Dan Heller 
Name: David Donald Berdahl
Memorials: Find a Grave 1 2 Vietnam Wall Wall of Faces
Rank/Branch: Private First Class/USA
Unit: Troop D 3rd Squadron 5th Cavalry
Date of Birth: 16 January 1953 (Michigan ND)
Home of Record: Enterprise OR
Date of Loss: 20 January 1972
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 166719N 1066924E (XD883408)
Status in 1973: Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH-1H “Iroquois “ Serial No. 69-16717
Other Personnel In Incident: Harry J. Edwards (missing)
REMARKS: RADIO CONTACT LOST
SYNOPSIS: By early 1967, the Bell UH-1 Iroquois was already the standard Army assault helicopter, and was used in nearly every “in-country” mission. Better known by its nickname “Huey,” the troop carriers were referred to as “Slicks” and the gunships were called “Hogs.” It proved itself to be a sturdy, versatile aircraft which was called on to carry out a wide variety of missions including search and rescue, close air support, insertion and extraction, fire support, and resupply to name a few. It usually carried a crew of four.
On 20 January 1972, PFC David D. Berdahl, was the door gunner assigned to the four-man crew of a UH-1H helicopter. The Huey was participating in a multi-aircraft search and recovery (SAR) mission for the two-man aircrew of a downed F-4 fighter who had safely ejected and were located in the rugged jungle covered mountains a few miles northwest of Khe Sanh, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. Also on board the Huey were four riflemen, including Specialist Harry J. Edwards, who were also taking part in the rescue operation. The aircrew and riflemen were all assigned to Troop D, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry.
At approximately 1815 hours, as the Huey approached the position of the downed aircrew, it was struck by enemy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire and caught fire. The fire, which started at the forward end of the aircraft, rapidly engulfed the entire helicopter. The pilot was able to auto-rotate his aircraft on to the rocks on the bank of the Raoquan River, just north of Highway 9 and approximately 2 miles due north of Khe Sanh. It landed hard and rolled over onto its left side.
An accompanying observation helicopter pilot, who was unable to land because of the existing conditions, hovered long enough to visually search the wreckage for survivors. He reported seeing what he believed to be PFC Berdahl dressed in a flight suit, helmet and armored vest pinned in the burning aircraft. He was forced to withdraw when the fuel and ammunition aboard the Huey began to explode. However, due to the length of time and the conditions under which he made his visual inspection, he was not able to see if SPC Edwards or any of the other passengers and aircrew were inside or outside of the burning wreckage.
Although the pilot did not observe anyone leaving the burning aircraft, five survivors were rescued from the crash site area and a sixth man was rescued about 50 feet downstream from the Huey’s crash site. Further, SAR personnel successfully recovered both F-4 crewmen. At the time SAR efforts were terminated, David Berdahl and Harry Edwards were reported as Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered.
In 1992, a National Security Agency (NSA) correlation study of all communist radio intercepts pertaining to missing Americans which was presented to the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs in a classified format, was finally declassified and made public. According to this document, two North Vietnamese radio messages were intercepted and correlated to this incident. The NSA synopsis states: “Shot down one UH-1…Shoot down of American aircraft and the capture of the pilot alive. DIA preliminary assessment; DIA concurs that the initial correlation possibly relates to this case… indicates that an aircraft was shot down and a pilot captured somewhere, probably in Laos, on or about 21 Jan 1972. There are no known losses with MIA’s for 21 Jan. There was an F-4 shoot down over Laos on 20 Jan and both crewmen were rescued and that may also be the case referenced…Refno (data) involved a helicopter. This…Potentially represents new information for Refno (data) and should be included in negotiations with the Laos or Vietnamese governments for information regarding Refno (data).”
While the fate of David Berdahl is not in doubt, he has the right to have his remains returned to his family, friends and country. However, for Harry Edwards and other Americans who remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, their fate could be quite different. Since the end of the Vietnam War well over 21,000 reports of American prisoners, missing and otherwise unaccounted for have been received by our government. Many of these reports document LIVE America Prisoners of War remaining captive throughout Southeast Asia TODAY.
Pilots and aircrews were called upon to fly in many dangerous circumstances, and they were prepared to be wounded, killed or captured. It probably never occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country they so proudly served.
