TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

Richard Laughlin O'Leary
times with 14.5mm High Explosive (HE) anti-aircraft rounds. The first round went through the cockpit under my feet
and seat and hit the stick in the back seat. It exploded and killed 2nd Lt. O'Leary instantly and blew out the windows.
The other two rounds passed harmlessly through the rear fuselage and tail. The aircraft filled with smoke and, with
a glance, I knew that he was gone. The round also severed the right rudder cable. I was able to land the bird at Dong
Ha.
After landing and seeing to Richard's body, I shortly launched in another aircraft to try to find the AA site - no luck.
For some reason Saturday night of all times I started to wonder if anyone had ever contacted Richard's family and
tell them the circumstances of his demise. I suspect that by now his parents are gone but, perhaps, he has some
family that still thinks of him. I admired and respected him in the short time that I knew him. Frankly, I am a bit
surprised that I should suddenly start thinking of him now. Prior to flying O-1's, I had flown A-4 attack jets (fighterbombers)
for 8 months. After flying A-4's I had been on the ground with the 1st Battalion 9th Marines as their
ground Forward Air Controller. By the time I met Richard I had been in Vietnam 16 months. I thought that I might
be able to communicate the details of his last hours to his family through the BC Alumni Association.
As to my credibility, after coming back from 20 months in Vietnam, I went back to flying attack jets (A-4's) and was
discharged from active duty in Sept. 1968. I continued flying in the Marine Corps Reserve and by 1984 was a Lt.
Colonel and the Squadron Commander of an A-4 squadron (VMA-124) in Memphis, TN. In 1987 I inter-service
transferred to the Massachusetts Air National Guard flying A-10 aircraft out of Westfield Massachusetts. When I
retired in 1993 I was the Squadron Commander of the 131st Fighter Squadron and had been the Director of
Operations for the 104th Fighter Group. In civilian life I was an airline pilot. When I retired in 2002 at the mandatory
retirement age of 60, I was an International B767 pilot for American Airlines. A reference of my background that can
be checked would be with my close friend, Bill Keys. Bill is a retired Lt. General from the Marine Corps and is now
CEO of Colt Firearms.
I am now retired. However, my wife is an active duty Colonel in the USAF and she is stationed at Ramstein AFB in
Germany. We live in a small village northwest of the base.
I know that this is a lot to take in. My only motivation for doing this is that someone in Richard's family will know
that he was respected and still missed - what Memorial Day is all about. I hope that you could be of help in this effort.
David Marshall
M‐76