Henry E. Schwarz

Foil: 6 Panel: Distinguished Flying Cross Society Column: 1 Line: 20

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

5-March-2008
BACKGROUND: During his second combat tour in Vietnam, Major Schwarz led from two to four combat air assaults a week for nine months, totaling over a hundred, at the head of formations involving 14 to 18 helicopters carrying troops into battle, plus two to four gun/rocket ships for fire support. Each major combat air assault involved as many as six lifts into the objective area until it was secured. Additional fire support came from ground unit artillery, US Air Force Tactical Air Liaison Teams and US Navy Gunfire Liaison Teams, whatever it took to prevail in battle and minimize casualties to friendly forces.
24-February-1967 turned out to be a busy day. At the crack of dawn, Major Schwarz successfully led a formation of helicopters on a combat assault to lower Korean combat troops on ropes thru a 120 foot high jungle tree canopy to seize the top of an enemy held mountain. As this mission was shifting to the combat support phase, Major Schwarz was ordered to immediately refuel and rearm all aircraft not absolutely essential to current missions, land at a far distant base and await further orders. He was told he would be flight leader of not only his own unit's helicopters but also of the reserves of two other helicopter battalions that would join his formation, in flight, totaling 17 helicopters. Smoke from ground fires, unfamiliar terrain and fading evening sunlight in the objective area further complicated matters.
CITATION: For heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary actions above and beyond the call of duty. Major Schwarz distinguished himself while serving as aircraft commander of a UH-1D helicopter and flight leader of an airmobile assault force lifting reinforcements to support an ambushed Vietnamese convoy. On approach into the landing zone intense enemy fire was received. Despite the continued enemy fire Major Schwarz hovered his aircraft in the landing zone area for several minutes in order to direct succeeding ships into safe landing points. Upon completion of the mission, he volunteered to remain in the objective area as a command and control ship for the ground commander. Major Schwarz' courage and devotion to duty contributed immeasurably to the success of the mission. His actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
FOLLOW-ON: Having been awarded 29 medals for outstanding performance of duty and service to the country, Henry E. Schwarz honorably retired from the US Regular Army, Corps of Engineers, in the late 1970s. Since then, he has worked in commercial industry as a professional engineer managing design and construction of mostly telecommunications type projects for corporations such as, the American Security Corp., Satellite Business Systems, GTE Sprint, Contel Federal Systems Sector, and as a full time consultant to the US Department of State. After becoming retired-retired and buying a brand new 4-place executive level helicopter, he recently started his own FAA certified Helicopter Services Company in leased hangars at two different airports. He has built one experimental aircraft (received a show stopper award) and has an amphibian aircraft in the advanced stages of design and construction.