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SP/4 Ralph “Smokey” Fredenberg
SP/4 Ralph “Smokey” Fredenberg
Smokey grew up in Shawano and had many friends. He attended Lincoln elementary school and graduated from Shawano High School in 1966. While in high school, Smokey was a member of the Projector Club, Junior Red Cross, participated in intramural sports and was a life guard at the Shawano Recreation Center. He started the first Shawano Youth Congress and became president of the Wisconsin chapter while still in high school.
Smokey’s long-term plan was to go to college and possibly become an attorney. The G.I. Bill would help him to achieve that goal so on June 13, 1966, along with two buddies, he enlisted in the US Army for four years with duty in Germany.
He completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and then completed the “helicopter repairman” course at Fort Eustis, Virginia. Then, instead of being sent to Germany as he had enlisted for, he was assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado where the 195th assault helicopter company (AHC) was being formed. He was at Fort Carson from January 1967 until October 1967 when his unit left for Vietnam via boat.
The 195th AHC arrived in Vietnam on October 26, 1967. The unit had 31 helicopters and was located at Long Binh just outside of Saigon. The unit’s mission was to support special forces operations and flew its first mission on November 30, 1967.
The Tet offensive began on January 31, 1968. It was the deadliest day for America as 245 Americans died that day. The 195th AHC shuttled American troops into Saigon to defend key buildings including the US Embassy.
On March 3, 1968, several helicopter repairmen, including Smokey, were reassigned to Company A, 101st Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division at Camp Engle which was 7 miles southeast of Hue in the northern part of the country. Camp Engle was located on the east end of the A Shau Valley. The A Shau Valley ran 450 miles from Laos to Hue and was a major infiltration route for the North Vietnamese.
To impede the enemy’s movement, a series of fire support bases such at T-bone, Birmingham, Bastogne, and Veghel were established on the east end of the A Shau Valley. From March to May 1968, the 101st Aviation Battalion was tasked with resupplying the fire support bases with whatever they needed.
That’s what Smokey was doing on April 24, 1968 when his helicopter was shot down by a rocket propelled grenade and exploded in a ball of fire. They had just unloaded supplies at fire support base Veghel and were on their 12-mile flight back to base camp Eagle. They were 1.2 miles from fire support base Veghel when they went down. Those who witnessed the shoot down, realized that nobody could have survived the fire ball they had seen and the crash site was in enemy territory with ongoing heavy fighting.
Attempts to reach the crash site were unsuccessful until four months later in August 1968. All crew members died instantly and all were inside the helicopter.
The four crew members killed were:
E-4 Ralph Fredenberg, door gunner, age 20, WI, 6 months in country.
E-5 Buford Johnson, crew chief, age 19, FL, 7 months in country.
W01 Stuart Werner, pilot, age 22, CA, 23 days in country.
Wo1 Brian Philibert, co-pilot, age 24, TX, 5 months in country.
There was also a passenger who had volunteered to go along. He had been in country for two years and was going home within a week. E-5 Dale Lambert, supply specialist, age 22, WA.
The loss of the helicopter and crew hit the unit hard as it was their first loss in the five months the unit had been in Vietnam. Wo1 Brian Philibert had been one of the original pilots who had deployed with the unit from Fort Campbell, KY and was well liked.
After this incident, unit helicopters always flew in pairs for better protection and to report the location if one was shot down.
Smokey’s family was notified that he was missing in action as of April 24, 1968. Then in September 1968 the family was notified that Smokey’s remains had been recovered.
On October 3, 1968, Smokey’s remains arrived in Green Bay on a flight from San Francisco. US Army SP/5 Robert D. Klotz was the escort.
Funeral services for SP/4 Ralph “Smokey” Fredenberg were conducted on Saturday, October 5, 1968 at 9:30am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Shawano with internment in Woodlawn Cemetery. Military rites were conducted at the cemetery by an honor guard from Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Born Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements. The marble grave marker came from the Columbus Marble Works in Columbus, MS.
A year after he quit high school, Wes joined the Army on May 18, 1948, six days after turning 17. He did 14 weeks of basic combat training and infantry training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He had a stop over at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on his way to occupation duty in Japan in August 1948 which was to be a 30-month tour. In Japan he was assigned to Headquarters Troop, 8th Calvary Regiment of the first Calvery Division. His service number was RA16284742.
By July 1950, Wes had been in Japan for 23 months with 7 months to go. He had been promoted to corporal and was bored with Japan and couldn’t wait to get back home. All along, he had been writing to his girlfriend, Barb, and was counting the days until they would be together.
On Sunday, June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea with 90,000 troops. On June 30, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 24th Infantry Division was ordered to Korea from Japan. The Division landed at the southern port of Pusan and a 540-man battalion was sent north to slow the North Korean advance. This battalion was known as “Task Force Smith” and met the enemy on July 5, 1950, 25 miles south of the Seoul at Osan.
Meanwhile, Wess’ 10,000-man First Calvary Division landed at Pohan Dong Korea, 60 miles north of Pusan on July 18, 1950. That same day, the unit moved by truck and rail 83 miles to Yong Dong to relieve the 24th Division and slow the advancing North Korean Army. Wess’ unit arrived at Yong Dong on July 19, 1950. The battle of Yong Dong took place on July 22-25, 1950 and the 96-mile fighting retreat to Pusan continued. At Yong Dong, the First Cavalry Division suffered 275 killed while North Korean losses were 2,000.
As the North Korean Army continued to move south, the fighting retreat by U.N. units bought time for the Pusan perimeter to be strengthened with arriving troops. The North Korean Army reached the 140-mile-long Pusan perimeter on August 4, 1950. The battle raged until September 18, 1950 when the North Korean Army retreated and the siege was lifted. During this 46-day battle, 64,000 North Korean, 40,000 South Korean, and 5,000 U.S. troops died.
At the Battle of Yong Dong, on July 24, 1950, Wes was listed as “missing in action.” He had only been in Korea for seven days. The next five years was a nightmare for Wess’ family as they waited for information as to whether Wes had been wounded, captured, or killed. Wess’ name appeared several times in state newspaper articles which listed missing Wisconsin service members. In absentia, in May 1953, Wes was promoted from corporal to sergeant. Then the armistice was signed on July 27, 1953 which ended all fighting.
Six months later, in January 1954, Wess’ status changed from MIA to presumed dead. In May 1955, the family was notified that Wess’ remains had been recovered and was on the way home. The remains arrived at the train station in Shawano on June 4, 1955 escorted by Master Sargeant Peter Dzimba.
The wake was held on Sunday, June 5, 1955 at Karth Funeral Home. The next day, June 6, 1955 at 1:30pm the funeral service was held at the Methodist Church with Reverand W.E. Williamson officiating. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery in Shawano.
On June 7, 1955, Shawano Veterans Service Officer, Gerald Riley, ordered the white marble grave stone. Withing a few months it arrived at the train station in Shawano from “Columbus Marble Works” in Columbus, Mississippi.
Sergeant Oliver W. Hottenstein was 19 years, 2 months, and 6 days old when he died on July 24, 1950. Wes had been in the army 26 months. It took another five years for his remains to return home.
The area of Yong Dong, where Wes died, is located 100 miles south of Seoul and 100 miles north of Pusan which is the half way point between the two cities. Yong Dong is located in South Korea and is accessible by westerners.