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Post by Stretch on Jun 21, 2011 13:00:08 GMT -5
I found this on Sgt. Grit's website, thought some of my older Brothers would be interested in seeing it.
I may be wrong, but I'd bet a bag of Doritos that the Marine facing us wearing a cover is John Hewitt.
www.grunt.com/blog/da-nang-1970/
Maybe somebody can shed some light on identity of the Crash Crew Marine was that was killed, as described in this incident. Thanks.
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Dear Sgt Grit,
I am a Marine from the Gulf War era who was raised by a Vietnam Veteran (Sgt. Greg Theis, USMC(ret.) and I just found a picture of my father in Da Nang in 1970. My father is the surly Marine sitting down facing the camera with a cigarette in his mouth. As you may have guessed by the hair pushing regs he was an airwinger; a Sergeant in the Crash Crew stationed at the multi-force air base near Monkey/Marble Mountain (?). This photo was taken minutes before the rocket attack which severely injured my father and killed the Marine on the far right of the picture whose hand is all that made it into the photo. That Marine who lost his life was standing in front of my father securing the fire-hose as they sprayed down a rocket pod from an F-4 Phantom. The pod continued to fissle and eventually exploded in its stall landing my father in the burn ward of Naval Hospital Camp Lester for a year on Okinawa before being sent home for medical retirement. Ironically Camp Lester was the Command that processed my medical discharge 25 years later for injuries I incurred during the Gulf War. Feel free to post the picture if you think it would be appreciated.
Respectfully,
Cpl. Bryan Theis USMC 1990-95 Semper Fi
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Post by John Hewitt on Aug 1, 2011 1:34:28 GMT -5
Yep, that's me and the Marine that was KIA that night was LCPL San Nicolas! It wasn't a rocket attack, but an F-4 from VMFA-122 was being hot fueled in the MAG-11 fuel pits and wasn't grounded! A gremlin caused the fuel to ignite! When we arrived on scene, the Phantom was fully engulfed in flames, the 250 pounders were cooking off, and a Sparrow missle was ejected from the aircraft! EOD had declared it safe, but it went off high order! One Marine and 3 Air Force Crash Crewmen were killed that night! SSGT Jack Fox, CPL Theiss, Msgt Bowman and myself were injured that night from shrapnel and burns! That's the straight skinny of that sad unforgettable night at DaNang Air Base, Marine side! I was the Section Leader on duty, and still remember it as if it happened yesterday!
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Post by Stretch on Aug 2, 2011 9:16:12 GMT -5
Damn, that's heavy. Thanks for identifying the KIA Crash Crew Marine and for setting the record straight.
Hope to see you at Quantico.
-Frey
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Post by Stretch on Feb 7, 2017 22:08:44 GMT -5
With regret, I am posting here regarding the recent passing of John "Pappy" Hewitt. John was my NCOIC at K-Bay in the late '80's. I was a boot L/Cpl (later a Cpl), he was a Master Gunnery Sergeant. We knew he had served as a Crash Crewman in Vietnam, but he didn't tell those stories to the troops.
It wasn't until 2005 that he and I reconnected at an AFFR Association Reunion, and we stayed in touch. He had been diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, but didn't tell anyone. He was an avid poker player, and in the lingo of the game, "he played close to the vest". He didn't want sympathy and emotional outpouring of feelings, so he just kept it to himself until after it was over.
"I heard you've been sick."
"Yeah, but I'm better now. Done any traveling lately?"
Well, he got sick again a few months ago, and true to form, he went off the grid. Phone calls and emails went unanswered. In early January his wife Gail posted on his FaceBook page that he was in hospice care. A later update confirmed that he passed away on Friday January 20, 2017.
As per John's wishes, there was no funeral or memorial service. Nor have I been able to find an obituary.
Close to the vest, as always.
Rest In Peace, John. It was an Honor to work for a you, a senior Crash Crewman with tours in Vietnam, and a MGySgt who expected high personal and performance standards of his Marines. Thanks for taking a chance on me and not throwing me under the bus when you had the chance. I'm glad I didn't let you down.
Semper Fidelis.
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Post by Mike Brumfield on Feb 8, 2017 9:35:57 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about Hewitt I served with him in Japan and Bogue Field NC. He was my section leader both places. He was a difficult person to get to know and talk to but was alright in my book. Rest in peace Top.
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