RAYMOND H. THRAILKILL Nov 19, 1944 – April 17, 2016

Raymond Harold Thrailkill was born on November 19, 1944. He married on September 9, 1984.

He had one child during his marriage.

He died on April 17, 2016, in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 71, and was buried there.

Remembrance from Curt Smith: Ray Thrailkill was Operations Officer in 71.

Signed my records close out when I DEROSED in June 71.

He was my right seat on 17 May on CCN mission when we got shot to hell and

Pat Nickolls was hit and nearly died from his wounds.

He went back to cargo area and assisted my DG in stemming loss of blood from

two sucking chest wounds on the long hydraulics off flight to QT and 18th Surg.

Remembrance from Patrick Nickolls: Capt. Thrailkill was on his 2nd tour

when he was right seat for our CCN mission to pick up RT Alaska.

I owe my life to our crew- DG Johnny Andrews and Co=pilot Ray Thrailkill for tending me while

A/C Curtis Smith flew for about 40 minutes without hydraulics from NW of Khe Sanh to

Quang Tri and did a running landing there.

This is an example of the kind of men that I am so proud to have served with.

Ray passed in April, 2016 and I never had the chance to thank him. Johnny passed in Oct., 2016,

about a year and a half after we finally met in March, 2015 and a little over a year after attending our first 101st Reunion together. I found Curt with the help of Mike (Benny) Monroe and Don Pipes in Dec., 2016 and we met up at the Wanenmacher's Gun Show in Tulsa in Mar., 2017.

My apologies to Curt for being so long-winded.

Remembrance from W. Ben Conway: This memory is a bad one. I was the right door gunner in this mess.

We had a SOG medic on board with us. He was the first to be hit in the leg.

I had a round bounce of my helmet and cut my commo plug in wire.

Then the crew chief was next to be hit.

This has bothered me all these years. I had no way to hear the pilots, so I stayed behind the M60.

That is when the AC got out of his seat to apply first aid to the men that was hit.

I still like a coward for not getting out of my gunners’ position to apply first aid.