Final Mission of U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 68-17359 The 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry provided ground reconnaissance for the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. Troop D was its air cavalry troop, serving mostly with the divisions 25th Aviation Battalion. In 1970, after having seen combat in the Saigon area during the Tet offensive of 1968, the Division continued its primary operations around Cu Chi, South Vietnam, and in the spring of 1970 sent elements into Cambodia seeking North Vietnamese Army sanctuaries. WO2 Andrew John Elliot was a pilot assigned to Troop D, and on June 9, 1970 was assigned a flight to a fire support base at Katum Special Forces Camp, Cambodia. Aboard the OH-6A "Loach" with Elliott were observer SP5 Stephen Louis Dobry and gunner SP4 Jerry Wayne McGlothen. When the aircraft was about half-way between Fire Support Base Santa Barbara and Katum, WO Elliott radioed that he could not see the road or Katum. He was instructed by the command and control aircraft to go to Tay Ninh and shut down, that everyone would be called to Koropey as soon as the weather cleared. Elliott acknowledged and said, "I'm going to Tay Ninh at this time." This was the last communication with Elliott. After it was determined that WO Elliott's aircraft was missing, a full scale search effort was initiated and continued for 5 days. On June 24, the wreckage was found and recovery teams inserted into the crash site. The bodies of Gobry and McGlothlen were recovered and positively identified. About 50 meters from the crash site, near the body of McGlothlen, a helmet and chest protector belonging to Elliott were found. It appeared that the body had been dragged to this position from the crash site. A search team remained on the ground 4 days, but were never able to find any trace of Elliott. He was listed Missing in Action. [Information obtained from vhpa.org] A Purple Heart is one of the military's highest honors, a symbol of heroism and sacrifice. Often that sacrifice is paid with the life of a service member. That why a SoCal man is on a mission to return a Purple Heart to a family hundreds of miles away, who haven't seen it in more than a decade. "I was inspired by my parents to join the Marine Corps after they both served," says Joshua Rivera. "I felt a duty to serve my country." For Rivera, the military has always been part of his family. He calls it a brotherhood like no other. "You have people who are there for you whenever you need. You're there for them," he says. The 25-year-old veteran served five years in the Marine Corps, including eight months in Afghanistan. He's seen the sacrifice that comes with wearing the uniform after losing two of his fellow Marines. "It hit home. It hit hard especially knowing them, hang out with them, laugh and then getting word that they passed away." It still hurts his heart, he says, which is why he took action when he found out a Purple Heart was being sold at an antique shop in Old Town Temecula. He immediately drove from his home in Laguna Niguel and paid $218 to buy it. "I know the requirement and sacrifice it takes to earn that and I didn't think it belonged for sale just for anyone to buy. It belongs with the family." The Purple Heart had paperwork with a picture and a name of the recipient: Jerry Wayne McGlothlen from Yelm, Washington. In June 1970 he was killed in action in Vietnam at the age of 19. Rivera posted a message on Facebook hoping to find Jerry McGlothlen's family. "About five, six hours later, I had a lady who was his niece," Rivera says. "From there we organized to get it back to the family." McGlothlen's family members say they haven't seen the Purple Heart since it was stolen from a family car in 2002. "It's like he's coming home," says family member Verna Shaffer. They never thought they'd see it again, and can't thank Rivera enough for finding it. "Gives me faith that there are good people out there because there are so many crooks and bad people," says McGlothlen's sister Helen Baker. Like the crook who stole the Purple Heart, she says. It's a symbol of heroism that'll soon be home again thanks to a Marine veteran who knows all about family, brotherhood and sacrifice. "Because of them we're here today," Rivera says. "Because of them we have our freedom." Family members say Jerry McGlothlen had a son he never met, who was adopted to another family. They are hoping to find his long-lost son so they can give him the Purple Heart. [Tony Shin, Channel 4, NBC, Los Angeles, Published April 15, 2016] The News Tribune, Tacoma, Washington, 02 Jul 1970, Thursday, Page 39 Spec 4 Jerry W McGlothkn. The funeral service for Specialist Four Jerry W McGlothlen will be held this Monday afternoon starting at two o'clock in Mountain View Chapel, Tacoma. A graveside funeral service will be held in the Yelm Cemetary starting at three-thirty Mr. McGlothlen, 19, died in Vietnam June 9. Born in Tacoma, he had lived primarily in the Yelm area. He was a member of the Methodist Church. Survivors include his wife Anna, 617 112th Street, Tacoma; three brothers, Thomas, McKenna; Mark, Tumwater; and Junior Baker, Tumwater; two sisters, Verna McGlothlen and Helen Baker, both of Tumwater; his mother, Mrs Betty Baker, Tumwater; a grandmother Mrs Verna Crumley, Yelm. [The Olympian, Olympia, Washington, 02 Jul 1970, Thursday, Page 6] SP4 Jerry Wayne McGlothlin was survived by his wife, Anna Marie (Daws) McGlothlen (1954-1991), mother Betty J (Crumley) Baker (1927-1995) and father Thomas Huston McGlothlen (1927-1962). They are all interred in Yelm Public Cemetery, Yelm, Thurston County, Washington - - The Virtual Wall, 4 June 2022

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