'One of those good-hearted souls': Lebanon pilot honored 51 years after death in Vietnam
As heavy rains soaked the grounds of Holy Cross Cemetery, Lebanon residents visited a hometown Vietnam-era helicopter pilot's grave to honor his sacrifice on a rescue mission 51 years ago.
On Oct. 13, 1971, WO1 John Stephen Chrin was first pilot on a mission with air medics in far western An Giang Province. For reasons unknown, he and his crew were unaware they had drifted south and were dangerously close to the 2,330-foot mountain peak known as Dop Chompa.
"Similar to this kind of weather I guess, (Chrin's crew) were first up on the evening shift and they noticed there was a causality who hadn't been picked up by the day shift 'cause of the rain," William Sypher, of Friends of Vietnam DUSTOFF, said at Thursday's informal ceremony. "So they decided they would go."
Radar contact was lost approximately seven miles from a 2,000-foot mountain, official military records state. Chrin's aircraft hit the side of a mountain near Chau Lang. A fire was spotted by ground observers who were unable to reach the crash site until the following morning.
Chin graduated from Lebanon Catholic High School in 1967. He was attending Mansfield State College when he enlisted with the U.S. Army in April of 1970.
Phil Arnold would always pick up Chrin their senior year at Lebanon Catholic High School. A fellow Vietnam vet, Arnold said he came home not knowing Chrin was serving with him around the same time.
"John was one of those good-hearted souls ... he was a mild-mannered, good person," he said at Thursday's service.
After graduating with honors from flight school, Chrin volunteered for advanced training as a medical evacuation pilot at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In July 1971, he arrived in Vietnam as a member of the 57th Medical Detachment, 68th Medical Group.
Flying came naturally for Chrin, according to Vietnam veteran Al Goss. Goss was in flight school with Chrin, learning how to fly before heading overseas in 1971.
"When we were in flight school, we both soloed at the same time on the same day," he said. "It was quite an honor for me 'cause I thought I was never going to learn how to hover that helicopter. But John mastered it quickly."
While serving overseas, Chrin became a member of the DUSTOFF rescue team. DUSTOFF was the call sign used throughout South Vietnam, from the Delta to the DMZ, and in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam, to request immediate evacuation of wounded troops.
Flying in unarmed Huey helicopters, the volunteer DUSTOFF crews consisted of pilot, copilot, crew chief and flight medic, and they flew into the most dangerous battle zones to rescue injured soldiers.
"DUSTOFF went on more than 490,000 missions and rescued over 900,000 wounded in the 11 years they were in Vietnam," Sypher said. "So you can imagine how many people who are alive today because of that, how many veterans got to be fathers and grandfathers."
By Oct. 13, 1971, Sypher said Chrin had flown more than 120 Combat Medevac Missions in the Mekong Delta Area.
Four others crewmen died in the crash with Chrin.
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In 2015, Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello proclaimed every Oct. 13 as John Stephen Chrin Day in the borough.
Chrin was awarded the Purple Heart, six Air Medals, National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and Aviator Badge for his meritorious service. He also received the Vietnam Campaign Medal from the Republic of Vietnam.
"It's extremely important to keep not only John's memory, but all of our veterans' memories alive," Goss said. "It's because of them we have our freedom today, and we can enjoy our families and keep our country strong."
Residents wishing to learn more about the DUSTOFF rescue team can visit the DUSTOFF Association website at dustoff.org.
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon Vietnam helicopter pilot honored 51 years after his death
