GEORGE THOMAS CONDREY III
Chief Warrant Officer 3, Aviator
281st Assault Helicopter Company
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Date of Birth: February 12, 1944
Tour of Duty begain June 13, 1967
Killed in action on May 8th, 1968, when
Helicopter 64-14172 was shot down.
Status changed on May 11, 1968
from Missing to Presumed Dead.
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George Thomas (Tommy) Condrey, III
was born in Atlanta, Georgia on February 12, 1944. He grew up
in the Atlanta area and was a very active young man from an
early age, participating in Sports, Boy Scouts and fishing
with his Father and Grandfather, George Thomas Condrey.
Tom with his father fishing and as a Boy Scout
Tommy Graduated from North Fulton High School in 1962 where he was the Cadet Commander of the Army Jr. ROTC program, was a member of the basketball team and was the starting quarter back for his High School football team. Following high school Tommy attended Young Harris and Georgia Southern Colleges until he joined the Army in June of 1966. He completed basic training, was sent to Fort Walters, Texas for initial rotary wing training and on to Fort Rucker, Alabama where he graduated on June 6, 1967, with Class 67-7, and was awarded the silver wings of an Army Aviator.
Following
graduation Tommy married Jo Ann King in the Covenant
Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Tommy and Jo Ann
were active in the Covenant Presbyterian Church where Tommy
participated in the church's youth activities and sang
in the choir.
In early July
Tommy left his new bride and his family for the trip to South
Vietnam where on July 13, 1967 he joined the 281st
Assault Helicopter Company. His initial assignment was with
the Bandit Platoon in support of the 5th
Special Forces and Project Delta, where he became a highly skilled
and respected Aircraft Commander. Tommy, natural leader,
was held in high esteem by his fellow crew members and his
superiors. He earned the respect of everyone, and was a
friend to all. In war, there are individuals who are "go to" leaders that can be called on to perform difficult missions; in the 281st, there were several such men. However, Tommy was at the top of this list and was always ready and willing to do more than was expected.
Tommy then decided to join the Wolf Pack and fly gun ships. On May 8, 1968, Tommy and his crew were flying mission supporting the recovery of a
Special Forces Long Range Reconnaissance Team (LRRP) that was
engaged in a fire fight with a large hostile force and
were in danger of being captured. When Tommy and his crew
arrived on the scene their gunship immediately came under
intense enemy fire. As the pickup helicopter approached the
landing zone, Tommy and his crew flew close fire support placing
suppressive fire on the hostile forces and at the same time
placing the themselves between the lightly armed pickup
helicopter and the hostile force they were able to draw the
ground fire away from the recovery helicopters. Although drawing
heavy fire from the hostile forces on the ground Tommy and his
crew continued to provide cover for the pickup helicopters until
their helicopter was hit by a barrage of enemy fire
that caused it to explode in mid-air and crash on the bank of
the Buong River. The violent midair explosion of the aircraft indicated that it
had been hit by an explosive projectile.
Shortly after the incident, recovery personnel landed in the
vicinity of the crash, but were unable to find any signs of life.
On 12 May a ground patrol located the remains of four individuals in
the vicinity of the crash site. However, due to heavy enemy
activity the remains could not be recovered.
There are conflicting stories concerning the aircraft and the crew members. There is, with supporting witnesses, a belief that the remains were recovered by the Project Delta Battle Damage Team. However, to date, mortuary records that reflect unidentified individuals on the dates associated with the crew loss have not been located. As of February 2018, these records are again being researched and the effort to locate their remains is ongoing by DOD. The official report, located at the end of this page, also contains a note of possible siting of the remains.
For service to his country and his actions in combat Chief Warrant Officer 3, George Thomas Condrey,III was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (posthumously), the Air Medal with sixteen Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart (posthumously), and various US and Vietnamese Service awards.
CWO George Thomas Condrey III, was one of four men lost when UH-1C 64-14172 was shot down. Condrey, James Dayton, the aircraft commander, Daniel Jurecko, crew chief, and Robert Jenne, gunner, were all highly respected members of the 281st AHC and they shall always be remembered. (To visit the other crew members remembrance sites click on their name)
Remembrances from Tommy's fellow members of the 281st:
Tommy will always have a
special place in my heart. I had just been shot down the day
before with Dan Digenova and Don Creed and then Tommy went out the
next day with Dayton and both were killed. It hit us all hard.
