“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

Sergeant William R. Pearson was assigned to the 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS) based at Da Nang, South Vietnam. On 06 April 1972, he was one of six crewmen aboard an HH-53C "Jolly Green Giant" helicopter engaged in at attempt to rescue Army and Air Force airmen downed in Quang Tri Province, SVN. The other five men were CPT Peter H. Chapman; Pilot CPT John H. Call; Pilot TSGT Allen J. Avery; PJ TSGT Roy D. Prater; flight engineer James H. Alley; Photographer On 02 April 2, 1972, Thailand-based EB-66 aircraft,  call sign BAT 21 was providing escort for a cell of B52s bombing near the DMZ. BAT 21 took a direct SAM hit and the plane went down. A single beeper signal was heard, that of navigator COL Iceal Hambleton call sign Bat 21 Bravo. An Army SAR team consisting of two UH-1H "slicks" and two UH-1B Cobra gunships were dispatched at once. As they approached Hambleton's position just before dark two of the helicopters were shot down. One, a Cobra (Blue Ghost 28) reached a safer area and the crew was picked up by a 37th ARRS HH-53. The other, a UH-1H from F Troop, 8th Cavalry, 196th Brigade, had just flown over some huts into a clearing when they encountered ground fire and the helicopter exploded. The following day (03 Apr 72), an OV-10A (NAIL 38) entered Hambleton's area and was shot down. The crew, William J. Henderson and Mark Clark, both exited the aircraft safely. Henderson was captured and released in 1973. Clark evaded capture for 12 days and was rescued by a SEAL team. On April 4 & 5, fighters put in heavy airstrikes all around Bat 21's position. On 06 Apr, a decision was made to attempt to pick up Hambleton and Clark using an HH-53 Jolly Green from the 37th ARRS - this was Avery's aircraft. According to the FAC who witnessed the crash, the Jolly came in low and fast, but over flew a heavy concentration of large weapons. The FAC tried to warn the Jolly off, but was too late - the Jolly was hit, caught fire, rolled on one side and crashed, killing the entire crew. Bat 21 Bravo was later rescued by a USN/RVN SEAL team. The area was just too dangerous for further attempts by helicopters. In the early 1990's, Joint Task Force Full Accounting (JTFFA) visited the crash site of Jolly and found partial remains of several crewmembers that were identified by DNA testing. In 1994, JTFFA confirmed that Al Avery's remains were positively identified. In 2012, Al was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, along with the rest of his crew. The book "The Rescue of Bat 21 by Darrel D. Whicomb" is a serious historical text that accurately explains the SAR in which TSgt Avery was killed in action. The movie "Bat 21" and other books are not accurate and are more for entertainment than historical accuracy.
12 April 1972 37th ARRS JG 67 Memorial Service Brochure