PAVE LOW Flight Engineer
Thomas Ortiz
Thomas “Rocky” M. Ortiz, Jr., TSgt
Thomas Ortiz (1950 – 1984) served as a PAVE LOW flight engineer and was lost in the line of duty on 17 October 1984.
- Rank
- TSgt
- Position
- Flight Engineer
- Born
- July 11th, 1950
- Died
- October 17th, 1984
- Age
- 34
- Lost in the line of duty
- 17 October 1984HH-53H73-1647
In October 1984, HH-53H PAVE LOW crews and aircraft of the 20th SOS deployed to the Republic of the Philippines for Exercise “Cope Thunder 85-1”.
The deployment ended tragically during the exercise when their helicopter, tail number 73-1647, impacted a ridgeline in Crow Valley, near Clark AB, Philippines, during a night TF mission in a heavy rain squall, crashed and was destroyed killing its crew.
Died in the crash were:
Major James S. Prowell
Captain Michael W. Skeen
Technical Sergeant Thomas M. Ortiz, Jr
Technical Sergeant Wayne A. Johnson
Staff Sergeant Robert G. Barker
Sergeant Max B. “Paco”Lincks, Jr.
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