Engineer Memoirs
in early May 1970. I'd been in the States about ten days and happened to be in OCE when I
called to see General Clarke. He told me that there'd been a helicopter accident in Vietnam, and
he knew that one engineer general officer had been killed. He told me where it was and that he
knew it was a major general. It had to be General Jack Dillard, and based on location, I figured
the 937th Group and probably the 20th Engineer Battalion commanders were aboard too. I also
listed all the people I thought would be on the chopper. Unfortunately, I was correct.
As I recall, 11 people were killed. One survived, Sergeant Major [Robert W.] Elkey, who was the
937th command sergeant major at that time. Elkey was thrown out the chopper, badly wounded
and fortunate to survive. Everyone else was killed. A most distressing experience for me because
not only did I know everybody but I'd been involved with many being there. Captain Booth [West
Point,
had become General Dillard's aide based on my recommendation. I had sent my
pilot to the 937th to improve the efficiency of that aviation section, and the co-pilot, CWO
Adams, was similarly placed. So while that didn't happen when I was in Vietnam, it was certainly
part of my Vietnam experience.
I went to all the funerals that I could. When I first took over the brigade, I wrote to all the wives
of the battalion and group commanders and told them that I wanted them to know that we were
a close family out there and we were going to look after each other. Further, we didn't want them
worrying about us any more than necessary, and to take care of themselves so we wouldn't have
to be concerned about them. When I went to Hap Adams' funeral up in West Point I saw his wife,
and she said, "Jack, you came home too soon." That was like a stab.
All in all, Vietnam would have been a great deal more pleasant memory had the whole thing
turned out better. I look back on Vietnam with very mixed emotions. I went into it in a saddened
condition because of my family situation, and I came out of it in a saddened condition because
of the helicopter tragedy, but our accomplishments were noteworthy. Relative to the rest of the
Army, we were blessed and we did good work. Working with Dave Parker was a real pleasure.
I also enjoyed Jack Dillard for the little time I knew him.
My driver, Corporal [William] Comenose, is now a successful businessman in Cleveland and
stays in touch. So, unless you have some questions, I don't have too much more to add about
Vietnam.
Q .. I wanted to ask you about the engineer command structure in Vietnam when you got there. You
talked about the battalions and the groups. What was above the
A ..
We had the engineer command, U.S. Army Engineer Command, Vietnam, a separate element of
the U.S. Army, Vietnam. It was commanded by General David Parker and later General John
[Jack] Dillard. They reported to General Westmoreland and General [Creighton] Abrams and
worked with their staffs. The engineer section within the headquarters of the U.S. Army,
Vietnam, advised the CINC [commander in
on engineer matters in his planning, leaving
the engineer command to execute the program and oversee the troops.
Q ..
Was there something called the Engineer Construction Agency, Vietnam, when you were there?
A ..
Yes. That's USACAV, U.S. Army Construction Agency, Vietnam.
Q ..
USACAV.
A ..
If I'm not mistaken, that included people like Morrison Knudsen, J. A. Jones, et cetera and
performed major contract construction.
Q .. Contractors.
A
Contractors.
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