01 Jun 2002 REMEMBERED by a comrade-in-arms. jjames2828@aol.com

 

02 Jul 2002 My name is John O'Rourke. I was Bruce's bunkmate in 1st platoon of the 120th. I was a door gunner at the time. I loved Bruce and have visited him at the Wall. God bless. johnnymaxxii@hotmail.com

 

20 Aug 2005 It's been 35 years since I've seen you... I married Fred in February of 1971. We have two sons, Frederick Jr. and Kregg Lee. Kregg looks a lot like you. Frederick Jr. has a wife, Carisa, and a son, John, and 2 daughters, Keona and Maelee. Maelee looks a lot like you. They all live in South Carolina, which is where I will be in 2006. Mom has passed and so has our sister Donna. The rest of our family is still in New York. Looking forward to hearing more about you, due to this memorial. God Bless... From his brother-in-law and sister, Frederick C. and Adele R. Squires 386 Patton Avenue, Shirley, N Y 11967 fsquire@optonline.net

 

12 May 2006 The picture above is exactly how I remember Bruce. I was the crew chief on the helicopter that went in to recover the bodies. It was very hair-raising as there were enemy all around us. The only support we had was two "Razorbacks" that kept station over us the entire time we were down, there were no ground troops. Air Force recon photos that night showed there were 4000-5000 NVA based right around where Bruce's helicopter went down. There were also two twin .51 caliber antiaircraft gun sites set up, but since their ship was in bad condition we could not verify any bullet damage. There were tremendous thunderstorms in that area at the time they should have flown through it and that is the reason the crash was written up as a non-hostile loss. I myself have always wondered what the real truth was, but it doesn't really matter. Bruce's family lost a great brother that day, and he was a good guy. From a brother crew chief and friend. ben398@prodigy.net

 

Remembered 31 July 2007 It is so hard to believe it has been so long since Bruce passed and that he would have been 58 now. I am 2 years older. I met Bruce through Bob Perino, who lived across the street from Bruce in Bellport. He used to spend time with our rock band and helped Bob and me at our local dances, we were the "Melo Kings". He always encouraged us. As a matter of fact, the first "gig" we ever played was at his party. I went in the Army on 31 July 1967 and was lucky enough to get out alive in 1970. Moved to California in 1977. I have always thought of Bruce and have had a print-out of this site on my office wall for several years. In my mind, he will always be 17. Now, I have a grandson who is 17. The most discriptive thing I can say about Bruce is that he was a Great Guy! He is still missed and will always have an honored place in my memories and my heart. From a friend, Serge Masholie 2310 Del Mar Road, Montrose, Ca 91020 sergejm@webtv.net

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall The 120th Assault Helicopter Company was tasked with transporting an Air Force airfield inspection team to Bu Prang, O'Rang, Bu Dop, Loc Ninh and the return to Saigon heliport. At 0725 31 May 1970, DEAN 528 took off from Long Binh for Saigon to pick up the team. Upon departure from Saigon, the UH-1H (tail number 68-16528) carried nine men: Aircrew, all 120th Assault Helicopter Company CWO John C. Burris, El Dorado, AR, pilot WO James D. Griffin, Blackshear, GA, copilot SP5 Bruce Richardson, Bellport, NY, crew chief PVT Robert P. O'Brien, Whittier, CA, gunner Passengers LTC John S. Bonner, McAllen, TX, 834th Air Division LTC Harold J. Shea, South Hadley Falls, MA, 834th Air Division MAJ Benton F. Asbury, New Albany, IN, 834th Air Division CPT Gary D. Hults, St Louis, MO, Det 11, 1131st Special Acty Sqdn SSGT Durwyn L. Wolf, Forest Park, IL, 834th Air Division The trip was uneventful. At approximately 1625 hours DEAN 528 departed Loc Ninh in light rain, between two thunderstorms, on a heading of 200 degrees. DEAN 528 was not seen or heard from again. DEAN 528's failure to establish radio contact for flight following purposes prompted radio and telephone searches to locate the aircraft. By midnight it was clear that the aircraft had gone down, but weather conditions precluded airborne SAR until about 10 AM on 01 June. An OH-6A found the missing aircraft at approximately 1330 hours, and a 120th AHC UH-1H landed to recover the bodies of the nine servicemen.

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