BECKER HOWARD JOHN JR

Click here for more information about this incident

Name: 1LT Howard John Becker, Jr.
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 07/15/1971 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 23.9
Date of Birth: 08/06/1947
Home City: Des Plaines, IL
Service: AR branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: A/2/17 CAV 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Flight class: 70-48
Service: AR branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 03W-107
Short Summary: Engine failure after hit by AA fire. Autorotated into Da Krone River which was flooded. Both drowned. Pilot was Ted Taylor. memo.
Aircraft: AH-1G tail number 67-15679
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 61204
Primary cause: Hostile Fire
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: small arms fire
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: pilot
Vehicle ownership: government
Started Tour: 04/27/1971
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
The initial status of this person was: no previous report
Length of service: *
Location: Quang Tri Province I Corps.
Military grid coordinates of event: XD991442

Additional information about this casualty:
 Had engine failure after being struck by heavy machine gun and AA fire. Autorotated into Da Krone River, which was at flood stage and muddy following heavy rains. Rescue Huey hovered at scene and recovered Taylor from water, who stayed on skid while attempting to rescue co-pilot Becker, Both were lost in water and drowned. Taylors body never found. from Dan Bresnahan 4 July 1993

Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Hostile - killed
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Roman Catholic
Burial information: FORT SHERIDAN POST CEMETERY, HIGHWOOD, IL
The following information secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: officer
This record was last updated on 08/20/1995


This information is available on CD-ROM.

Additional information is available on KIAs at http://www.coffeltdatabase.org

Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.

KIA statistics

Return to the Helicopter Pilot KIA name list

Return to the KIA panel date index

Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association