Comments: Mary Matthews Singleton who is the widow of of Sgt Charles Crockett Matthews who rode on D33 with D Company 3rd Platoon who was KIA on D33 on August 13, 1969. She is still hoping to get more information about Sgt Matthew's circumstances on that day. She is also hoping to find the person she met at the 2012 Blackhorse reunion to whom she lent the last photograph she took of her husband at the graduation at Fort Knox Armory School and who promised to publish it in Thunder Run and return it to her. That might have been to the picture editor who recently passed away that I believe Alan Hathaway may have mentioned somewhere not so long ago. Mary wrote me that she received a letter a few weeks after Charles Matthews was KIA from someone named Roland Stephens who said he was a medic with Charles when he died, but that she is not 100% sure because he gave no other information. If Charles was the KIA I attended it could not have been Stephens. I have searched the Master Roster, D CO, 1/11 Roster,Unit Rosters and the 37th MED CO Roster and cannot find Roland Stephens.
Comments: Update 2. A Quick Note from Doc Rinehart especially for Mary Matthews Singleton, because she has been searching a long time and she is obviously ever vigilant and lives in hope. To start Mary; I am not yet sure that Charles was the man I found KIA, or that the experience I described occurred on the August 13 1969. It seems the most reasonable date. I was only in heavy combat for three days, never knew where I was, who the wounded loader was on the tank I rode on, the name of the man lying in a vast puddle of blood in the bottom of the tank next to our tank, which I was called to treat. If it was your dear husband he did definitely die instantly. There is a Richard Wallach of Middleburg VA. who was the only D CO, 1/11 tanker wounded on that day. He might have been the Loader who received shrapnel wounds in his legs when our tank was hit by an RPG that fatal day.I rang his Insurance office a few days ago, but have received no reply. I shall send an email to him next. No one out there during my 3 auspicious days yet remembers me. Lieutenant Linthwaite who I rode with was the 3rd Platoon Leader of D CO, 1/11, but he only remembers a few names and not your husband's or mine. He did remember some specific details I described and this begins to give me some hope. The fact that I never knew the name of the KIA on that horrible day has bothered me for years. I do have faith that we'll win. I will never give up and I will inform you when I am certain. I know that your husband rode on tank D33 and his friend was a Ken Hendricks. I see that Sgt Hendricks died of a disease on 10/October 1969 not 1970 as I said before. I only began my search about two months ago, spend several hours a day researching unit rosters, sending emails, searching the white pages and trying telephone numbers. I have discovered a great deal. I have exchanged emails with about 10 different people. When and if I am one day 100% certain that the KIA I was called to was your husband I will confirm that the details surrounding your husband's circumstances are as I have described in my previous "Comments" I will let you know.There is a very scratched photo of Charles and Ken in the D Company Website Photo Gallery. Have you seen it? I will email it to you now. I see that you have sent me an email. Perhaps you have a few details about Charles that the Army told you such as the name of the location, time of day, his platoon leader or platoon number(1,2 or 3) or who his Company Commander was(possibly Captain Ron Caldwell). This would help me in my search. I hope you can see the 451 photos of Viet Nam on my Facebook site. Palfi Laughologist Rinehart. Click on "Photos", Click on Albums and Click on the Album "Clown at War". It is in the 7th row down. The Album Cover Photo is of a very hard looking Afro American Trooper. Lots of Love, Palfi
Comments: Update 2. A Quick Note from Doc Rinehart especially for Mary Matthews Singleton, because she has been searching a long time and she is obviously ever vigilant and lives in hope. To start Mary; I am not yet sure that Charles was the man I found KIA, or that the experience I described occurred on the August 13 1969. It seems the most reasonable date. I was only in heavy combat for three days, never knew where I was, who the wounded loader was on the tank I rode on, the name of the man lying in a vast puddle of blood in the bottom of the tank next to our tank, which I was called to treat. If it was your dear husband he did definitely die instantly. There is a Richard Wallach of Middleburg VA. who was the only D CO, 1/11 tanker wounded on that day. He might have been the Loader who