The Unofficial U.S. Air Force HH-43B/F "PEDRO" Crash Rescue - Air Rescue Web Site

Sergeant Jose Gene Abara

Name: Sergeant Jose Gene Abara
Flight Engineer

Date of Birth: May 15, 1945

Home of Record: Long Branch, New Jersey

Date of Casualty: February 7, 1968

Age at Loss: 22 years old

Vietnam Veteran's Memorial
Wall Panel 37E - Row 76

Detachment #9, 38th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron
Pleiku Air Base, Republic of South Vietnam

Aircraft Model: HH-43F

Aircraft Tail Number: 62-04525

Call Sign: Pedro 56

INCIDENT SUMMARY

Sergeant Abara and his crew were on a MEDEVAC mission to rescue Army wounded approximately 10 miles northeast of Kontum. At approximately 8:20 p.m. local time the aircraft was observed to have been hit by ground fire and crashed into the valley below. The aircraft exploded on impact.

Troops could not immediately search for the crashed aircraft due to the heavy hostile action in the area. Sgt. Abara's body was recovered on the morning of February 9, 1968 when friendly forces were finally able to reach the downed helicopter.

f you have any additional information pertaining to Jose or this incident, please contact me.

Sergeant Jose Gene Abara    Staff Sergeant Milard Luther E. Bledsoe    2nd Lieutenant George H. Bonnell, II

Technical Sergeant Harry Cohen    Major Warren K. Davis    Captain Von Miles Liebernecht

Staff Sergeant Angel Luna    Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger    Major David Hunter Pittard

Airman Second Class Francis D. Rice

I

This Web Page Was Updated March 26, 2008  

 

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General Web Site Contents

Home Page The Entrance to The Web Site Web Site Search Page Search the Web Site
Firefighter Memorial Page USAF Firefighters Who Have Given Their Lives in The Line of Duty POW Memorial Page Pedro POW's from the Viet Nam War
Pedro Memorial Page Pedro Crew Members Who Have Given Their Lives in The Line of Duty Our Adopted POW/MIA's The United States POW/MIA's adopted by this web site.
We Shall Never Forget!
Military Firefighters Heritage Foundation Learn about the foundation and support its efforts. September 11th Archives Web site with an outstanding collection of archives
Pedro Honor Roll Those Pedro Crew Members Who Truly Dedicated Themselves to the Oath "...That Others May Live."

Firefighter Training

Images and a Video of Firefighters in Training
Airescue Information Newsletter The March - April 1964 Edition of this Newsletter. Casper 721 Is Down! The story of the Rescue of an Army Helicopter Crew
Patch Page A collection of HH-43 Related Patches Personnel Locator If you would like to post your contact information in hopes that an old friend will see, here's the place
Scrapbook A Collection of Miscellaneous Images and Memorabilia How To Display Our Flag Everything You Need to Know Regarding the Display of Our Flag
Food for Thought Check It Out and Decide for Yourself Web Site Awards Web Site Awards.
Guestbook Please Stop In and Leave Us A Note. Pedro Paraphernalia HH-43 Models, Books, Etc.
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HH-43 Organization/Unit Histories

33d Air Rescue Squadron The First Search and Rescue Squadron Deployed to Southeast Asia Detachment #10, Eastern Air Rescue Center One of the Units Making Up the Provisional Group Sent To SEA During the Buildup Following The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
  Detachment #1, Provisional   2nd Search and Rescue Unit Assigned to Southeast Asia Detachment #2, Provisional Part of the 2nd Search and Rescue Units Assigned to Southeast Asia.
3rd Aerospace and Recovery Group All of the Rescue Squadrons in Southeast fell under the 3rd Group 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron All of the HH-43 Units in Southeast Asia fell under this squadron
Detachment #1, 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron History of the unit out of Phan Rang AB, RVN Detachment #2, 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron History of the unit out of Takli RTAFB, Thailand
Detachment #3, 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron History of the unit out of Ubon RTAFB, Thailand Detachment #4, 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron History of the unit at Khorat RTAFB, Thailand
Detachment #6, 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron History of the unit out of Bien Hoa AB, RVN Detachment #9, 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron History of the unit out of Pleiku AB, RVN/Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand
Detachment #10, 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron History of the unit out of Binh Thuy AB, RV Detachment #11, 38th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron History of the unit out of Thuy Hoa AB, RV
Det. #4, 36th Aerospace Rescue & Recover Squadron History of the unit stationed in Osan, Korea. Det. #7, 40th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Wing History of the unit out of Terrejon, Spain
Det. #1, Atlantic Air Rescue Center History of the unit at Spangdahlem AB, Germany Det. #32, Central Air Rescue Center History of the unit at Webb AFB, Texas
Det. #37, Central Air Rescue Center History of the unit at England AFB Det. #7, Western Air Rescue Center I currently have no info. available. Looking for contributions
Det. #16, Western Air Rescue Center History of this unit based out of Williams AFB, Arizona HH-43 Southeast Asia Aircraft Locator Database Containing Dates and Unit Locations Where Aircraft Were Assigned
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