Group Identification 06/2001
Unit:170th Aviation Company, 17th Aviation Group,
52nd Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade
Date of Birth: 25 November 1948 (Jacksonville FL)
Home City of Record: Belleview FL
Date of Loss: 24 March 1970
Country of Loss: Cambodia
Loss Coordinates: 142750N 1071816E (YB484003)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Acft/Venicle/Ground: UH1H
Refno: 1578
Other Personnel in Incident: John C. Hosken; Rudy
M. Becerra; Michael O'Donnell; John Boronski; Gary
A. Harned, Jerry L. Pool (all missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 July
1990 from one or more of the following: raw data
from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published
sources, including James E. Lake's account found
in "Life on the Line" by Philip D. Chinnery,
interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.
REMARKS: SURVIVAL UNLIKELY - PER SAR
SYNOPSIS: Kontum, South Vietnam was in the heart
of "Charlie country" -- hostile enemy territory.
The little town is along the Ia Drang River, some
forty miles north of the city of Pleiku. U.S.
forces never had much control over the area. In
fact, the area to the north and east of Kontum was
freefire zone where anything and anyone was free
game. The Kontum area was home base to what was
known as FOB2 (Forward Observation Base 2), a
classified, long-term operations of the Special
Operations Group (SOG)that involved daily
operations into Laos and Cambodia. SOG teams
operated out of Kontum, but staged out of Dak To.
The mission of the 170th Assault Helicopter
Company ("Bikinis") was to perform the insertion,
support, and extraction of these SOG teams deep in
the forest on "the other side of the fence" (a
term meaning Laos or Cambodia, where U.S. forces
were not allowed to be based). Normally, the teams
consisted of two "slicks" (UH1 general purpose
helicopters), two Cobras (AH1 assault helicopters)
and other fighter aircraft which served as standby
support.
On March 24, 1970, helicopters from the 170th were
sent to extract a MACV-SOG long-range
reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) team which was in
contact with the enemy about fourteen miles inside
Cambodia in Ratanokiri Province. The flight
leader, RED LEAD,serving as one of two extraction
helicopters was commanded by James E. Lake. Capt.
Michael D. O'Donnell was the aircraft commander of
one of the two cover aircraft (serial #68-15262,
His crew consisted of WO John C. Hoskins, pilot;
SP4 Rudy M. Beccera, crew chief; and SP4 Berman
Ganoe, gunner. The MACV-SOG team included 1LT
Jerry L. Pool, team leader and team members SSGT
John A. Boronsky and SGT Gary A. Harned as well as
five indigenous team members. The team had been in
contact with the enemy all night and had been
running and ambusing, but the hunter team pursuing
them was relentless and they were exhausted and
couldn't continue to run much longer. when Lake
and O'Donnell arrived at the team's location,
there was no landing zone (LZ) nearby and they
were unable to extract them immeidately. The two
helicopters waited in a high orbit over the area
until the team could move to a more suitable
extraction point. While the helicopters were
waiting, they were in radio contact with the team.
After about 45 minutes in orbit, Lake received
word from LT Pool that the NVA hunter team was
right behind them. RED LEAD and RED THREE made a
quick trip to Dak To for refueling. RED THREE was
left on station in case of an emergency.
When Lake returned to the site, Pool came over the
radio and said that if the team wasn't extracted
then, it would be too late. Capt. O'Donnell
evaluated the situation and decided to pick them
up. He landed on the LZ and was on the ground for
about 4 minutes, and then transmitted that he had
the entire team of eight on board. The aircraft
was beginning its ascent when it was hit by enemy
fire, and an explosion in the aircraft was seen.
The helicopter continued in flight for about 300
meters, then another explosion occurred, causing
the aircraft to crash in the jungle. According to
Lake, bodies were blown out the doors and fell
into the jungle. [NOTE: According to the U.S. Army
account of the incident, no one was observed to
have been thrown from the aircraft during either
explosion.] The other helicopter crewmen were
stunned. One of the Cobras, Panther 13, radioed
"I don't think a piece bigger than my head hit the
ground." The second explosion was followed by a
yellow flash and a cloud of black smoke billowing
from the jungle. Panther 13 made a second high-
speed pass over the site and came under fire, but
made it away unscathed.
