Dear Annemarie:

My name is Clyde Wilcox and I was the intelligence Chief for your father's squadron in Vietnam. Finding your entry on the HMM-363 web site finally has given me an opportunity to contact your family. You and your mother had just moved in when I left for Phu Bia Vietnam. By the time I was made aware of the fact that you were our neighbor in Santa Ana, your mother had left. There was no internet and communications were so slow, compared to today; I had no idea about how to contact her.

Your father and my meeting was actually an example of fate or conincidence. Prior to leaving for Vietnam, my family and I moved into 704 Parton in Santa Ana California. A friend of my wife's from the Marine Corps, Lil Richardson, lived up the street. Lil told my wife she wanted to introduce her to your mother as her husband was leaving for Vietnam also.

My letters from Vietnam were delivered in batches and the morning Lil had planned on introducing your mother to my wife was marked by the delivery of the latest batch of letters. The first letter my wife opened was the one about your father. It said, I had just finished briefing a Lt. Schlicht for his mission and he had asked me to fly on his crew. It was difficult to turn him down as he was an excellent pilot and I really enjoyed flying with him; but I turned him down as I was not on flight status at the time and did not want to fly without approval. Without approval, I could not draw the extra $110.00 hazard pay. My wife received my hazard pay and it helped make it possible for her to wait for me in California instead of going home to her parents. So I had to pass on the assignment. As things happen, this was his last mission.
We all felt a great loss when we received word of the crash.

We have been retired since 1976 and live in the Houston Texas area.

Clyde Wilcox
Phn: 281-648-5811