DeHERRERA BENJAMIN DAVID

Name: Benjamin David DeHerrera
Rank/Branch: E3/US Army
Unit: C Company, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Infantry Brigade
Date of Birth: 19 April 1943
Home City of Record: Colorado Springs CO
Date of Loss: 19 November 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 143500N 1073547E (YB797137)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Refno: 0921
Other Personnel In Incident: Jack L. Croxdale II; Donald Iandoli (both
missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more
of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated
by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.

REMARKS: REMS TAG'D - NOT IN MORTY

SYNOPSIS: On November 19, 1967, SP4 Croxdale, radio operator, PFC Benjamin
D. DeHerrera, squad leader and Sgt. Donald Iandoli, squad leader were
members of Company C, 503rd Infantry on a Search and Destroy mission in
South Vietnam.

At 1435 hours, Companies A, C and D, all part of the 503rd Infantry, were in
heavy contact with an unknown sized North Vietnamese force and were
surrounded. During the operation, Sgt. Iandoli was wounded and was seen in
the Company C command post area, along with SP4 Croxdale and PFC DeHerrera.
At 1850 hours, a U.S. Marine bomber dropped a 500 pound bomb which hit the
command post area in error, resulting in additional casualties. No remains
were recovered that day because of intense enemy activity.

The following day, a search of the area was conducted. The remains of
Croxdale, DeHerrera and Iandoli were identified and tagged. However, only
the remains of DeHerrera and Croxdale were reported to have been placed on a
helicopter en route to Dak To. Following the attack, a 3-day search of the
battle area was conducted without success in locating Iandoli. However, as
of January 4, 1968, the U.S. Army Mortuary at Than San Ut, South Vietnam,
had not processed or identified any remains of DeHerrera, Croxdale or
Iandoli, and the location of those remains is unknown.

Croxdale, DeHerrera and Iandoli died the day their command post received
fire and are listed among the dead. They are also listed among the missing
because no remains have been returned to their families for burial. The
cases of many of the other nearly 2500 missing are not so clear. Many were
known to have been alive at the time they disappeared. Some were
photographed in captivity.

Experts now believe hundreds of Americans are held captive in Indochina.
While the members of Company C may not be among them, one can imagine their
proudly defending one more firebase for their comrades safe return.

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