Lake decided to go down and see if there was a way
to get to the crash site. As he neared the ground,
he was met with intense ground fire from the
entire area. He could not see the crash site sice
it was under heavy tree cover. There was no place
to land, and the ground fire was withering. He
elected to return the extract team to Dak To
before more aircraft was lost. Lake has carried
the burden of guilt with him for all these years,
and has never forgiven himself for leaving his
good friend O'Donnell and his crew behind.
The Army account concludes stating that
O'Donnell's aircraft began to burn immediately
upon impact. Aerial search and rescue efforts
began immediately; however, no signs of life could
be seen around the crash site. Because of the
enemy situation, attempts to insert search teams
into the area were futile. SAR efforts were
discontinued on April 18.
Search and rescue teams who surveyed the site
reported that they did not hold much hope for
survival for the men aboard, but lacking proof
that they were dead, the Army declared all 7
missing in action.
For every patrol like that of the MACV-SOG LRRP
team that was detected and stopped, dozens of
other commando teams safely slipped past NVA lines
to strike a wide range of targets and collect
vital information. The number of MACV-SOG missions
conducted with Special Forces reconnaissance teams
into Laos and Cambodia was 452 in 1969. It was the
most sustained American campaign of raiding,
sabotage and intelligence gathering waged on
foreign soil in U.S. military history. MACV-SOG's
teams earned a global reputation as one of the
most combat effective deep penetration forces ever
raised.
By 1990 over 10,000 reports have been received by
the U.S. Government concerning men missing in
Southeast Asia. The government of Cambodia has
stated that it would like to return a number of
American remains to the U.S. (in fact, the number
of remains mentioned is more than are officially
listed missing in that country), but the U.S.,
having no diplomatic relations with Cambodia,
refuses to respond officially to that offer.
Most authorities believe there are hundreds of
Americans still alive in Southeast Asia today,
waiting for their country to come for them.
Whether the LRRP team and helicopter crew is among them
doesn't seem likely, but if there is even one
American alive, he deserves our ultimate efforts
to bring him home.
Michael O'Donnell was recommended for the
Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on
March 24, 1970. He was awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Bronze Star and
the Purple Heart as well as promoted to the rank
of Major following his loss incident. O'Donnell
was highly regarded by his friends in the
"Bikinis." They knew him as a talented singer,
guitar player and poet. One of his poems has been
widely distributed, but few understand that the
author remains missing.
If you are able,
save them a place
inside of you
and save one backward glance
when you are leaving
for the places they can
no longer go.
Be not ashamed to say
you loved them,
though you may
or may not have always.
Take what they have left
and what they have taught you
with their dying
and keep it with your own.
And in that time
when men decide and feel safe
to call the war insane,
take one moment to embrace
those gentle heroes
you left behind.
Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam
July 1, 2001 The Journal Standard
Freeport resident Darlene Pool holds her husband, Jerry Pool's
MIA bracelet marking the date that Jerry was reported missing in
Freeport resident still unsure of exactly
what happened to her husband in Vietnam.
FREEPORT -- "I almost died this time," Darlene Pool said about
hearing the latest news on her husband. "Now he's going to be
buried twice and there's still no proof he's there."
It was the third week in May when Darlene Pool of Freeport said
she heard from U.S. Army officials. What they told her was that
they had positively identified the remains of her husband, Jerry
Pool, a Green Beret Special Forces soldier who went down in a
helicopter in Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
She was told a short time later, however, that her husband wasn't
specifically identified, but that a group identification had been
In the past, Darlene Pool has suffered from several heart attacks
and strokes and is in failing health. This latest news about her
husband has almost been too painful for her to bear.
