Placement on the Wall:
Panel W11 Line 103
PERSONAL DATA:
Home of Record: Ringwood, OK
Date of birth: 09/26/1949
MILITARY DATA:
Service Branch: Army of the United States
Grade at loss: W1
Rank: Posthumous Promotion as indicated
Promotion Note: None
ID No: 448509974
MOS or Specialty: 100C: Cargo Helicopter Pilot
Length Service: **
Unit: B CO, 159TH ASLT SPT HELO BN, 101ST ABN DIV, USARV
CASUALTY DATA:
Start Tour: 09/21/1969
Incident Date: 05/05/1970
Casualty Date: 05/05/1970
Age at Loss: 20
Location: Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam
Remains: Body recovered
Casualty Type: Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason: Helicopter - Pilot
| George Arden Mason |
| Submitted by : WO Dennis DuPuis |
1970 middle of May, WO Dennis DuPuis, 335th AHC, Bearcat. RVN
I don’t remember the mission but I do remember that the Operations jeep was waiting at the revetment. Before we could shut down the aircraft, the driver signaled me to get out of the aircraft and into the jeep. “What’s going on?”, I asked the driver. “just Get in. sir”, he replied.
Our 335th Operations Officer told me to get enough clothes and shaving gear for three days and to get back ASAP. “A helicopter will take you (an hour and a half flight) to Vinh Long for a briefing”.
Fifteen or twenty minutes later I was the only passenger in the helicopter. The guys flying were taking me to 214th battalion HQ in Vinh Long.
I was short, a double digit midget (less than 99 days left in country). Matter of fact, I had less than 90 days left in country. What’s the rush? What was the secret? What could be so important? My wildest thought was “I’d been picked for a POW rescue.” The guys went to refuel after landing at our 214th Battalion VIP pad.
I ran to the Headquarters. They were expecting me. A major handed me a large sealed envelope and asked me to sign a receipt of message. “What’s this about?” “the Huey that’s landing on the VIP pad is taking you to Saigon. Read your orders on the way. Hurry.” It was a little longer than a hour to Saigon. What was so important? I could feel my heart was pounding as I opened the envelope and read the orders. Oh no. My friend George Mason was KIA (Killed in Action) and his mother had requested me as his Escort.
We landed on the Saigon ramp near the commercial airliner that would take me to Hawaii and then to San Francisco (Oakland Army Depot).
In California, I attended briefings on the responsibilities and conduct of a Body Escort Officer while George was prepared for transportation and burial. I was issued a new Class A uniform and orders for George’s return to his hometown for burial in Ringwood, Oklahoma. George and I left San Francisco on a commercial flight to Oklahoma City. I was with the other passengers and George was with the cargo and luggage. The other passengers had no idea that George was on board directly under their feet all the way to Oklahoma.
I saluted whenever George’s coffin was moving. I rode in the hearse with George for the 2 hour trip to Enid. When he was settled at the funeral home, we went to the Mason’s home. I don’t remember much about that time before the funeral.
The funeral service was at the High school that George attended. Bruce, in his Class A uniform, chest full of Medals (from his tour in Vietnam) and spit shined paratrooper boots, delivered the eulogy. It was very difficult to present the flag to Mrs Mason. I had rehearsed the words but they didn’t flow easily when the time came to present George’s folded flag to her. I cried, I still cry.
Instead of immediately returning to my unit in Vietnam after the funeral, The Mason Family had requested a two week extension to my Body Escort orders. They had told the Survival Assistance officer from Ft Sill that they needed me to take care of some personal business for the deceased /for them. They hugged me and thanked me for bringing George, their son, home to them; handed a round trip airline ticket to me and told me to go see my Mom and Dad before I returned to Vietnam.
Bruce had driven from Ft Wolters, TX in his new 1970 455 cubic inch, Olds 442; We were spotted from the air. Speeding on a long, flat, two lane hiway. We came over a little hill and the cops were waiting at a four way stop sign to give him a ticket. ha ha. ..............
When we got to Texas, we meet his flight school class mates at one of the training stagefields. His classmates bought beers that afternoon at the Officers Club happy Hour. They would be headed to Vietnam next year. They had a lot of questions about the helicopter war and I answered most of the questions.
It was my first time (as an officer) at a real Officers Club Happy Hour. They said my money wasn’t any good. They got me drunk but I had a good time. The next day Bruce took me to the airport and I used the airline ticket from Mr & Mrs Mason to go home for the remainder of my two weeks.
It was June when I returned to the 335th AHC Cowboys at Camp Bearcat.
from 101st operations log===
11:15 - A trp 2/17 Air Recon Platoon was launched to vicinity 400295 (Varsity AC). The AC (aircraft) was reported as burning.
At 11:30 - 101st DIV G-2 reported ...that the nearest unit to 'Coaster 34', the downed AC, was A, 3rd, 187th, "Rakkasans"
Air Recon Platoon on the ground at 12:05, green LZ. Negative survivors found at AC.
At 15:15 - A/2/17 Air Recon Platoon extracted 5 bodies from CH-47, ARP extracted at 15:45.
--------------------------------------------
The entire “Coaster 34” crew; SP4 Gary W. Brown, SGT Larry D. Buffington, CW2 George A. Mason, PFC Steven E. Wasson, and WO1 Richard L.Vandewarker
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