D Troop 1st Squadron 10th Cavalry

(Shamrock)

Missing in Action - Prisoner of War

In Honor of WO1 David William Sooter

EXTRACT OF USMACV NEWS EVENTS FEBRUARY 1967

     The border surveillance operation SAM HOUSTON was continued in the western portions of Pleiku and Kontum Provinces by units of the 4th Inf Div. The operation was supported by three B-52 raids during February. Results at the end of February were 319 enemy killed. 1,237 tactical air sorties were flown in support during January and February.

USMACV NEWS RELEASE, 18 FEBRUARY 1967

18 Feb (Saturday) SAM HOUSTON. Kontum Prov 68 KM WNW Pleiku City (1 km from RVN border), 2 USA OH-23 hels crashed, cause unk. There had been en SA and AW fire in area. 2 US KIA 1 US WIA 1 US MIA. Both hel dest. Day's result: 15 NVAK.

NOTE: SA, Small Arms

      AW, Automatic Weapons

      NVAK, North Vietmanese Army Killed

On February 17 1967, while conducting a visual reconnaissance, OH-23G, tail number 64-15293, was shot down just East of the Cambodian border at YA 568588. The aircraft crashed and was destroyed. WO1 Ernest Victor Hensel Jr. was killed in action. WO1 David William Sooter was captured by the North Vietnamese Army.  Mr. Sooter was held in a POW camp just across the Cambodian border until November 1969, when he was moved to North Vietnam. He was released to U.S. control on the 5th of March 1973 after six years of captivity.

Mr. Sooter was deployed to Vietnam with D Troop from Fort Lewis and was the last member of the Troop to return. Regardless of when you were assigned to D Troop in Vietnam, you serve while he was there.

SP4 Ronald David Hart was also killed in action when aircraft OH-23G 64-15313 was shot down while conducting a visual reconnaissance. D Troop losses for the day were 2 aircraft shot down, 2 crewmembers killed in action, and 1 missing in action.