If you go to thewall-usa.com and put in Theodore Leighton there is a comments section where I posted information I found on the circumstances of his death in Viet Nam.
P.S. I discovered I could fit it all here and the information is below.
Gary Roush Accident Summary: A. A, LIGHT FIRE TEAM, OF AH-1G., COBRAS, LED BY, WO1, WEESLEY W. CARROLL, UNDER THE CONTROL, OF, A COMMAND AND CONTROL, UH-1, COMMANDED, BY CPT., ROGERS, WAS ENGAGED, IN, A NIGHT MISSION, FORM, CA MAU, INTO, THE U MINH, FOREST. IMMEDIATELY, AFTER TAKE-OFF, WO1, CARROLL, MADE CONTACT, WITH, CA MAU, RADAR, FOR VECTORS, TO THE TARGET, AREA AND WAS GIVEN, A BLANKET CLEARANCE, TO FIRE, ALONG, A MAJOR, CANAL, RUNNING, NORTHWEST, TO SOUTHEAST, WHERE MANY, LIGHTS AND, INFRA-RED SIGHTINGS, HAD BEEN REPORTED.\\ B. THE TEAM, BEGAN THEIR OPERATION, IN THE NORTHWEST, CORNER, OF THE FREE FIRE, AREA. THEY WERE, TO STRIKE TARGETS, ALONG THE CANAL, WORKING, THEIR WAY DOWN, TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST. THE TEAM, HAD MADE STRIKES, ON TWO, TARGETS, PRIOR, TO THE ONE ENGAGED, WHEN, THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.\\ C. AFTER, THE FIRST TWO, STRIKES, THE TEAM WAS, PROCEEDING SOUTHEAST, ALONG THE CANAL, WHEN THEY OBSERVED, SEVERAL BRIGHT FIRES, NEAR COORDINATES, WR014351. WO1, CARROLL, BROKE, LEFT AND COMMENCED, A GUN RUN ON THESE TARGETS. THE WING MAN, STATED THAT, WO1, CARROLL, FAILED, TO MAKE, A BREAK, AT THE BOTTOM, OF THE RUN AND CRASHED, INTO DENSE TREES. THE AIRCRAFT EXPLODED, ON IMPACT.\\ D. THE COMMAND AND CONTROL, AIRCRAFT, IMMEDIATELY DROPPED, FLARES AND DESCENDED, ABOVE THE WRECKAGE, ORBITING, FOR SOME TIME. THE WING MAN AND STANDBY TEAM, OF AH-1G'S, FROM THE CA MAU, REMAINED OVER, THE CRASH SITE AND REPORTED NO SIGNS, OF LIFE, AROUND THE WRECKAGE.\War Story: CW2 Carroll was the Aircraft Commander, and 1Lt Leighton was the Pilot/Gunner. The action was in the U Minh Forest on the western edge of the fourth corps area. This was a large triple canopy jungle area with a wet floor. Some of the palms were over 200 feet tall. The mission was a night Phantom III. That was the 235ths daily bread. Phantom III Night was a counter interdiction mission which involved a series of OV-1s, a ground based Aerial Surveillance Radar (ASR), and a Cobra fire team deployed near the area, operating off of a dike line with a connex of surplus, fuel bladder and pump. Wesley had been on R&R a week or so earlier and was sleeping in all day and flying all night. Platoon in the 235th rotated between two night Phantom III interdiction areas and a daytime Phantom III which work selected target areas chosen by the RVN Province S-2. (We often joked about being the enforcement branch for the province tax collector.) The Mohawks from the 244th would check in with the ASR and enter the interdiction free fire zone and either use their Slide Looking Radar to mark target or their Infrared sensors. Mark Target were passed to the ASR site for plotting. The Cobras would come up as the OV-1 began to work the area and upon finding either movers or hot spots the cobras would proceed to use flechett 2.75" rockets to wipe out an area about 800meters by 600meters with about five dart every in every square foot covered. I was quite effective in stop interdiction through the selected areas. Wesley was working this area but he had a cloud layer bottoming between 1000 and 1200 feet AGL (MSL one and the same in the most of the delta). Our normal procedure was to start at 1500 feet and break off after about 30 seconds of firing. Apparently he started low and ended low and caught one of those tall palms. Cobra comes apart badly. Later on the Flight Surgeons discovered the we were developing narcolepsy from forcing our self to sleep through the day. It built up things in our blood which caused our reactions and thinking to slow. Wesley is survived by two daughters. Ted was the gunner because we had a policy that newbie fly 90days in the front seat and go through in country qualifications before they get into the back seat. Ted was a new RLO who hadn't been there two months. Therefore, he was most likely logged as P. I know that Wes was in the back and Ted in the front. If it was deemed and accident I would have to do the investigation. This was ruled a combat lose. Dec 27, 2007
