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Martin
Fanning
Fanning
CPT · · Rotary Wing Aviator
KIA · 24 Apr 1971
In-Country Service
31 May 1970 – 24 Apr 1971
Home of Record
Albuquerque, NM
Character of Service
Honorable
Archive Status
Active
Service details sourced from Honor States (honorstates.org, profile 271959) and unit accounts. Wall inscription confirmed: Panel 03W, Line 7.
24 Apr 1971
Incident
Killed in Huey crash — FSB Fontaine
CPT Martin Fanning was piloting UH-1H tail number 69-15692 (A Co., 229th Aviation) on a departure from FSB Fontaine when the aircraft suffered a sudden loss of power at 100–200 feet above the treeline. Fanning attempted to autorotate into a nearby clearing; the left skid caught a tree at the clearing edge, pitching the aircraft nose-down. It impacted logs and rolled onto its right side. CPT Fanning, co-pilot WO1 Gabriel Jeffries, and passenger SGT Richard Colburn were killed. Eight others aboard were injured. Company Armor Jim Garvin had been bumped from the passenger manifest minutes before departure and watched the crash from the firebase.
⚠ Source Notice — Multiple Accounts Exist
Casualty type officially recorded as "non-hostile action — air crash on land," South Vietnam, Long Khanh province. Primary source: VHPA incident record 710424101ACD (UH-1H 69-15692). Supplemented by Wall of Faces record and accounts from unit members.
May 1971
Fire Support Base Fanning established in his honor
In the weeks following the April 24 crash, the 3rd Brigade (Separate) established a new artillery position in Long Khanh Province and named it Fire Support Base Fanning. D Co., 2/8 Cav records (McGrew personal calendar) confirm the base was already in use by May 7, 1971 — just 13 days after the crash — with the entry "Returned to Fanning" indicating at least one prior visit, placing establishment in early May. The base served as an airmobile operations anchor on the QL-1 corridor near Xuân Lộc, supporting infantry patrols and night ambushes through the summer drawdown. FSB Fanning was active through August 11, 1971, when the 3rd Brigade relocated assets to a new position named Fire Support Base Jeffries — honoring CPT Fanning's co-pilot, WO1 Gabriel Jeffries Jr., who died in the same crash. The two pilots' names remained together on the maps of Long Khánh Province until the unit stood down.
⚠ Source Notice — Multiple Accounts Exist
Primary source: McGrew personal calendar (D Co., 2/8 Cav). First entry: "Returned to Fanning" May 7, 1971. Last entry: "Convoy To Fanning" Aug 11, 1971. Transition: "CA to New Loc" Aug 13; FSB Jeffries established ~Aug 14. Full research notes: site/_docs/locations/fsb-fanning.md
Did You Know Martin, or Serve Alongside Martin?
We are actively collecting photographs, letters, and memories for this profile. Submissions are reviewed before publication. If you served with Martin — or are a family member with materials — we'd be grateful to hear from you.