Helicopter Pilots Killed in Action (KIA)
Detailed KIA information is on the VHPA web site at http://www.flyarmy.org/KIAINDEX.HTM
VHPA STATISTICS FOR THE VIETNAM WAR PERIOD (1961 - 1975)
Total in all U. S. military services
..........................
8,744,000
Serving in Southeast Asia
....................................
3,385,000
Serving in South Vietnam
.....................................
2,594,000
Killed or Body Not Returned
.....................................
58,220
Helicopter pilots KIA or BNR
......................................
2,197
Helicopter Pilot KIAs by Service and Estimated Total Number with SEA
Service
|
VHPA |
Service or Organization |
Killed In |
Body Not |
Remains |
|
Estimated Total Number |
|
||
|
|
AR |
Army |
1732 |
104 |
33 |
1869 |
37,500 |
|
|
|
|
MC |
Marine Corps |
176 |
22 |
2 |
200 |
4,500 |
|
|
|
|
AF |
Air Force |
33 |
9 |
6 |
48 |
2,000 |
|
|
|
|
AA, CV |
Air
America & other Civilian Companies |
26 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
900 |
Located
anywhere in Southeast Asia |
|
|
|
NA |
Navy |
24 |
8 |
1 |
33 |
400 |
|
|
|
|
AN, AY, RA |
Australian (all) |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
200 |
Includes New Zealand |
|
|
|
VF |
RVN Air Force |
12 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
750 |
|
|
|
|
CG |
Coast Guard |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
11 |
Served with USAF |
|
|
|
KO |
Korean Army |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
120 |
|
|
|
|
LA, TH, PA |
Lao, Thailand,
etc. |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
300 |
|
|
|
|
|
Totals |
2,011 |
143 |
43 |
2197 |
46,681 |
|
|
|
|
Note: All MIAs have been declared dead by the Department of
Defense |
|
|
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|
|
KIA by Rank |
|
KIA by Location |
|
KIA by Age |
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ave |
|
Area |
|
KIA |
|
|
KIA |
|
|||||
|
|
WO1 |
854 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
855 |
23.1 |
|
Cambodia |
50 |
|
19 |
61 |
|
||||||
|
|
CW2 |
290 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
290 |
26.7 |
|
Laos |
77 |
|
20 |
161 |
|
||||||
|
|
CW3 |
54 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
54 |
28.2 |
|
Thailand |
8 |
|
21 |
279 |
|
||||||
|
|
CW4 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
42.5 |
|
North Vietnam |
22 |
|
22 |
272 |
|
||||||
|
|
ENS |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
23.2 |
|
South Vietnam |
|
23 |
212 |
|
|||||||
|
|
PO |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
n/a |
|
I
Corps |
649 |
|
|
24 |
258 |
|
|||||
|
|
2LT |
14 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
30 |
24.8 |
|
II
Corps |
347 |
|
|
25 |
205 |
|
|||||
|
|
SLT |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
N/a |
|
III
Corps |
516 |
|
|
26 |
128 |
|
|||||
|
|
X1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
n.a |
|
IV
Corps |
195 |
|
|
27 |
100 |
|
|||||
|
|
1LT |
268 |
107 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
379 |
24.7 |
|
Unk |
320 |
|
|
28 |
73 |
|
|||||
|
|
LJG |
0 |
0 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
19 |
25.6 |
|
SVN
Total |
2027 |
|
29 |
69 |
|
||||||
|
|
CPT |
289 |
61 |
29 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
402 |
27.1 |
|
Unk
Country |
13 |
|
30 |
64 |
|
||||||
|
|
LT |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
11 |
29.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
31-34 |
150 |
|
|||||
|
|
MAJ |
75 |
24 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
111 |
33.2 |
|
Total |
|
2197 |
|
35-39 |
90 |
|
|||||
|
|
LCR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
34.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
40-44 |
21 |
|
|||||
|
|
LTC |
16 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
38.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
45-49 |
9 |
|
|||||
|
|
COL |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
40.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
50+ |
2 |
|
|||||
|
|
BG |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
46.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
Unk |
43 |
|
|||||
|
|
MG |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
48.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Totals |
1869 |
200 |
48 |
33 |
26 |
7 |
12 |
1 |
1 |
2197 |
25.5 |
|
|
|
|
Total |
2197 |
|
|||||||
Facts about Vietnam helicopter pilot deaths
|
Youngest to be killed = WO1 Raymond H. Chase, Jr., KIA 10
Nov 1967 |
First to be killed = FO Charles H. Mateer and CPT Walter L.
Wizbowski |
|
Average tour length before being killed = 154 days |
First U.S. military to be killed = CW2 Joseph A. Goldberg 15
July 1962 |
|
|
Last
to be killed = USAF 2LT Richard Vande Geer on 15 May 1975 |