Helicopter Pilots Killed in Action (KIA)

 

Detailed KIA information is on the VHPA web site at http://www.vhpa.org/KIA/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
Abbreviation

Service or Organization

Killed In
Action

Body Not
Returned

Remains
Returned


Total

Estimated Total Number
with SEA Service


Comments

 

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

 

 

 

 

KIA by Rank

 

KIA by Location

 

KIA by Age

 

 


Rank


AR


MC


AF


NA


AA


AN


VF


KO


CG


Total

Ave
Age

 

Area

 

KIA
BNR

 


Age

KIA
BNR

 

 

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
DOB 13 Aug 1948, 7028 days old, 19.3 years old

First to be killed = FO Charles H. Mateer and CPT Walter L. Wizbowski
on 30 May 1961 in Laos flying for Air America

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