Chief Hospital Corpsman
UDT 13, TF 116, USNAVFORV, United States Navy
20 May 1933 - 12 April 1969, Redondo Beach, CA
Panel 27W Line 069
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington from Redondo Beach, California lost his life at the age of 35 on April 12, 1969.
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington was born on May 20, 1933 and had 18 years of service in the U.S. Navy, arriving in Vietnam on January 14, 1969 assigned to Underwater Demolition Team 13 (UDT-13), Task Force 116 (TF-116), U.S. Naval Forces Vietnam.
During the late afternoon of April 12, 1969 a river patrol flotilla of eight Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), or swift boats from Task Force 116 with 6th Battalion VNMC troops on board, conducted a sweep operation along the Duon Keo River about 2 miles southwest of Duong Keoin in An Xugen Province, Republic of Vietnam. A large enemy-initiated firefight by an estimated two Viet Cong companies was unleashed as the PCF’s moved in column formation. PCF-43, commanded by LTJG Donald G. Droz, carried a UDT team which was to destroy any bunkers that were found that day. His 50-foot aluminum PCF boat was unwieldy and slow due to excess weight and was the last to enter the ambush zone. The Viet Cong had plenty of time to sight in on the slow boat. Her position as last in the line of boats, aggravated by her heavy load, combined to seal her doom. As the lead boats were exiting the kill zone and scrambling to safety upstream, the PCF-43 was just arriving. All the other boats had accelerated away, while the PCF-43, succumbing to her bulk, fell farther behind until she was relatively alone, the only thing for the VC to aim at in the center of the kill zone. A B-40 rocket crashed into the helm and killed LT Donald Droz, while another rocket came toward the stern and went under the flak jacket of the corpsman, HMC Robert L. Worthington, killing him instantly and wounding two others. When the Officer in Charge died, his body fell onto the wheel while the boat was traveling at full speed, causing it to careen into the bank right at the kill zone. When the boat hit the bank, the angle was such that the hull was at a 45 degree angle leaning away from the ambush. There was a bunker not 20 feet from the bow of the boat with two VC in it. The enemy did not organize immediately which allowed time for the besieged sailors and VN Marines to set up a hasty perimeter around the boat. PCF’s 5 and 31 returned alongside to assist the stricken PCF-43, and delivered a heavy volume of fire at the enemy. Navy Seawolves attack helicopters reacted within five minutes and placed heavy machine gun fire into the area. Enemy fire was suppressed and all personnel were removed from PCF-43. The boat was so badly damaged that it was destroyed there rather than trying to recover it. Apart from the two fatalities aboard PCF-43, LT Donald Droz and HMC Robert Worthington, another sailor from PCF-31, QM3 Thomas E. Holloway, was also killed. There were 33 wounded Americans in the flotilla, and two Vietnamese Marines killed, with 13 wounded.
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington is honored on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 27W, Line 69.
UDT 13, TF 116, USNAVFORV, United States Navy
20 May 1933 - 12 April 1969, Redondo Beach, CA
Panel 27W Line 069
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington from Redondo Beach, California lost his life at the age of 35 on April 12, 1969.
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington was born on May 20, 1933 and had 18 years of service in the U.S. Navy, arriving in Vietnam on January 14, 1969 assigned to Underwater Demolition Team 13 (UDT-13), Task Force 116 (TF-116), U.S. Naval Forces Vietnam.
During the late afternoon of April 12, 1969 a river patrol flotilla of eight Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), or swift boats from Task Force 116 with 6th Battalion VNMC troops on board, conducted a sweep operation along the Duon Keo River about 2 miles southwest of Duong Keoin in An Xugen Province, Republic of Vietnam. A large enemy-initiated firefight by an estimated two Viet Cong companies was unleashed as the PCF’s moved in column formation. PCF-43, commanded by LTJG Donald G. Droz, carried a UDT team which was to destroy any bunkers that were found that day. His 50-foot aluminum PCF boat was unwieldy and slow due to excess weight and was the last to enter the ambush zone. The Viet Cong had plenty of time to sight in on the slow boat. Her position as last in the line of boats, aggravated by her heavy load, combined to seal her doom. As the lead boats were exiting the kill zone and scrambling to safety upstream, the PCF-43 was just arriving. All the other boats had accelerated away, while the PCF-43, succumbing to her bulk, fell farther behind until she was relatively alone, the only thing for the VC to aim at in the center of the kill zone. A B-40 rocket crashed into the helm and killed LT Donald Droz, while another rocket came toward the stern and went under the flak jacket of the corpsman, HMC Robert L. Worthington, killing him instantly and wounding two others. When the Officer in Charge died, his body fell onto the wheel while the boat was traveling at full speed, causing it to careen into the bank right at the kill zone. When the boat hit the bank, the angle was such that the hull was at a 45 degree angle leaning away from the ambush. There was a bunker not 20 feet from the bow of the boat with two VC in it. The enemy did not organize immediately which allowed time for the besieged sailors and VN Marines to set up a hasty perimeter around the boat. PCF’s 5 and 31 returned alongside to assist the stricken PCF-43, and delivered a heavy volume of fire at the enemy. Navy Seawolves attack helicopters reacted within five minutes and placed heavy machine gun fire into the area. Enemy fire was suppressed and all personnel were removed from PCF-43. The boat was so badly damaged that it was destroyed there rather than trying to recover it. Apart from the two fatalities aboard PCF-43, LT Donald Droz and HMC Robert Worthington, another sailor from PCF-31, QM3 Thomas E. Holloway, was also killed. There were 33 wounded Americans in the flotilla, and two Vietnamese Marines killed, with 13 wounded.
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington is honored on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 27W, Line 69.
