• RAAF Airman Aircrew ~ Simply The Best ....
  • Boeing Globemaster C17-A ~ 36 Squadron ....
  • Alenia Spartan C-27J ~ 35 Squadron ....
  • Airbus KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport ~ 33 Squadron ....
  • Boeing 707-338C ~ 33 Squadron ....
  • Boeing E-7A Hawkeye ~ 2 Squadron ....
  • Lockheed Hercules C-130J ~ 37 Squadron ....
  • Lockheed Hercules C-130H ~ 36 Squadron ....
  • Lockheed Hercules C-130E ~ 37 Squadron ....
  • Lockheed Hercules C-130A ~ 36 Squadron ....
  • Pacific Aerospace CT4 ~ 1 Flying Training School ....
  • Bombardier Challenger CL604 ~ 34 Squadron ....
  • Beechcraft King Air 350 ~ 32 Squadron ....
  • BAC1-11 ~ 34 Squadron ....
  • Boeing BBJ 737-8 ~ 34 Squadron ....
  • Bell Iroquois UH-1H ~ 9 Squadron ....
  • De Havilland Caribou DHC-4 ~ 38 Squadron ....
  • Boeing Chinook CH-47 ~ 12 Squadron ....
  • Lockheed Orion P3 ~ 11 Squadron ....
  • Sikorsky Blackhawk UH-60 ~ 9 Squadron ....
  • Douglas DC3 ~ Aircraft Research and Development Unit ....
  • Pilatus PC9 ~ 2 Flying Training School ....
  • Aermacchi MB-326H ~ Roulettes ....

Vale - John Francis GILLESPIE, 3170244, Medical Orderly ....

Lance Corporal John Francis Gillespie (24) was a helicopter medic with the 8th Field Ambulance operating with 9 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.  On 17 April 1971, during a dangerous dustoff operation in the Long Hai Hills in Phuoc Tuy Province to rescue a wounded South Vietnamese soldier, the Iroquois helicopter, A2-767, was hit by enemy ground fire and crashed.  Lance Corporal Gillespie had been pinned under the aircraft and his body could not be recovered from the burning wreckage.  Two other soldiers, positioned on the ground, also died as a result of the crash.

The remains of Lance Corporal Gillespie were located in February 2004, positively identified in December 2007 and repatriated to Australia on 22 December 2007.

John's remains rest at the Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Springvale, Greater Dandenong City, Victoria, Australia.  Plot: Matthews Lawn, Row AE, Grave 66.

Photograph above (tap to enlarge):

A still taken from pilot FLFOFF Mick Castles' movie camera at Vampire Helipad, Vung Tau by Lance Corporal John Gillespie, on the day of the incident (17 April 1971), shows crewman Bob Stephens giving the 'V for Victory' sign following a simulated medical evacuation for a visiting delegation from Australia.  Also in the photograph are gunner Roy Zegers (standing left of aircraft), and pilots FLGOFF Mick Castles and PLTOFF Simon Ford.

Page created: 25 April 2026.

Vietnam Service Record