The flight of 21 U.S. Marine helicopters swarmed like giant, olive-green dragonflies over the fog-cloaked Annamese mountains in the northern part of South Viet Nam. Most of the HUS-i choppers carried Vietnamese troops headed for battle with the Communists, but in the last one were two Navy medics and six marines. Suddenly, the copter plummeted into a jungle mountainside amidst 100-ft.-tall trees.
A Vietnamese Ranger company landed in the nearest clearing, but three hours later they were only halfway to the crash. First man on the scene was another Navy medic, who...