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In Memory
1^st Lt. Daunt Brunell SANDERS

The following information is copied from two web sites:
Faces From The Wall
and
The USMC Combat Helicopter Association “Pop A Smoke”

http://www.facesfromthewall.com/1969jul.html

Daunt Brunell Sanders

Birth	08JUL43	Rank	1LT	Date of Death	27JUL69
P. of birth		Service	Marines (Reserve)	Place	Quang Nam, S. Vietnam
Town of Record	Seattle	Unit	HMM-364, MAG-16, 1ST MAW	Death Code	Hostile Died; Helicopter - Crew; Air Loss, Crash - Land
Hometown		service #	532424159	Panel	20WEST - 60
married	Married	Link	Popasmoke and Helicopter	Medals
Tour Date	24JUN69	Comment		Cemetery

Seattle University, Seattle WA, 1966

Marines who died in Medevac helicopter crash
CREW 1stLt Robert William Armenio, Pilot; GySgt Raymond Gibel, Gunner; LCpl Michael F Gramlick, Gunner; HM1 Charles Lehman Hackworth, Corpsman-Crew; Cpl John Henry Harris Jr., Gunner; Cpl John Thomas McDaniel, Crew Chief; 1stLt Daunt Brunell Sanders, Co-Pilot
&nbps; PASSENGERS LCpl Leon Ross Barickman, Passenger L/3/5 3rdMarDiv; PFC Ronald James Scharf, Passenger BattF/2/11 1stMarDiv
  This was a Medevac operation. More information available at Pop A Smoke.com

http://www.popasmoke.com/kia/incidents.php?incident_id=222

Brothers Killed in Action in USMC Helicopters or while assigned to USMC Helicopter Squadrons in Vietnam



690727   HMM-364     Vietnam

Incident Date 690727 HMM-364 CH-46A 154018+ / YT-10 Hostile fire, systems malfunction, uncontrollable crash

[CREW]
Armenio, Robert William 1stLt Pilot HMM-364 MAG-16 690727 (vvm 20W:053)
Gibel, Raymond GySgt Gunner HMM-364 MAG-16 690727 (vvm 20W:056)
Gramlick, Michael F LCpl Gunner HMM-364 MAG-16 690727 (vvm 20W:056)
Hackworth, Charles Lehman HM1 Corpsman-Crew Corpsmen MAG-16 690727 (vvm 20W:057)
Harris Jr., John Henry Cpl Gunner HMM-364 MAG-16 690727 (vvm 20W:057)
McDaniel, John Thomas Cpl Crew Chief HMM-364 MAG-16 690727 (vvm 20W:059)
Sanders, Daunt Brunell 1stLt Co-Pilot HMM-364 MAG-16 690727 (vvm 20W:060)

[PASSENGERS]
Barickman, Leon Ross LCpl Passenger L/3/5 (prisoner escort) 690727 (vvm 20W:054)
Du Charm, Paul Medore PFC Passenger L/3/5 (prisoner escort) 690727 (vvm 20W:055)
NVA, POW (captured) Passenger 690727 (vvm 20W:059)
Scharf, Ronald James PFC Medevac BattF/2/11 1stMarDiv 690727 (vvm 20W:061)
Storm, Ralph Dorman Cpl Other L/3/5 (KIA prior to flight) 690727 (vvm 20W:061)

---

ARMENIO ROBERT WILLIAM : 0101559 : USMCR : 1stLT : O2 : 7564 H-53: 24 : CAMBRIA HEIGHTS : NY : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : AircraftCommander : body recovered : Quang Nam (Da Nang) :03 : 19440808 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 20W : 053 : MC ALSO SHOWS 2202605

BARICKMAN LEON ROSS : 471580302 : USMC : LCPL : E3 : 0311 : 20 : LEWISVILLE : MN : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Nam(Da Nang) :01 : 19490502 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 20W : 054

DU CHARM, PAUL MEDORE : PFC : 207361893 : USMC : 0311 : 19471215 : WASHINGTON : DC : 20W : 55

GIBEL RAYMOND : 197224885 : USMC : GYSGT : E7 : 6381 : 37 : MC KEESPORT : PA : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Da Nang) :18 : 19320702 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/married : 20W : 056

GRAMLICK MICHAEL F : 565729023 : USMC : LCPL : E3 : 6242 : 22 : GARDENA : CA : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Da Nang) :02 : 19470611 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 20W : 056

HACKWORTH CHARLES LEHMAN : 429788298 : USNR : HM1 : E6 : HM1 : 27 : IMBODEN : AR : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : Crew - Corpsman: body recovered :Quang Nam (Da Nang) :08 : 19420301 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 20W : 057

HARRIS JOHN HENRY JR : 505641285 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 6341 : 22 : GREELEY : NE : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Da Nang) :03 : 19461225 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/married : 20W : 057

