Daniel Edward Jurecko

Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
Unit: 281st Aviation Co., 10th Aviation Btn, 17th Aviation Group, 1st
Aviation Brigade
Date of Birth: 19 August 1948
Home City of Record: Corpus Christi TX
Date of Loss: 08 May 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 155517N 1073857E
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1C
Refno: 1164

Other Personnel In Incident: James L. Dayton; Robert E. Jenne; George T. Condrey (all missing)

Source: Compiled 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 in 2020.

REMARKS:  EXPLODE – N SIGN SUBJ NR CRASH – J

SYNOPSIS:  George Condrey, pilot, James Dayton, aircraft commander, Daniel Jurecko, crewchief and Robert Jenne, crewman were on a combat support mission 35 nautical miles southwest of Da Nang on May 8, 1968.

During the mission, the helicopter was completing a turn from the east to the west when it exploded in midair and plunged into the Buong River bank. The violent midair explosion of the aircraft indicated that it had been hit by an explosive projectile.

Shortly after the incident, recovery personnel landed in the vicinity of the crash, but were unable to find any signs of life.  On 12 May a ground patrol located the remains of 4 bodies.  Two bodies were found in the wreckage, one along side, and one was 2 meters forward of the aircraft.  All bodies were burned beyond recognition.  Due to enemy activity and the badly deteriorated state of the remains, the remains were not recovered.

All personnel aboard were classified as killed, body not recovered.  They are among nearly 2500 Americans who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam war. They are among the dead because evidence exists that they did not survive. They are listed among the missing because no formal identification of remains was made.