That was a bad week for all of us in the Ashau.
Joe Anderson,
Wolf Pack 33
Gentlemen,
With all the pictures of
Condrey being shown and his Remembrance site now up I feel a
little more on Condrey is warranted. Tom was my primary AC (67-68)
and pretty much taught me how to "really fly" that slick. The guy
was sharp and had a sense of humor and at the end of the day
wherever he sat others gathered. He was at home as much with the
guns as with the slicks and did the stories ever fly when he got
both of them together.
Condrey holds a little known 281st
record and was given a "plaque" for his achievement of such. The
avionics guys gave Tom a plaque for saving them the trouble of
replacing all the radios in the aircraft that he was shot down in.
After being shot down behind enemy lines Tom emptied his 45 into
the radio compartment from approximately 6 feet away and managed
to miss every single one. With the exception of one bullet, every
one of his shots went in-between the radios. The one bullet that
did hit a radio just wedged in front of the case in the deep dent
it had made. Didn't say he could shoot, just fly the heck out of
that thing.
Tom had a keen sense of self-preservation
matched by few in the 281st. He had a set of black
pajamas made to his size and wore them to bed each night whenever
he was in the field. He also had a big radio that would pick up
"Hanoi Hanna" and he would listen to her for the latest news, even
the arrival of the "famed" 281st
to their newest Delta site. He told me not to worry about being
attacked until Hanna was through because Charlie liked listening
to her too. Tom's view of things was that the security at some of
the bases we were stationed at was down right shabby. If the place
was going to be overrun those black pajamas just might be the
thing to get him to the tree line without getting shot if it
finally came down to that.
When we heard of his death I went to his room,
I wanted something of his to remember him by. An officer was
already there taking care of things and packing things away. I
asked him if there was something of his I could keep and was given
Tom's beloved popcorn cooker because it had not been packed yet. I
still have it to this day and with me it will stay until I die.
When my son is ready he will be told the story behind that old
popcorn cooker that use to fill the barracks with it's aroma.
A "lucky" shot got Tom. That's something even
Tom couldn't cover. Every December 15th (shot down
day), every Memorial Day, and every Veterans Day his memory has
been with me and for all these years he has been remembered. There
was much more to Tom and I tried to do him justice, as best I
could, in the stories section of the 281st. How lucky I
was to have him as my AC.
"Galkie"
Galkiewicz
Typical recollections of Tommy are contained in the stories written by John Galkiewicz, who joined the 281st as a new pilot and was assigned to fly with Tommy's crew. John recalls that Tommy not only took him under his wing and gave him the tools and confidence to develop into a skilled aircraft commander, but of equal importance, he became a friend. John's stories about his experiences in the 281st AHC contain several references to the leadership and guidance that Tommy provided him, and others, during his tour of duty with the unit. John's stories can be seen at: John Galkiewicz. John can also be reached at: 115 Nevils St., PO Box 20, Harrogate, TN 37752-0020, Tel: 423-869-8138 (FAX same) or by e-mail at: galkiej@yahoo.com .
Letter from Tommy's college classmate.
College cheerleading team. Tommy on the right.
classmate
This remembrance was assembled by Jack Mayhew,
with help from Tommy's sister, Mary Ellen Nabors.
His parents, Mrs. Betty Johnson Condrey and Mr. George Thomas
Condrey, Jr. have both passed away. His Mother died in 1993 and his
father in 1996. If you have questions, comment or materials that you
would like to contribute to WO Condrey's remembrance, or would
like to contact his family, please contact us at:
intruder06@me.com
or call 410-451-4087
Young Thomas (Tommy) Robert Turner at his
uncle Tommy's Memorial Marker,
at Lenox Towers, Peachtree Road,
Atlanta,
Georgia.
Tommy, 6 years later,
at his uncle's memorial grave
site in Arlington National Cemetery
Observing Memorial Day 2005 and giving proof to our belief that:
A MAN IS NOT DEAD UNTIL HE IS FORGOTTEN
A MAN IS NOT DEAD UNTIL HE IS FORGOTTEN
ONCE AN INTRUDER....ALWAYS AN INTRUDER