Photo By Erin Thompson | Pfc. Henry N. Heide read more read more
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by Erin E. Thompson, USAICoE Staff Historian
371ST RADIO RESEARCH COMPANY LOSES TWO LEFT BANK OPERATORS
On 29 November 1969, two radio intercept operators from the 371st Radio Research (RR) Company, 509th RR Group, were killed in action when their helicopter came under fire over Phuoc Long Province, Vietnam.
Pfc. Henry N. Heide was born on 23 December 1948 in West Palm Beach, Florida. He attended Miami-Dade Junior College before enlisting in the U.S. Army. He attended basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and then was assigned to the Army Security Agency (ASA) and attended training at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where he was named “Soldier of the Post.” He deployed to Vietnam in May 1969 with the 371st RR Company. Sp4c. James R. Smith was born on 1 December 1948 and grew up in Moore, Oklahoma. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968. After initial training in cryptologic systems at Fort Devens, he was transferred to Two Rock Ranch, California, before ultimately deploying to Vietnam in June 1969. Both were trained as 05H Morse intercept operators.
The 371st was stationed at Phuoc Vinh in the Republic of Vietnam, northeast of Bien Hoa and Saigon. The unit had deployed to Vietnam with three LEFT BANK aerial direction-finding (DF) systems in 1967 in support of the 1st Cavalry Division [see This Week in MI History #38 July 1967]. The unit supplied airborne signals intelligence to division commanders as they prepared for offensives in Vietnam. Project LEFT BANK was a departure from previous ASA operations in the early 1960s, which primarily occurred at ground-based stations. Instead, LEFT BANK operations occurred on helicopters provided by the 1st Cav. LEFT BANK teams consisted of a pilot and co-pilot to fly the helicopter and two radio intercept operators to man the DF system, identify locations of enemy communications, and call in aerial strikes on those locations.
LEFT BANK operations were notoriously dangerous, as helicopters often had to remain in one area for several minutes to accurately mark the location of suspected enemy communications. On 29 November 1969, Specialist Smith and Private Heide joined 1st Cav pilots CWO2 Jack D. Knepp and WO1 Dennis D. Bogle on an operation over Phuoc Long Province. The four-man LEFT BANK team boarded an EH-1H helicopter, call sign Jaguar Yellow, and flew low over the provincial capital of Song Be to get a clear location on a radio antenna. Some sources suggested they were lured to the area by fake broadcasts due to increased targeting of enemy positions in the province throughout the fall of 1969. The helicopter was immediately fired upon from the ground, and a rocket-propelled grenade struck the helicopter, causing it to crash and kill all four occupants. Jaguar Yellow was the first ASA flight crew to die in Vietnam.
Ground crews initially struggled to reach the wreckage due to heavy enemy fire. A second helicopter from the 9th Cavalry was shot down when it attempted to provide support to the downed crew, killing CWO2 Lawrence J. Babyak and WO1 Kenneth A. Luse. To protect the classified nature of the LEFT BANK system from falling into enemy hands, the site was subjected to a tactical airstrike. Later, cavalry elements were able to secure the site and recover the bodies. Heide and Smith were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal with “V” device and Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple Heart for their sacrifices that day. Heide was also posthumously promoted to specialist fourth class. Both men are recognized on the National Security Agency Cryptologic Memorial Wall.
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| Date Taken: | 11.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2024 09:22 |
| Story ID: | 486162 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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