received shrapnel wounds in his legs when our tank was hit by an RPG that fatal day.I rang his Insurance office a few days ago, but have received no reply. I shall send an email to him next. No one out there during my 3 auspicious days yet remembers me. Lieutenant Linthwaite who I rode with was the 3rd Platoon Leader of D CO, 1/11, but he only remembers a few names and not your husband's or mine. He did remember some specific details I described and this begins to give me some hope. The fact that I never knew the name of the KIA on that horrible day has bothered me for years. I do have faith that we'll win. I will never give up and I will inform you when I am certain. I know that your husband rode on tank D33 and his friend was a Ken Hendricks. I see that Sgt Hendricks died of a disease on 10/October 1970. I only began my search about two months ago, spend several hours a day researching unit rosters, sending emails, searching the white pages and trying telephone numbers. I have discovered a great deal. I have exchanged emails with about 10 different people. When and if I am one day 100% certain that the KIA I was called to was your husband I will confirm that the details surrounding your husband's circumstances are as I have described in my previous "Comments" I will let you know.There is a very scratched photo of Charles and Ken in the D Company Website Photo Gallery. Have you seen it? I will email it to you now. I see that you have sent me an email. Perhaps you have a few details about Charles that the Army told you such as the name of the location, time of day, his platoon leader or platoon number(1,2 or 3) or who his Company Commander was(possibly Captain Ron Caldwell). This would help me in my search. I hope you can see the 451 photos of Viet Nam on my Facebook site. Palfi Laughologist Rinehart. Click on "Photos", Click on Albums and Click on the Album "Clown at War". It is in the 7th row down. The Album Cover Photo is of a very hard looking Afro American Trooper. Lots of Love, Palfi
Added: June 5, 2015
Submitted by Name: Mary Matthews Singleton From: Clyde, NC E-mail: Contact
Comments: I am the widow of Sgt. Charles C. Matthews and would like to contact Hurst Palfey Rinehart, as I read his comments of May 7, 2015 and he was the one who found my husband on August 13, 1969. I was not able to obtain his e-mail information. Any help would be appreciated.
Added: June 4, 2015
Submitted by Name: Joseph Radler From: Originally from st petersburg,fl. I live in breckenridge, co now E-mail: Contact
Comments: Hello, my fathers name was kenneth radler. My dad died from very bad brain, throat, intestine cancer. I knew about blackhorse from the youngest age, i would wear his awards and decorations. I look back and remember he seemed happy when i wore them. He told me when i was younger he was called crazy ken. Because of what all of you saw and did, he raised me with his knowledge and experiences. He taught me to staff fight to the point we had bloody fingers when i was under 9. He taught me about terrorists and never negotiating. He taught me about using my surroundings and finding weapons to defend myself. He taught me about never, ever giving up. Nothing is impossible. Him being blackhorse and raising me like he did is why i was able to leave south st petersburg, and now live in breckenridge, colorado as the auto painter of the ski resort. I feel strongly about having my 1st tattoo of the blackhorse insignia, his birth and death dates. I am very proud of all of you, and of my father. If any of you knew him or could tell me more about your experiences, i would really like to know more. Thank you for all you have done and the hell you endured for the USA. my email is joseph.radler1@gmail.com and my cell phone is 8507606681.
Added: May 29, 2015
Submitted by Name: CHERYLL REEDY From: MINNESOTA E-mail: Contact
Comments: I have a ring that I found years ago and it's been in my jewelry box. It looks like a class ring with a ruby colored stone. It has on it 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment around the stone and then on the side it says Vietnam. I would say I have had this ring at least 25 years and just trying to see if I can find who it belongs to. It is a man's ring and the size is not real big, there is no name or initials on it, just Royal Crest (ring manufacturer) and 10k on the inside.
Added: May 26, 2015
Submitted by Name: John Ax C25 From: AL E-mail: Contact
Comments: I served with 2-47th MECH Inf, 9th Inf Div 67-68. We did several OPs with the 11th Cav in the Tay Ninh AO in early 67. I remember "claymore ally". Great website.. I live just South of Ft Benning and might stop in at your upcoming reunion.... WELCOME HOME BROTHERS..