Frederick Miller Teddy "Skip," Leighton, was one, of my, very, best friends. For the record, that 1-27-1970, night, was his, very first flight. Skip and, I graduated college, (Michigan State) in 1968. He had, a military wedding, that summer. I was, in his "arch of steel." We had, gone to basic, together, the summer before. I, followed a month, after him, to Artillery, School and, then flight school. He graduated, flight school, just, before me, but, went on, to "gun school." So, we both arrived, in Vietnam, within weeks, of each other. Skip was well, liked and a ,"born officer," who once had, a West Point, opportunity, until a, minor finger injury, kept him out. The irony was, that he saw, only one night of combat. I don't know, how, well his comrades, from the 235th, got, to know him, but if they, had any time, to serve, with, him and get, to know him, they would, have found him a "stand up," guy! Posted 37, years, later, by "just," one of his, "many," best friends, From: Captain, Frederick W. Miller II, 335th,
Thanks to Ken Stetter for posting the information on Ted Leighton's death in Viet Nam. Ted was my boyfriend the last year of high school. At the time he died, we hadn't had any contact for four years, but his mother called to let me know about his death. She told me he had married the previous summer, and that his plane had crashed his first time out. I appreciate having more details on what happened.
Kenneth Stetter
If you go to thewall-usa.com and put in Theodore Leighton there is a comments section where I posted information I found on the circumstances of his death in Viet Nam.
P.S. I discovered I could fit it all here and the information is below.
Kenneth Stetter
Gary Roush Accident Summary: A. A, LIGHT FIRE TEAM, OF AH-1G., COBRAS, LED BY, WO1, WEESLEY W. CARROLL, UNDER THE CONTROL, OF, A COMMAND AND CONTROL, UH-1, COMMANDED, BY CPT., ROGERS, WAS ENGAGED, IN, A NIGHT MISSION, FORM, CA MAU, INTO, THE U MINH, FOREST. IMMEDIATELY, AFTER TAKE-OFF, WO1, CARROLL, MADE CONTACT, WITH, CA MAU, RADAR, FOR VECTORS, TO THE TARGET, AREA AND WAS GIVEN, A BLANKET CLEARANCE, TO FIRE, ALONG, A MAJOR, CANAL, RUNNING, NORTHWEST, TO SOUTHEAST, WHERE MANY, LIGHTS AND, INFRA-RED SIGHTINGS, HAD BEEN REPORTED.\\ B. THE TEAM, BEGAN THEIR OPERATION, IN THE NORTHWEST, CORNER, OF THE FREE FIRE, AREA. THEY WERE, TO STRIKE TARGETS, ALONG THE CANAL, WORKING, THEIR WAY DOWN, TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST. THE TEAM, HAD MADE STRIKES, ON TWO, TARGETS, PRIOR, TO THE ONE ENGAGED, WHEN, THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.\\ C. AFTER, THE FIRST TWO, STRIKES, THE TEAM WAS, PROCEEDING SOUTHEAST, ALONG THE CANAL, WHEN THEY OBSERVED, SEVERAL BRIGHT FIRES, NEAR COORDINATES, WR014351. WO1, CARROLL, BROKE, LEFT AND COMMENCED, A GUN RUN ON THESE TARGETS. THE WING MAN, STATED THAT, WO1, CARROLL, FAILED, TO MAKE, A BREAK, AT THE BOTTOM, OF THE RUN AND CRASHED, INTO DENSE TREES. THE AIRCRAFT EXPLODED, ON IMPACT.\\ D. THE COMMAND AND CONTROL, AIRCRAFT, IMMEDIATELY DROPPED, FLARES AND DESCENDED, ABOVE THE WRECKAGE, ORBITING, FOR SOME TIME. THE WING MAN AND STANDBY TEAM, OF AH-1G'S, FROM THE CA MAU, REMAINED OVER, THE CRASH SITE AND REPORTED NO SIGNS, OF LIFE, AROUND THE WRECKAGE.