Jerry Martin

Rafterman

Jerry Martin

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Missing For

Name: Jerry Dean Martin
D.O.B: 18 May 1946
Home of Record: Bedford,IN
Date of Loss: 03 Nov. 1970
Country Of Loss: South Vietnam
Coordinates Of Loss: 163226N / 1074138E
Status:Killed / B.N.R.
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Unit: 329th Transportation Co. 5th Transportation Command.

Name: Jerry Dean Martin
Rank/Branch: E3/US Army
Unit: 329th Transportation Company, 5th Transportation Command (Terminal)
Date of Birth: 18 May 1946
Home City of Record: Bedford IN
Date of Loss: 03 November 1970
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 163226N 1074138E (YD925275)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: LCU-63
Other Personnel In Incident: Richard C. Dority; Dennis I. Day; Arlie R. Mangus;
David L. Ginn; Calvin A. Norris; James R. Pantall; John D. Shewmake; David W.
Woods (all classified Killed/Body Not Recovered); Perry C. Kitchens; Billy H.
Peeples (remains recovered)

REMARKS: LCU SANK-NO PARABEEP-NO PERS-NO SURV OBS AIR-J

SYNOPSIS: The 5th Transportation Command (Terminal) had the duty of running the
extensive Qui Nhon port and served under the U.S. Army Support Command, Qui
Nhon. The 5th Transportation Command was later deployed to Da Nang, and had
Battalions serving Vung Tau and Cat Lai. Among its duties were support of
amphibious operation and supplying ammunition and ordnance to operational
units, primarily by heavy boat.

On the afternoon of November 2, 1970, Sgt. Dennis I. Day, Sgt. Richard C.
Dority, Sgt. David L. Ginn, Sgt. Perry C. Kitchens, Sgt. Arlie R. Mangus, Sgt.
Jerry D. Martin, SSgt. Calvin A. Norris, Sgt. James R. Pantall, SFC John D.
Shewmake, Sgt. David W. Woods, and PFC Billie Hammond Peeples were the crew of a
landing craft, LCU #63, which departed Da Nang en route to Tan My, South Vietnam
on a resupply mission. The LCU was a heavy craft able to carry large loads of
ammunition.

At 1010 hours on November 3, 1970, helicopter pilots sighted the craft capsized
about 5 nautical miles south of Tan My port. In an initial search by air/sea
rescue, however, no sign of the crew of the LCU were observed. There was no
apparent hostile action, and the reason for the incident is unknown.

On November 6, the remains of Billy H. Peoples were recovered near Cu Loi
Island, fully rigged in a life jacket. During the period of December 4-20,
attempts were made to salvage the craft and locate the crew. Divers gained
access to all compartments and voids of the craft, but no survivors or evidence
of remains were found. Pieces of clothing, small arms ammo, cans and a radio
were recovered.

On March 16, 1977, the body of Perry Kitchens was returned to U.S. control and
subsequently positively identified. There has been no word of the rest of the
crew. The missing eight men were all presumed to have drowned, and the U.S.
Army believes there is no chance to ever recover the eight men missing from
LCU-63.

There are several descrepancies in the case of LCU-63 which should be noted.
First of all, the U.S. Army, the State Department and the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Directory lists all the crew except Peeples as Sergeant, Staff
Sergeant, or Sergeant First Class, which are ranks one grade above those listed
by Defense Department and Joint Casualty Resolution Center records. The lower
grades are listed as follows: Ginn, Martin, Pantall, Peeples - E3 or PFC; Day,
Dority, Kitchens, Mangus and Woods - E4 - which can be either Corporal or SP4;
Norris - E5 or Sergeant; Shewmake - E6 or Staff Sergeant.

Secondly, the Memorial Directory lists the entire crew with the exceptions of
Peeples and Kitchens as missing on 4 November 1971 (a year and a day later than
all other records).

Third, the military occupational specialties of all 10 men on whom information
can be gathered are classified.

It was not uncommon for promotions to be given during the period between the
time personnel went missing and the time they were declared dead. This group is
classified as having had "non-hostile, died while missing" deaths, leading one
to assume that for a brief time, at least, they were declared missing, so that
it might be possible to have attained a grade increase during that period. It
is uncommon, however for grade increases to be given to those whom are
considered dead and non-recoverable. It was also uncommon for a group of 18 and
19 year-olds, as was most of this crew, to attain the rank of sergeant.

Strange things have been known to happen regarding missing men. One pilot was
declared dead because his aircraft exploded close to the ground. Later, the
pilot, who had ejected in a cloud of smoke, and landed on the ground even
before his parachute was fully deployed, was released from POW camp. One
Marine, Ronald Ridgeway, was declared dead and actually "buried" in a mass
grave in the United States with other men from the same action, only to come
home from POW camp in 1973. Mistakes were made, and errors in judgement
occurred.

Given that the LCU sank with no witnesses, and sank in the proximity of an
island, it is imaginable that the crew could have survived to be captured. This
could be said to be supported by the fact that Peeples was found fully
outfitted in his life jacket. It is, of course, only conjecture.

Tragically, thousands of reports have been received that indicate Americans are
still being held captive in Southeast Asia. Whether the LCU crew is among them
is certainly not known, but they could be. The evidence suggests that hundreds
are alive, waiting for their country to free them. It's time we got answers.