In Remembrance of Martin Y. Namer
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Background
A Troop 3rd Squadron 17th Air Cavalry, call sign Silver Spur
Location 1969
Di An (pronounced Ze On) Republic of Vietnam
Call sign and type helicopter flown
Headquarters Platoon, UH-1, Huey: Silver Spur 1 through 9, example Silver Spur 6 was the Troop Commander, 3 was the Operations Officer and 5 was the Executive Officer.
Aero Scout Platoon, OH-6, Loach: Silver Spur 1-0 (one zero) through 1-9 (one nine), example Silver Spur 1-6 was the Platoon Leader. Marty was Silver Spur 1-3.
Lift Platoon, UH-1, Huey: Silver Spur 2-0 through 2-9
Weapons Platoon, AH-1G, Cobra: Silver Spur 3-0 through 3-9
Rifle Platoon: Silver Spur 4-0 through 4-9
Scout Platoon
The Scout Platoon flew the OH-6 LOH (light observation helicopter, Loach) with the scout pilot in the right seat and an enlisted observer in the left seat. The mission of the Scout was to find the enemy, the mission of the observer was to act as the second set of eyes, provide covering fire with his CAR 15 rifle when receiving fire, drop smoke and frag grenades when needed and help with navigation and refueling. Most of our enlisted observers were prior infantry and had already served a tour on the ground and were familiar with the VC (Viet Cong) and their tactics.
Scout Platoon Pilot Training
Scout Pilot training consisted of two phases, observer training and aircraft transition. Observer training paired the new pilot with experienced scout pilots to train him in the area of operations, tactics and the standard operating procedures. This training would normally give the new pilot a minimum of 25 hours of flight time. The aircraft transition into the OH-6 was a 10 hour local transition conducted with the unit Instructor Pilot. Once the new pilot completed his 10 hour aircraft transition and the 25 hours of training in the observer seat he would be recommended to the platoon leader to become an aircraft commander. Once designated as an aircraft commander you were teamed up with an experienced Cobra crew which would act as a guardian angel to protect and guide the new scout pilot.
Hunter Killer Team
The AH-1 Cobra and the OH-6 Loach were teamed together to form a Hunter Killer Team. The mission of the team was to locate and kill the enemy. The Loach would fly low level above the jungle and look for any sign of enemy activity to include bunkers, equipment, foot prints, camp fires and troops while the Cobra would orbit at 1,000 feet and wait for the Scout to find something. Once the Scout located something he would recon by fire with his 7.62 mm mini-gun or have the observer drop grenades to develop the situation and then call the Cobra in to destroy the enemy. Often times the Hunter Killer Teams were called upon by infantry or other ground units that were in contact with the enemy and needed the fire support from the Loach and the Cobra. The mission of the scout often was to act as the bait, locate the enemy, develop the situation and then the Cobra would swoop down firing rockets and mini-guns and destroy the target.
Marty Namer
I met Marty when he was first assigned to the Scout Platoon. He was a new WO-1 who was qualified in the UH-1. He was assigned to the Scout Platoon under the command of Cpt. Donald Duncan and started the scout transition. We flew together several times during Marty’s transition. He was very quiet, kept to himself and not one that you would find in the officers club drinking beer all night. At first Marty was apprehensive about flying scouts but grew more comfortable about the mission as he progressed through the scout transition. He was a quick learner, a good pilot and was excited about going out on his own.
October 8th, 1969
The day started out like any other day in Vietnam, woke up at 5:00 am to the sound of a wind up alarm clock, shaved with cold water listening to AFVN (Armed Forces Vietnam Network) radio, got dressed and had breakfast at the mess hall, powered instant eggs and ham. Went over to the operations office to get the mission assignment, meet with observer and Cobra crew. All of the first light mission crews then hopped in the back of a 2 ¼ ton truck and headed to Saber Airfield to preflight the helicopters. Routinely each pilot would preflight his aircraft to make sure it was airworthy and check out the minigun for operation and full of ammunition. The observer would also be checking out the aircraft to make sure there were enough grenades available and a good variety of smoke, fragmentation, tear gas, white phosphorous and concussion.
Marty and I both had missions in the Rung Sat area, http://www.mrfa.org/pdf/RungSatIntell.pdf. The Rung Sat area was very interesting, it was a tidal swamp covered with mangrove and nipa palm. At night the area would be covered with water from the high tide but during the day it was black mud with small areas of vegetation. What was unique about the area is that when the tide was out you could see footprints in the mud which would help you determine where the enemy had been during the night. The Scout would search the area until he spotted foot prints and then follow them until they went into a vegetated area of nipa palms. At this point the scout would recon the area and drop tear gas grenades in an effort to get the enemy to reveal their position. I assume that is what Marty and his observer, Specialist 4 Wally Schwalm, were doing when he was shot down.
This is what Russ Good, Spur 33, who was flying the Cobra covering Marty, remembers about the incident:
As I recall 41 years later, we were scouting on the west side of the highway heading to Vung Tau. We were working with the Air Force FAC (forward air controller) who was flying a Cessna Sky Master. We'd been looking for anything to see when an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) was fired at me and or the Sky Master. After watching the smoke trail disappear we went to looking back down again....but Marty was nowhere to be seen or heard. I put out a call on Guard (universal aircraft distress frequency) for any passing aircraft to assist for searching for the down LOACH. A passing UH-1 joined the search and within minutes we found Marty and his observer. We found Marty carrying his wounded observer even though he'd taken a round under the chicken-plate. Marty and his observer were taken to the evacuation hospital at Long Binh.
Many of the Silver Spur Staff, pilots, observers and soldiers visited with Marty at the Long Binh Evacuation Hospital until he passed away 13 days later. The observer, Wally Schwalm, survived.
Marty Namer died honorably, a soldier and a hero.
“Greater love has no one than this; that he lay down his life for a brother”
John 15:13
Bob Scurzi
Silver Spur 15
1969
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Exported from Etched In Stone on 03/05/10
Name NAMER, MARTIN YALE
Panel 17W, Line 103
ID No. xxxxxxxxx
Branch ARMY
Component RESERVE
Grade W1
MOS 100B
Posthumous Promotion {n/a}
Birthdate 06/14/48
Tour Date 03/25/69
Casualty Date 10/21/69
Length/Service (yrs) 01
Processing Date 10/69
Age 21
Home of Record NEW YORK
State NEW YORK
Religion JEWISH
Marital Status MARRIED
Sex M
Race CAUCASIAN
Disposition BODY RECOVERED
Casualty Type HOSTILE, DIED WOUNDS
AIR LOSS, CRASH - LAND
HELICOPTER-PILOT
Country SOUTH VIETNAM
Province BIEN HOA
CACCF Comment {n/a}
CACCF Ref No. 24872
Printed by Etched In Stone, Copyright 1996-10 by Rich Beck
