Marshall Ray Frizzell
Name: Marshall Ray Frizzell
Rank/Grade: CAPT - O3 - Army - Reserve
Age: 34
Marital Status: Married
Race: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: Dec 1, 1931
From: Island Pond, Vermont
Length of Service: 10 years
Tour Began: Sep 17, 1965
Casualty Date: February 20, 1966
Location: SOUTH VIETNAM
Hostile/Non-Hostile: NON-HOSTILE
Classification: HELICOPTER - CREW AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body Recovered: Yes
Religion: Congregational Chris
Vietnam Memorial: Panel 05E - - Line 55
Lefty and I were platoon leaders in G company 19th Inf. on the DMZ in Korea in 1956 where we shared a tent. He was a good friend and an outstandng officer. You could always rely on him. I have many pictures of us and will always remember the fun and experiences we shared. Have visited him at The Wall several times.
Lefty and I were roommates when he was killed. He was a quiet, sincere guy who had a very good, dry sense of humor. I think of him a lot. Traced his name on the wall when I visited a few years ago.
The evening Lefty died, The Rattlers had been “Scrambled” from the Snakepit to an LZ near Tan Uyen, about ten clicks from Bien Hoa. It was dry season, so we were landing and taking off into red Talcum powder. I was flying #2 slot in the first “stick” that took off. As we were making a left circling climb out of the LZ, I saw the fireball resulting from the collision of Lefty’s Huey with the rotor blades of the Huey in front of him, which had aborted takeoff. LT Steve Martin, Lefty’s co-pilot, was severely injured, and the Crew Chief, CPL Lancaster, was trapped in the burning wreckage.
It was a bad night for the rattlers, and we never again used the term “Scramble”.