Leave No Man Behind

On the morning of December 28, 1965 Huey 808 from the First Air Cavalry departed An Khe for a 15 minute flight to resupply ground troops in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

The pilot radioed base reporting bad weather.

It was the last heard from the crew. For over 43 years.

Rescue crews looked for Huey 808. Over and over. In rough, heavily wooded terrain. But they couldn't locate it.

SP5 Don Grella was the crew chief. His sister, Shirley Haase has lead a campaign to continue the search for her brother and the rest of the crew since their disappearance.

Earlier this year, she was informed by the American military's Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command that the crash site had been found. Her brother's remains as well as the rest of the crew had been recovered and positively identified.

This past Saturday, Specialist Grella was laid to rest in his hometown of Laurel, Nebraska.

Welcome home, sir.

Thank you for your sacrifice.

Thank you Mrs. Haase for never forgetting your brother.

Thank you Laurel, Nebraska for never fogetting a native son.

Thank you America for never leaving a man behind.