MCDANIEL JOHN THOMAS : 2058045 : USMC : CPL : E4 : 6311 : 42 : CLARKSVILLE : IN : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body recovered : Quang Nam (Da Nang) :03 : 19490212 : Cauc : Protestant/single : 20W : 059

NVA POW : being transported from battlefield :

SANDERS DAUNT BRUNELL : 532424159 : USMCR : 1stLT : O2 : 7562 (H-46) : 26 : SEATTLE : WA : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : Copilot : body recovered :Quang Nam (Da Nang) :03 : 19430708 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/married : 20W : 060

SCHARF RONALD JAMES : 300422582 : USMC : PFC : E2 : 2531 : 20 : KENTON : OH : 19690727 : hostile, crash, land : Passenger : body recovered : Quang Nam (Da Nang) :01 : 19481006 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 20W : 061

STORM, RALPH DORMAN : CPL : 522527158 : USMC : 0311 : 19420520 : UNION CITY : CA : KIA on ground before incident, body being delivered from battlefield :

---

Epilogue – from HMM-364 website:

(www.HMM-364.org/armenio.html)
Eye witnesses to the crash indicate it probably was due to both hydraulic boost systems being shot out which caused the aircraft to crash uncontrollably. Colonel Schoener indicates that to this day he has a vivid memory of his last face to face meeting and conversation with Lt. Armenio.
Roger Birmingham, former LCpl. USMC was a Squad Leader with Lima Co. 3/7 and was present when YK-10 was shot down. I hate to keep adding to these but I have some more eye witness information on Lt. Armenio's death. My best friend, Roger Birmingham, was a LCpl with Lima Co, 3/7 and they were there when we lost Lt. Armenio. After several days of heavy fighting they found that the gooks had heavy caliber weapons and communication wire running from their shooting holes. The army had been patrolling the area from the air and Fox Co 2/7 walked into a hornets nest. They had 70-75 % casualties when they called for a medevac and that was Lt. Armenio. He never had a chance.

Personal Narrative:

Shot Down on Emergency Medevac Mission - The HMM-364 Command Chronology states: "On 27 July 1969 at 1530 hours, 17 miles SW of Da Nang, Quang Nam Province, RVN. Crew of YK-10 (bureau number 154018) of HMM-364 flying on an emergency medevac mission. Upon departure from the pick-up zone the aircraft received intense small arms fire and automatic fire. Aircraft impacted uncontrollably, exploded and burned. Aircraft consumed by fire. All crew and Passengers were killed. Eleven lives were lost." Eye witnesses of the crash indicate it probably was due to both hydraulic boost systems being shot out which caused the aircraft to crash uncontrollably.
Submitted by Charles J. "Chic" Schoener, Colonel USMCR(Ret)

Personal Narrative:

We were returning to MMAF from a resupply when we heard an aircraft was having problems, a CH-46 with medevacs and hydraulic system damage due to ground fire. We flew to the grid and observed the H-46 attempting a roll on landing on top of a plateau. Radio transmissions indicated hydraulic failure and flight control problems. As we hovered I observed the H-46 approach the hillside and abruptly drop below the rim and fly directly into the hillside. Aircraft rolled to bottom of the ravine and burst into flames.
I attempted to lower my gunner on the hoist for survivors. JP [jet fuel] was burning and ammo cooking off. The entire aircraft burned in a matter of minutes. No survivors were recovered. The pilot of the aircraft had indicated via radio that he was loaded with medevacs. Darkness was setting in and we were advised to return to Marble, which we did. I was unaware of the squadron this aircraft was assigned to.
Submitted by Mike Everett, former CrewChief, HMM165

Personal Narrative:

This crash happened on Operation Durham Peak on 7/27/69.

Medavac chopper was called in after our point man was shot and killed; another grunt, Ralph Storm, made a rescue attempt but was also shot and killed. My fireteam leader, Leon Barickman, whom was suffering from a terrible leg infection, was taking the chopper back to the rear to seek treatment; he was also aboard and killed on impact.

I was a part of the retreval team that made our way to the crash site down the mountain. Our company was Lima 3/5 out of Combat Base An Hoa (not Lima 3/7 as posted by another commenter). I still find it extremely painful to relive this day in my head. These were brave men both on the ground and in the Medavac crew them came to our aid that day.

There was a whole chain of events leading up to the crash that played out on the ground prior to the crash. Prior to the 46 landing directly at the site of the battle, we were under fire not only from the NVA but also some short rounds from a Cobra gunship that was putting suppressing fire on the enemy position.

If I can help anyone reading this, contact me. I will tell you the story of that day on the mountain and the brave Marines both on the ground and in the air who lost there life.

Submitted by Richard Ker, Marine grunt at the site of the crash that day

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