lest we forget

BREWER, RICHARD DENNIS

Rank / Branch:

  • FIRST LIEUTENANT, U.S. ARMY

Date Of Birth:

  • 1944-11-11

Country Of Loss:

  • CAMBODIA

Status:

  • HOSTILE-CRASH

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:​

  • OH 6A

Other:

  • MARRIED

Unit:

  • FIRST CAVALRY DIVISION

Date Of Loss:

  • 1970-05-02

Loss Coordinates:

  • XTM GRID REFERENCE XT416991

Catagory:

  • BODY RETURNED

Awards & Decorations:

  • SEE BIO

VETERAN HAGI0GRAPHY

  • BREWER, RICHARD DENNIS, FIRST LIEUTENANT, U.S. ARMY, BIG SPRING, HOWARD, TEXAS

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

  • ARMY AVIATOR WINGS, DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, BRONZE STAR, PURPLE HEART, AIR MEDAL WITH 9 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS, ARMY GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM CROSS OF GALLANTRY WITH PALM, VIETNAM MILITAR MERIT MEDAL, VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAl

BIOGRAPHY

  • Richard was born in Lubbock, Texas, the son of Galda Marie Stewart and Henry Dennis Brewer. His father was a career military. At the time of his birth, his father was stationed at Reese Army Airfield. His father was enlisted and then became a warrant officer in the United States Air Force. Richard had an older brother, Henry Dennis Brewer, Jr and a younger brother, Robert Dennis and sister, Patty Diane Brewer. Being the son of a career military family, he lived all over. His father had served two separate tours at Webb Air Force Base, and they returned to Big Spring when Richard was in high school. Richard attended Big Spring High School. He enlisted in the Army at age 17 with parental consent.
  • He took basic training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana and then trained as a medic at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He spent 13 months in Korea and returned to Brooks Army Medical for further training as an operating room technician. He married Katherine Harrison, October 9, 1965, in the Fort Sam Houston Chapel. He had assignments at William Beaumont Hospital, a joint Army/Air Force Hospital in El Paso, then an assignment at Fort Wainright Hospital in Anchorage Alaska. He applied for Officer Candidate School and began training at Fort Benning, Georgia in March 1968.
  • He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant-Infantry in September, 1968 and completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. He began helicopter flight training at Fort Wolters, Texas in February 1969 with Officer Class 69-34. He then completed his advanced flight training at Fort Rucker, Alabama in November, 1969 and then spent 6 weeks transitioning to fly the OH-6A. The OH-6A is known as a LOH (Low Observation Helicopter). The aircraft is a two man ship, with a pilot and an observor. After a 30 day leave, he departed for Vietnam February 21, 1970. He was promoted to 1st Lt. in the last phase of his flight training.
  • In Vietnam, 1Lt. Brewer was assigned to A Company, First Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, First Cavalry Division (Air Cav). On May 2, 1970, Lt. Brewer was the pilot of a OH-6A helicopter on a low-level reconnaissance mission in Cambodia supporting the introduction of American troops to root out the NVA sanctuaries. The aircraft was hit by ground fire and crashed and burned. Both Lt. Brewer and the observer, SSG George D. Slye were killed.
  • 1LT Richard Dennis Brewer was buried in the Trinity Memorial Garden's Cemetery in Big Spring, Texas with full military honors. He was surivive1LT Richard Dennis Brewer was buried in the Trinity Memorial Garden's Cemetery in Big Spring, Texas with full military honors. He was survived by his wife Katherine who was residing in Wichita, Kansas with his two sons, Richard Dennis Jr. and Patrick Duane Brewer. He was also survived by this parents, CWO and Mrs. Henry D. Brewer of Big Spring and his brothers, Henry D. Brewer, Jr, who was stationed in Germany and Robert Dean Brewer of the parent's home and by his sister, Patty Diane Brewer, also of the parent's home, by his wife Katherine who was residing in Wichita, Kansas with his two sons, Richard Dennis Jr. and Patrick Duane Brewer. He was also survived by this parents, CWO and Mrs. Henry D. Brewer of Big Spring and his brothers, Henry D. Brewer, Jr, who was stationed in Germany and Robert Dean Brewer of the parent's home and by his sister, Patty Diane Brewer, also of the parent's home.
  • BIG SPRING HIGH SCHOOL 1962
  • TRINITY MEMORIAL GARDEN'S CEMETERY, BIG SPRING, TEXAS
  • OH-6 OBSERVATION HELICOPTER (LOH)