Chief Hospital Corpsman
UDT 13, TF 116, USNAVFORV, United States Navy
20 May 1933 - 12 April 1969, Redondo Beach, CA
Panel 27W Line 069
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington from Redondo Beach, California lost his life at the age of 35 on April 12, 1969.
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington was born on May 20, 1933 and had 18 years of service in the U.S. Navy, arriving in Vietnam on January 14, 1969 assigned to Underwater Demolition Team 13 (UDT-13), Task Force 116 (TF-116), U.S. Naval Forces Vietnam.
During the late afternoon of April 12, 1969 a river patrol flotilla of eight Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), or swift boats from Task Force 116 with 6th Battalion VNMC troops on board, conducted a sweep operation along the Duon Keo River about 2 miles southwest of Duong Keoin in An Xugen Province, Republic of Vietnam. A large enemy-initiated firefight by an estimated two Viet Cong companies was unleashed as the PCF’s moved in column formation. PCF-43, commanded by LTJG Donald G. Droz, carried a UDT team which was to destroy any bunkers that were found that day. His 50-foot aluminum PCF boat was unwieldy and slow due to excess weight and was the last to enter the ambush zone. The Viet Cong had plenty of time to sight in on the slow boat. Her position as last in the line of boats, aggravated by her heavy load, combined to seal her doom. As the lead boats were exiting the kill zone and scrambling to safety upstream, the PCF-43 was just arriving. All the other boats had accelerated away, while the PCF-43, succumbing to her bulk, fell farther behind until she was relatively alone, the only thing for the VC to aim at in the center of the kill zone. A B-40 rocket crashed into the helm and killed LT Donald Droz, while another rocket came toward the stern and went under the flak jacket of the corpsman, HMC Robert L. Worthington, killing him instantly and wounding two others. When the Officer in Charge died, his body fell onto the wheel while the boat was traveling at full speed, causing it to careen into the bank right at the kill zone. When the boat hit the bank, the angle was such that the hull was at a 45 degree angle leaning away from the ambush. There was a bunker not 20 feet from the bow of the boat with two VC in it. The enemy did not organize immediately which allowed time for the besieged sailors and VN Marines to set up a hasty perimeter around the boat. PCF’s 5 and 31 returned alongside to assist the stricken PCF-43, and delivered a heavy volume of fire at the enemy. Navy Seawolves attack helicopters reacted within five minutes and placed heavy machine gun fire into the area. Enemy fire was suppressed and all personnel were removed from PCF-43. The boat was so badly damaged that it was destroyed there rather than trying to recover it. Apart from the two fatalities aboard PCF-43, LT Donald Droz and HMC Robert Worthington, another sailor from PCF-31, QM3 Thomas E. Holloway, was also killed. There were 33 wounded Americans in the flotilla, and two Vietnamese Marines killed, with 13 wounded.
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington is honored on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 27W, Line 69.
UDT 13, TF 116, USNAVFORV, United States Navy
20 May 1933 - 12 April 1969, Redondo Beach, CA
Panel 27W Line 069
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington from Redondo Beach, California lost his life at the age of 35 on April 12, 1969.
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington was born on May 20, 1933 and had 18 years of service in the U.S. Navy, arriving in Vietnam on January 14, 1969 assigned to Underwater Demolition Team 13 (UDT-13), Task Force 116 (TF-116), U.S. Naval Forces Vietnam.
During the late afternoon of April 12, 1969 a river patrol flotilla of eight Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), or swift boats from Task Force 116 with 6th Battalion VNMC troops on board, conducted a sweep operation along the Duon Keo River about 2 miles southwest of Duong Keoin in An Xugen Province, Republic of Vietnam. A large enemy-initiated firefight by an estimated two Viet Cong companies was unleashed as the PCF’s moved in column formation. PCF-43, commanded by LTJG Donald G. Droz, carried a UDT team which was to destroy any bunkers that were found that day. His 50-foot aluminum PCF boat was unwieldy and slow due to excess weight and was the last to enter the ambush zone. The Viet Cong had plenty of time to sight in on the slow boat. Her position as last in the line of boats, aggravated by her heavy load, combined to seal her doom. As the lead boats were exiting the kill zone and scrambling to safety upstream, the PCF-43 was just arriving. All the other boats had accelerated away, while the PCF-43, succumbing to her bulk, fell farther behind until she was relatively alone, the only thing for the VC to aim at in the center of the kill zone. A B-40 rocket crashed into the helm and killed LT Donald Droz, while another rocket came toward the stern and went under the flak jacket of the corpsman, HMC Robert L. Worthington, killing him instantly and wounding two others. When the Officer in Charge died, his body fell onto the wheel while the boat was traveling at full speed, causing it to careen into the bank right at the kill zone. When the boat hit the bank, the angle was such that the hull was at a 45 degree angle leaning away from the ambush. There was a bunker not 20 feet from the bow of the boat with two VC in it. The enemy did not organize immediately which allowed time for the besieged sailors and VN Marines to set up a hasty perimeter around the boat. PCF’s 5 and 31 returned alongside to assist the stricken PCF-43, and delivered a heavy volume of fire at the enemy. Navy Seawolves attack helicopters reacted within five minutes and placed heavy machine gun fire into the area. Enemy fire was suppressed and all personnel were removed from PCF-43. The boat was so badly damaged that it was destroyed there rather than trying to recover it. Apart from the two fatalities aboard PCF-43, LT Donald Droz and HMC Robert Worthington, another sailor from PCF-31, QM3 Thomas E. Holloway, was also killed. There were 33 wounded Americans in the flotilla, and two Vietnamese Marines killed, with 13 wounded.
Chief Hospital Corpsman Robert Leroy Washington is honored on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 27W, Line 69.
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