\War Story: CW2 Carroll was the Aircraft Commander, and 1Lt Leighton was the Pilot/Gunner. The action was in the U Minh Forest on the western edge of the fourth corps area. This was a large triple canopy jungle area with a wet floor. Some of the palms were over 200 feet tall. The mission was a night Phantom III. That was the 235ths daily bread. Phantom III Night was a counter interdiction mission which involved a series of OV-1s, a ground based Aerial Surveillance Radar (ASR), and a Cobra fire team deployed near the area, operating off of a dike line with a connex of surplus, fuel bladder and pump. Wesley had been on R&R a week or so earlier and was sleeping in all day and flying all night. Platoon in the 235th rotated between two night Phantom III interdiction areas and a daytime Phantom III which work selected target areas chosen by the RVN Province S-2. (We often joked about being the enforcement branch for the province tax collector.) The Mohawks from the 244th would check in with the ASR and enter the interdiction free fire zone and either use their Slide Looking Radar to mark target or their Infrared sensors. Mark Target were passed to the ASR site for plotting. The Cobras would come up as the OV-1 began to work the area and upon finding either movers or hot spots the cobras would proceed to use flechett 2.75" rockets to wipe out an area about 800meters by 600meters with about five dart every in every square foot covered. I was quite effective in stop interdiction through the selected areas. Wesley was working this area but he had a cloud layer bottoming between 1000 and 1200 feet AGL (MSL one and the same in the most of the delta). Our normal procedure was to start at 1500 feet and break off after about 30 seconds of firing. Apparently he started low and ended low and caught one of those tall palms. Cobra comes apart badly. Later on the Flight Surgeons discovered the we were developing narcolepsy from forcing our self to sleep through the day. It built up things in our blood which caused our reactions and thinking to slow. Wesley is survived by two daughters. Ted was the gunner because we had a policy that newbie fly 90days in the front seat and go through in country qualifications before they get into the back seat. Ted was a new RLO who hadn't been there two months. Therefore, he was most likely logged as P. I know that Wes was in the back and Ted in the front. If it was deemed and accident I would have to do the investigation. This was ruled a combat lose. Dec 27, 2007Frederick Miller Teddy "Skip," Leighton, was one, of my, very, best friends. For the record, that 1-27-1970, night, was his, very first flight. Skip and, I graduated college, (Michigan State) in 1968. He had, a military wedding, that summer. I was, in his "arch of steel." We had, gone to basic, together, the summer before. I, followed a month, after him, to Artillery, School and, then flight school. He graduated, flight school, just, before me, but, went on, to "gun school." So, we both arrived, in Vietnam, within weeks, of each other. Skip was well, liked and a ,"born officer," who once had, a West Point, opportunity, until a, minor finger injury, kept him out. The irony was, that he saw, only one night of combat. I don't know, how, well his comrades, from the 235th, got, to know him, but if they, had any time, to serve, with, him and get, to know him, they would, have found him a "stand up," guy! Posted 37, years, later, by "just," one of his, "many," best friends, From: Captain, Frederick W. Miller II, 335th,
Sandi Addy (Xenakis)
Thanks to Ken Stetter for posting the information on Ted Leighton's death in Viet Nam. Ted was my boyfriend the last year of high school. At the time he died, we hadn't had any contact for four years, but his mother called to let me know about his death. She told me he had married the previous summer, and that his plane had crashed his first time out. I appreciate having more details on what happened.
Sandra (Sandi Addy) Xenakis