Lt.Col. Bob "Waterboy" Boucher, USMC in coordination with Lt. Col. Chris "Roadkill" Morton, USMC CO of The SeaElk HMM-166, have included on The Purple Fox Flight Schedule for 4/21/2010 Capt. Eileen C. "Meerkat" Donovan, USMC to fly with The Purple Foxes in PF 05 BUNO 153369.  This is the aircraft that her father J P 'Pat' Donovan was flying when he earned his second Navy Cross.

Today 4/21/2010 is the forty-first anniversary of Buno 153369 YK 19 Swift Medevac Missions accomplished on 4/21/1969 identified as Missions 11 Hotel, 11 India and 11 Kilo. 

Swift Medevac Missions11 Hotel began at AT 898539 and was YK 4 BUNO 154790 with 1st Lt. J P Donovan, HAC, with 1st Lt. J D Monaghan, Copilot and Cpl Neuman as Crew Chief and Gunners Cpl. J E Harris and Cpl. Poole and HM3 Peters Navy Corpsman. This aircraft sustained severe battle damage and was returned to Marble Mtn with call ahead to make ready anotther aircraft as replacement. Here enters, Cpl Steiinberg, Crew Chief and his CH-46D YK19 BUNO 153369

Swift Medevac continued the Mission 11 in another aircraft, Cpl. Steinberg's YK19 in Buno 153369, for Mission 11 India and Mission 11 Kilo. All these Missions were flown in support of "Bushmaster" Bravo Co 1/5 located at AT894594 in the Arizona Territory RVN southwest of Hill 55 . Crew for YK 19 Buno 153369 Mission 11 was 1st Lt. JP Donovan, HAC, with 1st Lt. J D Monaghan, Copilot and Cpl Robert B. "Steiny" Steinberg (Crew Chief) and Gunners Cpl. J E Harris and Cpl. Poole and Navy Corpsman HM3 Van Damme. Note Cpl J E Harris was hit in the arm and continued to fire his .50 Cal with one arm functioning. Only after we climbed out of the zone did he acknowledge that he was hit.

As a further historical footnote to YK-19 BUNO 153369 6.1 hours was flown by lst Lt. Donovan as HAC and 1st Lt. Sam Ware, [Lt.Col.(Ret) RIP] as Co-Pilot on March 2, 1969, and I last flew in this YK-19 BUNO 153369 as HAC with 1st Lt. George N. "Shakey" Gitcho, USMC as Co-Pilot, on Mission #35 for 3.2 hours August 6, 1969

Am copying "Bushmaster" Cpl Bruce Cader, USMC with my continuing appreciation for all Bravo 1/5 Marines, then and now. I believe that 1st Bn 5th Marines may be stationed at, but on deployment from, MCB Camp Pendleton.

Am also copying "Steiny" Steinberg with my personal appreciation for him, his skills and his heroism on this day.

Respectfully submitted with deep gratitude to our Marine Air Ground Team

Semper Fi
Pat

Here is Bushmaster 1/5 Actual's response.

Subject: RE: Lt.Col. Bob "Waterboy" Boucher, USMC, CO of The World Famous Purple FoxesAloha to all my Bravo 1/5 “Bushmaster” Marines.
It seem like just yesterday in my memory we were fighting in the Arizona, April 21, 1969,although my body is 41 years older, and I had a knee replacement last week, I ‘m like all of you, young at Heart.
The firefight was hell on wheels, and the Purple Foxes flew their mission with courage and determination in heroic fashion.
God Bless to the aircrews for getting the wounded out as the NVA 12.7 MM were throwing up a lot of ANTI-AIRCARAFT rounds.
I remember we carried our dead Marines out, as the Sea Bees had helped man the Liberty Bridge compound positions until the rest of the Bravo company returned that night after going out to rescue members of the first platoon that had been ambushed.
Bn Hq had sent down Marine replacements, and I assigned each new replacement Marine to hold the hand of the KIA Marine throughout the night until routine medevac could remove the dead in the morning, to impress upon them the need to stay vigilant and never use the same patrol route.
You Bravo Marine made a difference in this world, stay proud, and God Bless, Bravo -6,