CH-53D  
BuNo 156670
Killed in Action on 26 Oct 1970
 
  Sergeant Thomas Anthony Goebel CrewChief
     
Mission Information:
Wayne Campbell was the HAC (Helicopter Aircraft Commander). Gene Baker was the copilot. "George" Goebel was the Crew Chief. The helicopter had been grounded in Danang for maintenance action after being shot up on a mission. Wayne was the squadron maintenance test pilot assigned to fly the aircraft back from Danang. At 200 feet altitude, the aircraft went nose down, hard right, and crashed. All aboard survived the crash. Immediately after the crash, Goebel went back to the aircraft to get the pilot out, and was killed in the process of the rescue. All other crewmembers survived.   Submitted by A. H. Barbour after interview with Wayne Campbell.

 
Remembrances about this Marine:
Crew/Chief Tom Goebel at Kontom
Lt. Jones, an unknown squadron-mate
and Sgt. Tom Goebel after the
Operation Tailwind mission.
Tom Goebel was twenty-two years old and from Rockford, Illinois.

Remembrance:  "I was the co-pilot on this flight. Tom Goebel was killed as he returned to help the pilot (Wayne Campbell) from the aircraft. He was instrumental in directing the other passengers to an escape path from the aircraft. Goebel was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions."  Submitted by Gene Baker, copilot on this mission.

Remembrance:  "I first meet Tom when I became qualified to fly as a gunner in July 70.  We hit it off right from the start and developed a friendship that I will cherish until the day I make my final flight.  Tom took me under his wing and taught me all the ropes of becoming a crew chief. Even though I was a metal smith, he believed in me so much, that he would let me pre-flight his bird on my own. All he would ask me was, Larry is the bird ready to go and then he would sign off on the yellow sheet. He was an outstanding Marine, a great friend and I will always miss him.  I was scheduled to fly with him on the day after the accident, so I guess that I'm the lucky one. I took the picture that is posted.  It was taken at Kontum, where the Special Forces team involved with Operation Tailwind and put a party together for us Marines."  Submitted by friend Larry Groah, SgtMaj, USMC (ret).
We welcome relevant remarks and/or photos of our squadron-mate who were killed in the above action.   We also welcome your comments on the above incident.  Please contact HMH-463's Webmaster  with your name; relationship to our squadron-mate or the action above; and your contact information.
 
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