680219 : Air Loss Crash Sea : Passenger : body recovered : North Vietnam [corrected to Quang Nam, SVN] : 03 : 19420902 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 40E : 033 : interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO : Plot : 81 0 308-310, bur. 09/10/1968
Comment on Incident: According to the HMH-463 Squadron Command Chronologies for Feb and Apr 1968, the crew was reported as MIA on 19 Feb 1968. The crew was reclassified as DAI/BNR on 13 Mar 1968.
From the MAG-16 Command Chronology: "At 1915H this aircraft was declared overdue and missing after being last reported at 092 degrees/20 nautical miles from TACAN Channel #69 enroute to MMAF on an IFR clearance. Search and rescue operations were instigated and continued on a daily basis through the end of the month"
Command Chronology for MAG-36 - June 1968: "On 16 June the wreckage of an aircraft believed to be a UH-34 was found by the APD aircraft from HML-367. On 19 June a zone was blown using 2,000 lb. bombs to allow a recon team to reach the crash site. On 20 June a recon Team "Fudge Cake" was inserted into the crash site at ZC 201946 and the aircraft was identified as CH-53A, BuNo 153270. Two M-60 machine guns, one .38 Cal. pistol, one engine starter, and the dog tags of TESSIER, L. C. 092299 were recovered by the team. The team was extracted at 1700. On 21 June the recon team "Fudge Cake" with two Graves Registration men and an aviator member of this command were inserted into the crash site. A thorough search for the remains was conducted. All remains that could be found were brought out and turned over to Graves Registration for further disposition. A report was submitted to MAG-16 concerning the investigation." Submitted by John Lane, HMM-364, USMC researcher
Comment on Incident - The Virtual Wall Website: In the Spring of 2003, The Virtual Wall obtained a current copy of the Defense Department's official casualty records, which lists 130,573 peacetime and wartime deaths from the first casualty of the Korean War on 28 June 1950 through an Air Force lieutenant who died in an automobile accident on 31 Dec 2002. The Department of Defense database lists nine men who died in a Marine Corps helicopter crash on 19 Feb 1968 ... the seven men listed above and two other passengers:
TSgt Sylvester McCullough, USAF, New York NY, USAF Medic PFC Robert E Tyner, US Army, Jacksonville FL, A/1/12 Cav
The casualty database was obtained from Mr. Tom Campbell, WHS/DIOR, in late April 2003. While it does not indicate the vehicle type, it (sometimes) indicates the branch of service that was operating an aircraft involved in an accident. The database identifies the reason for and location of loss as follows:
Capt Tessier: HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- CREW (MC) NVN Capt Deetz: HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- CREW (MC) NVN Sgt Ehnis: HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- CREW (MC) NVN LCpl Johnson: HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- CREW (MC) NVN Sgt Torre: HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- CREW (MC) NVN Capt Uplinger: HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- PASSENGER (MC) NVN HM2 Bridges: HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- CREW (MC) NVN TSgt McCullough HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- CREW (MC) OFFSHORE SVN PFC Tyner HELICOPTER ACCIDENT -- PASSENGER (MC) SVN
CH-53A BuNo 153278 was the only USMC non-hostile helo loss on 19 Feb 68. It thus appears that Tyner and McCullough were aboard BuNo 153278. Submitted by Ken Davis, The Virtual Wall, see http://www.virtualwall.org/dt/TynerRE01a.htm
Comment on Incident: HM2 Robert Bridges is listed on the casualty record as died while missing -crashed at sea. The other helo members are all listed as body recovered but I am not sure that is right. The family of this missing Doc knows very little. I was in hopes you have some further info on this loss incident such as what squadron and what they were doing off the coast of NVN etc. Bridges served in 3rd Recon but from what I gather was sent to another unit. Submitted by George Neville, 3rdReconBn.
Comment on Incident: Bart Uplinger had been one of my transition flight students [UH-1E] at Camp Pendleton (VMO-5). He was a fine gentleman and a fine pilot. He was assigned to VMO-6 upon arrival in-country. It is my understanding that he possibly had another role on this mission, either simply as a passenger using the flight for transportation or with INTELL. Submitted by Alan H. Barbour, pilot, VMO-2, former flight instructor.
Comment on Incident: REMARKS[Uplinger]: REMAINS RETURNED 02/19/68 Remains were buried with group of nine at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO.
Comment on Incident: We were told maybe three months after the incident that our roommate, Benjamin F. Johnson, was found along with the rest of the crew from HMH-463 on this bird which crashed on the same hillside as the CH-53 from HMH-463 which was found on 680108 with my roommate Phillip Stanley Strand. Both were found one half mile from each other. We were told that both had been following a bogus TACAN signal in the fog, and both crashed on the same hillside. Submitted by Michael Burnett, Cpl, HMH-463, Aircrew, 1968
Comment on Incident: The crash site was located on Monkey Mountain on the north side of DaNang Harbor in a position very near a previous H-53 crash (8 Jan 68). The suggestion of an errant instrument vector (possibly errant land elevation information) is reasonable, as two aircraft impacted in the same general region at different times under instrument conditions. The possibility of inadvertent flight into terrain is also a reasonable explanation. "Meaconing" (A system of receiving radio beacon signals and rebroadcasting them on the same frequency to confuse navigation) by the enemy was always a possibility. The meaconing stations cause inaccurate bearings to be obtained by aircraft or ground stations, but there is no firm evidence either way with respect to the two crashes. Submitted by Alan H. Barbour, Historian, USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Association
Comment on Incident: The initial report from MAG-16 indicated that 9 men perished. "The aircraft crashed and burned in the valley below. Nine medevacs within the aircraft were killed. The entire crew and six of the medevacs survived the crash with injuries."
Another report from Tyner Family sources indicates that they were told that there were 13 men aboard the helicopter and that several were Vietnamese soldiers. The following is what R.E. [Tyner]'s family told us that the military told them concerning R.E. the day that the helicopter crashed:
"R.E. was wounded in the neck/shoulder area while fighting in Hue. He was placed on a helicopter and was to be sent to a medical facility in Da Nang for treatment of his wounds."
"There were 13 men onboard the helicopter and several were Vietnamese soldiers. The flight time was supposed to take about 20 minutes from where they took off to where they were supposed to land. The helicopter had been in the air about 10 minutes when all contact with it was lost. All were declared MIA. Sometime later the Tyner family was contacted and told that the helicopter had been found and the men declared dead. They were told that of the 13 men on board that only enough remains of bodies were found to put in 3 coffins." Mrs. Johnson, friend of R E Tyner.
From the above, it appears that BuNo 153278 was on a medevac mission to/from Hue when it went down. Given the "last position" data of 092/20NM Channel 16 the CH-53 was nowhere near NVN waters - and the wreckage certainly wasn't. It appears that an error was made in the initial coding of the casualty reports or at some point thereafter ... and that no corrections were made after the wreckage was located in June 1968. The medevac mission itself is indicated by the presence of a Corpsman (HM2 Bridges from the 3rd Med Bn, Danang); Mrs. Johnson's information; and the presence of a USAF medic, TSgt McCullough. From "The Virtual Wall", Ken Davis