Daryl Leroy Miller

Warrant Officer
PILOT
24 year old Single, Caucasian, Male
Born on Dec 11, 1942
From: Muncie, Indiana
His tour of duty began on May 20, 1967
Casualty was on Aug 06, 1967 in South Vietnam
Hostile, helicopter - pilot, air loss, crash on land
Body was recovered
Religion: Presbyterian
(Panel 24E - Line 83)

 

Daryl Leroy Miller was born in Sharon Pennsylvania on December 11, 1942.  His parents were Owen Hope Miller of West Chester, PA and Kathryn Emaline Fulton of Oxford, PA.  The family consisted Daryl, an older brother, Owen Hope Miller Jr. and a younger sister, Kathryn P. Miller.  Daryl’s father passed away on April 15, 1995 at the age of 82.  His mother continues to live in Muncie, IN with his sister Kathryn.  Daryl attended Sharon PA. grade and high schools and went on to graduate from Youngstown University in August of 1965 with a B.S. Degree in Management Accounting.  After college Daryl enlisted in the army and in April of 1966 was assigned to rotary wing helicopter training as a member of class number 67-3.  He graduated on April 11, 1967 and was awarded his wings and commission as a warrant officer aviator.     Following graduation from helicopter training Daryl was assigned to Vietnam.   On May 24, 1967 he joined the 281st Assault Helicopter Company in Nah Trang South Vietnam where he received his initial in country training.  He was then assigned to the Bandit Platoon as a helicopter pilot in support of the 5th Special Forces operations throughout the country.  In early August of 1967 WO Daryl Miller was a member of the 281st AHC Project Delta support team under the command of Captain Bob Moberg, operating out of An Hoa South Vietnam under Special Forces Operational Order 7-67, Operation Samuria. On August the 6th 1967 WO Daryl Miller was assigned as the second pilot on Helicopter UH-1D 65-09919.  The aircraft was under the command of WO Gary Omdahl.  PFC Michael Anthony Goffredo served as the crew chief and PFC John Camden Soper was the door gunner.  The 281st flight, supported by the Wolfpack gun platoon was in the process of extracting a reconnaissance team in a pick up zone covered by tall trees with sparse foliage. The recon team was in site with no reported enemy activity.  However, the pick up site was located on a long grassy finger running down hill and as such the extreme slope of the site and the high grass made the approach difficult.  Captain Moberg released the aircraft commander to make the pick up an as the aircraft approached the pick up site it appeared to over shoot the site and it crashed down the hill some 300 to 400 meters, exploding on impact. The crew exited the burning helicopter suffering only slight burns.  Captain Moberg directed the crew back to the original pickup location and set the backup recovery plan in to effect.   He then returned to the base camp for fuel and while refueling was informed that a US Air Force CH53 rescue helicopter had been redirected to the site to recover the crew and the recon team. At this point a Wolfpack gun platoon flight, under the command of Captain Fred Mentzer had refueled and was on site to provide cover for the recovery operation. The USAF CH 53 arrived on site and begin recovering the members of the recon team and the 281st crew through the use of a cable and hoist.  Vietnamese members of the recon team were recovered first and then WO Omdahl, the A/C, placed his three crew members on the sling for pickup.  He remained on the ground for latter pickup.  As the pickup of the 281st crew got under way the pilot of the CH 53 reported that he was taking fire and that he had an engine fire light.  Distracted by these events he maneuvered the aircraft away from the pick up point an in so doing the cable holding the three 281st crew members became entangled in a tree and was severed, causing the three crew members to fall to their deaths. Captain Mentzer marked the area where the crew had landed and a 281st recovery aircraft hovered over the site allowing MSGT Joe Singh of Project Delta to jump into the area to assist the downed crew members.  The remaining members of the Special Forces recon team rushed to the location and reported that all three crew members were dead.  The 281st recovered the crew members and the remaining members of the recon team without incident.    The account of this incident is based on US Army records of the operation and the incident and the one site observations of the following individuals: Major Robert Moberg,  Commander, 281st AHC flight in support of Project Delta. Major Barclay A. Boyd,  Commander, 281st Gun Platoon (Wolfpack) Captain  Fredrick Mentzer, Commander, 281st Gun Platoon section (Wolfpack)  and the 281st AHC  investigation officer responsible for the official investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.