"This has been going on off and on for 32 years," Darlene Pool
said. "I've been in too much pain and too much suffering ...Only
The Pool odyssey officially began on March 24, 1970, with the
crash of a Huey helicopter in Cambodia. In that helicopter was
Jerry Pool, who was part of a military team sent to Cambodia to
extract a U.S. long range reconnaissance patrol.
Pool's squad found the patrol and set about leaving the area when
they came under heavy enemy fire. On the helicopter at the time
with Jerry Pool were seven U.S. Army soldiers and five Montagnard
tribesman. The Montagnard are an indigenous people of Vietnam and
Southeast Asia who aided the U.S. during the Vietnam War.
"Shortly after they picked up these guys, the helicopter was hit
by a rocket and it exploded at 200 feet, it crashed and burned,"
said Larry Greer, a spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department's
POW/MIA Office. "There was no evidence of any survivors. There
was heavy enemy activity so (rescuers) couldn't stay in the area."
According to Greer, the story then picks up again in November of
1993 when a joint U.S. and Cambodian search team tried but failed
to find the crash site. Then, in 1994, several Vietnamese
citizens were interviewed regarding human remains they had found
consistent with what would be left at the Cambodian helicopter
After years of investigating, a group identification was finally
made official on June 20, 2001. Using skeletal, tissue and teeth
remains at the crash site, Army officials were able to positively
identify four U.S. soldiers who were on the helicopter.
Jerry Pool was not one of the four. But since the crash was so
severe, Greer said, Pool could not have escaped. Therefore, Jerry
Pool is being identified as part of the group of remains that
"There are frequently individual remains that can't be sorted
and identified," Greer said. "It is just like in some of the
large civilian air disasters where they are never able to
identify everyone ... Obviously, no one got off (of this
helicopter) so they made a group identification." Now, off MIA
list "(Jerry) Pool's remains were not individually identified,
but he has been identified as part of the group," Greer said.
"He is now accounted for so he comes off of our list of MIA
According to Greer, there are currently 1,966 U.S. soldiers still
Missing in Action from the Vietnam War. There have been 619
identified so far. To put that in context, there are 8,100
soldiers still MIA from the Korean War and 78,000 from World War
For Darlene Pool, her husband's inclusion in this group
identification is not enough to provide closure on an incident
that has haunted her and her family for years.
In addition to the fact that Jerry Pool's remains have still not
been found, Darlene Pool is also fed up with the numerous false
alarms and mistaken identifications that she said have taken
Darlene Pool said this has caused a great deal of stress within
her family, which includes two grown children she had with Jerry,
Jerry Lynn Pool and Michele Leigh Pool.
"It has hurt me and it has hurt my children," Darlene Pool said.
"I am personally tired of suffering with this." As it is, the
U.S. Army is in the process of organizing a funeral ceremony
at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C., where the
remains recovered from the crash site will be buried. Darlene
Pool said she is not sure if she will take part in the Arlington
ceremony. She is still not satisfied with the official version of
events leading to her husband's identification. Darlene Pool said
she will continue to hope that the truth about what happened to
Jerry Pool on that fateful day in 1970 will surface some day.
"Everybody says I should go (to the ceremony) to pay my respect
for the others who were identified," Darlene Pool said. "I don't
think I will be going because it's false. I'm a person who hates
lies ... I'll fight for my husband until the day I die. He
Travis Morse can be reached at 232-0178 or at
tmorse@journalstandard.com.
=======================================================
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 12:04:38 EDT
Subject: Soldiers and Airmen Returning Home
Greetings,
I am .... for the US Army at Fort Myer, Va. I also had the pleasure to
serve as ..... for 5th SFG(A) from Dec 91 through Dec 94. Today and
tomorow, I have the honor to be part of an escort for the families and
remains of 3 Special Forces soldiers and 4 members of the Air Force returned
home from Cambodia. These soldiers were lost on 24 March 1970 in Cambodia;
REFNO 1578.
