NIPPER, DAVID
Name: David Nipper Branch/Rank: United States Marine Corps/E3 Unit: D CO 3 REC BN 3 MAR DIV Date of Birth: 15 September 1940 Home City of Record: ATLANTA GA Date of Loss: 21 November 1964 Country of Loss: South Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 134200 North 1091800 East Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered Category: 5 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:UH34D 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 - see source below.
REMARKS:
CACCF/CRASH/NON-AIRCREW
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Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 22:09:14 -0500 From: Jerry Ostapowicz <jostapwicz@comcast.net> USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Subject: Info on Nipper, David
INCIDENT DATE 641121 HMM-162 UH-34D 150200+ USS Princeton
Slack Jr., Richard Don CPL HMM-162 Crew 641121 Nipper, David LCPL Pass "D"Co/3rdReconBn 641121
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SLACK RICHARD DON JR : USMC : CPL : EAST WEYMOUTH : MA : 19641121 19430603 : 01E : 073 : BODY RECOVERED
NIPPER DAVID : 1863263 : USMCR : LCPL : E3 : 0311 : 24 : ATLANTA : GA : 19641121 : Air Loss Crash Sea : Passenger ("D"Co/3rdReconBn) : body NOT recovered : Offshore, South Vietnam : 04 : 19400915 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 01E : 073
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on Incident: LOSS COORDINATES: N13 42 00 E109 18 00 Comments on Incident: I was in the flight the day his bird went down. If my memory serves me Ross Plasterer was the HAC and possibly Weasel Gentry was the copilot. We were shuttling bags of flour/rice into country from the Sweet Pea due to the horrendous flooding from the monsoons and the locals were starving. It was a bright, hot day and I was either- 2 or-3. I remember the Mayday call and could see the bird auto rotating, but most distinctly to this day I remember EVERY FEW FEET A BAG OF FLOUR WAS BEING THROWN OUT IN AN ATTEMPT TO LIGHTEN THE BIRD!!!!!!! I have seen that scene over and over and over again. When Ross tried to gently let the aircraft roll on it's side when the blades hit the water it violently flipped over to the other side. I hated that sight. My thoughts have always been of Richard [Slack] who obviously as part of The Team was going to deliver food to starving people--who all of a sudden found himself in a personal challenge of survival...and who chose to stand up and make a difference fully knowing he could and did make the ultimate sacrifice. Submitted by Capt Ansley Horton