Rank: Captain
Unit: Air Cavalry Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
MOS: 1204 – Armored Reconnaissance Unit Commander
Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Badges: Combat Infantryman Badge, Army Aviator Badge
Unit awards: Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm device
Start of tour: 30-Apr-1969
Note: UH-1H, Tail # 68-16387, Pilot
Enlisted by: Reserve
Date of birth: 30-Oct-1946
Hometown: Binghamton, New York
Marital status: Never Married
Campaign: Vietnam Conflict
Entered service: 2-Aug-1966
Start of tour: 30-Apr-1969
Incident date: 12-Apr-1970
Date of casualty: 12-Apr-1970
Age at death: 23
Cause of death: Hostile, Died. Helicopter Crash — Crew (MC). Aircraft loss, crash not at sea.
George Hartwell Adams was killed while pilot of a military aircraft on a military mission when the aircraft was fired upon by hostile ground force, crashed and burned. / Pilot of UH-1H on sniffer mission. Aircraft received hostile ground fire, crashed and burned.
Four Blackhorse troopers died as a result of this incident:
CPT George Hartwell Adams
CPT James Mitchell Atchison
SP4 Dionicio G. Carrizales
SP4 Cleve Davis Miller
Location of fatality: Tay Ninh, South Vietnam, XT 570 864
Place of interment: Bailey Island Cemetery, Bailey Island, Maine, USA
View this soldier‘s Find a Grave page (opens in a new window)
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS
WITH OAK LEAF CLUSTER
POSTHUMOUS
CAPTAIN GEORGE HARTWELL ADAMS, INFANTRY
12 APRIL 1970
AIR CAVALRY TROOP
11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
Captain Adams distinguished himself by heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty on 12 April 1970, while serving as an Aircraft Commander with the Air Cavalry Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, in the Republic of Vietnam. On this date, Captain Adams was flying a reconnaissance mission over known areas of enemy activity. While making several low-level passes over the dense jungle his craft began to receive intense ground fire, which struck his craft several times. Realizing that the aircraft’s control system was damaged severely and a crash was inevitable he maneuvered the helicopter into a landing position which would provide the crew with a better chance of escaping even though he sacrificed his own life. During this period Captain Adams notified nearby helicopters of the enemy’s location so that they could provide suppressive fire while the crew was being rescued. His quick reactions resulted in the saving of four men’s lives. Captain Adams’ actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Headquarters, II Field Force Vietnam, General Orders No. 2079 (May 26, 1970)
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS
FIRST LIEUTENANT GEORGE HARTWELL ADAMS, INFANTRY
9 AUGUST 1969
AIR CAVALRY TROOP
11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
First Lieutenant Adams distinguished himself for heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty on 9 August 1969, while serving as Platoon Leader of an Aero Rifle Platoon of the Air Cavalry Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, in the Republic of Vietnam. On this date, he was informed that a squad of the troop’s Aero Rifle Platoon was needed to make a search of an area in which several enemy troops had been sighted. When he learned that there were no landing zones large enough for a regular troop helicopter, Lieutenant Adams volunteered to strip down his light observation helicopter and use it to carry the troops. Despite intense enemy automatic weapons fire directed at his unarmed and heavily loaded aircraft, he safely inserted four members of the squad into the hazardous landing zone. Although the main and tail rotor blades of the helicopter had been damaged by limbs surrounding the landing zone, he set his aircraft down two more times to extract prisoners captured by the friendly element and to remove the ground troops from the enemy-infested area before they could be attacked by a numerically superior force. First Lieutenant Adams’ courage and determination were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Headquarters, II Field Force Vietnam, General Orders No. 3068 (October 23, 1969)