They are:
1LT Jerry L. Pool
SSG John Boronski
SGT Gary Harned
CPT Michael D. O'Donnel
WO1 John C. Hosken
SP4 Rudy Becerra
SP4 Berman Ganoe Jr.
There will be a ceremony at the Old Post Chapel on Fort Meyer at 1300 hours
on 16 August. While this was a war before my time, I still feel a deep
sense of pride, honor, and esprit de corps in their return. These days are
very special for anyone who has every worn a uniform or served in the the
defense of their country. I have the deepest pride in my service and the
highest regard for my brothers who have fallen before me. I hope their
return brings some closure and ease to the minds and hearts of those who
care.
Respectfully,
========================================
Associated Press Newswires
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Remains of Vietnam MIA returning to Ocala for Friday burial
OCALA, Fla. (AP) - The remains of a decorated Army soldier who was listed as
missing in action during the Vietnam War are scheduled to return to his
hometown for a burial ceremony on Friday.
Nearly 33 years after Staff Sergeant Berman Ganoe Jr.'s helicopter was shot
down in Cambodia, family members and friends will give the man who once
stood at about 6-foot-3, 245 pounds a hero's salute and a burial.
"He was voted the friendliest person in his high school class," his brother
Dwight told the Ocala Star-Banner earlier this week. "He was a gentle giant,
an extremely nice guy." Ganoe was serving as a helicopter gunner with the
170th Aviation Company, 52nd Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade when
his UH-1H "Huey" was assigned to rescue a reconnaissance team being pursued
by enemy troops in Cambodia on March 24, 1970. The crew made a daring
landing to retrieve the patrol team, but it was hit by enemy fire and
crashed.
Ganoe was then listed as missing in action, presumed dead. His remains were
returned to the United States in 1998, but it wasn't until June 2001 that
they were positively identified.
Ganoe was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze
Star, 16 Air Medals, the Purple Heart and numerous other medals of valor.
Ganoe's parents are both dead. His brother, Dwight, said Berman was their
favorite and for 30 years has lived with his memory.
"Something always reminds you, a picture, something you see reminds you of
him," he said. "It goes through your mind, it hits you. You think about it
frequently, but you don't dwell on it."
The ceremony is set for noon at Highland Memorial Park in Ocala and is open
to the public.
===================
The Miami Herald
Monday, March 10, 2003
Remains of Vietnam MIA buried
(AP) -- Marion County's only soldier classified by the Army as missing in
action during the Vietnam War has finally been laid to rest in his hometown.
Staff Sgt. Berman Ganoe Jr. was buried Friday, 33 years after the helicopter
he was on was shot down over Cambodia.
Brig. Gen. David C. Godwin, commander of the 53rd Infantry Brigade of the
Florida National Guard, delivered the eulogy.
"It's a privilege to be here as we honor an American hero," Godwin said.
'Some say that 'hero' is a word that is used too often today. But in this
case, it is true." Godwin, a platoon leader in Vietnam, recalled Ganoe's war
record and the emotional ties that develop between soldiers who serve
together.
"There is a strong bond between Vietnam veterans, and I feel a strong bond
with Staff Sgt. Ganoe," he said. "Two months after his death, I was fighting
there. I knew many men like him.
"When his nation called, he went. He served his nation, and like more than
55,000 other men, he died [in Vietnam]. Berman Ganoe gave his life trying to
save others."
Ganoe was serving as a helicopter gunner with the 170th Aviation Company,
52nd Aviation Battalion, First Aviation Brigade when his UH-1H "Huey" was
assigned to rescue a reconnaissance team being pursued by enemy troops in
Cambodia on March 24, 1970. The crew made a daring landing to retrieve the
patrol team, but it was hit by enemy fire and crashed.
Ganoe was then listed as missing in action, presumed dead. His remains were
returned to the United States in 1998, but it wasn't until June 2001 that
they were positively identified.
Ganoe was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze
Star, 16 Air Medals, the Purple Heart and numerous other medals of valor.
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