Aggies missing in action in Vietnam War

Related: Lists of Aggies honored at Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (see also: tx.ag/VietnamMIAAggies), the Normandy American Cemetery in France, the Luxembourg American Cemetery and both American military cemeteries in Italy; and Aggies who died due to service in World War I.

To date, 24 Aggies are known to have been declared missing in action in Vietnam; of those, the remains of 14 have since been identified.

Col. James Woodall '50, author of several books on Texas A&M history and a former commandant of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, created the list below, and it has been added to and updated through the work of other Aggies, particularly Jackson Baker '25. 

If you know of additions, corrections or updates that can be made, please contact The Association of Former Students at AggieNetwork@AggieNetwork.com.

The ranks shown below are the rank when reported missing and the rank at the time of recovery. (Policy during the Vietnam War was that MIA/POW personnel would be considered for promotion with their contemporaries even though they were in MIA or POW status.)

REMAINS NOT RECOVERED (10)

Lt. Col. Walter S. Van Cleave ’48, Air Force, 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 37th Tactical Fighter Wing. Lost April 22, 1969, while flying an F4-D Phantom II over Laos. Remains not recovered. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Capt./Maj. William O. Fuller ’57, Air Force, 558th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Lost Aug. 26, 1967, while flying an F4-C Phantom II over North Vietnam. Remains not recovered.

Lt. Cmdr. Robert D. Johnson ’58, Navy, Task Force 116, U.S. Navy Forces Vietnam. Lost Sept. 1, 1967, while flying an UH-1B helicopter in South Vietnam. Remains not recovered.

Capt. Dennis L. Graham ’63, Air Force, 428th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing. Lost March 28, 1968, while flying an F-111A Aardvark over North Vietnam. Remains not recovered.

Capt. George L. Hubler ’64, Marine Corps, 235th Marine Fighter Squadron, 1st Marine Air Wing. Lost Feb. 23, 1968, while flying an F-8E Crusader over South Vietnam. Remains not recovered.

Lt./Maj. Henry G. Mundt II ’64, Air Force, 559th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 12th Tactical Fighter Wing. Lost May 8, 1969, while flying an F4-C Phantom II over Laos. Remains not recovered.

Lt./Capt. Murray L. Wortham ’65, Air Force, 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 366th Tactical Fighter Wing. Shot down Dec. 30, 1967, while flying an F4-C Phantom II over Laos. Remains not recovered.

Lt. Col./Col. Robert F. Wilke ’65, US Air Force, 602nd Special Operations Squadron, 56th Air Commando Wing. Lost Jan. 17, 1968, while flying an A-1H Skyraider over North Vietnam. Remains not recovered. Awarded the Air Force Cross.

Lt./Capt. John R. Baldridge, Jr. ’68, Air Force, 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group. Lost Nov. 20, 1969, while flying an O-2A Skymaster over Laos. Remains not recovered.

Capt. Steven B. Johnston ’68, Air Force, 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Group. Lost Jan. 4, 1973, while flying in an F4-D Phantom II over Laos. Remains not recovered.

REMAINS RECOVERED (14)

Maj./Col. William E. Campbell ’52, Air Force, 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Lost Jan. 29, 1969, while flying an F4D over Laos.  Remains recovered in 2014, buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Awarded the Silver Star.

Maj./Lt. Col. Irving B. Ramsower ’57, Air Force, 16th Special Operations Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. Lost March 29, 1972, in an AC-130A gunship over Laos. Remains recovered in 1986 and identified in 2008. Group burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

Capt. George P. McKnight ’58, Air Force, 309th Air Commando Squadron, 315th Commando Group. Lost Dec. 11, 1965, while flying over South Vietnam. Remains recovered in 1974 and identified in 2017. Group burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

Capt./Col. Gregg Hartness ’60, Air Force, 20th Tactical Air Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group. Lost Nov. 26, 1968, while flying an O-2A Skymaster as a forward air controller over Laos. Remains identified on April 11, 2005, and buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Capt./Maj. William E. Jones ’62, Air Force, 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing. Lost Jan. 5, 1968, while flying an F-105 over North Vietnam. Remains identified Oct. 7, 1985. 

Lt. Michael E. Dunn ’63, Navy, Attack Squadron 165, USS Ranger. Lost Jan. 26, 1968, while flying as a bombardier aboard an A6-A Intruder over North Vietnam. Remains identified Nov. 3, 1999, and buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Capt. Johnnie C. Cornelius ’63, Air Force, 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron. Lost June 26, 1968, while flying an O-2A Skymaster over North Vietnam. Remains identified May 29, 2007, and buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Lt. Victor H. Thompson III ’64, Air Force, 531st Tactical Fighter Squadron, 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing. Lost March 15, 1967, while flying an F-100 Super Sabre over South Vietnam. Remains identified Jan. 10, 1974, and buried in Forest Park Cemetery, Houston, Texas.

Lt. Clyde W. Campbell ’66, Air Force, 602nd Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special Operations Wing. Lost on March 1, 1969, while flying an A-1J Skyraider over Laos. Remains identified July 23, 2010, and buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Capt. Carl E. Long ’66, Marine Corps, Subunit 1, 1st ANGLICO, FMFPAC. Lost Dec. 20, 1969, while flying an OV-10 Bronco over South Vietnam. Remains identified May 3, 2004, and buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Awarded the Bronze Star for Valor.      

Lt. Donald J. Matocha ’67, Marine Corps, 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. Lost April 5, 1968, while leading a reconnaissance patrol in South Vietnam. Remains identified June 17, 2004, and buried in Smithville, Texas.  

Lt./Maj. Neal C. Ward ’67, Air Force, 602nd Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special Operations Wing. Lost June 13, 1969, while flying an A1 Skyraider over Laos. Accounted for July 19, 2019, and buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Awarded the Silver Star.

Lt./Capt. Ronald W. Forrester ’69, Marine Corps, VMA(AW) 533, Marine Air Group 15, 1st Marine Air Wing. Lost on Dec. 27, 1972, while flying an A-6A Intruder over North Vietnam. Remains identified Dec. 4, 2023; interment at Arlington National Cemetery planned. Awarded the Bronze Star.

Warrant Officer/Chief Warrant Officer Phillip R. Pannell ’72, Army, B Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Lost March 14, 1969, while flying a utility helicopter in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam. Remains recovered Jan. 15, 1970. Buried in Plainview, Texas. Awarded the Bronze Star.

Submitted by James R. Woodall ’50; additional research by Jackson Baker ’25
Sources: Jackson Baker ’25; Susan Owen ’94, Association of Former Students; Coffeit Database at www.coffeitdatabase.org; Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency at www.dpaa.mil