Comments: Hi Folks. Here's an update. I am beginning to believe, after much searching through this wonderful website and a few others like Quinton & Avery's D Co and Doc Taylors Medics that it may have been the1st Platoon D Co that I was sent into the field and Heavy Combat with 10 days before being sent back to The World and that the Tanker that I found KIA in the bottom of the tank next to our RPG’d and diabled Command Tank might have been SSG Charles Crockett Matthew 22 years old and In Country 55 days from small arms fire. He was KIA on 13 August 1969. This date makes more sense than that of SSG Peter Alan Kidd's death on 22 August 1969, because I was dusted off on the 2 days after the Firefight I described. If the dust off occurred on the 24th I would have only had 5 days to return to Quan Loi(I now think this is where I was Chinooked out to the NDP from(Possibly Near Loch Ninh), then back to Blackhorse Camp near Xuan Loc to pack my going home box and then shipped up to Bien Hoa Air Base to sit for 3 days in The Shed to be flown to The World and Discharged in San Francisco. The 13th makes much more sense. It also make a great deal of sense because I have just recently (3 days ago) made contact with retired LTC Steve Linthwaite(I thought the Platoon Leader was Lt Postlethwait on the three days I rode Medic. Very similar names, but I was in shock to say the least. There was a Doctor with the 37th Med Co named Cpt. Arnold E. Postlethwait. Perhaps it was he, at the end of the airstrip at Loch Ninh who pulled the shrapnel out of my right cheek and had me dusted off back to Quan Loi or a Dr Conroy who was, as I have described, Short and shocked that I was In The Field), but Steve remembers several significant details I talked about and a couple of pictures of a Afro American Medic I found in the D Co Picture Gallery. He was then 1st Lt Linthwaite from Kentucky and 1st Platoon Leader D Co 11 ACR. I have now found pictures of him and seem to recognize him. He, at the moment, cannot remember the name of our gunner or loader whose legs received shrapnel wounds and was dusted off that fatal day. Big thanks to Allen Hathaway, Doc Taylor for putting me on the Find A Fiend List and Unit Rosters and allowing me to leave these long probing Comments, their associates, also Quentin and Avery of D Co, Bob Hershey, a Cook in K Troop and all who have devoted enormous energy, skill and time into developing these websites, maintaining them and all of CAVNAV organisation. The reunions sound like an absolute wonder. Allons All.
Added: May 7, 2015
Submitted by Name: Michelle From: Denver E-mail: Contact
Comments: Gary Dilberian, I just found the you posted! My dad the SGM (Top?) would have said his job was riding around in helicopters. Like most vets, it seems, he shielded us from the details.
Email me if you're interested in seeing these super 8 videos he took - I'm sure we can figure out how I can transfer you a couple gigs of files.
Thank you! Michelle mjtdenver@hotmail.com
Added: May 6, 2015
Submitted by Name: Brad Adkins From: North Carolina E-mail: Contact
Comments: All, I am saddened to inform all of you that my father, Retired MSGT Clinton C. "Chet" Adkins passed away Dec. 22, 2014 and was inurned at Arlington on April 30th of this year. He was for a time platoon leader M. Company, 3rd Squadron and was in Vietnam from August 68 to August 69 I do believe. If any of you are willing, I need some help. I had mentioned to my dad before he passed that I would like to compose a short narrative about his time in Vietnam. He gave his blessing and gave me access to everything he had available albeit very little. What I would like to do is establish a basic timeline, towns he may have passed through, operations he took place in, maybe the locations of where he may have earned his awards, and the people he rode with along the way. If any of you have anything at all to offer, please email me at yaardbird012371@gmail.com. Thanks in advance for any help you my be able to give, and as always thank you for your service.
Name: Hurst Palfey Rinehart
From: England
Website: http://drpalfi.co.uk
E-mail: Contact
Mary Matthews Singleton who is the widow of of Sgt Charles Crockett Matthews who rode on D33 with D Company 3rd Platoon who was KIA on D33 on August 13, 1969. She is still hoping to get more information about Sgt Matthew's circumstances on that day. She is also hoping to find the person she met at the 2012 Blackhorse reunion to whom she lent the last photograph she took of her husband at the graduation at Fort Knox Armory School and who promised to publish it in Thunder Run and return it to her. That might have been to the picture editor who recently passed away that I believe Alan Hathaway may have mentioned somewhere not so long ago. Mary wrote me that she received a letter a few weeks after Charles Matthews was KIA from someone named Roland Stephens who said he was a medic with Charles when he died, but that she is not 100% sure because he gave no other information. If Charles was the KIA I attended it could not have been Stephens. I have searched the Master Roster, D CO, 1/11 Roster,Unit Rosters and the 37th MED CO Roster and cannot find Roland Stephens.