Even a Flag Could Kill You in Vietnam

Staff Sergeant Keven Zane Goodno was serving his second tour of duty in Vietnam in the fall of 1972. Goodno had enlisted in the Army, entering the service via Regular Military; he began his second tour May 19, 1972. As an E5 Grade, Goodno held a crucial leadership role and focused on training, mentoring and directing small teams. His specialty was Reconnaissance Specialist. Goodno served in the 1st Aviation Brigade, the 17th Cavalry and was part of D Troop which was based at Danang Air Force Base.

On October 26, Goodno was in the Hughes Cayuse helicopter assigned to D Troop. Goodno was the gunner for the helicopter which was piloted by Lt. Dexter B. Florence. While on their reconnaissance mission in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, the duo spotted an NVA (North Vietnamese Army) flag wired to a tree and flew lower to check it out.

At this time, the Vietnam War had been going on since 1955. The Paris Peace Talks were in progress. The goal of the talks was to  end the Vietnam War. The United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the Viet Cong were participating in the talks.

All kinds of NVA and ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) were popping up all over.This was due to rumors that South Vietnam was going to be divided up based on who held the property once the war ended.

Florence and Goodno hovered their helicopter near the NVA flag and ended up triggering a booby trap command-detonated explosive. The detonation killed Goodno and blew holes in the fuel cell of the helicopter, causing a massive fireball. Florence suffered severe burns over 90% of his body. He died three days later from the burns.

This incident is often cited as an example of the dangers faced by Loach (Light Observation Helicopter [LOH] nicknamed Loach)crews in low flying reconnaissance missions during the Vietnam War. The Loach missions were considered among the most hazardous of the Vietnam War. The low-flying helicopters would draw fire to set up shots for the Cobra helicopters above.

“Both men did it with valor and courage. They gave their lives to protect their brothers on the ground,” was a Facebook comment regarding Goodno and Florence.

Goodno received the following awards: the National Defense Service Medal, the Purple Heart, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal.

Keven Goodno was 27 when he was killed. He was the son of Inga and Alvin Goodno of Spring Grove. He had a brother, Allen Goodno, and a sister, Ardelis Auna.

Keven was one of the 58,220 total U.S. military members who died or went missing in the Vietnam War. He was one of the 1,077 Minnesota service members who were killed in Vietnam. A total of 208,000 Minnesota veterans served in the Vietnam War. Each of those service members had their own story of the war. You have just learned more about one of those stories.