On 6/21/68, PFC Art Councill-III was part of a six-man elite Marine unit preparing to be inserted into a known enemy area for a reconnaissance mission. The 1st Recon Battalion (analogous to the Army's Green Berets) had tried to get the team in for two previous days, but it had been delayed due to bad weather. Five crew climbed aboard their CH-46 helicopter to take the the Marines 20Km NW of Danang. They hovered above the landing zone as additional assault choppers peppered the area so they could swoop in for the short insertion - but started to take rounds from the heavily fortified enemy force below. Just as they started to clear the treetops and abort the mission, they took a direct hit in the control area of the craft from a rocket-propelled-grenade.....causing it to drop down and crash. Of the 11 Marines on board, only the co-pilot and two door gunners would survive the crash.
Source:
Bruce Swander, Washington DC, USMC/66-70