“It is my duty, as a member of the Air Rescue Service, to save life and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things I do that others may live.”

Pararescueman Killed in Action

Jolly Greens 27 and 21 scrambled from DaNang to near Dak To, South Vietnam for the rescue of four survivors of an Army UH-1 helicopter. Sergeant Davis was on board Jolly 27. Upon arrival near the downed UH-1, the Sandy’s (A-1E’s) briefed that they would lay a double corridor of smoke to the survivors and two A-1’s would provide close air support to the Jolly. Jolly 27 proceeded in to attempt the rescue. It received ground fire going in and exited to the South, both because of the ground fire and smoke being too intense to see the survivors. Jolly 27 made a climbing left turn, reported that they had received five hits, everything operational and were proceeding back to make a second attempt.  The second attempt was commenced on the same heading as the first. Again Jolly 27 was repelled by intense ground fire and forced to again exit the area. Jolly Green 27 reported his aircraft and crew were still capable of making the pickup. The A-1’s were joined by helicopter gunships and were making fire suppression passes while Jolly 27 made ready for his third attempt. This time Jolly 27 was able to establish a momentary hover near the survivors’ location before being driven off by intense ground fire. Egressing, Jolly 27 reported the loss of his aux-servo system. The Sandy’s saw fluid and flames from the engine area of Jolly 27 as the helicopter emerged from the smoke. Jolly 27 radioed that they would have to put the helicopter down. Jolly Green 27 crashed, about one-half mile South-west of the location of the original survivors. The aircraft crashed in a gully. The co-pilot exited through the broken front windscreen. He then attempted to remove the pilot from his seat. The co-pilot observed bleeding from all cavities of his pilots face. Unable to free the aircraft commander, the co-pilot then saw the flight engineer and pararescueman on fire in the rear of the aircraft. The co-pilot than pulled the PJ from the aircraft. After the PJ hit the ground he started rolling and the co-pilot beat the fire out with his hands. The co-pilot returned to where the FE was lying ablaze and beat the fire out. He started pulling the FE from the immediate area when he observed the PJ was on fire again. He ran and put the fire out on the PJ once again. The PJ then went with the co-pilot to the FE and together they moved him to a position approximately five yards from the aircraft. Approximately two minutes after the crash, the high bird, Jolly Green 21 was in a hover into the wind over the crash site. The Pararescueman from Jolly Green 21 was deployed and discovered three seriously injured survivors. The survivors were hoisted to Jolly 21 and flown to the nearest U.S surgical hospital. Sergeant Luther Davis succumbed to his wounds five weeks later on May 25, 1970.
Details concerning Luther's Death